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Posts Tagged ‘Wine Tasting’

An Evening with Alan & Gerard

Posted in Alan Murchison, Events, Wine, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on January 9, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Alan and Gerard L'ortolan

It’s a rare occasion indeed when Alan Murchison and Gerard Basset combine talents to deliver an evening of spectacular food, astonishing wines and conviviality.  Both masters in their respective fields, Alan and Gerard will be sharing their knowledge of food and wine and regaling guests with anecdotes from their years in the trade.

About our hosts…

Michelin Starred Chef, Alan Murchison, has held a Michelin star at L’ortolan for 11 years and is the inspiration behind the 10in8 Fine Dining group of restaurants. Prior to taking up his position as Executive Chef at L’ortolan, Alan trained with Raymond Blanc at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons.  Alan has appeared several times on BBC2’s Great British Menu as both competitor and mentor and his recipes are regularly featured in the national media.

Gerard Basset is arguably one of the greatest wine professionals of his generation, the reigning World Champion Sommelier and the only person ever to simultaneously hold the Master of Wine, Master Sommelier and MBA Wine honours. Gerard co-founded the hugely successful Hotel du Vin Group and latterly the award winning, New Forest boutique wine hotel, Hotel TerraVina.

Alan and Gerard are business partners and have been friends for more than 10 years.

L'ortolan Prestige Menu

About the evening …

Alan and Gerard invite you to join them for a very exclusive evening at L’ortolan.  Aperitifs and canapés precede a sensational seven course menu devised by Alan with wines selected by Gerard.  Of course, during dinner Alan will comment on the food and Gerard the wines, but more than that, they will talk about their careers with some behind the scenes stories.  There will be plenty of opportunity to ask them both questions during this relaxed and informal evening.

For further details please visit our website or call 01189 888 500 

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Wines from Across the Pond

Posted in l'ortolan, Wine, tagged , , , , , , , , , on July 12, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

L'ortolan Amercian Wine TastingIn September we will be looking to The America’s, North and South for our monthly wine tasting dinner.  Sommelier Stephen Nisbet gives us an introduction to these wine producing regions. 

It is generally well known that both continents have regions capable of producing wine, but we find again the sheer extent of range in style is largely unknown.

It is believed here have been grapes for winemaking of the same breed as Europe in South America since the 16th century.  Winemakers have visited France particularly and exported vines and ideas since the 18th century so there is no doubt in anybody’s mind about the heritage and potential of this massive area.

We have generally come to believe that this is the ‘go to’ area for good value, recognisable wines that are easy to find and even easier to drink. These producers have been able to combine lower costs with vast vineyards and a more flexible approach than in Europe, say, to adapt to the market and essentially produce wine styles to order.

There are of course many estates striving for much higher quality and individuality and it’s no accident that many top names in France have launched projects there. The resulting wines are often superb but more expensive and until quite recently were difficult to sell, such was the strength of belief that countries like Chile only made wine for the supermarkets.

The picture is quite different in North America, with many areas outside of California producing wine such as Oregon, Washington State and Virginia producing excellent wines that are rarely seen on the market because so little is known even of their existence.

North America has, and still uses, it’s own breeds of grapes for winemaking but it is generally accepted that the introduced European variety makes the best quality of all. It was this very trade that nearly wiped out wine in Europe, an insect called phylloxera that American vines are immune to that came across in vine cuttings and destroyed huge swathes of vineyards.

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Natural Wine Month

Posted in Wine, tagged , , , , , , , on May 4, 2012 | 1 Comment »

Real Wine Month is celebrated nationally during May highlighting organic, biodynamic and natural wines made by artisan growers and winemakers. And we will be taking the opportunity to showcase our diverse and renowned natural wine list.

Throughout May our Sommelier, Craig, will serve guests a variety of natural wines by the glass, introducing them to their quirky, complex, and lighter textures. Craig has worked closely with Head Chef Nick to pair natural wines from France, Italy and Greece with the L’ortolan Menu.


We asked Craig what makes wine ‘natural’?

In the past all wines were ‘Natural Style’ and it wasn’t until the advent of modern wine making methods that this style of wine fell out of favour. The largest benefit of modern wines is how they end up preserved in the bottle, allowing some to age for decades and still be drinkable. Natural wines on the other hand are best drunk young. There is now a surge of wines makers returning to these roots, in an elusive marriage of excellence meets ethics.

