Charters and Caldicott on the Orient-Express

British Pullman Carriage Lucille

Having been invited to review a day out on the British Pullman run by the Venice Simplon Orient-Express, I decided it would be a good idea to invite two old friends, Charters and Caldicott. Who better but these two intrepid train travellers from the Golden Age of Train Travel and stars of Night Train to Munich and The Lady Vanishes to judge what the British Pullman is like today. Numbers in brackets refer to footnotes about the three Charters and Caldicott films.

Did you know that they serve 22,000 botles of champagne and 150 kg of caviar a year!

Charters and Caldicott are sitting at their desks in the Foreign Office looking bored.
Charters – Just had a phone call from Tongham Tasters, fancy another train trip Caldicott?
Caldicott – Where to old boy?
Charters – Chichester.
Caldicott – Makes a change from the Balkans, I suppose. At least by staying in Blighty we should be able to keep up with the latest cricket scores.
Charters – and it is run by the Orient-Express group so we should get nothing but the best.

Charters and Caldicott looking forward to getting down to Chichester and joining the British Pullman

Not steam hauled today

Charters and Caldicott set off from Waterloo on the train (not The Train which they are scheduled to pick up at Chichester) and arrive for their scheduled change of trains at Havant.  Charters goes up to the news stand.
Charters – A copy of Punch please. (1)
Newsvendor – Sorry sir, they haven’t published that since 2002.
Charters – Don’t suppose you have a copy of Mein Kampf?
Newsvendor – No sir.
Charters – Anything you might give to a honeymoon couple?
Caldicott – Charters, I don’t think they have those sorts of books here!

They serve 32,500 litres of freshly made soup each year!

Unbeknownst to our couple of archetypal pre-war Englishmen, their connecting train leaves whilst they amuse themselves at the news stand. Eventually they spot their mistake and find the next train has been cancelled and thus hastily jump in a taxi to Chichester Station. In the taxi Caldicott scolds Charters.
Caldicott – I can’t believe we’ve missed another connection because of you Charters! First we miss our connection because you are standing to attention during the Hungarian Rhapsody, which it has always been my contention is not their National Anthem, and now this! (2)
Charters – Calm down old boy, we been through worse than this and still got through. We’ll be in Chichester in no time.

The passengers eat over 5,040 kgs of British cheese every year!

Nothing at all wrong with this seat!

Finally Caldicott and Charters arrive at Chichester Station.
Cut to a few frames of Alfred Hitchcock wearing a black coat and smoking a cigarette on the platform (3). Station Master goes up to Hitchcock and tells him that it is a No Smoking zone.
Charters and Caldicott get on the train and sit down in the wrong seats.
Charters – What about that bloke who was playing third man yesterday? (4)
Caldicott – Quite appalling, we could have both done a better job of it!

Most of the carriages date from the twenties and thirties but have been lovingly restored.

Steward (played by Irene Handl) comes up to them. (5)
Steward - You can’t sit there, these seats are reserved for Mr Crabbin.
Charters – I suppose you are going to put us in the maid’s cabin…(6)
Caldicott – …and we definitely want one each this time.
Steward – No sir, your seats are just over here.

They serve as a reminder of great trains such as the Brighton Belle, the Golden Arrow, the Night Ferry, the Bournemouth Belle, the Queen of Scots and Ocean Liner services to Southampton.

Charters and Caldicott sit down in the right seats which happen to be in a nice compartment on the carriage called Lucille. Both admire the elegant Greek urn marquetry in the carriage. Couple sit down next to Charters and Caldicott. Charters leans over to ask them a question

Champagne and Canapes

Charters – I don’t suppose you know the current state of play at the Oval? (7)
Gent – The oval what?
Charters – The oval what? I’m talking cricket, the England versus India test match!
Gent – No idea, sorry.
Charters – (as an aside to Caldicott) Doesn’t even know what the Oval is.
Charming Train Manager comes along and shows Charters the cricket score on his mobile phone.
Charters – Now that’s what I call service.

Every guest is a VIP

Champagne and canapés are served; a rather nice glass of Laurent Perrier Brut (scored 15/20) and some caviar and smoked salmon toasts and dates with cream cheese.
Caldicott – Very good show they put on here Charters. It is much better than I remember before the war. I seem to remember going up to Edinburgh on the Queen of Scots in the very same carriage.

A steward comes along and asks them what wine they would like with their lunch.

Would Sir care for a bottle of the 2001?

