So if you know me well, or spotted me with a wine funnel down my throat or face planted on a kerb somewhere in Soho – you’ll know my day job is working in wine. I got in to the wine industry about eight years ago now after a redundancy and decided a change from accounting was in order. I got a Sunday job at my local Wine Rack (which went into administration) while I searched for work, but then something miraculous happened – I fell in love with wine and studied it for five years. Admittedly I didn’t even like wine back then, except the sickly sweet Blossom Hill White Zinfandel (a wine I now despise). So when I got an email from the lovely guys over at Square Meal there was absolutely no way I was going to miss out on a fabulous sounding Loire Valley Wines dinner over at Portland in Fitzrovia.
Portland is one of those restaurants which most people across London have probably heard of, but the majority have quickly forgotten of its existence – mostly because there are so many new restaurants opening right now. I certainly hadn’t forgotten about the place so it came as a nice surprise when I had the opportunity to experience it with some fantastic wines and of course not to my surprise, some excellent company. To start us on our epic meal here at Portland, we quickly devoured some gorgeous fluffy bread with light whipped butter, topped with some kind of meaty skin (maybe chicken). Mangalitsa pig (Hungarian bread of pig) rillettes with pickles and toast was as expected, no short of a revelation. I’ve not eaten any form of Mangalitsa pig before, but it’s meant to be the best money can buy. One dish I fell in love with here was a rather simple one, but beautifully executed plate of pickled shitake mushroom, soy and ginger. With six wines to guzzle on for the evening these mushrooms went perfectly with the Domaine Bellevue Sauvignon Blanc from Touraine, with its vibrant acidity cutting right through that pickle.
The great thing about all the Loire Valley Wines we tasted here is there’s no pretence, no snobbery – just good old-fashioned wines that are accessible to everyone and can be all be enjoyed on a daily basis. Halfway through out small plates we started sipping on the insanely quaffable Rosé d’Anjou Domaine des Essarts – full of pear drops and light berries fruits which went perfectly with the grilled asparagus and garlic yoghurt. One wine of the evening, the Rosé d’Anjou from Marks & Spencer was perhaps not my favourite tipple, as the fruit was a little sweet for me – but there was no doubting the pairing it made with that perfectly presented summer leaf salad. The salad was full of bite and sweetness – much like the wine. If that didn’t tickle your fancy, then I’ve no doubt the charred veg with smoked hollandaise and summer truffle will. An incredible dish which probably makes its way up there with one of my favourite dishes of the year so far. Drinking my wines completely out of the sync during the meal, I found that same crisp and mouth-watering Domaine Bellevue Sauvignon Blanc went perfectly with that hollandaise, in fact it matched with nearly every dish and was certainly my wine of the night.
By this point in the meal I’d honestly thought we were done, but then huge platters of food arrived at the dining table and I only wish laptops and mobiles had smell – because it would leave you salivating. From the fried potato millefeuille wafting across the table, to the rich and buttery monkfish – not to mention it all muddled together in a room full of full (ish) wine glasses. Speaking of that millefeuille, I think it deserves special attention because quite frankly – it was amazing. The monkfish of course didn’t let the side down either and nor did those fine green beans and yellow courgettes – drenched in butter and fresh mint. Old spot pork belly arrived sliced into huge portions of juicy meat and layers of crispy soft fat and crunchy crackling. Again, nearly all the wines we had in front of us went with all these dishes but the favourite – was the Red Touraine Les Marcottes Domaine de Pierre – an opaque cherry coloured red wine, beaming with tart flavours of raspberries, cherries and a little earthiness.
I should also not only thank Square Meal and Loire Valley Wines for this fantastic experience, but also the lady who educated us about what we were drinking throughout our meal, Ruth Spivey. I actually studied wine with Ruth a few years back so it was fantastic to see her immersed in her passion still. Barely room for dessert I managed to put away a spoonful or two of the almond pithivier with raspberry jam, made even easier was to wash down with a glass of Rosé d’Anjou, La Jaglerie, with its crisp cherries, touch of sweetness and fresh minerality – the perfect accompaniment with that intense almond flavour and tart raspberry jam.
Normally I get to the end of these reviews with a bit of a “so what did I think” – but something tells me I don’t need to do that this time round, because it was all utterly magnificent. The goody bags at the end were also rather spectacular, filled with quality produce, wine and other goodies. Portland restaurant was a fantastic experience and one we should all be watching closely, but at the same time the people I dined with, Ruth and her passion – along with Square Meal for making it all happen were the real stars. Most importantly I should also be very thankful to Loire Valley Wines. When it comes to drinking Sauvignon Blancs I always head to New Zealand and for my rose wine, I never stray far from Provence – but now I’m completely hooked on the Loire Valley because you get a lot of flavour for you money, without breaking the bank. Two things you need do now – visit Portland and buy your next bottle of wine from the Loire Valley (in a wine shop in the UK of course).
I dined as a guest
If you’re interested in seeking out some of the fab wines we drunk during the evening you can purchase them from the below stockists. All prices and stockists were correct at time of article publish.
Domaine Bellevue Sauvignon Blanc Touraine 2014, Laithwaites, £10.99
Domaine de l’Aumonier, Touraine Sauvignon 2014, Stone, Vine and Sun, £9.95
Rosé d’Anjou Domaine des Essarts 2014, Christopher Piper Wines, £8.50
Rosé d’Anjou 2014, Marks and Spencer, £8.00
Red Touraine Les Marcottes Domaine de Pierre 2012, Lea & Sandeman, £9.95
Rosé d’Anjou, La Jaglerie 2014, The Oxford Company, £7.99