A natural wine is about what you leave in rather than take away. A crystal clear looking wine has been through a rigorous purification and clarification process, whereas natural wine will often be cloudy and more intense in colour.

There are two methods of farming ‘natural wine’; Organic wine is farmed without the use of chemical fertilisers or pesticides. The farming of Biodynamic wine also eliminates all chemical pesticides and fertilisers but the main focus is based on planting, pruning and harvesting crops by the phases of the moon.

One of the natural wines we’ll be pairing with the L’ortolan menu is the Pinot Noir ‘Vinifie Sans Soufre’, Pierre Frick from Alsace, France, it’s a light style biodynamic red that has a diverse and adaptable flavour to suit a range of courses.  This Pinot Noir is made without the use of sulphites at any stage allowing the red berry and red cherry characters to retain a classic wild structure.


Dine with us during May to experience a selection of our natural wines, and don’t forget to ask Craig more about the estates and regions of these lesser known wines.

Events for your Diary

The Real Wine Fair 20th – 22nd May 2012 (Consumer day Sunday 20th May 10am to 6pm) – http://therealwinefair.com/

RAW – The Artisan Wine Fair 20th -21st May 2012 (Consumer day Sunday 20th May 10 am to 6 pm) – http://www.rawfair.com/

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L’ortolan Day of Excellence

Posted in Alan Murchison, Events, l'ortolan, Suppliers, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on April 25, 2012 | 1 Comment »

L'ortolan Reading Audi
Our ‘Day of Excellence’ last Friday was a huge success and attracted over 200 guests, old and new. A big thank you to everyone that attended and raised £800 for Hospitality Action in the raffle. We extend our  gratitude to our partners and suppliers who provided the afternoon with fabulous food and wine tasting and stunning displays.

Sommelier Craig welcomed guests with a glass of Pommery champagne and goodie bag before whisking them off on a tour around the restaurant to sample the many delights on offer. Our ‘behind the scenes’ team from marketing and reservations were on hand and enjoyed meeting  guests that they’d had the pleasure of previously arranging bookings for.

Upstairs in the bulthaup demonstration kitchen, Thermomix kept guests entertained with a rolling demonstration using their unique food processor – a favourite with L’ortolan chefs and great for anyone with food allergies and intolerances.  Cacao Barry brought their popular chocolate samples from around the world whilst Peter from James Gourmet Coffee gave visitors the chance to experience the change in coffee flavour as it progressed through the brewing process.

James Gourmet Coffee L'ortolan

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Changing Perception on German Wines

Posted in Events, Wine, tagged , , , , on February 7, 2012 | 1 Comment »

German Wines L'ortolanIn the world of wine a dark cloud continues to hover over German wines. Many perceive them as sweet, dull and unfashionable. But for adventurous wine drinker there is much to discover about Germany’s wine regions and the rewards are well worth the effort! Renowned Sommelier, Stephen Nisbet has seen his fair share of resistance to the German wine market within the UK, and strives to change people’s perceptions.

In 2008 at L’ortolan we dedicated each month to pairing a different wine region with the Gourmand menu. Wine by the glass is always a popular choice for diners, so when German wines was proposed as a theme it was confronted with some opposition from the rest of team; concerned that would not appeal to a wider audience. Fine German wines are renowned for their complexity of flavours, which makes them suitable for pairing with a wide range of foods, so they were an obvious choice to include on our global tour of fine wines.  It was decided not to publicise the wines with the menu, instead subtly introduce guests to the German wine pairings with each course.  The pairings were well received and diners wowed by the diversity. As a marketing exercise it grew customer’s knowledge and understanding – confirming Germany’s well-deserved place on the map.

At L’ortolan we stock white, sweet and even red German wines, including top wines from Wirsching, Göttelmann, Friedrich Becker and Werner Näkel. Some of these L’ortolan favourites will feature in this month’s Fine Wines of Germany wine tasting events.

Wednesday 22nd February – Fine Wines of Germany
Stephen will take guests on a journey through different regions, varieties and estates and discover the sheer diversity of wine.
4.30pm to 6.30pm – An Afternoon of German Wine Tasting – £49 per person
7.00pm – German Wine Tasting Dinner – £95 per person

Find out more about our programme of wine tasting events

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