Charters – Any chance I could go down and see your wine cellar?
Steward – We are on board a train sir so we don’t have a cellar, just a small section at the rear of the train where we keep the wine. I’d be most happy to show it to you if you like.
Charters goes down to the end of the train and inspects the wine cellar and eventually plumps for the very nice house red – 2008 Cote du Rhone Villages, Les Coteaux, Boutinot (at least a 14 out of 20 score).

Wild Trout Terrine

First course arrives which is a very good Wild River Trout and Green Peppercorn Terrine with a watercress mayonnaise. Our intrepid duo are impressed that it is all served, silver service, by four stewards who bring the salmon, salad garnish, sauce and brown bread in turn. Norbert the Assistant Train Manager arrives and answers their many questions about the train. They are impressed that the carriages are used 3 to 4 times a week and that they cater for over 200 people on each journey. All of the food is prepared off-train but cooked fresh on the train.

 Is this Lucille?

After the Champagne and first glass of wine, Caldicott gets up to relieve himself.
Charters – Don’t go through the door marked Bosphorus! (8)
Caldicott – Very droll Charters.
After a while Caldicott comes back.
Caldicott – There’s a naked woman on the floor in the lavatory!
Charters – Oh God, this happens to us every time we travel, trouble seems to follow us everywhere.
Caldicott – Only joking, Charters, just a rather attractive mosaic on the floor.

Pretty vistas pass by them on the train and the soup course arrives which is Roasted Vine Tomato and Mizuna Soup served with a Vodka Crème Fraiche. Again our duo are impressed. More pretty English countryside whooshes by and they pass briefly through Salisbury.

Well cooked main course

The Westbury White Horse

The main course is served, again by a procession of polite and efficient stewards. It is a Fricassée of Free Range Chicken Stuffed with a Mushroom Duxelle and accompanied by a Broad Bean and Morel Mushroom Sauce, Parsley Potatoes and Sugar Snap peas. Everything perfectly cooked, a rich sauce and still some crunchiness in the sugar snaps.

Just before Westbury they get a glimpse of the Westbury White Horse which was cut into the hill in 1778. Then they arrive at the “destination” of Westbury in Wiltshire where they spend just over twenty minutes. Actually the real destination is the train itself. There is just time to stretch the old legs and visit all of the other carriages and have a peek in the kitchens; each of the Pullman carriages is quite different, each amazing in its own way but with different marquetry and character.

A steam locmotive we passed outside of Westbury

Lovely English Cheeses

The train leaves for the return journey. We pass an interesting steam engine on the exit out of Westbury. Great British Cheeseboard and Homemade Chutney arrives (a lovely selection of Somerset Brie, St Giles, Red Leicester, Mature Cheddar and Stilton).
Charters – They have served the cheese course before the dessert, Charters, not very English!
Caldicott - Well at least I got some cheese today unlike in the Hotel in Bandrika!  (9)  Look on the bright side, at least we got biscuits rather than that ghastly continental habit of serving bread with cheese.

Trifle

The dessert is a Roasted Fig and English Plum Trifle, creamy but still light enough for a five-course lunch. Later, the coffee course arrives with some nice chocolates. Charters gets some extra sachets of sugar to help him plot out a contentious moment in an ancient England Australia test match.
Charters – Everyone has got their own sugar cubes today Caldicott, shouldn’t get interrupted like last time. (10)
Caldicott – They are very well organised this Orient-Express crew. Perhaps they should run the MCC.

Just like a game of cricket!

Time passes by pleasantly aboard the train and eventually they arrive back on schedule at Chichester Station. Charters and Caldicott leave the train.
Charters – So what did you think of the trip Caldicott?
Caldicott – It’s been a bit like a game of cricket really.
Charters – What do you mean?
Caldicott – Well we’ve been sitting here eating and drinking all day, watching what’s been going on, nothing much has happened and it’s been really great! What did you think?
Charters - Absolutely spot on old boy, a great escape from the twenty-first century, like the Golden Age only better.

Have your own day of escapism and book a day trip on a British Pullman with the Orient Express. Great for people who love trains, nostalgia, impeccable service or dressing up. We took the August 19th 2011 Lunch from Chichester on the British Pullman which was priced at £240 per person.
Thanks to Orient-Express for supplying our trip and Naunton Wayne, Basil Radford, Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder for creating the characters used in this blog and the films The Lady Vanishes, Night Train to Munich and Crooks Tour. Thanks also to Jeff, Norbert and their staff for their attentive service and attention throughout the day.

We were able to follow our journey through the lovely English countryside on the map provided.

The Wine Cellar!

