Friday was somewhat scary for me. This year I took over as Manchester lead for the 7 Word Wine Review, with Everyman Wines having taken the decision to step down late last year.
While thrilled to have the confidence of Gordon and Vim, who created the concept, the first dinner became a rather daunting thought.
Thankfully, my friend Simon distracted me. Reminding me of the opening of Beermoth, we stopped by ahead of dinner – I love beer as much as I love wine.
Beermoth is a beer lovers paradise. There’s everything on hand – from light Belgian beers to heavy porters and everything in between. Mr GFB has been ogling the photographs since with a glint in his eye.
Leaving with beer in my bag clinking happily with my wine, we headed over to Italia, our host restaurant for the first dinner of 2013.
Italia were set to spoil us, with platters of charcuterie and cheese, garlic bread and bruschetta to begin with we started with a light Zinfandel Rose from Marks & Spencer, before moving onto the whites in our armoury.
I admit I had cheated and brought two wine options for the evening, one red and one white, but it was a South African Sauvignon Blanc that really stood out in the whites for me. The De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc 2012 is a great find from Waitrose and at £10.99 a bargain. I loved it’s balance and mouthfeel. Whilst my own choice, the d’Arenberg The Money Spider 2010 is a fabulous buy, I felt the Sauvignon fitted the meal better. Another that worked very well with the food on offer was the Flagstone Word of Mouth Vignonier 2011. It’s slate qualities and saltiness worked perfectly with the cooked meats and saltiness of the cheese, it’s acidity cutting through any fattiness.
Our main course was another fantastic selection – Sardinian pasta with fennel sausage, pumpkin risotto with fontina and pasta arrabiata and pizzas all on offer on the table. It was now we began the transition from whites into reds and again there were some outstanding wines on offer. All were excellent – and it was very hard to choose those that leapt out at me. I’ve managed to narrow it to three.
Firstly a Montepulciano D’Abruzzo from Tesco. It’s a great quaffable red, perfect for the food, it was one I could happily sit and drink with my feet up on the sofa at home with Mr GFB.
The second, a rich Tenuta Chiccheri Valpolicella Superiore Ripasso 2010. Spicy, blackberry, hints of charcoal, again it was a fantastic match for the food.
Finally, my wild card. One that I had picked up that evening from Spirited Wines on Deansgate, the Planeta Plumbago 2010. I suspected, having tasted it’s cousin the absolutely beautiful Planeta Cometa 2010 on my visit to Livebait, that it was going to be good, but nothing prepared me for it’s ripe fruits and powdery violet finish. It’s now an absolute must for my wine rack.
Our meal ended with dessert and for most of us, a stunning tiramisu. We really had been spoiled from beginning to end and as we finished the remnants of wine and drank coffee, the evening ended relatively quietly for us – I think our rather full tummies might have made it more sedate than usual and we certainly didn’t end up in a casino til 4am, unlike our London counterparts.
I’m hoping that everyone enjoyed it, I definitely did and I’m looking forward to our next date. Keep your eyes peeled – you’re invited.
