Billecart-Salmon at Massimo’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar

Billecart-Salmon Cuvee 2000

Walking into Massimo’s Restaurant is quite an impressive experience. I was not expecting the high ceilings, supported by striped white and black columns or the polished mahogany wood and leather banquettes, or the cool marble floors gleaming under the art deco inspired sleek chandeliers. In a way, it seemed like the restaurant should have been located in one of the grand train stations built in the US during the 1930′s, New York’s Grand Central Station or perhaps L.A.’s Union Station, both springing to mind.

Massimo’s has a raw bar and it was there that I was directed to take part in a champagne and seafood matching event. Massimo prides itself on their signature dish, crudo, literally meaning “raw fish” in Italian, they are very passionate about using traditional Mediterranean methods and ingredients in all their dishes.

fresh, live crab

chefs at work

And which champagne to pair with the crudo? One of the best, of course. That evening we were being treated to a selection of Billecart-Salmon’s champagnes. I’ve always enjoyed Billecart-Salmon’s champagnes and find that they are great food wines. They’ve been making champagne since 1818 and today the seventh generation are now running the house.

oysters and the Billecart-Salmon blanc de blanc grand cru non vintage

We were seated at the serpentine marble topped bar and watched the raw bar chef quickly chuck the oysters in front of us, while we sipped on the Billecart-Salmon Blanc de blanc Grand Cru vintage. Paired with 3 native oysters, the Roch Loch Lyne, Colchester and Irish Rock, the champagne took on a different character with each oyster. The monsterously big Roch Loch Lyne was a big and meaty and the delicate Grand Cru was almost lost amongst the saline character of the oyster. The Colchester fared better, there being more of a balance and a crisp iodine note coming from the champagne. Lastly, the Irish Rock seemed to pair best with the champagne, a perfect balance of soil and sea, good minerality showing off from both and excellent balance. Neither seemed to outshine the other and complemented each other nicely: “Those are darling pearl earrings. ” “Thank you, you have such a bubbly personality.”

Billecart-Salmon Extra brut

mackerel ceviche

Anyway. Mackerel ceviche followed on and it was divine. I’ve never been a big fan of mackerel but this dish will convert even the most die hard anti-mackerel-ite. The wine tamed the usually dense fish and paired with the Extra Brut non-vintage, which is zero dosage, it cut through the fat. There was a good weight to the wine and the wine had gone through an extra year of aging which gave it a rounder mouthfeel. I also felt that the wine was more vinous in nature, a pure wine with refreshing minerality.

red mullet

tuna tartare

My least favourite pairing of the evening was not because either of the components were bad, as a matter of fact, separately, they were each delectable mouthfuls but together – well… Red mullet with fennel and tuna tartare, both were so fresh and the tuna was almost blood red in colour, served on a background of the greenest virgin olive oil. Unfortunately, the olive oil dominated the dish and that was the only thing I could taste. It was paired with the Brut Sous Bois. Now this is most definitely a food wine! Vinified in oak, it was quite apparent on the nose and palate. However, with the red mullet, everything came together, the champagne having brioche, nutty and caramel flavours, much less fruit, obviously in this one, but still a pleasure to drink. So that was a hit AND miss dish.

spaghettini and prawn

Chilled caviar spaghettini and Sicilian Prawns in tomato water was the next course and that would have been a pairing with the Sous Bois. Instead, it was served with the Cuvee Nicolas Francois Billecart 2000 which was a suitable companion but not the best choice. The Cuvee has had enough time to show off a complex palate of clementines, toffee and toast with a lemon peel long finish. The nose was just as complex, candied fruit, toast, caramelized oranges and even a light perfumed note permeated the glass. It was showing well but definitely had plenty of life left in it.

Billecart-Salmon brut rose

We finished off the evening with the House’s signature cuvee, the Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé non-vintage. I am a sucker for rose champagne, I just love the colour. The fact that it’s champagne is just the cherry on top of the sundae. Billecart’s rosé is light and elegant with supple red fruit flavours and aromas. It’s very fresh and made with a low dosage so all you get is the purity of the fruit, raspberry, red fruits and even wild strawberry on the finish. A very cute little red fruit millefeuille was served alongside the rosé. Sorry to say it was gone in one bite so I’m not sure how well it went with the champagne but I’m told it’s very traditional to have that with a rosé.