Footnotes for those who are not Caldicott and Charters fanatics; these are perhaps ten of the most famous moments from Charters and Caldicott films:

(1) In the film Night Train to Munich, Charters tries to buy a copy of Punch whilst abroad but ends up buying a copy of Mein Kampf. He explains to Caldicott that he understands that they give a copy to bridal couples over here. Caldicott responds – Why, I don’t think it’s that sort of book old man.

(2) They miss a connection because of the Hungarian Rhapsody incident in The Lady Vanishes.  We really did miss our connection at Havant, too!
 

Beautiful Marquetry in Lucille

(3) Alfred Hitchcock, who directed the 1938 film The Lady Vanishes, appeared in a cameo role in most of his films. In The Lady Vanishes it is right at the end on Victoria Station platform, wearing a black coat and smoking a cigarette.

(4) The characters Caldicott and Charters were originally going to be in the film The Third Man, but were replaced by the Wilfrid Hyde-White character “Mr Crabbins”. The third man is also a fielding position on the boundary in the game of cricket.

(5) Irene Handl appears (uncredited) as the station master in the film Night Train to Munich and admonishes C&C “You can’t sit here”.

(6) At the beginning of the film The Lady Vanishes, the hotel manager of the fully booked hotel puts the two men into the maid’s room. It results in the exchange; Caldicott – They might at least have given us one each. Charters – What? Caldicott – The room at least.

(7) C&C are always fanatical about trying to find out the score in the Test match, normally without any success as they are surprised to find out that not everyone is as obsessed with Cricket as they are. There actually was a test match on the day of our trip and we were able to follow the score on our Blackberry.

What's more important than a test match ?

(8) In Crooks Tour, Caldicott tries to go to the bathroom by going through a door marked Bathroom but nearly ends up in the Bosphorus. He exclaims “It shouldn’t say Bathroom it should say Bosphorus”.

(9) In the hotel at the beginning of the film The Lady Vanishes, C&;C try to order steaks but are told that the food has run out. Miss Froy helps them by offering them some of her cheese, which then Charters selfishly devours.

(10) In the film Night Train to Munich, C&C get out the sugar cubes and plot out a contentious moment in an England Australia test match. Someone from the adjoining table asks for the sugar and Caldicott and Charters look at each other as though putting sugar in coffee is not as important as describing a test match. They gather the cubes together and hand them over.

The Sous-Chef Jon Freeman in his on-board kitchen

We didn''t know much about cricket but we enjoyed our day with Charters and Caldicott!

Beautiful views of the English Countryside whizzed by us all day long

River scenes too!

I hope you enjoyed our post card from our British Pullman day out

Bonne Fête

Jane in beret with gougeres

With a reasonable sum in the kitty, we decided to splash out for our July Tongham Tasters event and spend more on the food and wines. As it happened to fall on French National Day, we decided on a French theme for our food and wines and were blessed with two French friends joining our group for the evening. For this evening and also for the one in September we have changed our format and had six of our group bring along one wine each rather than have one person buy all six wines.

We were blessed with great weather again and ten of us sat outside on a glorious sunny evening for conversation, wine and food. The extra budget made a big difference to the wine and we had a great tasting. Rankings, comments and scores for each of these lovely wines were as follows. Scores are out of 20 and are in the order John E, Ian, Clive, Steve S, John S & Sheila.

1. Domaine de Tariquet, Les Dernieres Grives, Vins de Pays des Cotes de Gascogne, 2008, Sweet White, Wine Society, about £14. 11%
Everyone had Ian’s choice of dessert wine in their top 3 wines of the evening and this made it the winner. It was served with a lovely Apricot tart and some Eiffel Tower and musical note shaped biscuits made by Dominique. The wine was not very sweet and matched well with our dessert. Certainly not cloying, it had a hint of rhubarb and custard and also some honey. The grape variety was Petit Manseng from the South West of France. Scores were 14, 17, 17, 14.75, 16 and 15. This was a lovely good value wine, from the Wine Society, that would match many not too sweet desserts or perhaps Foie Gras.

Jane shows off the jambon persillee

2. Maison du Tastelune, Savigny-Les-Beaune 1er Cru Les Vergelesses, 2007, Red Burgundy, Marks and Spencers, about £19. 13%
Four of our team voted this their top wine of the evening and it was my favourite red wine we have had at Tongham Tasters so far. My choice, I was extremely happy that it tasted so good. I am a great fan of Beaune reds and choosing a 1er Cru tends to guarantee something good. This particular Pinot Noir showed an unusual amount of concentration and a really lovely flavour. Although this wine is close to £20 it is actually an extremely good value Burgundy red for a wine of this quality. It had a lovely berry fruit with herbs flavour and a good length. We served it with Jambon Persillée, which is a lovely Burgundian potted ham. Scores were 15.5, 17.5, 16, 16.25, 16.5 and 15, We highly recommend a trip to M&S to get some of this gorgeous wine.

