Match of the week

Lobster roll and Franciacorta
When it comes to pairing wine with a lobster roll I reckon it’s as important to think about the roll as the lobster. I.e. that despite including a luxury ingredient it’s basically a sandwich, a snack, a fun meal.
One you might even have a beer with if you were somewhere where lobsters are cheap which is certainly not the case in London or at Jeremy King’s new restaurant The Park on Queensway but as you can see it is a perfect specimen.
As I was having my leaving party* the same day I decided to stick to just the one glass of wine but rather than the white burgundy you might have expected I chose a glass of light, elegant Franciacorta Corteaura. Sparkling wine often hits the same spot as a beer - or at least lager - with food, oddly.
You can buy it from a merchant called Outpour for £20.95 or £22.50 or £20.50 for 6 from Lea & Sandeman which indicates The Park, which is charging £15.95 a glass, is making a more than generous margin. Still someone has to pay for all that expensive blonde wood and the flatteringly lit loos. (Spend time down there. It's better than therapy.)
Don't get me wrong. I adored the restaurant which is wonderfully luxurious in a low key way. No-one does understated glamour quite like Jeremy King. It has one of those menus where there’s something for everyone. And the ice creams are divine. Just choose what you order carefully if you don't want to break the bank. Lobster roll compulsory.
For other lobster pairings see here
*In case you missed it I’ve left the Guardian after 14 years to leave more time for travelling and other projects including my website and Substack!
I paid for my meal in case you were wondering ...

Lobster burger and Kumeu River Chardonnay
I’m conscious there’s a marked French bias in the pairings on this site so I’m going to go not for the excellent Alsace riesling and choucroute combo I had last week - or the many amazing wine matches at the Szechuan dinner which I’ve written up here but a very flashy lobster ‘burger’ and chardonnay I had at the Soho restaurant Bob Bob Ricard
Lobster rolls are all the rage in London at the moment. My son’s restaurant Hawksmoor was, I believe, the first to kick off the trend, Burger and Lobster (which we couldn’t get into) have built a chain around them and now everyone’s doing them. Being absurdly extravagant they deserve a glass of something posh and aged chardonnay fits the bill perfectly.
BBR always has interesting - if not always cheap - wines by the glass (including Yquem) so I picked a 2007 Hunting Hill Chardonnay from the top New Zealand producer Kumeu River (at £12.50) which added a deliciously smoky note to the lobster tail. Hardly an everyday combination but a perfect one when you feel like splashing out. Vintage champagne would have been good too though more obvious - and considerably more expensive!
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