Some of our Past Events

It has often been written that mature red Burgundy does not last as long as red Bordeaux. From our experience and based upon many tastings we have arranged to date, the opposite seems to be true. Tonight we will taste a range of Burgundy of the 1980’s from respected growers to once again confirm this. 1987 Bourgogne Rouge Tastevinage 1987 …

Malbec grapes originated in France and play a big role in the wine production of Argentina. The flavours and aromas of wines made from Malbec grapes include blackberry, cherry, plums, and chocolate. Other characteristics of Malbec wines include inky-black colouring, soft or high tannins, and high acidity. Malbec wines aren’t as popular as wines made from other red grape varieties, …

The first M restaurant opened in 2015 and won the ‘Best New Restaurant 2015’ and ‘Best Sommelier’ categories in the Harper Awards. This was followed by the opening of the M Victoria venue in 2016 that has already been shortlisted for the ‘Best New Opening 2016’ award. I have had the great pleasure to work with the owner Martin Williams …

Many of you will remember Mathieu Germond, who managed some great events for the Branch when he was at Pied à Terre.  Now he has set up his own restaurant Noizé, which is already the subject of rave reviews.  It is less formal than PaT, but the food is great, and we had an excellent test meal soon after he …

Many of you will remember the great events organised by Richard Duncan and Andrew Brodie, where a tasting of great wines from Richard’s cellar was followed by a wine tasting dinner featuring wines from the same stable.  These have attracted many favourable comments, and Richards has kindly agreed to do another.   This time we will be using Richard’s enthusiasm for …

Have you ever wondered how a chef makes the transition from being part of someone else’s brigade to being the Name on the Door?  Well, nowadays one route might include running informal supper clubs in their own home and cooking for private clients. Gabriel Waterhouse is a young chef who is making that transition.  Having trained with Herbert Berger at …

Our old friend Jack Rubyn, from Marin County Branch, always includes a London Branch event on his annual trip to Europe.  Many of you will remember his superb 2014 dinner at L’Autre Pied.  This year, just days before his untimely death, Andrew had pursuaded mâitre d’ Mathieu Germond to offer the renowned Michelin Starred restaurant Pied à Terre exclusively to …

The march of Peruvian food has been unstoppable since 2011 when uber-chef Ferran Adria decided that the country held the key to future gastronomy. At the end of last year, there was another boost with superchef Alain Ducasse declaring ‘Peru will become the leading actors on the global culinary scene’.  So here is the menu for our Peruvian evening: Snacks …

The 1000km river Loire, the longest river in France running from Sancerre in the east to Muscadet in the west runs through regions such as Touraine famous for its dry, sweet and   sparkling wines, through the red wine areas of Bourgeuil and Chinon to Anjou famous for its rose and Coteaux du Layon and Bonnezeaux for its luscious sweet wines. …

Otto’s is a small ‘classic’ French restaurant that has its own unique style and character that very much mirrors the man himself. The menu and wine pairing have been put together by Otto himself for our delight and consumption. Cremant de Loire  —– Pinot Blanc 2013 Domaine Mittnacht Freres, Alsace, France Ballotine de Saumon Fume et Chair de Crabe, Salade …