3. Oudinot, Medium Dry Rosé Champagne, NV, Marks and Spencers, about £18. 12%.
With 5 top three votes and one person having it as their winner, this wine had us guessing if we were tasting a Cremant or a Champagne. It was in fact an extremely well made rosé champagne with delicate bubbles and a lovely strawberry taste. This particular one is off dry and would actually go well with many desserts. We had it with Gougeres which are cheese flavoured choux pastries. The scores for Sheila’s choice were 14, 13.5, 16+, 11.5, 12 and 14. A good quality fizz for those with a sweet tooth or for those bored with dry champagne.

The chese stall in Chablis where we bought the cheese

4. Mas de Cynanque, Acutum, Saint Chinian, 2008, Red Languedoc. From the producer, about €12. 14.5%
In any other evening this big Syrah dominated wine would have probably swept the board and on this occasion still managed 5 top 3 votes with one having it as their winner. Steve S had popped down to the Languedoc recently and brought it back for us to try. It was a big mouthful of dark berries, had the typical Languedoc sweetness and also, as John S pointed out, a hint of saltiness as well. John E eventually indentified this as a St Chinian. As well as the 60% Syrah, this wine was 20% Mouvedre and 20% Grenache. It was very smooth and we wondered how it might age? On the night we served it up with some artisanal cheeses from the Savoie area of France – a trio of cave aged Comté, Abondance and Beaufort d’été Scores were 14,5, 16.5, 16.5, 17, 14.5, 14.5. If down in the Languedoc this summer, why not pop along to St Chinian and get some!

Clive carefully pours the Bordeaux

5. Chateau du Gazin. 2008, Canon-Fronsac, Red Bordeaux, Waitrose, about £8. 13.5%
Clive brought along by far the cheapest wine of the evening as he paid only £7.99. It is thus perhaps not surprising that it came behind most of the more expensive wines and only got one top three vote. On its own it didn’t taste that good but with the food, a Boeuf Bourguignon, it went down extremely well. Steve S identified it first as being Merlot dominated and most of us thought it could do with a few years before drinking. The wine also contained small amounts of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Scores were 14-, 11.5, 17, 12.5, 15 and 11. If you can pick this up at this price you might consider this as a partner to a stew or a roast.

Serious tasting in progress!

6. Domaine Gerard Thomas, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru, 2009, White Burgundy, Majestic, about £19, 13%.
There was no bad wine during this evening but one wine always has to be our least favourite and for this evening it was the dry white that John S brought along to accompany our Rillette du Lapin (a coarse homemade rabbit paté that Jane made). I was quite confident that it was a Chablis but was wrong as usual! In fact it comes from further South and is a little appellation in the Cotes de Beaune area. A Chardonnay, it is oaked and had quite a green colour. Starting off with a yeasty aroma the wine had big notes of citrus. However, it was not a style that our team appreciated and got no top three votes – perhaps it was a little young and needed more acidity to offset the oak. Scores were 12, 11, 16, 10, 15 and 9, We would find it difficult to recommend this wine with its big price tag.

Dominique's biscuits

Thanks to our team for providing such interesting wines and food for this great evening celebrating France’s National day with some of it’s excellent food and wine. Particular thanks to Jane who provided us with some excellent food for the occasion and to Dominique who provided the wonderful dessert.

Our next evening is on Friday 12th August when we will be celebrating Jane’s birthday. As Jane is from the USA and most of the rest of us are firmly from  Europe, we will be having an Old World versus New World wine tasting – 3 different grape varieties with one of each in New World style and one in Old World style; can you tell the difference and which do you prefer?. In September we will be trying to find the best wines under £10 and in October we will be discovering the Joy of Ceps and what wines match well with mushrooms. If you want to join us for any or all of these evenings, then give John a call on 07717 876743 or email tonghamtaster@gmail.com.

