I love hanging out with my wonderful wine friends, and last week brought us together for a fun filled dinner matched to some amazing wines!  Our favourite independent wine company, The Oxford Wine Company, organises a few of these events through the year at the Cherwell Boathouse (if you have never been punting on the river, this is the place to go!).  On this occasion, Patrick McGrath (one of only 340 Masters of Wine in the world) was invited to host.  A great speaker, Patrick both entertained and educated as he presented his favourite wines through the evening.

Our aperitif on arrival was the lovely bubbly Champagne Taittinger NV.  We then sat down to a beautiful Pouilly Fuissé 2013 by Domaine Ferret.  Now, I do have to admit that I might be slightly biased about this classic white Burgundy as it is my favourite style of white wine, but this was a delectable and nicely balanced wine and only going to get better with age.  It was superbly matched to a lovely quenelle of salmon rillettes, although it must be said that the marinated vegetables on the side of the salmon went even better!  The acidity was a perfect foil and really enhanced the creaminess in the wine.

Next up were two Riojas for comparison: the single vineyard Reserva Contino 2008 and the Gran Reserva Vina Real 2007.  Although I could easily drink either any day, I had a very clear favourite here.  The Gran Reserva had more depth and an earthy complexity, having benefited from several years in oak and bottle (check out my Riojan adventure where I explain the legal ageing requirements of the region), with a good long finish.  This was wonderful on its own, but also stood up far better to the rich rump of lamb.  There was divided opinion and amusing debate at our table as to which one to drink first.  I ended up drinking the Gran Reserva with the lamb and saving the Contino to follow.  I did get a little carried away in the excitement of all the tasting though and forgot to get a picture of the lamb until it was almost gone!

We finished off the meal with the delicious Holy Trinity 2010 from Australia’s Barossa Valley.  This wine is not just a big, bold Barossa (one of my favourite red styles to drink), but is also ultra rich and superbly complex with its Rhone style mix of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvèdre.  This was paired with our British cheese course.  I have to admit, as much as I love cheese, and there are some amazing British cheeses out there, these two did not overwhelm me.  However, they did go with the wine.

We all unanimously appreciated Patrick’s spectacular selection of wines, Chef Nick’s well matched menu, Chef Paul’s cooking, and of course Theo’s (Oxford Wine Company) organisation.  It was a splendid evening that we all very much enjoyed!

To food, wine, and friends!

Big bear hugs from Little Ted xx