Our season of events kicked-off in earnest last Thursday with a Tour de France wine dinner at my local ‘The Cornerhouse’ in the delightful market town of Frome in Somerset. If you had told my teenage self that I would be extolling the virtues of Frome as an adult you’d have met with a reaction of disbelief. I grew up nearby and Frome was where you went if you wanted to get duffed-up on a Saturday night – any night really if you weren’t choosey.

Contemporary Frome has embraced café culture (La Strada, Divas and The Little Red Café), boasts a brilliant independent bookshop (The Hunting Raven) and can even muster a quorum of people interested in the finer points of food and wine matching. Things just aren’t what they used to be!

Patron Martin Earley took over the Cornerhouse last February having scoured Southern England for a site with potential and a certain je ne sais quoi. He is passionate about good food and fine wine and took very little persuading in letting us take over his dining room for a soirée of gastronomic and vinous indulgence. As guests arrived we sampled a terrific array of canapés, including some excellent salmon and rare roast beef crostini, which we partnered with a Saint Péray Mousseux Brut made by Jean-Louis Thiers. This relatively-rare, bottle-fermented, sparkling Marsanne hails from the Southernmost (and second smallest) appellation of the Northern Rhône. It has a fine mousse, an attractive orchard fruit bouquet a fresh, bracing finish and proved a popular primer. Napoleon Bonaparte is alleged to have become a passionate imbiber of Saint Péray during his military cadetship in Valence in 1795. That may be apocryphal but the truth should never get in the way of a good story.

Our second wine of the evening, served alongside a deftly-cooked and delicious dish of Filets de Rouget (red mullet sounds like a bad hair do) with a tomato, garlic and basil dressing, was the failsafe Saumur Blanc 2010 from the ever-reliable Cave de Saumur co-operative. This crowd-pleasing dry white wine has the twin merits of being extremely flavoursome and inexpensive. It is made entirely from Chenin Blanc, a woefully underrated grape variety, and has zesty, citrus aromas, a lively dry palate and a wonderful affinity for seafood. Our bottling is adorned with a magnificent deep blue label depicting a De Galle-esque profile designed by gifted polymath Pippa Goldfinger (aka ‘Mrs Yapp’).

After a refreshing Sorbet au Citron, which the lady who was sitting next to me declared the finest she had ever tasted, we moved on to our main course of stuffed best end of lamb served in a vegetable broth. Martin explained that this was a recipe from the mountains of Corsica that he felt would be a sufficiently robust vehicle for a pair of chest-thumping reds – both in the promising 2009 vintage. First we served a Pic Saint-Loup ‘L’Arbouse’ from Mas Bruguière. Decanter magazine recently described it as “A seamless blend of Grenache and Syrah, with real character and notes of black cherry, blackberry, bitter chocolate, asphalt and herb-covered roasted meat.” It certainly went down well on the evening although it had tough competition from the Vin de Corse Sartène from Domaine Saparale. Unsurprisingly, this earthy, Maquis-scented blend of Nielluccio and Sciacarello married particularly well with the lamb and (if the empty bottle count is a testament to popularity) just found favour on the night.

Martin then introduced a patriotic brace of cheeses – a Bath Soft Cheese which was perfectly à point and a tasty ‘Gough’s Cave’ Cheddar (the only Cheddar made in Cheddar). At this juncture we somewhat indulgently served a Nuits-Saint-Georges 2002 from Domaine Paul Misset. Jane MacQuitty described this, in The Times, as being a “gorgeous, smoky, gamey red Burgundy with lots of liquorice-licked fruit.” Although biased I have to concur and it proved a great match for the cheeses.

Our final course was a classic Tarte Tatin accompanied by a Monbazillac 2009 from Domaine de l’Ancienne Cure. The richly-honeyed, golden dessert wine complimented the caramelised apple to perfection and made for a fitting finale to a hedonistic evening. As my fellow diners dispersed I then enjoyed the rare pleasure of walking home after hosting a dinner. The team at the Cornerhouse had excelled themselves which is a very good reason to visit again in the near future!

It was a treat to be back at Le Gavroche for our annual Spring lunch yesterday playing to a full house of 100 diners keen to sample wines matched to a seasonal menu devised by Michel Roux Jr.

Le Gavroche

We kicked-off with a lively Vouvray Mousseux Brut from Domaine Aubert by way of aperitif, which guests could elect to taste with or without the addition of a dash of Gabriel Boudier’s peerless Crème de Cassis. The exercise of trying to serve canapés and drinks to 100 people in the bijou upstairs bar area at 43 Upper Brook Street always reminds me of seeing how many students can cram into a phone box. Fortunately, we have a loyal and resilient clientele and the intimacy of the surroundings definitely broke the ice.

