Wine Wednesday Three took place on a Thursday. A little incongruous, I agree, but it turned out to be one of the best yet. Probably.
Early August, traditionally the height of summer, but (perhaps predictably) it was pouring with rain. Pouring with rain, after a spell of 30-degree heat, pouring with rain in a humid oppressive, crazy making kind of a way. And we were made a little crazy today too. As we dodged the raindrops and hurried to the Maltings Café we happened to pass a number of our Bancroft colleagues, me and the boys, a bottle of rosé and the nearest left turn to the park. What did they think we were up to? We started giggling at the very idea.
Boozing on the park bench was given a miss (only due to the weather, mind) but we have no doubt it was the right decision. The Maltings Café did us proud as ever. I had my (vegetarian) pasta, linguine with delicate summer vegetables, Martin the chicken with sautéed potatoes (‘like chips innit?’ – he was joking) and Alex the salmon and lentils. The service was excellent, the waitress getting our order immediately. When Alex said he would try the salmon she asked him whether he meant he would like a sample, or if he was actually trying to order the fish!
For this week’s wine we opted for one of the vinous world’s true gems; a rosé from the famous appellation of Tavel in the Southern Rhône. Produced from a combination of Grenache, Syrah, Cinsaut and Clairette (yes, the last variety is a white grape!), the 2010 Tavel Rosé, Domaine de la Mordorée absolutely stole the show. Rich, ripe and extremely lifted purple berry notes filled the glass and with a weight and breadth on the palate more akin to Rhône red wine, the Tavel takes the common view of rosé, clips it around the ear and tells it to leave the room until it realises what it did wrong! If there could be a premier grand cru classé of rosé, this would be very close to the top!
The giggles from earlier stayed with us throughout our meal, encouraged by the Tavel, thick muggy atmosphere and the risqué conversation of the boys. Tales of Alex’s crazy relatives had us in stitches.
No time for pudding or coffee today, work called. Time enough though for a quick enquiry about the ‘mystery cheese’ of last week. It remains unidentified but the waiter was in agreement that, what even he now calls ‘brain cheese’, was quite possibly sheep’s cheese. Well-done to Stephen (and, um I guess well done to Martin).
Back to the office, wishing we could have spent longer at this week’s Wine Wednesday (on a Thursday).
Did we miss our dining companions from last week? Sure, they’d be welcome back. Crucially though, we were reassured that The Original Trio can stand alone. The boys made me giggle. I paid for lunch (a bargain by the way).
Written by Amy Ramage
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