Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Wine’

Pommery Champagne: A French Revolution

Posted in l'ortolan, Wine, tagged , , , , on April 25, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Pommery Champagne

We take a look into the history behind the prestigious French Champagne House and how the Pommery Brut Champagne became so popular…

Champagne Pommery is a French Champagne house founded in Reims by Alexander Pommery and Narcisse Greno in 1858. After Alexander’s death in 1960, Madame Pommery dedicated the business to Champagne production and began producing a sparkling white champagne instead of the classic, still red wine of the period. Her innovative crisp, dry style of “brut” champagne propelled the Champagne house into unimaginable heights, becoming one of the largest Champagne brands in the region.

Following from her success Mrs Pommery built ‘The Grand Castle’ in 1868 – The estate features a 308 acre vineyard of exceptional Grand Cru sites and 18 kilometres of cellars and chalk pits where Madame Pommery stored and aged over twenty million bottles of her innovative Champagne. Many other Champagne houses later followed suit.

Famed for being the creators of the ever popular Brut Champagne, the Pommery house still attracts more than 120,000 visitors from all around the world every year. Now owned by the Vranken company, the Pommery brand continues to maintain the house’s image of modernity and extravagance, being the only Champagne House to offer specific blends for different seasons – highlighting individual characteristics of each of their prestigious wines.

The Pommery style has perpetuated year after year; elegant but ever discreet aromas, freshness and liveliness on the palate with a long and supple finish, a light but fresh composition. Pommery is one of our most popular house Champagnes at L’ortolan, offering a wide range of Champagne blends including the Pommery Dry Elixir which is only available at L’ortolan in the UK.

___________________________________________________________

Celebrate Spring in style with our Seasonal Pommery Champagne offers…

Pommery Champagne Lunch

Three courses and a glass of Pommery Champagne.
£39 per person

Lunch only, must be pre-booked

Pommery Champagne Dinner

Six courses and a glass of Pommery Champagne.
£59 per person

Available Tuesday to Thursday dinner, must be pre-booked

Read Full Post »

The Many Faces of Chardonnay

Posted in l'ortolan, Wine, tagged , , , , on April 4, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Chardonnay at L'ortolanA phrase often heard from guests when asked if they would like any assistance in selecting a wine is “I’d like to have anything but Chardonnay”. This is so commonly heard in restaurants these days that there is now an unofficial industry term describing these guests as ABC drinkers. For a Sommelier this can be particularly amusing as this is often backed up with the question “Do you have a nice Chablis on offer?” -  Why does this make Sommeliers chuckle? The reason is that Chablis is made from Chardonnay.

When you enquire a little deeper, what you inevitably find is it’s not the Chardonnay grape variety that displeases the guest, but the amount and styling of Oak contained within the wine. This goes back to the late 80’s/early 90’s when Chardonnay was the wine in Vogue at the time. On its own Chardonnay can be a bit of a bland grape, but it is easily influenced which is why producers favour this grape over others, because they get to impart their own style and personality into their wine.

Some of the finest examples of Chardonnay are found in France. Here they get, in part, their rich and toasty character from the long and gentle aging given to then in French Oak barrels. Due to the expense of French Oak these barrels are frightfully expensive to make and maintain, therefore in an attempt to lower costs many producers began using a cheaper American style Oak and an alternative method for getting the oak in contact with the wine. This resulted in an overpowering, cloying and quite often boring style of wine which had its peak of popularity but has now fallen out of favour. Unfortunately this style of wine has sullied the good name of Chardonnay all over.

If you again take the example of Chablis it’s easy to see that this is nothing to do with the variety and everything to do with the production method. Chardonnay remains one of the most widely-planted grape varieties, with over 400,000 acres worldwide, ranging from the most sublime, flinty and steely wines through to those that have a warm, toasted brioche base topped with ripe but tart pineapple.

Craig Steven, Sommelier

Join us at L’ortolan to experience a selection of our Chardonnay Wines.

Read Full Post »

The Real Wine Month

Posted in l'ortolan, Wine, tagged , , , , on March 14, 2013 | Leave a Comment »

Wine at L'ortolan

The Real Wine Month is a national promotion of organic, biodynamic and natural wines made by artisan growers and winemakers. L’ortolan is one of over 200 restaurants taking part in the celebration, so we’re taking the opportunity to showcase our diverse and renowned natural wine list.

