Match of the week
Hepple gin and venison tartare
We think of gin even less than whisky as a pairing for food but with the incredible popularity of gin these days - and the need for the many new entrants to the field to create a distinctive image for their brand that could be about to change.
Last Friday I was tasting a new super-premium gin called Hepple from Northumberland with one of its creators, TV chef Valentine Warner. It’s based on juniper of course but handled slightly differently with three different distillation methods, green berries as well as riper ones along with bog myrtle, lovage, Douglas fir and citrus so it’s incredibly aromatic and herbal.
After we’d tasted its component parts we drank it as a gin and tonic (with Fevertree Naturally Light) and I had a hunch - based on gin’s compatibility with patés - it would go with the venison tartare on the menu at Wallfish Bistro where we were doing the tasting - and so it proved. I'm guessing you could also drink it neat though at 45% that might be a bit challenging. Maybe a martini.
You can currently buy it at Fortnum & Mason and drink it (cough) in my son Will’s Hawksmoor restaurants though it will be in wider distribution from early November.
Steak tartare and Beaujolais
This was a wine pairing I hadn’t thought of putting together before but once experienced last week at Racine it seemed supremely logical.
Steak tartare can easily be overwhelmed by the sort of full-bodied red you’d choose for a chargrilled steak and in my view needs a lighter wine to fully appreciate its smooth texture and complex seasoning. Previously I’ve had a sneaky fondness for a glass of Champagne which also works brilliantly well with the usual accompaniment of chips but following my successful experience with a vibrantly fruity Coteaux du Languedoc earlier this year we’d ordered an inexpensive bottle of chilled young Morgon (2008) from Jean Descombes* in the hope that it would hit the spot. Which it did, the cool fruit picking up beautifully on the touch of spice in the mix.
Harris’s steak tartare, for the information of fellow fans, is generally regarded as one of the best in London. Interestingly he starts off with a seasoning purée then adds his chopped ingredients. I’m hoping to prise the recipe out of him so watch this space!
* apparently part of the Georges Duboeuf stable. You can find it in the UK from The Colchester Wine Company, the latest incarnation of Lay & Wheeler, here.
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