Wine Tasting Week#2 (&dinner)

So it’s been a hell of a week and part 1 of our mission is accomplished. No idea what I’m talking about? Well check my previous posts or just keep on reading, I’m sure you’ll figure it out.

A whole week (7 full days counted), of intensive tasting which left us almost gumless but with a very clear idea of just how cool this wine list will look n feel. Want to know more? I will shortly publish a detailed series of posts documenting the making of the list in my new, shinny if still a bit lonely Making Wine Lists tab. Watch this TAB!

And yes, as we started with a seafood dinner at the Brook & Donin house, we just had to make things right and wrap them up with a meaty one.

Before...

It’s Saturday evening, we’re flying tonight but we just can skip this. I’m embarrassed to describe how happy we all were when the majestic cut of Venison loins followed by some lovely and thinly sliced waterbeef entered the room. I think @Lirandonin was carrying them, or Angie…

But as we are seriously greedy bastards, the bespoke jumbo prawns from last week had to make a comeback and give us their goodbyes. Just meat is just to boring…right?

And after

A last minute wine tasting felt like the perfect prelude to this dinner and so, around 8 or so natural oriented wines were thrown into the party. Complete tasting notes coming soon to the making wine lists tab! (did I already mention this?)

Tuscan Pinot

Here goes the water beef, and here goes @oshposh cutting and seasoning the perfect tartar. The rougher the better and with a bottle of Tuscan Pinot Nero from Macea things look bright. Now I know this is unusual and against my indigenous grape agenda but this Pinot was smashing. Thoughts of changing our flight to anywhere in Italy followed this Soft, silky Pinot Noir without any trace to the manure & farmyard notes so associated with natural wine. Clarity of fruit, delicate hints of herbaciousness and we were seriously in live.

Nice monster

Big boys are now in the pan and it’s time to give way to the four perfect steaks of Venison. Dream like texture, tender, soft and yet resistant and full of character. The taste – even better; deep, rich and complex. No choice here, a serious wine has to be called on duty. The contender; Pirouette 7 from Domaine Fontedicto in the Languedoc. Now I’m seriously not a fan of big wines unless of course, he’s big on the right things, bingo! Intensity of fruit, depth and complexity, all tied up and lifted by fine mineral acidity followed by an endless dried fruits and herb finish.

Then, my phone rang. Our cab is 5 minutes early (a lifetime) and all is brutally stopped. We’ll be back, if only to finish the Maury we left behind chilling away…