TASTE London

So, according to the introduction by Fay Machler in the (£10) "Souvenir Guide" there would be "Forty restaurants....each establishment offering three of their signature dishes to sample."  There were also several wine & beer stands and all sorts of treats to tempt in the punters. Me included.

Having paid my £15 entry fee (the cheapest available) I was greeted by the news that I had to exchange my money for coupons which didn't have a neat rate of 1:1 but 1:2 and though this is simple enough at the start of the day, should I really have to keep calculating and wondering how much I was getting charged for everything and how much I had left?

Then there are the very long queues to exchange your money which encourage you to change a bit more than you might have done just so that you didn't have to get deep-vein thrombosis before being able to buy another drink. But, and here's the rub, should you happen to be left with a wad of TASTE currency you have no recourse to change it back into something valid outside Regent's Park beyond the 18th of June. Solid and simple 'confuse them, they'll think it's holiday money' psychology.

Never mind, how about sampling some of the lovely food? Armed with my crowns I approached the stands to find that each sample (and they were sample sized - not small starter sized) was 6 crowns or £3. So with 40 restaurants show-casing  3 dishes at £3 each, I would have paid £360 to try them all. I would have been very full, to be fair, but it just felt like I was being ripped off.

At the wine stands, where I quickly moved after a scallop and some noodles, it was the same story. No sample shots anywhere, you had to buy a glass of wine which limited how many different wines and stands you could visit. What is the point? At wine shows, entry fees get you samples from every stand, not (just) for people to get pissed but to TASTE new things. You only have a sip of each, that's all you need.

Misleading at best, Fay. In the end we bought a bottle of Champagne and sat in among the crowds, drinking it. Would rather have brought one from home and sat in the nicer part of Regent's Park. The event was sponsored by British Airways whose headquarters were raided the following week amongst allegations of price fixing...

Tasting with Tim

I have just spent the day tasting  sample wines with the lovely Tim Atkin, wine writer for the Observer newspaper. He had a backlog of wines, which are sent to him on a regular basis by enthusiastic PR agents.  He was looking for about 30 odd good-value wines to recommend for Summer drinking and anything else of particular interest.

It was such a treat to taste so many (almost 200) wines in this way - shoes off, sun streaming through open doors, the World Cup on in the background and the exclusive company of an MW to set the pace and answer any random questions. Tim is generous with his knowledge but completely unpretentious and respectful of other palates, making him one of the best co-tasters around!

Unfortunately I didn't make notes as there were so many wines, some of which were absolute dross, and we were tasting at speed;  the shortlist was going to be re-tasted anyway. However it was fascinating to see what gets sent to a wine writer - it really did run the gamut of the sublime to the ridiculous.

There were some absolute bargains around the £5 mark as well as the obligatory toilet cleaners - that's a bit harsh but really some of the wines did make me wonder who on earth is making this stuff and expecting to sell it. Then some real standouts for me such as Lopez de Heredia, Vina Tondonia White Rioja 1987 which is very distinctive and almost sherry-like in its evolution. Absolute treat!

We also tasted lots of wines between £5-20, some of which were true examples of why it is so worth paying a bit more, the leap in quality can be so much greater than the extra pounds. A few seemed to be simpletons posing as poets which is what makes people nervous about shelling out in the first place.

For a full rundown check out Tim's Saturday column, always worth a read anyway.

Tate & Wine

On a searingly hot day I entered the vestibule of the Tate Britain and was instantly soothed by the cool, white stone. This oasis on Millbank by the river is one of  those buildings that just make you happy when you're in them. I love that a place so grand within is open and free to everyone.

The restaurant is famous for the Rex Whistler mural "In pursuit of Rare Meats" on all four walls. It's a bit odd sitting inside a painting, dark too but it does feel special. I looked, with a rubber-necking kind of fascination for horror, for the young black boy on a leash but couldn't locate him.

I had been invited to lunch by Malcolm Gluck of Superplonk fame. He had ordered a bottle of Egon Muller, Wiltinger Kapp Riesling Kabinett 1998. It was just the drink, at 8% alcohol it is light enough to have over lunch without affecting your planned afternoon. The honeysuckle warmth was balanced by limeflower and citrus,  mouthwatering acidity and that lovely lingering touch of sweetness at the end that this style of wine does so well.

That disappeared with such ease that we moved on to a haf bottle of Domaine Dujac, Morey-St-Denis 1999. Still a bright red cherry welcome from this wine but also evolved, soft truffleyness. Earthy and rich but still delicate, well-balanced and enticing.

 The winelist does itself a lot of favours by having such a skilfully chosen selection of half bottles. It's the best way to be able to try 2 or 3 different wines without getting sozzled or forking out so much that you don't go out for dinner again for ages. 

Malcolm was keen to make sure the bottle had been down in the cool cellar not the warmer restaurant and told me he chills his Burgundy in the fridge. He then asked for it to be decanted which is unusual but he also decants wine for ages, often overnight for the next evening - even whites! Says they evolve into something far more interesting.

