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JULY to DECEMBER 2004
Over the latter half of 2004, Oxford-based Master of Wine Michael Palij ran a series of three Masterclasses on the following topics:
Thursday 1 July: Food & Wine (£45) Venue: Fallowfields Country House Hotel
Thursday 16 September: Argentina (£20) Venue: Wolfson College, Oxford
Thursday 2 December: Port (£30) Venue: Wolfson College, Oxford
Principles of Food & Wine Pairing: This Masterclass was for anyone as passionate about food as they are about wine. Light, fortified and sparkling; white, red and rosé; dry, medium and sweet - wine offers endless possibilities but how do we decide the perfect match? Is sugar the defining feature? Acidity? Tannin? Or should we just drink what we like, when we like? The venue was Fallowfields Country House Hotel and Restaurant, the recent recipient of three 'dining awards' by the RAC and described by one gourmet guide as "one of the best hotel restaurants in the County". Head Chef, Charles Leenders, is passionate about using local and home-grown produce and prepared a series of both classic and ‘difficult’ starters, entrees, cheeses and desserts. Each flight was accompanied by a selection of wines and we ‘picked and mixed’ our way through approximately twenty different dishes and a dozen wines. It was a unique opportunity to both test the wisdom of classic matches and to explore more esoteric combinations.
The wines:
- N.V. Philippe Brugnon, Champagne 1er Cru Brut AC, France, 12% - £17.05
- N. V. Gonzalez-Byass, Fino Muy Seco ‘Tio Pepe’, Jerez DO, Spain, 15% - £8.50
- 1991 Josmeyer, Riesling Grand Cru Hengst, Alsace AC, France, 12.5% - £20
- 2002 Château de Tracy, Pouilly-Fumé AC, France, 12.5% - £14.24
- 2001 Grant Burge, Chardonnay 'Summers Vineyard', Eden Valley, South Australia, 14% - £9.26
- 2002 Raoul Clerget, Juliénas AC, France, 12.5% - £5.69
- 2001 Brown Brothers, Shiraz/Cabernet/Malbec ‘Everton’, Victoria, Australia, 14% - £5.69
- 1996, Scarpa, Rouchet VdT, Piemonte, Italy, 13.5% - £15
- 1996 Château du Glana, Cru Bourgeois ‘Vieilles Vignes’, St. Julien AC, France, 13% - £20
- 1998 G. Mascarello, Barolo ‘Bricco’ DOCG, Italy, 14% - £35
- 1993 Crown Estates, Tokaji Aszũ 5 Puttonyos, Hungary, 12.5% - £20 (50cl)
- Port, 10 year old Niepoort Tawny, 20% - £20
The food:
Antipasti: Salami, smoked salmon, caviar, samosa, egg
Starter: consommé, cream soup, risotto, asparagus, foie gras
Main course: duck, salmon, white fish, lamb, offal
Cheese: Sheep blue (Roquefort), cow hard (Cheddar), cow soft (Brie), goat soft
(Chavignol), sheep hard (Manchego)
Dessert: Chocolate mousse, crème brûlée, fruit salad, cake, meringue
Comments:
“Dear Karen,
Just a quick note to say how much Stuart and I enjoyed the food and wine
event last week - thank you for organising it!!
Best wishes,
Jessica”
Argentina: Argentina is the world’s fifth largest wine producing country. Its per capita domestic consumption is the highest outside Europe. Sales in the UK last year grew by more than 30%. Yet its reputation as a wine producer remains resolutely modest; despite the best efforts by wine journalists up and down the country Argentina suffers from a serious image problem. ‘Cheap and Cheerful’, an epithet applied with even more accuracy following the devaluation of the Argentinean Peso, belies the country’s enormous potential that includes the highest vineyards in the world, ideal soils, unlimited water and ‘local’ heroes such as Malbec and Bonarda. This Masterclass explored a spectrum of wines perhaps unique in the New World; one that manages to both retain a sense of national terroir whilst still offering excellent value.
The wines:
- 2003 Caballo de Plata, Fruity Dry White, 12.5% - £2.99
- 2002 Catena, Chardonnay, Mendoza, 13.5% - £10.99
- 2001 Infinitus, Malbec-Syrah, Patagonia, Rio Negro, 13.5% - 5.99
- 2002 Nieto, Merlot Reserva, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, 14% - £5.95
- 2002 Finca El Retiro, Syrah, Rivadavia, Mendoza, 13.5% - £6.99
- 1997 Weinert, Malbec ‘Gran Vino’, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, 14% - £8.99
- 2000 Alfredo Roca, Malbec ‘Family Reserve’, San Rafael, Mendoza, 13.5% - £9.99
- 2002 Finca Sophenia, Cabernet Sauvignon, Tupungato, Mandoza, 14.5% - £9.95
- 2001 Benegas, Sangiovese, Lujan de Cuyo, Mendoza, 14% - £12.50
- 2002 Michel Rolland, Clos de los Siete, Mendoza, 14.5% - £13.50
Port: Deeply unfashionable in these days of Atkin diets, ready-made meals and zealous policeman, Port nevertheless remains one of the world’s classic wines. Originally dry, Port has been the world’s leading sweet, fortified wine more than a century. Its reputation sullied by oceans of syrupy and alcoholic Rubys the popularity of stylish Tawnies and magisterial Vintage Ports has, sadly, waned for decades. No longer! This Masterclass examined several Port styles but focussed on a magnificent range of Vintages including examples from 1977 and 1963 – two of the greatest post-War vintages. A superb evening....
The Ports:
- N.V. Niepoort Ruby, 20% - £10
- 10 year old Niepoort Tawny, 20% - £20
- 20 year old Niepoort Tawny, 20% - £30
- 2000 Niepoort Vintage, 20% - £40
- 1992 Fonseca Vintage, 20.5% - £50
- 1992 Taylor’s Vintage, 20.5% - £50
- 1997 Warre’s Vintage, Alcohol Not Stated - £75
- 1970 Fonseca Vintage, Alcohol Not Stated - £150
- 1963 Taylor’s Vintage, Alcohol Not Stated - £200
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