Oeno Maris and the best of English Sparkling Wine
Thursday 14th November - a special night to bring in the festive season in London
A quick note for any UK/London folk to mark the 14th November in their diaries. I’ve tasted something like 250 English wines this year, and I’m thrilled to have picked some favourites to serve alongside the frankly amazing seafood of hit London fishmonger/wine merchants/superstars Oeno Maris in Newington Green.
Cod and shiso burgers on their way out during March’s Bubblehead BYO at Oeno Maris
Here’s what we’ll be tasting (well, drinking - fear not, no thimble-sized pours here):
Apero - Nyetimber Blanc de Blancs 2016 in Magnum
Nyetimber’s 2016s are great - there’s a little more punch and concentration than sometimes but, true to the style, tonnes of refinement. Blanc de Blancs is always one of my favourites here, and very, very few magnums are made. We’ve gone direct to Nyetimber to get some (and some of that glorious magnum energy) just for you!
Hundred Hills Preamble no. 2
This is a remarkable estate making waves in the chalky Stonor Valley in Oxfordshire. Pinot Noir and Meunier seem to shine especially for me here in this beautiful site that runs a very, very long growing season, yet seems to fare well even in cooler vintages like 2019. Taut, stylish, striking wines.
Gusbourne Brut Reserve 2020
Gusbourne have been on fire lately. This is the best Brut Reserve I have tasted from them; everything is just spot on. 2020 turned out some great grapes for sparkling wine in the UK, with amazing intensity, ripeness and energy.
Chardonnay ripening up at Black Chalk in Hampshire this September
Black Chalk Classic 2021
Jacob Leadley and Zoe Driver are making incredible strides in Hampshire. English producers like to talk about purity and transparency, but these guys really mean it - they’re not only the most beautiful wines currently coming from Hampshire chalk, they’re some of the country’s very best. They have some quite special sites, too, turning out some beautiful Pinots especially in the tricky 2021 vintage.
Harrow and Hope Blanc de Blancs 2018
Henry and Kaye Laithwaite’s vineyard in Marlowe is the Bouzy of English sparkling wine. It’s always ripe, it’s always expressive, and Henry’s work with organic viticulture and beautiful oak fermentation means there’s plenty of concentration and substance to the wines. In the past I’ve loved the Pinots here, but this Blanc de Blancs is glorious.
FOOD
Alongside it, Dan and Sarah will be furnishing us with the sort of seafood that has had London (including London’s savvy Japanese community…) all a-flutter over the past year. Expect incredible imagination, delicacy of touch and focus on impeccable simplicity, straight from the master fishmonger’s table to the plate:
Full Menu - both cooked and raw seafood - to follow.
Tickets are here:
We worked out that the wines alone would cost you at least £80 by the glass. So it’s a no-brainer, bubbleheads. Limited amounts of wine will be available to purchase for your festive stocks, too. See you there!
Tom, Sarah and Dan