The Triklino Vineyard
 In September 2000 the worst forest fire in living memory broke out a few kilometres from Pelekas. The Vlachos Estate was just one of the early victims of the blaze. By morning 800 of its ancient olive trees were charred stumps, and the stones of the press building were shattered into pieces by the heat.
But, like a phoenix, a new enterprise has arisen out of the ashes. The Vlachos family took the decision not to replant olives, but instead to replace them with vines, and to rebuild the press to function as a Visitor Centre and Museum of Oil and Wine.
The Triklino Vineyard is located just off the road to Pelekas near Karoubatika. (The number 11 bus stops close by.) The press building and outbuildings sit on the top of a hill with panoramic views over the surrounding countryside. An area of 17,000 square metres has been planted with grapes of the local kakotrigis and skopelitiko varieties, now three years old and about to produce their first harvest.  Once full production has been achieved, 10 tonnes of grapes are expected annually, providing around 15,000 bottles of wine.
The attached Museum of Oil and Wine is housed in the largest building and is a reconstruction of the destroyed press (none of the original stones could be salvaged). Inside, traditional olive oil and wine making equipment is on display, among them a three-stone horse-driven crushing bed, vats, barrels and smaller pieces of equipment such as xestas (measuring containers). A short and excellently produced video, presented on a projector screen, shows the whole process of olive oil and wine making. A display of local products and books lends additional interest.
 Once the guided tour is over, visitors enjoy a generous tasting of the estate wine, accompanied by a snack of local mezzes, all home-made on the premises.
Entry is five euros, including the mezze (a more extensive selection is available for ten euros). The establishment is open from 12 noon to 7 in the evening except Sundays. To visit their website click here.
New Shop
Another new shop has opened in Pelekas (next to the Zanzibar). Oscars Accessories is owned by Dina Sgourou and has a large range including jewellery, belts, bags, scarves, hair clips, clothing and much more. Stock is frequently rotated and it's a great place to buy a present either for yourself or for someone else!
Tour of West and Central Corfu
 Hilary Whitton-Paipeti, editor of the Corfiot magazine, has written a short guided tour of the west coast and central Corfu which aims to avoid avoid the most popular haunts and turn instead to the countryside, the villages and the lesser known beaches. Even in August, you can find peace as you explore this part of the island. The tour takes in the villages of Giannades, Liapades, Marmaro and Kanakades as well as the Ropa Valley. There is also a a sea-bourne exploration along the coast starting from the beach at Liapades. You can find the article here.
Pelekas Arts Festival
 The third annual Pelekas Arts Festival took place over three days in July.
Despite the extreme heat, the festival was better attended than ever and a large group of local volunteers ensured that everything ran smoothly.
The usual mix of artists, musicians and DJs, along with jugglers, stilt-walkers and fire-eaters provided the entertainment and for the first time there were daily seminars presented by top graffiti artists.
The Pelekas Arts Festival is unique with a local council providing such a large space for graffiti artists. Much of the funding comes in the form of grants - both local, national and international. To find out more visit the PAF website.
Cookery Corner
This section gives you the opportunity to re-create some of your favourite Corfiot taverna recipes at home. This time, Ekmek - a layered custard cake.
Ingredients
Handful of slivered almonds. Pinch of cinnamon. 2/3 cup brandy. 2 tablespoons of corn starch. 2 egg yolks (lightly beaten). 2 tablespoons flour. 2 teaspoons honey. 3 cups milk. Pack of square rusks (melba toast for instance). Two cups of sugar. Cup of water. Whipped cream.
Instructions
Assemble the syrup ingredients - honey, brandy, 1 cup of sugar, water - in a pan and boil for about 15 minutes. Remove the syrup from the heat and let it cool. Pour the milk and remaining sugar into a pan, add the lightly beaten egg yolks, flour and corn starch. Stir constantly over a low to medium heat until it bubbles and thickens. Remove this custard mixture from the heat and stir occasionally while cooling so no "skin" forms on top. Line a glass dish with the rusks and pour the cooled syrup over them. (The syrup should completely cover the rusks.) Leave to soak for one hour. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon and pour the cooled custard mixture over the syrup-soaked rusks. Chill overnight in the fridge. Before serving pour the whipped cream over pudding and sprinkle with the slivered almonds and cinnamon.
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Editorial
More than half of all holidays and flights from Britain are now booked online.
The rise of the virtual travel agent has accelerated through new online trends such as blogging, podcasting, Google Earth and video streaming.
The trend for community sites is impacting on how people buy holidays, making it possible for customers to review holidays and post their opinions and pictures they have taken on websites.
Recommendations from friends and family are the things that people who book online trust most, followed by consumer opinions posted online.
Travel websites are effectively becoming virtual travel agents. The days when people picked a holiday from a brochure and walked into a travel agent to book are all but over.
Another interesting statistic is that "silver surfers" - those in their 50s and early 60s - are the fastest-growing group of internet travel bookers. The number of people aged 50-64 who use the internet to book holidays involving flights rose from 16% in 2000 to 27% in 2005.
And it has recently been revealed that travellers might one day be able to book a holiday using their fingertips. Customers would scan their fingertips on their computer and store personal booking information which they could retrieve at a travel kiosk at the airport check-in desk or hotel. Also, a mobile phone, equipped with a bar code reader, could enable customers to scan bar codes on advertisements or holiday brochures. Details about availability could then be displayed on their mobile phone screen. A booking confirmation would have a unique barcode that a customer would scan to store it in the phone so that travel shops, hotels and airports would instantly recognise the customer using a radio frequency identification reader - speeding up the check-in and security processes.
Corfu Escapes Wildfires
At the time of writing - in early September - Corfu has thankfully escaped the forest fires that have recently ravaged large parts of Greece. Everyone here is still on high alert - especially when there are strong winds - and the few fires that have broken out on the island (an annual occurrence) have been very quickly brought under control.
September Election
Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis has confirmed the country will hold early elections on September 16 with the aim of winning a fresh mandate to push forward economic and social reforms. Karamanlis, who called the elections six months before the end of his conservative government's first term, said he needed a new mandate for a series of reforms, including constitutional changes, that would further spur growth.
Complaint Form Can Aid Animal Welfare
There is now an official government complaint form for tourists. Part of it is devoted to animal welfare. We urge you to download, print, fill in and mail this form if you want to report the ill treatment of animals in Corfu. For more information about how you can help the stray and maltreated animals of Corfu you can visit The Ark website.
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