A Tale of Terroir

For our May Tongham Tasters’ evening we had a more specialised theme than normal – we were to taste five French Sauvignon Blanc white wines. Our reward was to be a mature red at the end of the evening. After eight months, I was at last going to be allowed to choose the wines – the pressure was on. Surely after all my practice of drinking wines from Sancerre and Pouilly Fume, this would be a veritable doddle! Alas, the budget was just fifty pounds for six bottles; I was going to have to very thrifty and search a wider area of France for value. After much diligent research I got together what I thought were 5 pretty good value Sauvignon Blanc white wines and a cracking red as well. But how would our eight man tasting team perceive them?.... and would they be able to spot the Sauvignon Blanc that was blended with something else as well?

The evening started well enough, as I explained how New Zealand wines shouted at me whereas French wines talked to me and occasionally sung to me, and then someone mentioned that dreaded word…….”terroir”!

In order of preference after voting, here are my wines and our collective views on them. Scores are in the order: John E, Steve S, Sheila, Jane, Clive, John S and Ian.

1. Domaine de Salvard Cheverny Le Vieux Clos “Delaille” 2009, Majestic Wines, £7.99
Three of our intrepid team of eight tasters voted this their top wine and another four had it as their runner up. However, nobody realised that this was a blended wine as it tasted like pure Sauvignon Blanc. It in fact had 15% Chardonnay as well. Many thought it tasted quite New World compared to the other French wines that we were tasting. It certainly had a nice bouquet and taste that perhaps came from maturing the wine on its lees. The scores out of 20 were 15, 14.5, 11, 18, 17, 15, and 13. This was another winner from Majestic Wine Warehouse.

A really nice red!

2. Altos D’Oliva Gran Reserva Catalunya 2000 Spain, FromVineyardsDirect, £7.95
With four of our judges putting this at No.1 and another as runner up, our red wine of the evening did rather well. Everybody’s first guess was that this was an Australian Rhone blend – but no it was from near the Priorat region of Spain. It was the oldest wine we had yet had at a Tongham Tasters evening and everyone thought this would go well with a BBQ. Many including Kathyrn got the liquorice taste of this Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranilla, Garnacha, Shiraz blend and John S thought it chunky with a hint of sweetness. Sheila thought that it not only sung to her but did the whole Karaioke repertoire! Scores were 15.5, 14, 14, 14, 12, 15, and 14.5. This is a wine that represents great value for money.

3. Domaine Octavie Touraine Sauvignon 2009, FromVineyardsDirect, £8.75
One top vote, three seconds and two thirds gave this wine our bronze medal of the evening. A few like Steve S thought this was a blend as it wasn’t particularly Sauvignon Blanc like and had more sweetness and less acidity than normal. Clive thought he detected a little spritz. Scores were 13, 13, 10.5, 16, 16, 13, and 9.5. Worth adding to your list if you are trying to make up a mixed case of twelve wines, I enjoyed it more when I tasted it on its own with a meal rather than part of a tasting flight.

Jane expounds on Teroir!

4. Vallee Blanche Sauvignon Blanc Cotes de Gascogne 2009, Majestic, £5.99
The cheapest wine of the evening, it did rather well in the scoring with two third places and four fourth places.. Variously described as quite minerally and quite fruity, some thought it very dry and, some like Jane, quite sweet! It was certainly fruity, perhaps apple-like with some citrus and lychee, and was another with a touch of the New World rather than the Loire about it – in fact it comes from the South West of France. Scores were 14.5, 11.5, 10, 13, 15, 12, and 10.5. This is a very good value nice wine from Majestic. Don’t be put off by the cheap looking label as Steve has been in the past.

5. Clothilde Davenne Saint-Bris Sauvignon 2009, FromVineyardsDirect. £9.75.
The most expensive wine of the evening did rather disappointingly with just two top three votes and not much else. A nice wine it is perhaps not very Sauvignon Blanc like. It was interesting that it had a much darker colour than the other wines. Clive was not sure of the aftertaste but It went well the spicy aubergine dip that Jane made. Scores were 12.5, 12, 6.5, 13, 10, 11, and 12. An interesting wine that frankly is better based on previous tastings than these scores would indicate but on this tasting perhaps not worth the price. Whenever, I have bought wines from this small Burgundy appellation before, they have been cheaper and better value.

6. Domaine Henri Beurdin et Fils, Reuily 2009, Majestic £7.99.
This wine should have been OK based on previous tastings but when served too cold has a bitterness and grittiness that is unpleasant. However, once it warms up and you have some food with it, then these bad characteristics disappear. It was an interesting lesson in serving wine at the right temperature and how food can improve wine. For the wine nearest to the traditional Loire Sauvignon Blanc area it was not so good. Scores were 11.5, 9, 4, 8, 13, 9, and 6.5. A real spread of scores for this one, depending on whether it was scored based on first or last impressions. This was a tricky wine to serve correctly; interestingly, enough it says on the bottle to serve it fresh and not too iced – should have read the label!

