This evening I went to a Bastille Day wine tasting at Brasserie Roux in Sofitel London St James. The event was free by invitation and, surprisingly, held in half of the restaurant dining room while the other half remained open for (early) dinner service. There were three tables: Old World, New World and Champagne. As you would expect from a Roux establishment, the wine was accompanied by some freshly baked bread, delicious cooked meats and cheeses.
The New World table, hosted by Ellis of Richmond, included a sharp Stellenbosch pinotage rosé (£8.99) and a citrus-heavy Mendoza sauvignon blanc (£8.75). More impressive was the Old World table. Hosted by Top Selection, this featured a rarely-seen Austrian gruner vertline ‘gmork’ (£9.90) and a delightfully light 2007 pinot noir, ‘Domaine Chevrot’ (£9.17). Best of the table was the surprising Blancs de Pacs 2008, an organic Spanish wine in an ugly bottle (£7.95). “Because it’s organic, they can’t even get to the vineywards for most of the year,” said the friendly attendant, “too many mosquitos.”
Most disappointing was the Gosset champagne. While the non-vintage ‘Excellence’ (£25.40) and ‘Grand Reserve’ (£34.21) tasted good – reminding me slightly of entry-level Pol Roger – the minimum order was 15 cases, and retail enquiries were fobbed off to Harrods or Selfridges. You can, however, pick some up from BBR, for what I imagine would be a slightly lower markup.
The organisation of the evening was efficient, but could have been thought through a little more closely. It would have been an idea to check people’s bags into the restaurant cloakroom on arrival. As it was, this wasn’t offered and many people were balancing plates of food, glasses of wine, tasting notes and bags in their hands. Another improvement would have been to have put the raised tables of fresh glasses next to the velvet rope that divided the wine tasting area from the restaurant. This would have allowed waiters to replenish glasses without having to snake through the throng. However, minor quibbles aside, it’s hard to fault a free event with great wines. Vive la France.