Wine Tasting Events
Hosted by renowned Sommelier Stephen Nisbet, our monthly wine tasting dinners are an enjoyable way to get to know different regions, varieties and estates and discover the sheer diversity of wine. Explore wines that you wouldn’t normally order and delve deeper into the reasons behind wine and food pairings.
In this series of events we aim to cover as much of the wine world as possible, seeking out the best wines that we can source and presenting them together with delicious dishes from the Michelin-starred menu. We are intentionally looking past the most popular and well known areas like Bordeaux, Rioja and Napa, instead looking to other countries & regions which are often mere neighbours but which, for whatever reason, are not so much in the public eye.
Wine Tasting Dinners
Wednesday 23rd May, 7.00pm - Regional French Wine Tasting Dinner- Loire
Such is the sheer size of area that the Loire River covers it was a decision in itself what not to include, there are so many potential regions and such variety.
It is broadly understood that the Loire as a wine region covers Muscadet in the west and Pouilly – Fumé to the east, with the Orléanais and Côtes d’Auvergne assuming the northern & southern positions. This indicates a vast area with much variation in climate and soil, history and tradition thus offering much variety in wine.
It is this combination of elements that makes much wine from this area so interesting. Producers concerned with producing fine wine need to work intensively and with great skill and care. Perhaps it is then no accident that the Loire is the real & spiritual home of the natural wine movement where a clear strategy, systematic approach and an understanding of nature are all essential.
As before we will be featuring regions and wines that are excellent but a little less in the public eye.
£95 per person including a glass of wine and canapés on arrival and a delicious four course dinner with matched wines. A minimum of five wines will be served over the course of the evening.
Wednesday 20th June, 7.00pm - Italian Wine Tasting Dinner
There are few countries in the world whose fervour for great food and wine is as strong as Italy. This is furthered by strong regional tradition, with the origins of well known dishes & styles fiercely defended.
As a result, Italy continues to offer one of the greatest ranges of diversity in food but particularly wine with as many as 2,000 varieties thought to have their origins there, and over 700 in regular use. The picture is further complicated by many key varieties having different names from region to region, as occasionally happens in France.
The key is to begin to understand regional wine style, rather than the variety led labelling that has become the norm in Australia, for example. Getting to know the wines for their intrinsic style also helps when deciding what to eat with them.
Enjoy an evening of tasting encompassing a variety of sparkling, white and red wines from this marvellous country together with dishes from the kitchen, some of which may have been created just for the event.
£95 per person including a glass of wine and canapés on arrival and a delicious four course dinner with matched wines. A minimum of five wines will be served over the course of the evening.
Wednesday 25th July, 7.00pm - Regional French Wine Tasting Dinner - Rhone
For the next in our series of informal wine dinners we look at the variety and quality of wines from the Rhone Valley and further to the South of France.
In the Rhone there is a clear example of how complex and convoluted French wine can be. 20 AOC wine regions divided into 190 communes, each with varying usage of 40 grape varieties to produce a large number of wines some of which are largely unknown outside the country.
There are some very fine & famous wines of course, with the great producers of Hermitage, Cote Rotie and Condrieu forever sought after and in short supply. What is less well understood is the enormous difference in style and quality available for wines like Chateauneuf du Pape, and that bottles bearing the simple appellation Cotes du Rhone are capable of greatness from the right grower.
The Red and Rose wines of Provence and surrounding areas have a good reputation as their vines enjoy the fine warm climate of the Mediterranean, but if only the local varieties will be used then whites will almost automatically err towards the fragrant, aromatic side as varieties producing a crisper style often do not like those same conditions.
As we have encountered in the past, there are a great many styles and fine examples to choose from, far more than we could ever hope to fairly represent fully on such an evening. Instead, Stephen will be choosing some favourites within this broad spectrum from the cellar and recent tastings to complement carefully selected dishes from the kitchen.
£95 per person including a glass of wine and canapés on arrival and a delicious four course dinner with matched wines. A minimum of five wines will be served over the course of the evening.
Wednesday 22nd August, 7.00pm - Spanish & Portuguese Wine Tasting Dinner
For the next in our series of wine focused evenings, we look to Iberia.
As with most of the wine world, as far as the UK is concerned, the fact that these countries produce excellent wine is not a great revelation. There are a handful of wines with names like Cava, Vinho Verde, Rioja and Port that are happily bought and consumed almost without a second thought because they are so standard.
What does surprise many, including those in the trade, is the sheer diversity in range of style & quality even within these regions, not to mention what’s on offer in more than 70 other distinct areas between these two countries.
Who knew that the Douro in Portugal retains a formidable reputation for quality unfortified wine that pre-dates the arrival of the shipping merchants responsible for inventing Port as we know it today? Or that the Champagne region has borrowed wine making techniques from Cava producers that are now commonplace? Or that there are fine wines made by those producers that rival their more illustrious French peers in quality & price?
Choosing a selection of wines to represent this vast area was a challenge but we hope we have found some great examples, and as usual we have attempted to consider the less conventional or well – known in order to explore the possibilities.
Join us to sample white, red, fortified and sweet wines from all over these marvellous countries together with dishes from the L'ortolan repertoire.
£95 per person including a glass of wine and canapés on arrival and a delicious four course dinner with matched wines. A minimum of five wines will be served over the course of the evening.
To book a place on any of the above events please call 01189 888 500 or email info@lortolan.com.
Why not treat a friend to a wine experience - gift experience vouchers may be purchased online.