I haven't had the foresight necessary to experiment with this theory but must try it out sometime. I used to do that with my vigneron neighbours' pretty tough Bordeaux which mellowed magnificently overnight, just in re-corked bottles though, not decanted, and they were young - the wines, not the neighbours.

If you go to Tate Britain for lunch (do), take some time to look around at the exhibitions and let me know if it made you feel happy too. If you want to read a more detailed review of the restaurant check out Malcolm's article: http://www.superplonk.com/spworldofwine/articles.asp?id=320

A Wedding Story

I went to a wedding yesterday at the Catholic church off Marylebone High Street. It was unrehearsed which made it very moving, unusual and utterly captivating. There were also cute moments of pure comedy. The Groom, half Italian half English, had grown a luxurious handlebar moustache and was crowned with a splendid bouffant coiffure - which would all have somewhat stolen the Bride's thunder except that she was stunning, yes stunning.

But it was the reception afterwards that I was curious about as I had had a hand in choosing the wines. A few weeks before, the couple along with the Groom's parents, sister and her partner (my brother) - our hosts for the night - and I got together with several wines, some tasting sheets and sharp pencils.

Everyone was  deadly serious, our hostess even dressing up for the occasion, "Ambassador's Ball, darling?" my brother enquired. The evening got underway with some earnest swirling and nosing of glasses. They listened intently as  I held a Masterclass (just kidding) in the principles of tasting and they were enthusiastic about putting it into practice. Subtle nuances in aromatics, mouthfeel and style were teased out and passionately discussed. The only information that was held back was the price. This allowed fair and sometimes surprising results.

As the evening progressed notes got shorter and descriptors grew more elaborate, debate was heated over two Argentinian Malbecs - was there more chocolate in one or too much weight for a Summer's day in the other? It was such a pleasure as a wine nerd to watch this engagement in my sport. Maybe like getting your girlfriend to watch the World Cup and actually enjoy it.

On the actual day we had a fantastic time, the guests drank the wine too deep in animated conversation to really appreciate those elusive notes of elderflower and cigar box that seemed so vital to our choice on the night. Then the Groom led his Bride out onto the dancefloor to "When the moon hits your eye..."

That's Amore Folks!

 
Louis Bouillot Cremant de Bourgogne Grande Reserve Brut NV £7.19/2  Beautifully creamy with a fine mousse. Fragrant with delicate apple and cherry blossom with a biscuity base.  Outshone all the (more expensive) sparkling wines from New Zealand, Australia and California.

 Les Fontanelles Sauvignon Blanc 2004, Vin de Pays d'Oc £3.99/2  A bargain find, this was a crowd pleaser. All the ripe fruit character of a New World Sauvignon but at this price I find some of them cariacatures of the variety. This had admirable subtlety and refreshing acidity but was not the icy blonde you sometimes encounter from the Loire.

 Alamos Malbec 2004, Catena £5.00/2  Big generous wine, silky fruit wrapped around the ripe tannins with enough acidity to make you go back for another sip.  Chocolate and black cherry fruit. Not too sweet. Simple but effective.

All wines from Majestic, prices may vary depending on current offers.

www.majestic.co.uk

Spritzers

The arrival of Summer is such a joyous time. It seems everyone is suddenly lounging in sunny gardens and enjoying gorgeous, tall, cool drinks, with fruit and jagged columns of ice. 

But I always have a problem when I go to the pub.  I'm usually a die-hard G&T drinker - I've never found anything to better this cucumber sandwich of apperitifs (though a crisp and salty Manzanilla does come within a whisker) - but with a long afternoon stretching out luxuriously past 7pm, it seems a dangerous way to start.

The classic Pimms is too sweet and sickly to manage more than a couple and lager, though refreshing in small glasses, is too filling to make the distance.

I have a, not so secret,  secret up my sleeve but unfortunately it is subject to the vagaries of each establishment. Like a Bloody Mary the exact make-up is all about the artist and I have been presented with a slapped tart too many times to count.

The tipple in question is the humble, the fey, the mocked spritzer. Yes, I admit to being a cocked- little- finger quaffer of a, I hate asking for it at the bar, "White wine spritzer, please."  Before smirking though just think; it keeps you somewhat hydrated without having to remember to drink a glass of water with every whatever it is; it's long, tall, cool and savoury enough that you don't feel sick after a few; and most importantly of all it doesn't depend on the quality of pub wine - which, let's face it, is completely unreliable. Topic for another day.

However... after warmish wineglasses full of oakily aromatic wine with the shyest splash of soda I had almost despaired of finding someone who understood this most simple of drinks and thought I must be remembering them wrongly from last Summer. So my delight has become evangelical after the perfect spritzer, care of "The Spaniards Inn" in Hampstead.  Like a Michelin starred chef still effortlessly crafting the perfect omlette, it shows the care and attention to detail that creates such high standards throughout. It had height, an elegant balance of wine and soda, and a stylish spine of spiky crystals with that elusive oyster juice pucker. Gorgeous.

I will be quite specific when ordering my spritzer from now on, catwalk models only please.