A wine education @ No. 35 at The Hempel with Jacob's Creek

Jacob’s Creek  held a dinner and wine matching at No. 35 at The Hempel to showcase their new Reserve range.

The tasting was held by Pernod Ricard’s Head of Wine Development and was matched to the deliciously regional, seasonal tasting menu at No.35.  The Menu was created by Michael Carter, the restaurant’s lovely head chef who come in to talk us through the inspiration behind his winter menu. What a nice guy!

The Menu

On arrival, a cold glass of bubbly was waiting for us. The room, opposite the boutique hotel reception, was clean and elegant. The enourmous black and square table was laid with eleven places and  each of us had six glasses, one for each wine to be tasted and matched to the seasonal and sustainable menu.

below left : Michael Carter, head chef of No. 35, located at  the luxury boutique hotel, The Hempel. Right: our host  the very knowledgeable Adrian Atkinson from Pernod Ricard.

Perfect Roasted Diver Isle of Mull Scallops with delighful smoked black pudding, red onion jam, micro salad, matched with Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling 2010 - tones of apple and lemon blossom.

Heritage colourful beetroot salad, with Stafforshire Innes goat cheese, which was a curd and creamy consistency. The small and crunchy hazelnut, mustard leaf complemented the dish perfectly. This dish was matched with Jacob's Creek Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2010 - bouquet of citrus and tropical fruits. Fresh natural acidity and vibrancy.

A few glasses of wine....

Line caugh wild seabass, with chanterelle mushrooms,instead of girolles,  jerusalem artichoke, vanilla oil was one of the highlights of the evening. The freshness of the fish and the vanilla oil worked very well. I had tried cod and vanilla salt before and I really enjoyed this paring of flavours. Served with Jacob's Creek Chardonnay 2010 - I usualy run a mile from Chardonnay, but I must admit  this one was elegant, delicate and gold hint of subtle spicy oak. We learnt that Chardonnay style has changed in the last few years.

The second highlight of the evening was the light and tasty mushroom consomme, serve with soft quail egg and a delicious glazed chicken and oysters mushrooms. It had a oriental undertone and made the whole room go aaahh!  Wine: Jacob's Creek Reserve Pinot Noir, mid red, elegant, complex with aromatic herbal notes complemented by a subtle oak background.
Next dish was the Organic Rhug Estate flat iron steak,  as you know by now, I love meat and this one didn't disappoint. It was served with roasted onions, braised leeks, garlic mash and matched with Jacob's Creek Reserve Shiraz 2008 - I like red wines and this one was  dense with plum aromas and hint of spice.

We compared the Pinot Noir and Shiraz colour, density and flavours (below)
The final dish was a small and well formed British and Continental Artisan Cheeses from La Fromagerie

Wine served: Jacob's Creek Reserve Cabernet 2009, deep crimson red, dark berry fruit aroma with nuances of cedar and vanilla from oak.

The six new range of reserved wines launched by Jacob's Creek :
Barossa Riesling 2010, Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2010, Adelaide Hills  Chardonnay 2010, Adelaide Hills Pinot Noir 2009, Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2009 and Barossa Shiraz 2008. These wines are available at Tesco Wine Club, Tesco, Ocado and Sainsbury’s
and retail at under 10 pounds.

I am not a wine expert and I must admit I don't buy Jacob's Creek wines, but this event has highlighted some really nice Reserve wines that I hope I can easily find to buy. The event provided some informative and interesting tips of food and wine matching. I am getting really interested in wine  and I would love to be able to match food and wine sucessfully sometime soon.
Thanks to Alice from Weber Shandwick