Massimo’s is going to be holding more of these champagne and food matching events, the next one is June 12th (£35 pp with a glass of the Blanc de Blancs; £55 with all of the five Champagnes tasted here. Contact the restaurant here for more information.

red fruits millifeuille

Decanter Italian Fine Wine Encounter this weekend

It’s that time of  year, the Decanter Italian Fine Wine Encounter. I always seem to miss it but this year for whatever serendipitous reason, I am in town and looking forward to attending the event.

I had a look at some of the producers attending and some of the big boys will be there, including Castello di Banfi and Isole di Olena, there will be plenty on offer. I am looking forward to trying some of the smaller producers as well. There are going to be over 300 producers on show so there is bound to be a hidden gem amongst the fine wines.

There are also going to be various masterclasses available, including Marchesi Antinori, Allegrini and Barolo 2005 – should be good and I’m sure they will have some cracking vintages on tasting. And, last but not least, there will be food and wine matching classes on offer.

Tickets are still on sale, £40 per person for entry to the event at The Landmark Hotel in Central London. For more info on the masterclasses and food and wine matching events, visit  http://www.decanter.com/events or call 020 3148 4513.

See you there!

Hey, Vini Italiani, what’s up?

Vini Italiani biz cards

You don’t have to go far from the UK to find exciting wines and wine regions. It’s easy to forget sometimes that we are very lucky to have access to wines from all over the world. We have so many great wine shops here. I was reminded of this last week when some Texan wine blogging friends of mine were in town and we decided to do a bit of wine tasting. We visited only a few but they were quite  impressed by the range of wines and wine shops in London.

shop floor

One of the shops we visited was the Italian wine specialist Vini Italiani. I like that name, if you say it out loud, it sounds like you’re referring to your friend Vinny. As in “Yo, Vinny! What’s  up?”

enomatic machine

Anyway. Italy is one of my favourite wine countries because I’m always discovering a new wine or variety or sometimes, both!  Everyone knows Barolo and Chianti, perhaps Nero d’Avola  and, of course, the ubiquitous pinot grigio but there are so many other varieties and wines waiting to be discovered.

decanter & crackers

I had never been to Vini Italiani but had heard about it via Twitter and Facebook and it looked like they might have an interesting selection. What attracted me more then anything were the enomatic machines. I think they are a great attraction in any wine shop and certainly make the prospect of wine shopping a lot more fun. For those of you who are not familiar with the machines or haven’t had the opportunity to use them, they are basically wine dispensing machines which use a chip and pin type card to purchase the wine. You put on a set amount of money on the card and then slip it into the machine and make your choice. The machines dispense the wines in 3 different sizes, at Vini Italiani it was 25ml, 50 mls and 75 mls, all at various price points depending on the price of the bottle, which gets deducted from the card. We put £10 on our cards and were able to try all 16 wines in the 2 enomatic machines available. The shop has over 500 wines, as well as grappas, amari and Italian beers for sale.

vinujancu, Italian white

The shop has two floors, the ground floor being the main sales room and the basement,whilst still having a wall of wine for sale, also has 2 comfy couches and a living room table which you can reserve for £20 and drink your purchase (there is a reasonable corkage fee) along with crackers. Nibbles are also available but have to be pre-ordered. There is also a bigger dining room table where the shop does wine tastings and food and wine pairings every few weeks. They bring in various wine experts to explain the intricacies of Italian wines.

Bibenda Wine

The manager of the shop, Simone, was very helpful and knowledgeable and what he didn’t know could be found in the bible of Italian wine, Bibenda Wine, a compendium of all Italian wines which was recently translated into English for the first time. They have it on sale in the shop if you so desire a copy for yourself.