Oeuf Poche Victoria - Le Gavroche

Once seated in the comfort and splendour of the downstairs dining room the revels could commence with a fine pairing of a rare white Chinon from Château du Ligré and a weightier, oilier, organic Côtes du Luberon from Château la Canorgue – both in the newly released (and very promising) 2010 vintage. I then talked guests through the first 3 wines and Le Gavroche’s Executive Director, Silvano Giraldin, told us how the dishes we were about to sample had been selected and prepared. Kent asparagus with aged parmesan and truffle vinaigrette proved a popular pre-starter and had a terrific affinity for the white Chinon (see previous entry) but the ‘Oeuf Poche Victoria’ that followed was a veritable show-stopper. This dish is an old Roux family favourite – a poached egg served on a bed of lobster on top of an artichoke heart. There were lots of different flavours at work here and personally I thought this offering favoured the Château la Canorgue.

Confit Collar of Lamb - Le Gavroche

Our main course was a sublime collar of lamb confit served with white beans and wild garlic. We partnered this with a youthful red Vin de Corse Sartène 2009 from Domaine Saparale. The wild Maquis scents and tastes of this unusual Nielluccio-Sciacarello blend married perfectly with the tender, salty lamb so it was going to be a tough act to follow. Fortunately, Ron and Elva Laughton from Australia’s celebrated Jasper Hill estate in Heathcote were in town for the Natural Wine Fair (www.thenaturalwinefair.com) and we indulged ourselves with their iconic Georgia’s Paddock Shiraz 2005. Ron told us about his non-interventionist wine growing philosophy and explained why he is an ardent champion of ‘dry-grown’ (un-irrigated) root-stock despite the pressures of draught and global warning.

Vanilla Panna Cotta - Le Gavroche

A delicate dessert of vanilla panna cotta with Alphonso mango and ginger went down very well with Pascal Labasse’s Jurançon Mœlleux 2008. This unctuous sweet wine has a lovely palate-cleansing acidity to offset the tropical fruit flavours and I think it met with widespread approval.
We rounded off a very convivial event with coffee and Petits Fours and some stout-hearted folk even availed themselves of the digestif trolley before dispersing back into the daylight fully sated.

Jason Yapp holding court at Le Gavroche…

I am already keenly anticipating to our next visit in the Autumn because if you want to enjoy classic Gallic cuisine with superb service in elegant surroundings Le Gavroche sets the Gold Standard!

It is fair to say that the team at Yapp Brothers are anticipating the imminent royal nuptials with varying degrees of enthusiasm but all of us are looking forward to yet more time off work to spend with family and friends and we are hoping that the recent sunny spell continues.

The Marquis of Westminster

They then intend to dash round the corner to catch a glimpse of Kate leaving another Yapp account, The Goring (or the ‘boring Goring’ as The Queen allegedly refers to the hotel that hosts her staff Christmas parties!). If the sun is shining, it’s off to the big screen in Hyde Park, otherwise its back to the boozer to watch it on the telly.

Claire will taking her young family to visit a proper ‘old fashioned’ street party in Gillingham where some bubbles should prove uplifting – lemonade for the kids and Vouvray Mousseux Brut for the grown-ups.

Frenchman Michael has promised not to recite the traditional Gallic wedding toast: Buvons un coup, buvons en deux, à la santé des amoreux, à la santé du Roi de France, et medre pour la reine d’Angleterre, qui nous à declare la geurre! Instead he is going to content himself with the last of the seasons’ oysters which he recommends savouring with his favourite Provençale white – Cassis: Clos Sainte Magdeleine.

Charlie and his wife Jodie are bravely taking their one year-old, William, camping in Charmouth Bay where they hoping to sample some Lyme Bay scallops with a nervy young Clare Valley Riesling from Neagles Rock .

Avid cyclist Paul plans to visit some of the hostelries surrounding Mere by bike. The White Lion at Bourton and Spread Eagle at Stourton are two of his favourites where he recommends the Otter Ale and locally brewed Kilmington Best bitter respectively.

Cheese aficionado Michelle has discovered a passion for Godminster Vintage Cheddar, made down the road in Bruton, after they prudently dropped in a sample at Yapp HQ. She is planning a visit to their farm shop to stock up but is still undecided about the best wine accompaniment being torn between a warming glass of Rasteau or a lightly-chilled Chinon.

Patriotic Welshman Meirion will celebrate the new union by heading down to the idyllic Isle of Purbeck and the picturesque village of Worth Matravers. Weather permitting, he intends to walk along the cliff top South West Coastal Path, ending up at Dancing Ledge, where he will partake in a light lunch with a cool, refined glass of Stephane Brocard’s Meursault, to toast the happy couple, and wish them all the best for the future.

Welshman Meirion isn’t sure rosé is good for his macho image!

