Toasting The Oyster
Vintage Seekers raised a glass to the fruits of the ocean in the first of a new series of tastings at the Wright Brothers restaurant in Soho.
By Estella Shardlow on Thursday 19th January, 2012
Champagne and oysters: a match made in culinary heaven, no doubt about it. But, as I learnt last week at a tutored tasting in Soho, it’s not as simple as putting any old bubbly with a random assortment of crustaceans.
Some varieties will be more complementary than others, just as you wouldn’t uncork a bottle of red to match your steak or cheese course without considering the label. This is what Wine Chap founder Tom Harrow, who is our host and compere for the evening, set out to demonstrate. "Champagne and oysters are a very traditional fit but do we ever stop to think why? – or just re-fill our flute, shuck away and guzzle contentedly," he said. "The aim of this first session is to show the diversity of Champagne and with an oyster-led menu and how well it pairs to the fruits of the sea."
Claiming to serve up "the freshest shellfish in London", the Wright Brothers' new Raw Bar in their popular Kingly Street restaurant certainly provides the perfect setting.
In the bar's rustic, fairy-lit backdrop, we begin with an eloquent comparison between Duchy Natives served with Colin Alliance Non-Vintage, followed by Caviar Oysters and Billecart-Salmon Ultra Brut. The former blends 70 per cent Chardonnay and 30 per cent Pinot Meunier grapes, the latter being a variety that had long been overlooked by Champagne makers, but increasingly the structure and herbal quality it brings are being recognised. The Alliance’s body and richness is a necessary match to the mineral-rich, briny, tinny punch that these native oysters pack. By contrast, the silkier, sweeter Atlantic oysters anointed with cream and caviar are better suited to the elegance, purity and almost austere dryness that is Billecart’s signature style.
The menu, it turns out, toasts more than just the oyster. Devised by Dave Gingell, previously of the Wolseley and Galvin restaurants, we are treated to six light courses including other shellfish, pork and a pudding.
As Scottish Langoustines arrive on their icy beds, our flutes are topped up with Colin Vintage 2004 – another offering from this small yet mighty grower-producer; two brothers who specialise in Chardonnay-dominated Champagnes. Steely and immediately likable, the 2004 is a good case-in-point made from 100 per cent Chardonnay and coming together like a bubbly good white Burgundy. Then there is the delicious mousse and biscuit style of a Billecart Brut, which seems to have been created to drink with slices of delicately smoked salmon on sweet soda bread.
Two rosés go head-to-head for the dessert course, a delectable pot of poached rhubarb and rice pudding. Unfortunately the 100 per cent black Pinot Noir Furdyna is no match for Billecart Salmon’s legendary Rosé. Whereas the former is Cherryade bright (a result of the ‘saignee’ method, where the grape skins are left in contact with the juice during gentle crushing) and all red berry effervescence, the Billecart seems altogether a more sophisticated wine with a pale rose-gold hue and roasted nuttiness beneath the fruity nose.
It’s enlightening to pit these champagnes – a mix of newcomers and prestige houses – against one-another, and of course not an altogether unenviable task, as the subtle differences in mousse and tenacity become clear. And don’t draw the line at Champagne: Guinness, Porter, Sherry or even a dry Riesling can complement oysters wonderfully too, Harrow points out. One of his favourite parings has been a Moscato with creamy estuary oysters, which he consumed on holiday in Puglia.
Harrow and the Wright Brothers will continue the series of evening tastings, with English and Portuguese wines under the spotlight in coming weeks. Keep an eye on the Wright Brothers website for more details.
