Regular readers will know that I’m
not a regular drinker (save for the occasional port and drop of sake); at least
not so much when I eat out. There are a few of reasons for this.
Firstly, I like to drive and
secondly, I have expensive tastes and am generally reluctant to pay the restaurant
mark up on some of the pricier vintages (I’d prefer to spend the money on another meal). Also, I tend to enjoy wine more on its own, rather than with
food so I am much more likely to drink when at home.
When eating out, tonic water is
typically my drink of choice as my palate appreciates bitterness. (I often find
dishes too sweet for my taste and love naturally bitter foods such as endive,
olives, coffee and brassicas.)
What’s more, only on rare occasions
do I feel that wine pairings genuinely ‘hit the mark’. By this, I mean
occasions when I feel that wine in the glass acts like another ingredient on
the plate. In my (limited) experience even most ‘good’ wine pairings, ‘at
worst’ do not clash with the food and ‘at best’ only compliment on certain
levels.
This being the case, you may wonder
what I was doing at a Nyetimber
Sparkling Wine Evening at Aumbry.
I had met up in the day to act as
‘tour guide’ for Mr. Critical Couple (see
here) who was in town to sample Simon Rogan’s new restaurant at The French
(here)
and when he said he would otherwise be eating alone at Aumbry I jumped at the
chance to join him.
Plus, I rarely feel knowledgeable
enough to comment on wines so an evening like this could be good educationally.
Upon arrival, we were promptly given
a glass of Nyetimber Classic Cuvee 2008 and led
upstairs before being treated to a selection of canapés, including: Gougères; cones of Black Peas with eucalyptus & ‘scraps’; Braised Venison with pickled junipers and the Aumbry favourites… Bury Black Pudding Scotch (Quail) Eggs, with homemade tomato &
mushroom ketchups.
Before long, Michael Bush the
evening’s Nyetimber host, gave an introductory welcome speech and told us a
little about the vineyard’s history – much of which can be found on the
company’s website (here). Throughout
the evening, Michael introduced each of the wines as they were served with the
four courses that had been designed by Aumbry’s celebrity chef, Mary Ellen
McTague.
Potted Crab, cucumber jelly & crab bisque pearls paired with Nyetimber’s 2008 Rosé. Everything about this dish and pairing was elegant
and summery - from the fresh pure flavours of the crab and cool clean cucumber to
the light bubbles and summer fruit flavours of the wine.
Their 2007 Blanc de Blancs had been served with Seared Hand Dived Scallops, Granny Smith apple, smoked bacon &
lemon thyme. This was one pairing that I did not enjoy – I thoroughly
enjoyed the dish; the lemon thyme, apple and bacon flavours were delightfully
bold.
The wine has plenty of citrus notes
and an appley nose so, on paper, should have paired well but I found the
overall saltiness of the dish coming from the bacon required a wine with far greater
effervescence.
The next course, Slow Cooked Wild Rabbit, braised lettuce,
carrot seedlings & Engish truffle was paired with my favourite wine of
the evening’s offerings, the 1996 Blanc
de Blancs – again, despite enjoying both the dish and the wine, the pairing
did not necessarily work for me.
The final pairing was much more
successful in my mind, Cox's Orange
Pippin Tart, almond & bay with Nyetimber’s
Demi Sec NV.
On it’s own the wine didn’t really
do anything for me but as a pairing it was indeed akin to another ingredient on
the plate. Reminding me of a simplified version of The Fat Duck’s Taffety Tart,
I found the balance of flavours simple enough to take the enhancing ‘additional’
flavour of the wine. The lemony notes and honey aromas backed up by citric
acidity formed a great synergy with the apples and local Heaton Park honey in
the dish.
All in all I had a great evening –
talking food and restaurants all night with Mr. CC was, of course, right up my
street; the Nyetimber wines were great and I learnt a lot… and it
was fab to taste some of Mary-Ellen’s latest* dishes.
(*I know that after hearing so many
positive reports and having seen Mary-Ellen on Great British Menu and knowing
her Fat Duck background, Mr CC was perhaps expecting more creativity or ‘risks’
in Aumbry’s cooking. Whilst, I am a firm believer in the old adage ‘If it ain’t
broke, don’t fix it’, as much as I love Aumbry, I have to admit that the menu
does not always change with as much regularity as I would sometimes appreciate.
With the opening of The French by Simon Rogan and Aiden Byrne’s Manchester
House on its way, I hope Mary-Ellen brings some of the competitive nature that
we saw in GBM and rises to the challenge to keep Aumbry up there as one of the
city’s best restaurants.)
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