Father of two Hamish will be taking his kids to a barbecue organized by the local scouts on Broughton Gifford common. He thinks a ‘chest-thumping, southern red’ is the best foil for burnt bangers and is laying in supplies of Xavier Bruguière’s dark and brooding Pic Saint Loup ‘L’Arbouse’ for the occasion.

Jason, who still has happy memories of spending his commemorative jubilee coin in the school tuck shop in 1977 after the delightful discovery that it was legal tender, will be enjoying an informal lunch with his neighbours in their local community garden. Apparently bunting is encouraged but flags are regarded as de trop by the somewhat precise denizens of Keyford Gardens. What is certain is that lashings of rosé will be required if the weather holds. Jason has a penchant for the Vin de Corse Sartène from Domaine Saparale but he reckons the Coteaux d’Aix from Domaine Oullières might be a better budget option given past form.

Dutch expatriate (not ex-patriot!) Bianca and her family will also be joining friends for an al fresco repast. She has lain in supplies of the white Chinon from Château de Ligré and the juicy young red Côtes de Thongue ‘Tradition’ from Les Filles de Septembre so should be able to please all comers.

Last but not least Londoner Jonathan will not be doing much in regard to celebrating or watching the Royal festivities  as he still has flash-backs after donning  a full Household Division guards uniform and bearskin hat as a young lad for the Silver Jubilee back in ’77. Instead he will be cooking a fish pie for friends that he will serve with a Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2007 to raise a glass to the happy couple as it is assured to kick-start a very convivial après midi!

A couple of weeks ago, Tom and I convened for an informal bring-a-bottle (actually bottles) lunch at Andrew Edmunds’ eponymous restaurant on Lexington Street. While waiting for our guest, Stephen Browett, of fine wine brokers Farr Vintners, we toyed with a bottle of white Corsican vermentino from Domaine Saparale in the 2008 vintage. This is a blameless drop and makes for a wonderful summer aperitif with its wild herb aromas and a palate of citrus fruit underscored by a nervy minerality. The patron, Mr Edmunds, soon joined us and concurred with this thought, throwing in the observation that ‘it gets even more interesting with a couple of years bottle-age’. [The Spectator's resident wine-hound Simon Hoggart has napped this as one of this top 100 wines in his forthcoming book 'Life's Too Short to Drink Bad Wine' - clearly it is an estate to watch.]

Stephen then arrived and, as we perused the menu, team Yapp proffered a chilled red Saint Pourçain 2008, a simple blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay (described in the Sunday Times on June 28^th as being ‘pale red, fragrant and cool’). Nobody loved or loathed it so we passed swiftly on to a brace of red burgundies (served blind) a fruity Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2007 from Stéphane Brocard and a more meaty Nuits-Saint-Georges 2002 from Domaine Paul Misset. Neither Andrew or Stephen had any difficulty in identifying these as being red burgundy and both were pretty accurate in assessing their age and position in the burgundian appellational hierarchy. By this time our starters had arrived which provided some welcome sustenance. The food chez Edmunds is simple, understated and consistently good – my duck rillettes with cornichons and sourdough toast being no exception.

After a brief absence Mr Browett reappeared baring a brace of decanters. Following some protracted debate we all agreed that both contained quality, left-bank claret of considerable bottle-age. I’ll spare you all the adjectives but as we ate our main courses (again good – lamb chops with mash / roast cod with lentils) and these glorious wines unfurled they (and we) became more florid. Duly Stephen revealed them to be Gruaud Larose and Grand Puy Lacoste both in the acclaimed 1982 vintage. Both of these wines are beloved by Robert Parker who rated them respectively as scoring 98 points ‘one of the most concentrated Bordeaux’s I have ever tasted‘ and 96 points ‘a tour de force’. Unsurprisingly neither is cheap, retailing well into 3 figures, but both were impressive and neither of them is stratosphericly expensive. 

Pending the arrival of some splendid Lancashire cheese Mr Edmunds disappeared and then re-emerged with a mischievous grin and yet another decanter. I think we eventually decided that this was probably a Californian Cabernet Sauvignon. What we failed to deduce was that we were tasting (let’s face it drinking) the incredibly rare Screaming Eagle Cabernet Sauvignon in the 1997 vintage. Mr Parker gives this his maximum score of 100 ‘It doesn’t get any better than 1997 Cabernet Sauvignon. A perfect wine.’ and it changes hands at eye-wateringly costly sums. [Fortunately Andrew's bottle was a gift from a grateful client from his print dealership].

Interestingly I don’t think any of us rated any of these wines as highly as the world’s most influential wine critic although we certainly appreciated them more after we realised what they were and we did have a very jolly lunch.

What do drink after a ‘perfect’ wine? In my case a large expresso and lots of mineral water. I’m already looking forward to our next wine-tasting lunch and had better start saving for my contribution.