Growers Champagnes

There has been a surge in interest in Growers Champagnes. This surge is probably due to the fact that most Champagne houses have been increasing their prices year on year with inflation busting rises, which borders on sheer greed, thus forcing the consumer to look elsewhere. Growers Champagnes are essentially wines from farmers who may have been contracted into providing their grapes to the larger Champagne houses but have had a change of heart and fancy bottling their own goods. What you get as the consumer is a champagne from a far smaller area, potentially single vineyard expressions, much more terroir and wines which are not priced to include massive international marketing budgets. These often visually-understated, humble champagnes will not mean basement price fizz, but they will mean great value for money and a wine that has been carefully and lovingly made by a very proud winemaker.

During a recent tasting, it was unfortunate for our wine rep to start with a NV Blanc de Blancs from Diebolt-Vallois. This blew our socks off and the rest of the tasting was a write-off as Nicolas and I kept on coming back to the champagne for further mouthfuls while ignoring all the other wines our rep had brought us. The Diebolt-Vallois is the first to be added to our new Growers Champagne section in our wine list, and we will soon add 2 or 3 more. We will keep these in minimal stock, maybe 3 bottles of each so that we can regularly change them when something newer and shinier comes along. I thoroughly recommend you try these when you next come in.

Krug Champagne Lunch at St Andrews

On a blustery April Tuesday afternoon, we were treated to a 5 course tasting menu chosen by Executive Chef, Craig Millar, to accompany the outstanding Maison Krug portfolio. Krug winemaker Julie Cavil doggedly made her way from Rheims to St Andrews by train and automobile, but sadly no plane due to the extraordinary occurance of volcanic ash clouds blocking the skies and grounding European flights. Krug is one of my favourite Champagne houses, and I sincerely suggest you make it one of yours too, as the sheer elegance, delicacy, structure and purity of flavours will knock your socks off.

Several weeks back, Kirsty Duncanson of LVMH lead Craig through the portfolio, so that he could create a properly balanced and complementary menu to marry with the individual wines we would be tasting. What he came up with was tasteful cooking at its best; neither too showy nor too shy. The menu was as follows:

A potato velouté, fish beignet and mini onion rings served with Krug Grand Cuvée

Uig Lodge smoked salmon, cucumber jelly, horseradish and caviar served with Krug Rosé

Stone bass, fennel and liquorice served with Krug Vintage 1996

Finn cheese with truffled honey served with Krug Collection 1982

Apple crumble served with Krug Grand Cuvée.

Suffice to say that the food and champagne matching were outstanding, the highlights were how Krug Grand Cuvée was able to match both the savoury amuse of potato velouté and the acidic sweetness of apple crumble, all be it a ‘take’ on your traditional apple crumble. The Krug Rosé hit the cucumber jelly spot on with the richness of the salmon and caviar balacing the slightly oilier palate of the Rosé. We were definitely priviledged to be drinking the Vintage ’96 as there is very little left to be had anywhere, with Julie calling this particular 90′s vintage as being the ‘wild horse’ in the Krug family due to its power. Krug only released 4 vintages in the 90′s; being the 1990, 1995, 1996 and 1998.

Finn cheese is an unpasturised cows’ milk cheese made by the Charlie Westhead of Neal’s Yard Creamery. The hint of mushroom was superbly balanced by the truffled honey; an outstanding course of simplicity which shone with the Collection 1982. Julie said her thank you’s, and we said ours, and with a whoosh of wind she was gone, being driven down to Edinburgh to the next tasting and then dinner in the recently starred restaurant 2-1-2-1-2. Krug is, and has been, a legend in its own lunchtime, granting me another memory for my latter years.

