Saturday Afternoon Food & Wine of the Mediterranean

Nothing beats a leisurely Saturday afternoon sampling some great authentic dishes accompanied by some fabulous wine.

We have partnered with our friends at St Vincent, to create a new format food and wine event. St Vincent will be cooking up a delicious tasting menu, designed to embody the flavours of the Mediterranean, and compliment the fabulous wines you will be tasting alongside the food.

The afternoon will take a leisurely approach, giving us time to talk about, and apricate each wine.

This venue is superbly located in the centre of historic Shrewsbury, surrounded by cobbled streets, and church spires. The event will be hosted in their private dining room on the first floor, which allows us to make use of their audio/visual equipment.

Over the course of 3 hours or so, we will sample six dishes in “a tasting menu” format paired with six expertly chosen wines.  All the dishes have a distinctive Mediterranean theme, and the wines are paired accordingly.  There will be fine wines from France, Spain & Italy including a sparkling wine and a dessert wine.

This is a more informal and convivial event than most of our others and although you will undoubtedly learn about some great wines, and perhaps discover some new favourites, there will not be a formal presentation.  Instead, let us enjoy the food and wine, whilst learning about the wines’ origins and of course “tasting like a professional” throughout. 

Read on for more information:

1. We start with an amuse bouche of tomato consommé accompanied by a Cremant de Limoux AC - my "go to" sparkling wine from Southern France, made in the traditional method but at a fraction of the price of Champagne.
2. Next up is a whipped feta and red pepper tart with an almond crumb accompanied by a Cotes de Provence Rosé AC.  It's not summer without rosé and Provence is very much the home of this type of wine.
3. Moving on we now have courgette arancini with aubergine caviar accompanied by a Xarel-lo from Catalonia in Spain.  This is one of the main grapes used in Cava but also makes deliciously refreshing still wines with flavours of lemon and peach.
4. Time for some pasta as we enjoy tagliatelle a la vongole accompanied by one of my favourite Italian white wines; Bacollo Bianco Appasimento, a Chardonnay dominated blend using partially air-dried grapes (like Amarone) for extra body structure and body.
5. Our meat plate is Lamb rump with broad bean hummus, ricotta and mint.  For this dish we have pushed the boat out for the wine as we have a Burgundy, specifically a Cote du Nuits Village AC.
6. Finally, we finish with Olive oil and pistachio cake served with peaches, accompanied by another one of my favourite French wines (that few people know about) a Muscat de Rivesaltes AC, an explosion of floral aromas with a medium-sweet style - rich but light in the mouth.

Perfect for foodies!

Look out for more food and wine pairing experiences in the months to come.