What’s better than an expert wine tasting with food pairing? Oh, that’s right – an expert wine tasting with food pairing with views of the city from the top of London’s favourite skyscraper.
Searcys at the Gherkin is running a series of wine evenings in its recently renovated private dining room suites. Here, acclaimed wines from around the globe will be explored and paired with seasonally prepared dishes. This is corporate entertainment at its best.
Now how tempting is this view?
The first of five evenings kicks off this Friday and will focus on… um, size. ‘Size Matters’ (and it does) aims to showcase a range of wines aged in large bottles. The wines will be served in glassware that mirrors the ageing process (so large glasses, basically), to educate tasters of the importance of shape and size of the drinking vessel to maximise the flavour experience.
READ MORE: private dining in the City
Not only will you leave having tried some of the world’s best wines and have had a three-course dinner to accompany it, you will leave as an oenophile. Just check out the programme below.
You can venture up to the top floor for a night cap if you fancy it afterwards
Karim LeCloarec, general manager and head sommelier of Searcys at The Ghekrin, will serve you his handpicked selection of large format wines. Start off with a glass of Searcys own Cuvée, served in a traditional champagne flute alongside a selection of canapés. The impressive magnum contains twice the volume of a standard bottle, but with the same neck size. This means that the champagne matures slower and for a longer period of time, resulting in a more complex and harmonious taste.
A magnum of Pouilly-Fumé from renowned winemakers André Dezat will then accompany a starter of Cornish mackerel, golden beetroot, potato salad and squid ink. The seasonal main course will be Rhug estate venison, served with celeriac, blackberries and hazelnuts. This will be paired with the outstanding Chateau la Tour, aged in Jeroboam bottles and served in large Bordeaux glasses.
Searcys at the Gherkin's new private dining suites are all aptly named after different types of cloud
To finish off the evening, a selection of artisan British cheeses will be served with another Jeroboam of famed 10 year-old Alves de Sousa port. This exceptional LBV is only produced in the very finest years, a rare treat from this renowned producer with fine tannins, a pureness of fruit and leathery spice.
Tickets for this Friday’s (22 February) event start at £75pp and can be booked here.
Too short notice? Not to worry, there are four more events running on throughout the year. Friday 10 May will be an evening highlighting Nyetimber (England’s answer to Champagne) whereas natural wines will be explored on Friday 21 June. In October, on Friday 11th, Tuscan wines will be in focus. You can sign up to these here.
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