Tough choice
We’ve all been there; you’ve decided to throw a dinner party and you want to pick the perfect wine to go with your dish. But wine is such a complex drink and there are so many varieties – white, red, rose, sparkling, sweet, etc. – that you have no idea which vintage to choose.
Your choice could determine the success of your night. You can pair wines with practically any dish from chicken to fish to lamb, but there isn’t one wine that goes with every type of cuisine. If you make the right choice you can highlight the subtle flavours of your cuisine, but make the wrong choice and you’ll strike a particularly stark contrast that’ll leave your food tasting horribly unpleasant.
Wine for foodies
Don’t worry dinner party people help’s on its way, as celebrated food and wine writer Fiona Beckett has decided to open a wine school for cooks. The Drinks Business recently reported that she and Itamar Srulovich will hold a series of pop up “wine for foodies” classes at his restaurant, Honey & Co., near Regent’s Park, London.
The classes are aimed at amateur cooks, who in Beckett’s own words are “passionate about food but nervous about wine.” She went on to say, “I’ve lost count of the number of good cooks who have told me they know nothing about wine. Of course they do, it’s just they don’t feel relaxed about it.”
Course syllabus
Starting 11th October, each class will talk students through six particular wines. Ultimately, they’re designed to leave attendees feeling more confident about how to order a wine in a restaurant, as well to how to choose a tipple to accompany a homemade meal.
The first class will focus on white and orange wine, which Beckett believes pairs fantastically well with Middle Eastern food; we’d love to be a student in that class! Meanwhile the 1st November session will be centred on rose and red wines, as well as the aging of wine. Furthermore the class Beckett and the restaurant’s owner plan to hold on 6th December will teach students about sweet and sparkling wines.
Put it into practice
If this sounds like something you’d be interested in and you live in the area, why not go check out the Beckett’s “wine for foodies” classes? Then, you can take everything you learn about red wine to determine what dishes to pair with stellar vintages such as the Chateau La Conseillante 2007, which you can buy from the Ideal Wine Company today.
