Christmas Special: Wine & Food pairing with Siân Beusch DipWSET
This was a really special evening with indulgent pairings of meat, cheese and wine.
Our aim was to use as many local artisan food suppliers as we possibly could.
Knightor Classic Cuvée and Salmon Paté
So our first wine of the evening came from Cornwall - a Knightor Classic Cuvee sparkling wine which we paired with a salmon paté from Cornish Charcuterie (based in the Norton Barton Artisan Village just outside Bude).
The Knightor is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir (the two principal grapes in champagne-making) and made in exactly the same way as champagne. A small proportion of the pressed grapes were fermented and aged in oak for complexity. Once blended the wine was bottled and then a second fermentation took place in the bottle giving the effervescence that we like so much.
On the nose, aromas of lemon, green apple and freshly baked bread were evident. On the palate the flavours of brioche, pastry and baked bread were intense which was unsurprising given that the wine was aged in the bottle for 4 years. The acidity was certainly crisp but balanced by the intensity of the fruit flavours. Many tasters in the room rated it more highly than the top non-vintage champagnes available on the market.
The crisp acidity of the Knightor created a contrast to the richness of the smoked salmon paté. The toasty and yeasty characteristics of the wine complemented the smokey flavours of the salmon, and the fruitiness then added an extra layer of complexity on top. This was a great match and a promising start to the evening.
Domaine des Mazelles Sauvignon Blanc with Cornish Kern
Our next stop was the Cher Valley in the Loire. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes had been fermented and then aged in stainless steel tanks for 6 months.
The nose displayed aromas of a typical Touraine Sauvignon Blanc, rather than a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, with citrus and grassy undertones. On the palate the acidity was racy with exuberances of lime, lime zest, grass, gooseberry and a hint of passion fruit, all beautifully balanced.
Cornish Kern is the British equivalent to Comté cheese, with alpine milk sweetness and complex nutty flavours. The wine’s crisp and refreshing nature along with its herbaceous and citrus character invigorated the nutty sweet characteristics of the Cornish Kern. The rich caramel nature of the Kern needs acidity and this was offered in spades by this Sauvignon Blanc. A fabulous match!
Lothian of Elgin Chardonnay and Cornish Brie
We moved to coastal Elgin in South Africa for our next wine of the night.
The nose promised much with intense ripe citrus and stone fruits - lemon zest, ripe oranges, peaches and light toasty spices. This continued onto the palate - lemon rind, apricots, nectarines and gentle spices from oak maturation, ending with a mineral note. A salted nut butter flavour ran throughout with a mouthfeel reminiscent of a great Burgundy. The acidic backbone meant that the wine remained fresh and clean, particularly on the finish.
The Cornish Brie, made with double cream, had a creamy flavour with hints of mushrooms and nuts alongside a melting texture. Both the wine and the cheese have bold flavours so we needed to match these carefully to ensure that one did not overpower the other - we think we did well here!
Lawson Dry Hills Pinot Noir Reserve 2018 and Italian Charcuterie
Our first red wine of the evening came from the Southern Valleys of New Zealand. After fermenting the pinot noir grapes the wine was placed into barrels - a mixture of smaller French oak barriques (225L) and larger barrels (500L) of which 25% were new.
Red berries, earthy notes and toasty spices were evident on the nose. This followed through to the palate with the addition of ripe red plums and a smoky vanilla flavour, the latter down to the 10 months the wine spent in barrel.
The Italian charcuterie, with its buttery texture and slightly salty and sweet flavour of the meat paired very well with the Pinot Noir’s fruity flavours and light tannic structure. For vegetarians mushroom paté from Cornish Charcuterie was offered instead. The earthy mushrooms matched exceptionally well with the earthy undertones of the Pinot Noir.
Cairanne and Cornish Blue
To the Rhône for this next red. A blend of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvèdre grapes were fermented using wild yeast and then aged in French barriques (225l) and demi-muids (600l) for a total of 18 months.
On the nose the first thing we noticed was how juicy the bramble fruits were. We hoped this would continue on the palate and the wine did not disappoint. Black plums and ripe black cherries were abundant, complemented by cinnamon, coffee, chocolate and a hint of liquorice.
Cornish Blue is unlike other British blue cheeses such as Stilton - instead this has a mild and creamy flavour, with a dense texture and buttery richness. It still has the expected earthy undertone and this is matched by the spicy toasty notes in the wine. The creaminess of the Blue is exceptionally well balanced by the level of acidity and the smooth and ripe tannins in the wine. The room declared it a winner despite it being a riskier pairing on paper.
D’Oliveiras 5 year Medium Dry Madeira and a ‘Sweet P’ truffle
The Madeira was a surprise to many in the room who had not tried this type of fortified wine from the island of Madeira before. The grapes are fermented into wine until a grape spirit is added to halt the fermentation. The wine is then gradually heated over a number of months before placing into oak vessels to mature for 5 years.
On the nose it was clear that this was a fortified wine and, therefore, the abv was stronger than the other wines we had tried up until this point. Dried fruits, orange and nuts were the descriptors used by our tasters and this continued onto the palate. Raisins, caramelised nuts, orange peel and Christmas cake were the overriding flavours, all working in harmony with the acidity and alcohol level.
Our local artisan chocolatier based in Bude, Sweet P, created a milk chocolate truffle to match this wine perfectly, using the exact same Madeira as the ganache filling. This winning combination delighted everyone in the room, so much so that Sweet P received requests for these madeira truffles after the event!
Ferreira Dona Antonia 10 Year Tawny Port and Godminster Bruton Beauty Vintage Cheddar
To conclude the evening what better way than with a port? Port is a sweet fortified wine made from a blend of Portuguese native grapes. The difference between the wide variety of ports on the market is down to a number of factors, not least the time spent maturing in oak vessels. In this case, the port has been aged for a decade in wood permitting a controlled exposure to oxygen with the result that the alcohol becomes more integrated and the primary fruit flavours of the grapes (red and black berries and plums) develop into more complex flavours.
The tasters in the room identified deep concentrated flavours of coffee, walnut and caramel as well as as an abundance of dried fruit. It delivered on multiple levels in terms of structure, fruit intensity, balance and complexity.
The organic vintage cheddar had an intensely deep flavour profile with a surprising creaminess. This salty hard cheese served at room temperature balanced out the rich and nutty flavours of the port perfectly. Many tasters said this was the match of the night for them.
Thursday 28th November 2024 / Arrival at 6:15pm, for 6:30pm start
For our last wine tasting event of the year, we are bringing you something special.
We will be drinking wines you typically drink on Christmas Day, beginning with an elegant and refined local English Sparkling Wine, followed by two contrasting white wines, two of our most popular red wines, a 10 year Tawny Port and finishing up with a warm and comforting Madeira.
Local cheeses (Cornish Kern, Cornish Brie and Cornish Blue) along with international cheeses (including Manchego), Italian charcuterie and a special chocolate truffle, made by local chocolatier Sweet P, have been selected to match each wine perfectly.
Tickets are £45 per person, available from the shop
See you there