Krug Lunch Menu

Wine Tasting

Title: Wine Tasting
Location: The Seafood Restaurant, St Monans
Description: Featuring the wines of Inverarity Vaults and hosted by their Director, Tarquin de Burgh, a 4 course tasting menu with specially chosen wines for £65 per person.
Start Time: 19.00
Date: Friday 26th March 2010
End Time: 23.00

To download the menu, click here:

Wine Dinner Menu 26Mar

For those wanting to come, please email reservestmonans@theseafoodrestaurant.com [click the burgundy tab saying 'Email St Monans' at the top of this page] and book your places. As ever, these events prove to be very popular due to their fantastic atmosphere so book early to avoid disappointment.

Please add your email address to our Mailing List on our Home Page to receive advance notice of these events and attractive offers too.

WSET Level 1 success

Congratulations to Lukasz Lysiak and Pieter Kruger, front of house staff at The Seafood Restaurant, St Andrews, for passing their Wine and Spirit Education Trust Level 1 exams. We are delighted that both Lukasz and Pieter will be more able to advise our clientelle on the wine list, and this achievement sits perfectly in our efforts to be known for superlative wine service. The Level 1 Founcation Certificate is a 2 day wine and spirit course which provides basic wine knowledge as well looking at how to match food with wine. More information on WSET can be found on www.wset.co.uk

Thanks to Inverarity Wines, one of our major wine suppliers, for providing our staff with the WSET course and training. Contact www.inverarity-vaults.com or 01899 308 000

3 cheeky wines with the Sunday Roast

Recently we had Craig Millar, exec chef, over for dinner at the house. I had asked Ross Frame to choose me some wines for the evening from our St Andrews wine list. As is right, we tend to have a bottle as an aperitif; Ross had chosen a Verdicchio dei Castellidi Jesi 2007 from Tavignano. This was a superb, floral and aromatic opener, and I remember being impressed as I tasted the wines blind wanting to test my palate; I knew it was Italian, knew it was probably east or northeast, but I hadn’t tasted such a charming Italian white in a long while.

Onto the roast, I had prepared 2 corn-fed hens, one of which I had stuffed the space in between the skin and the breasts with chopped up fresh garlic, thyme and parsley, and the other I had filled the cavity with oatmeal, like Granny does. I caught a glimpse of the wine that Craig had opened and saw the recognisable yellow foil of Olivier Leflaive. I assumed Ross had chosen a bottle of Les Setilles, a forestay of our winelist and one of the best value for money Bourgogne chardonnays around. Good safe choice, white burgundy and roast chicken. What appeared from my glass was a lot more voluptuous, with greater concentration and a touch of nuttiness. This was Olivier Leflaive’s Mersault Clos du Cromin 2006. Great year, entry-level single vineyard Meursault and a solid producer, a very competent and food-friendly wine which was an even better match than Icould have planned.

Before Sophie brought out her apple and raspberry crumble, I opened a 2003 Chateau Fourcas Hosten. 2003 is one of those years, like 1997, which are quite useful for us restaurateurs. Being a hot year, the wineries had problems controlling the fruitiness in their wines, but this means that the wines are ready for drinking quite early, and their usefulness to us is that we don’t need to wait 8-10 years for them. These ones come knocking after 4-5 years. It had a full fruit palate of dark berries like brambles and dark cherries, a smooth chocolatey texture but also a touch of bite and acidity. I felt it helped prepare our palates for the fruit crumble that was to come.

All in all, I thought that the 3 wines that Ross Frame had chosen for us were a terrific example of mid-priced wines which provided much interest, but also was appreciated by both the ladies and the gents, those in the catering trade and those of a more sane disposition, either drunk before or after, with or without food. Wine has to complement the evening, and not overwhelm the guests nor should it cower in the corner trying not to be remembered.

Wine & Food Pairing: Madeira & Rarebit

The smoked haddock rarebit has long been a stalwart on the menu. Intensely flavoured, rich and a touch hedonistic, it may be the ultimate comfort food. Sat on a bed of creamed leeks and smoked pancetta, the potency of flavours poses something of a problem with regards to food pairing. Lighter wines simply can’t cut through the salty smokiness of the haddock and pancetta whilst the cheese and creamed leeks overpower all but the richest and oakiest whites. As a starter, however, an immense wine is sometimes a bit much.