A trend in recent years is to actually turn the clock back and look at how wines used be made before modern innovations took over. The ‘real’ wines we offer are from some of the most sought after producers, making wine in small yields either organically or bio-dynamically and with minimal intervention in the winery. No chemicals, no secret ingredients… just pure fermented grape juice crafted into something beautiful using the winemaker’s love and expertise.

We source wines working in these ways. The best wines of the past were all natural: the same could be said of today, in an elusive marriage of excellence meets ethics. As might be expected, they can be positively different from ‘conventional’ wine in appearance and taste.

We are constantly tasting and tuning our wine offering with the ever changing menu: we love to introduce the ‘fruit’ of that work. Whether you are looking for the ideal bottle to accompany your food choices from the menu, or a selection by the glass to go with each course from our tasting menus, we will be happy to guide you.

Take a look at our interview with Sommelier Craig, as we ask him what makes wine ‘natural’.

Throughout March 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.

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

_______________________________________________________________

The Real Wine Fair

Sunday March 17th (Trade & Public) 10am – 6pm
Monday March 18th (Trade) 10am – 6pm

The Real Wine fair compromises over 100 winemakers, more than 500 wines to taste, fantastic artisan products & street food, pop-up wine bar & restaurant and the Real Wine Shop.

For more information and tickets, visit www.therealwinefair.com

Read Full Post »

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 

Read Full Post »

L’ortolan Festive Cocktail

Posted in l'ortolan, Wine, tagged , , , , , , , , , on December 7, 2012 | Leave a Comment »

L'ortolan festive cocktail

A couple of years ago we blogged about the history of the L’ortolan festive cocktail; a sparkling favourite during the festive season.  We thought we would share this great blog with you all again and give you an update on all the flavours that have gone into making the 2012 festive cocktail so scrumptious.
To sample the 2012 festive cocktail book a place on the L’ortolan Festive Lunch.

L'ortolan Sparkling Festive CocktailThe sparkling wine cocktail with a specially blended syrup dates back to December 2005, and each year the syrup is developed by adding new flavours and spices. In 2011 a mulled wine reduction was infused with flavours of blackcurrant, strawberry, blueberry, fig, peach, pear, chestnut, herbs and spices & tot of Scotch. Using the syrup left over from last year as a base, L’ortolan Sommelier Craig Steven has blended raspberry, blueberry and cream fruit liqueurs of blackcurrant, blackberry, peach and wild strawberry. Earlier in the a year syrup was made from the poaching liqueur from cooking Mirabelle’s that were foraged from the local area for the use in some of the chef’s dishes. The Mirabelle syrup has also been added to the blend for this year’s festive syrup.

(more…)

Read Full Post »

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.

(more…)

Read Full Post »

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

Read Full Post »

Volcanoes and wine: A night (almost) with Frank Cornelissen

Posted in l'ortolan, Wine, tagged , , , , , , , on May 7, 2010 | 3 Comments »


On the 21st April l’ortolan held an exclusive event in the main restaurant celebrating the wines of renowned producer Frank Cornelissen, from Etna, Sicily.

The decision was taken early on to create an Italian style dinner with dishes taking inspiration from l’ortolan’s repertoire, in consultation with Alan Murchison and Frank himself.

Unfortunately, the Eyjafjallajökull ash-cloud hovering in UK airspace left Frank stuck in his Sicilian vineyards, but l’ortolan staff hosted the event in his absence. The irony of a volcano preventing Frank traveling, considering he works on the side of one, was not lost.

Guests enjoyed a specially constructed meal including antipasti in the bar accompanied by the ‘baby’ red, the Contadino, and red mullet with fennel risotto that went perfectly with the complex MunJebel Bianco. There was even the chance for guests to try Frank’s rare top wine with carefully selected cheeses, the epic Magma Rosso.

“My first try of Frank’s wines four years ago remains one of my most profound tasting experiences.” explains l’ortolan Sommelier Stephen Nisbet, “His wines are like almost none other; combined individuality, elegance, effortless power and concentration. A wonder to contemplate by themselves, they really come alive with good food.”