We spent a fun few hours trying the wines and chatting with Simone about them. They have at least one vinous representative from each Italian wine region and many of the wines are from small producers as well as organic and biodynamic producers. There are even a few “natural” and “orange” wines for sale if you fancy something a bit different.

The wines in the enomatic machines are constantly changing so you never know what you might be able to sample, from a rosé from Lake Garda to a Chianti Clasico and everything in between. I wish I lived closer to the shop but then again it’s probably a good thing I don’t, as I’d be in there all the time.

“Yo, Vinny! What’s up?”

Vini Italiani is located at 72 Old Brompton Rd, SW7 3LQ and open Monday – Saturday 10am – 9pm and Sundays 11am – 7pm. For more information about the wine classes, visit their website.

shop mural

Taittinger and Indian cuisine – can it handle the spice?

My regular readers know of my fondness for champagne, some might say obsession, but can I be blamed when champagne is such a versatile wine? Just when I think I have found the best food matches for champagne, along comes a new combination that makes me add another feather to champagne’s cap.

Clovis Taittinger

I was invited to dinner at Moti Mahal to see what Taittinger could do when paired with Indian food as well as meet Clovis Taittinger, the next in line at Taittinger. Clovis was in town last week to show off what his family champagne can do when paired with Indian cuisine.Clovis is known as a bit of a wild man and upon meeting him, I could see why – rushing down the stairs, slightly disheveled hair with impish smile and friendly air. He’s like a French, slimmer, darker version of our Mayor, Boris Johnson – and just as amusing. He had us all chuckling within 1 minute of opening his mouth,  something about the Kama Sutra and champagne, I think.

Anyway, Clovis went on to tell us a bit about what he thinks makes Taittinger special – the quality and consistency of their wines is their calling card. Their wines are made with a high percentage of chardonnay which they believe gives them the finesse, elegance and delicacy that one expects from Taittinger. When queried about the best years, he replied he doesn’t remember the years, just the moments. A good way out of giving a straight answer he later admitted!

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne blanc de blancs brut 2000

While nibbling on an assortment of canapes we sipped the Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blanc Brut 2000. Made from 100% grand cru chardonnay it’s a charming wine, Clovis defining it as a “dancing champagne” and if any champagne would do that, it would be the Comtes, great as an aperitif.

roasted beetroot and peanut salad

Roasted beetroot and peanut salad with a lentil dumpling and yoghurt Chaat was served with the Taittinger Brut Prestige Rosé NV. The sweetness of the beetroot was enhanced by the wine, the red fruits becoming more apparent in the blend and a very tasty match. It just goes to show what a great food wine rosé is and it’s versatility. I’m sure it was never envisioned being served alongside lentils and yoghurt.

seared scallops

Seared scallops with coriander and tamarind, crushed lime and cumin peas and monkfish steak with curry leaf and cucumber salad paired with the Taittinger Prelude Grands Crus NV was great! The Prelude is quite a rich and full wine, a blend of Grand Cru chardonnay and pinot noir, aged for 4 years before release. If you’re a fan of cumin, the Prelude made it jump out and the richness of the wine was not lost, if anything, I could really taste the citron flavours of the wine.

One of the pairings that I enjoyed the most was the Comtes de Champagne Rose Brut 2004. A pure and frank rose, it was a deeper rose colour then expected. being almost orangish-red but  having very heady aromas and a complex, intense palate. I enjoyed it on it’s own but served with a rose jelly was a delight, the jelly not so sweet that it overpowered the champagne. The red fruit character of the champagne exploded and really lingered. Although it was paired with dessert, I think it would have paired well with the biryani we had beforehand.

3 different chicken tikka

I may have had my misgivings about pairing champagne with Indian cuisine but the meal was expertly matched.  the cuisine of Moti Mahal is delicately spiced so you won’t be served a chunks of chicken  doused in a gloopy mess of orange sauce or soggy veg swimming in tomatoes. Clovis was a very entertaining host and as we slipped off into the night he extended a warm invitation to come and visit. I think I will most definitely take him up on his offer the next time I’m in Champagne.

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Rose Brut 2004 being poured