It was an interesting mix of wines and showed how the different terroir from the different areas of France allied with the different wine makers’ skills and techniques can turn out quite different tasting wines. The 2 different goats cheeses, aubergine dip, brandade and crudités all went down well with the home made rolls and pitta bread. We had a great crowd along and the conversation flowed on many topics as well as wine.  Did we really talk about the Eurovision Song Contest?  It was great to have Kathryn along for the first time and hope we see her again at future evenings. Cost of the evening per person was just £7.30 – good value I think. It was good to try wines from yet another interesting inline retailer – FromVineyardsDirect.

The table is set for a great evening

Next month we will be having another Friday evening event and the theme is BBQ wines and if the weather is good we will be having a BBQ as well. The date for your diary is Friday June 3rd. Click on Wine Circle at the top of the page for more details – all are welcome. Location will be somewhere in Grange Road, Tongham.

For our July evening we are celebrating French National day on Thursday July 14th - this evening will be a bit special as we are doubling the budget for the evening and having some rather nice French wines and food.  As usual contact John via email at tonghamtaster@gmail.com or ring him on 07717 876743.

Our August evening will be another Friday evening event and the theme will be Old World versus New World wines.  Venue will be in Tongham.    For our Farnborough fans good news as the Setmber event will be in Farnborough on Thursday September 15th.

Dining without Wining

For me drinking wine is about drinking wine over a nice dinner with friends or someone I love, Jane. Thus I have, over the years, come to associate wine with food and vice versa. In this way I am probably quite continental European, despite my English background. Matching food and wine for me is a fun experience and one where one can experiment and if the matching is not perfect, so what! It is certainly nothing to get stressed over.

Fine wine has always demanded fine food. It is difficult to imagine drinking a nice bottle of Pauillac without some perfectly cooked lamb or a good Barolo without some beautifully prepared Italian food. However, by fine food I mean the best quality and freshest ingredients. These ingredients also need to be well but very simply cooked. We want to taste the complexity in the wine and not have it masked by the complexity of the food.

With less fine wines one can have fun matching the wine with some less simple food. An example would be matching a sweet white wine with a spicy dish whether it be Icewine with Haggis or a Montbazillac with Tandoori chicken. Neither haggis nor tandoori chicken could be regarded as fine dining and I am not suggesting Grand Cru wines to accompany them either. With both my examples the wine is in effect almost the “sauce” for the dish in that it provides both a counterpoint of flavour and the moistness needed to help down the dish.

Fine dining today is increasingly about Chefs achieving amazing flavour and texture combinations on the plate. In many ways good food no longer needs wine. In England perhaps the traditional English food never needed wine; roast lamb was served with mint sauce and in many ways this acted liked a good Medoc in making the lamb more palatable. However, try lamb and mint sauce with a nice Pauillac and you are definitely going to ruin the wine. Nowadays, a powerful wine might actually ruin the good food.

Yesterday we visited the talented Mr Drake at the Clockhouse in Ripley. Steve is a great exponent of flavour and balance and is looking for ingredients that work well together on a plate. We had the lunchtime tasting menu and none of the dishes needed wine to appreciate them. That being said, and despite the fact that I am a wine lover, it was probably the best lunch I have ever experienced. Most wines would have altered the balance of his beautifully prepared dishes. The way to enjoy the food is to lose some of your inhibitions with a glass of champagne, Mailly Grand Cru Rose or Gosset Brut, in the well tended garden before you start and then to just have water throughout the meal. Certainly don’t go further than a glass of relatively simple clean Gruner Veltliner or Pinot Blanc. Steve’s food is magnificent and doesn’t need the help of wine. The great thing is you can drive home with no worries. His portion sizes are also spot on for lunchtime and you won’t be snoozing all afternoon. Nowadays, fine dining is possible without fine wines or in fact any wine at all.

Drake’s at the Clockhouse is in the High Street, Ripley, Surrey GU23 6AQ. Lunchtime tasting menu was £45 and we had an amouse bouche and six small courses. Coffee or tea was an extra £4 but came with some superb petits fours. Overall bill for two with service came to £150. Dress is casual and service is good; I know this is fine dining but I just wish they would lighten up a little. Highly recommended.

Over the Moon

A new regular feature of this blog will be a quarterly restaurant recommendation. This month I have at last found a relatively local restaurant worthy of my custom. Having visited some very good restaurants in London and France since Christmas, I am very pleased to say that La Luna in Godalming was my favourite this quarter. This restaurant was a real revelation as we have been searching for good restaurant in the Guildford and Farnham area for years without real success. For me the food was worthy of a Michelin Star and they have a lovely Italian wine list to match. We got there by bus from Tongham via Guildford in less than an hour and had a very pleasant rural ride. Our return was by taxi as we left rather late after a leisurely and thoroughly enjoyable meal and although this added to the cost it enabled us to sample the wines chosen for us by Daniele Drago, the sommelier.

Jane comparing the different desert wines!

La Luna is situated at 10-14 Wharf Street in the centre of Godalming and is a modern Italian restaurant. We asked Chef Valentino Gentile to prepare us a tasting menu and this enabled us to sample a fantastic selection of his dishes. Starting off our taste adventure we had some fantastic Sicilian street food, Panelle which are chick pea fritters served with a tomato based dip. They were “to die for” and were accompanied by an excellent Prosecco. Other dishes we tried and can recommend were slow cooked belly of pork, seafood linguine and baked sea bass. Perhaps, my favourite was the stuffed free range quail and smoked ham with Jerusalem artichoke – this is well worth trying. The deserts were also good but the star of the desert course for me was the gorgeous raisiny Sicilian desert wine that accompanied my Tiramisu.

If you live in the area and fancy a fantastic meal out, I would heartily recommend La Luna. Service, ambience, food and wines were all top class. We went on a Saturday night and it is obviously a popular restaurant. Visit their web site for a sample menu and prices. For more details on our meal and some pictures, visit wife Jane’s blog.

TonghamTaster’s French Wine Tasting Course – week 7 - Loire Cabernet Franc Reds

The 12 month on-line course to help you learn about French wines - Top tips on how to get value when buying them - Reasonably priced up-to-date recommendations of what to buy and try in the UK - Bringing you the best of Tongham Village Hall wine tastings.

INTRODUCTION

The Chateau at Azay-Le-Rideau

 Apart from its beautiful Chateaux, the Loire Valley is, perhaps, best known for its white wines; the Muscadets, the Vouvrays, the Sancerres and Pouilly Fumés etc. So its hidden gems, which are must less known in the UK, are the red wines which we will discover this week.

LOCALITY
The best area for growing red wine grapes in the Loire is arguably the area around Chinon and Bourgueil. These are the Cabernet Franc growing areas. Red wines are also grown further up the Loire around Sancerre and Menetou-Salon but here they use Pinot Noir as in Burgundy. There are other red wine areas and red grapes grown in the Loire but we can on the whole ignore them as we either don’t see them often in the UK or they are frankly not very good.

VARIETALS
The top red grape grown around Saumur, Bourgueil and Chinon is the Cabernet Franc Grape. Here it normally is used in single varietal wines where as in Bordeaux it is used just as part of a blend.
As mentioned above, the Pinot Noir grape is used around the upper Loire.
Malbec, often called Cot locally, and Gamay are also popular grapes grown in the region but don’t often produce wines of distinction.

Vineyards and Chinon Castle

THE WINES
When I lived in France I was often surprised to find that the red wines of Chinon, Bourgueil and St Nicolas de Bourgueil were the favourite wines of friends and colleagues. I also found them very popular in the bars and restaurants of Paris where I lived. This surprised me as I had hardly come across them in the UK. These 3 AOCs  are amongst the best expressions of the Cabernet Franc grape in the world. However, you will also find Cabernet-Franc in the Saumur and Anjou AOCs. Be aware that the Anjou wines may contain grapes other than Cabernet Franc.

Drink always and you'll never die!

I have spent much of the last ten years visiting, for business, Bourges, which is very close to the wine areas of Sancerre, Menetou-Salon and Reuilly. Here they grow Pinot Noir for their red wines. They are too light for most English tastes but I have grown to appreciate them. For reds I would recommend Vincent Pinard and Alphonse Mellot in Sancerre and Domaine Philippe Gilbert in Menetou Salon. However, you will probably need to visit the area to obtain them.  They are also becoming quite expensive so you might wish to consider a less expensive AOC such as Reuilly - Domaine Pascal Desroches is great value in this appellation.  2009 is a good year for Loire Pinot Noirs so do consider them.

THE TASTE
When grown in the Loire, the Cabernet Franc grape imparts a leafy, raspberry flavour to the wine often tinged with tobacco and pencil lead. It is these last two flavours that make the wines of Chinon and Bourgueil a favourite of mine.

When Pinot Noir is grown in the Loire Valley it tends to produce a lighter more delicate wine than when grown in Burgundy, a bit like an Irancy.

TOP TIPS
• The wines of the Loire are good summer reds and are pleasant chilled. When chilled they can often be paired with fish. I tend to like to chill these wines and let them gradually warm up during the meal. This way they often pair well with starter, main and cheese courses.   The fact that they are good chilled means that if you find the wine you buy disappointing then chill it and you might end up pleasantly surprised.
• The Cabernet Franc reds can be good value in France, so don't forget to buy them if visiting the Loire or any French supermarket.

HOMEWORK
For your homework this week you need to buy and try any Loire Cabernet Franc red wine from Chinon, Saumur-Chamipgny, Saumur, Bourgueil or St Nicolas de Bourgueil. You might want to try one of my recommendations below as otherwise they are not easy to find:

Waitrose – Le Paradis Chinon 2009, ESAT Les Chevaux Blanc, 13% - reduced to £6.99 in Farnham but going up again to about £9 on the 15th February.
or, Waitrose – Chinon Les graviers 2009, Complice de Loire, 12.5% - £10.99
Or Laithwaites - Couly Dutheil Chinon La Closerie 2007, about £12.
or if on a budget, Sainsbury’s - Domaine du Colombier Chinon 2003 – about £6
or Waitrose – Les Nivieres Saumur 2009, Cave de Saumur, 12,5% - £7.49
You might also consider a trip down to Les Caves des Pyrenes in Guildford to see their selection (but you need to buy a mixed case of 12 wines).
Normally, also to be found at Majestic but none when I was writing this in early February 2010.

WINE REVIEW
I was lucky enough to find four different Lore Cabernet Franc reds in my local Waitrose this month. On the internet I often read of people saying they can’t get these wines in UK supermarkets – they are looking in the wrong supermarket! Here are my reviews of the four wines I bought and tried:

Waitrose – Les Nivieres Saumur 2009, Cave de Saumur, 12,5% - £7.49.
On the first night I tried this wine I was not impressed. There was some blackcurrant but otherwise it seemed rather bland. I then chilled it down and it was rather good as a chilled red and went well with the Boudin Blanc (a skinless chicken sausage to the uninitiated) and the steamed lemon grass sea bass. There was some left over and after a day, even when at room temperature, it had gained the acidity that was lacking in its balance the first night. So this scored somewhere between 11 and 13 out of 20.

Waitrose – Chinon Les graviers 2009, Complice de Loire, 12.5% - £10.99

This wine was much more what I was looking for, but rather pricey. I enjoyed this one straight away. It has a nice acidic balance and even that pencil lead or slateyness that I love. It has the lightness one would expect and a pleasant softness. Rather nice! This we had with a grilled sirloin steak and it would go with any simply grilled meat or chicken. I scored this wine 14+ out of 20. The store led me to believe this is new to the Waitrose range – a welcome addition I would say. Look out for this when they are doing their 25% discounts.

Waitrose – Domaine De La Croix De Chaintres 2008, Saumur Champigny, 12.5% - £10.49
Another wine that was rather disappointing for the price. Very soft and light with reasonable flavour but no real wow factor. I scored this 13.5 out of 20.

Waitrose – Le Paradis Chinon 2009, ESAT Les Chevaux Blanc, 13% - reduced to £6.99
Another nice Chinon and at at this reduced price (down from about £9) rather good value.  A light wine with very good balance and a typical Loire Cabernet Blanc taste.   I scored this 14+ out of 20.  Probably my recommendation to buy out of the four wines.  Rather an ethical wine as well. as this is part of the ESAT scheme that enables disabled people to get work in local industry.  From the Waitrose website I note that this is a cooperative wine made by a New Zealand winemaker trying to create a fruitier style of Chinon - it works for me.

FOOD PAIRINGS
Cabernet Franc is generally quite an all-rounder.
A good cheese wine, particularly hard cheeses.
As a relatively light wine it goes well with chicken and sometimes even fish.
It will also pair well with any simple grilled red meat. Not enough flavour to stand up to strong sauces.
Loire Pinot Noir is light and thus suits chicken and pork dishes. Chilled this will also match some fish dishes, especially salmon.


COMING SOON
Next week we continue our wine tour of the Loire Valley and discover the great Chenin Blanc whites and sparkling wines of Vouvray and surrounds.

If you missed the early weeks of this course, which covered Bordeaux and Muscadet, it is not too late to catch up.  Just click on French Wine Course at the top of this blog for easy links.