The evening was perfectly rounded off with espresso from Caffè Giamaica and a splash of Cornelissen’s formidable grappa distilled for him by Giovi, one of Italy’s greatest distillers.

www.frankcornelissen.it

Read Full Post »

Wine Temperature Tips for when Time is Short

Posted in Temperature, Wine, tagged , , , , on April 7, 2010 | Leave a Comment »

In his Wine Temperatures blog series, L’ortolan Sommelier Stephen Nisbet has explained the importance of getting the temperature of your wine just right.  But here he shares a few hand hints and tips on what to do if time is short…chilling wine with ice

Cold:

  • 45 minutes in the freezer is the equivalent of 2 – 3 hours in the fridge – popping your bottle in the freezer for a short time can help you to reduce the wine’s temperature.  But don’t leave it for more than 45 minutes as it will start to freeze which will ruin your wine.
  • Soak your bottle in cold water – at this time of year if you run cold water from the tap it will be just above freezing, so leave your unopened bottle under the running water.
  • Don’t just fill a bucket with ice – The sides of the bottle will not be completely covered as there will be space between the cubes, always add water to you ice bucket to fill those gaps and ensure temperature transfer and 100% contact with the bottle – Use mainly water and just a little bit of ice.

Warm:hand hot water

  • Use hand-hot water – A very cold bottle can be warmed by placing in a container of hand-hot water for 15 – 30 minutes.  Don’t place in water that is too warm as the outside will warm faster than the inside of the bottle.
  • Keep it on the cool side – It is better that the wine is still a little cool before service as wine will further warm once poured.

If you are interested in Wine why not join Stephen and the team at l’ortolan during an exclusive dinner with wine producer Frank Cornelissen

L’ortolan is also delighted to be able to now offer the option to Take Wine Home – please ask at the restaurant for more details.

Read Full Post »

Wine Temperatures: How to get it perfect

Posted in Temperature, Wine, tagged , , , , , on February 2, 2010 | 3 Comments »

In an earlier blog we noted that white wines are ideal usually just slightly cooler than reds, but still around around 10 – 12 degrees.

In his next blog l’ortolan Sommelier Stephen Nisbet offers some guidance as to how to arrive at the perfect temperature for your bottle:

Guidelines as to how to arrive at the correct temperature

  • Remove bottle from heated locations – At this chilly time of year the best thing to do is to place your bottle upright in an unheated, but insulated area like a porch, a well insulated garage whilst you prepare your meal, avoiding areas where the average temperature is outside of 10 – 15 degrees.
  • Move in the wine before your guests – Move a red wine to the room that it will be served in half an hour before the meal – away from radiators and direct sunlight – so that it can acclimatise before serving.  Do not allow the wine to reach room temperature.
  • Put wine in the fridge at least one meal time before – A bottle of white wine would normally only take a couple of hours to chill, but in your household fridge, the temperature won’t be stable because people open and close the door!  So if you’re having wine for lunch, put it in the fridge at breakfast time.
  • Do not store your wine in a fridge – It’s not recommended to keep wine long-term in a very cold fridge, especially if it is bottled with a cork, as you run the risk of the seal drying out and your wine getting oxidised.
  • Do not put ice in your wine – although this will cool your wine down it will dilute and taint all the flavours.  Unless you want to make a soft-drink out of your wine it is an absolute no-no.
  • Use mainly water and a little bit of ice – don’t just fill a bucket with ice, to maintain the temperature of a bottle as you dine place it in a container filled with water, with a little bit of ice.  This will keep the temperature of the whole bottle constant.  Consider using this for red as well as white wine, particularly if you have a warmer room.
  • Don’t fill your glasses – most modern wine glasses are big enough to hold between a quarter and two-thirds of a bottle, so half-fill them.  That means the wine isn’t warming up in your glass waiting to be drunk.
  • Keep it in the bottle – Keeping the temperature of wine stable is always easier in the bottle as it is designed to be a good insulator.  There are also great bottle insulators on the market that are great to keep the temperature of both white and red wine stable.
  • Use your windowsill for a Dinner Party – A windowsill is actually the ideal location to keep a red wine during a meal (providing there is no sun, and no radiator) because of the cool air around the window which can actually have a stabilizing effect on the wine.

    Household appliances should never be used to heat/cool wine.

  • Keep household appliances away – never use microwaves, ovens, dishwashers or very hot water to warm wine.  I’ve seen some restaurants warm wine in a dishwasher, particularly if they don’t have suitable wine storage…  But you can cook a salmon in a dishwasher, so just think of the havoc it plays to the delicate flavours in wine! Avoid.

In Stephen’s next blog he’ll explain how to get your wine to the ideal temperature even if time is short.

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 33 other followers

%d bloggers like this: