Reading is a pretty large city, even though it still technically only has "town" status. It has a football club with a rather amazing stadium which hosts a jazz cafe, and a population that's half the size of the country of Iceland. It has just about every UK chain retailer, and most of the chain food emporia of Britain. Nando's, Strada, Jamie's Italian, Giraffe, Wagamama, and many more jostle for position by the river. But to get something unique, something with a touch more class, it's always seemed a little more challenging. There is the beautiful Michelin starred L'Ortolan, but that's quite a long way out of the town centre. So what's for the discerning food and drink fan in the "city" itself...
Judging by "share of wallet", Forbury's must be pretty good. I only discovered it last year, even though it's been around for 9 years and have since been several times with different people. This most recent trip, accompanied by fellow hedonists, was a great opportunity to abandon all pretenses of adhering to the daily recommended alcohol limit and climb into one of the AA's Notable Wine Lists...
Judging by "share of wallet", Forbury's must be pretty good. I only discovered it last year, even though it's been around for 9 years and have since been several times with different people. This most recent trip, accompanied by fellow hedonists, was a great opportunity to abandon all pretenses of adhering to the daily recommended alcohol limit and climb into one of the AA's Notable Wine Lists...
Turckheim Riesling Grand Cru 2007 13% abv £51
The wine list, though award winning, is not scary in the way that some of the encyclopaedic tomes I'm presented with these days can be. With 275 options, it does pay to have an idea of where to begin though the team will be pleased to help you with your selection. It's filled with food friendly delights.
Being the group's appointed "wine expert" it fell to me to match our very varied meals. The starters: Gruyere Gougere (a kind of choux bun like concoction with cheese and mushrooms), Scallops with curry and mango, and a Ham Hock and Foie Gras Terrine with brioche toast and salted caramel apples. And you want me to match one wine with all of that?! Oh, and make sure it also goes with the lady's lemon sole as the rest of us move onto red meat and red wine? Crikey that's a challenge!
Being the group's appointed "wine expert" it fell to me to match our very varied meals. The starters: Gruyere Gougere (a kind of choux bun like concoction with cheese and mushrooms), Scallops with curry and mango, and a Ham Hock and Foie Gras Terrine with brioche toast and salted caramel apples. And you want me to match one wine with all of that?! Oh, and make sure it also goes with the lady's lemon sole as the rest of us move onto red meat and red wine? Crikey that's a challenge!
Luckily, my good friend Alsace was well represented, and the Riesling grape was prepared to stand up to all of these challenges. I chose a Caves de Turckheim Grand Cru Riesling, unsure what my sauvignon blanc loving companion would make of it. Fortunately for my street cred as budding wine snob, the jury loved it!
There was a hint of sweetness in this dry wine which helped the foie gras and scallops, the zingy acidity refreshed the cheese palate, and the flavours of citrus, pear and minerality lingered after the last drop had been tasted. Alsace does it again!
There was a hint of sweetness in this dry wine which helped the foie gras and scallops, the zingy acidity refreshed the cheese palate, and the flavours of citrus, pear and minerality lingered after the last drop had been tasted. Alsace does it again!
Clos Triguedina Cahors 2004 13% abv £43.95
The mains demanded red, and we'd decided to stick with France. This was quite unusual for me, and some of my companions cannot see past Bordeaux. Currently, I'm spending all my money traveling around the world for dance events, so I didn't really feel like spending >£100 a bottle. Given the confit duck leg, braised shin of beef, and beef fillets I was matching, I opted for a much more reasonably priced 2004 Cahors from Jean-Luc Baldès, Clos Triguedina. This was a smoky heaven. Malbec has made it's spiritual home in Argentina, and there, it's won fame and fortune as a favourite with steak. Back in it's original home of Cahors in France, it can be hit and miss whether you find it's velvety richness or something thin and unsatisfying. I'd tried this Triguedina before (which has 25% merlot in the blend) so felt safe recommending it. And I'm pleased to say, my credentials were maintained with this choice, perhaps even bolstered!
When one of the guests thinks we should order a second bottle of the red even though we've almost finished our mains, I know that a) I chose well, and b) cheese is going to be ordered. Sadly for us and for you, we had the last bottle of the 2004. We were offered a 2007 but decided not to risk it being a little less mature and thus less exciting so we switched to the New World for something completely different.
Happily for you, Slurp Wines have still got the 2004 in stock. It is a little pricier than our usual recommendations at £16.55 a bottle, but if you're making a hefty red meat dish, then you would delight your friends if you paired it with this.
When one of the guests thinks we should order a second bottle of the red even though we've almost finished our mains, I know that a) I chose well, and b) cheese is going to be ordered. Sadly for us and for you, we had the last bottle of the 2004. We were offered a 2007 but decided not to risk it being a little less mature and thus less exciting so we switched to the New World for something completely different.
Happily for you, Slurp Wines have still got the 2004 in stock. It is a little pricier than our usual recommendations at £16.55 a bottle, but if you're making a hefty red meat dish, then you would delight your friends if you paired it with this.
2008 BMW Shiraz 14% abv £51
Botham Merrill Willis (BMW) Shiraz came next. It's a very different style to the Malbec, fruit forward yet still smooth and full bodied with that well integrated oak we love. But then it's no surprise to hear from me that I liked a Shiraz, is it? It paired reasonably well with the cheese plate. Sorry, there are no photos of the cheese or mains, but then, this is a wine blog, and I think you're sensing the effect alcohol may have had on my memory for getting the camera out!
The wine is a collaboration between renowned winemaker Geoff Merrill and two cricketers: Ian Botham and Bob Willis. For the full story, you can have a look at the youtube clip below.... It's a guest on the wine list at the moment, but you can buy it retail from www.christopherpiperwines.co.uk for under £16. Some other retailers are selling it at nearer £18. You don't have to be a cricket fan to love it.
The wine is a collaboration between renowned winemaker Geoff Merrill and two cricketers: Ian Botham and Bob Willis. For the full story, you can have a look at the youtube clip below.... It's a guest on the wine list at the moment, but you can buy it retail from www.christopherpiperwines.co.uk for under £16. Some other retailers are selling it at nearer £18. You don't have to be a cricket fan to love it.
Saint-Clair Noble Riesling, Doctors Creek, New Zealand 2009 12% abv (375ml) £33
And then it was time to choose dessert. From the moment we'd opened the menu our thoughts had been on the delicious-sounding Apple Tarte Tatin with salted caramel sauce. We are all salted caramel junkies after a rather indulgent week in La Rochelle, which my dentist is still having nightmares about.
There is such a lot of lovely choice available though, and my most usual dessert choice here is the mini dessert selection with any coffee. Five mini desserts satisfies any person who finds choosing just one pudding difficult!
In the end, we couldn't help ourselves and giant Tatins were ordered, served with vanilla ice cream and a rather large pot of the decadent sauce.
To pair with this, I stuck to the New World, and went full circle, coming back to a Riesling, but this time a Noble Late Harvest version from New Zealand. It was full of the citrus, honey, apricot that you'd expect in such a wine, still with good acidity to cut through all that sweetness, and matched perfectly, if I say so myself.
There is such a lot of lovely choice available though, and my most usual dessert choice here is the mini dessert selection with any coffee. Five mini desserts satisfies any person who finds choosing just one pudding difficult!
In the end, we couldn't help ourselves and giant Tatins were ordered, served with vanilla ice cream and a rather large pot of the decadent sauce.
To pair with this, I stuck to the New World, and went full circle, coming back to a Riesling, but this time a Noble Late Harvest version from New Zealand. It was full of the citrus, honey, apricot that you'd expect in such a wine, still with good acidity to cut through all that sweetness, and matched perfectly, if I say so myself.
After lunch, we weren't quite ready to wave goodbye to our friends and go our separate ways. Luckily, right across from Forbury's is The Forbury (not confusing in any way to taxi drivers or reservation makers). Their cocktail bar, Cerise, proved just the right spot for us to spend the next few hours disregarding all advice on safe consumption of alcohol. While I'm ashamed to admit that the evening could have been termed "binge drinking" by the news makers, I'm very happy to report that the expertise and service of the cocktail staff was probably the best I've experienced outside of London, and possibly even including London.
Paying careful attention to our likes and dislikes, assorted cocktails were discussed, recommended and thoroughly enjoyed. I doubt any of my companions would have enjoyed the VV&A with it's violet and liquorice flavours coming from the absinthe, but I loved it. The Paradise Martini though was a real winner. Served with a prosecco on the side to mix or not, as you wish, it's red fruit and vanilla gave it the complexity and body of a deep red wine, but with all the fun and zing of a good cocktail. I had to have 2 more just to check.
The Balvenie serve was also a nice treat for the gents, emulating the tasting method the master blenders use in the distillery. And the flaming Baron Samdi (rum, ginger beer, honey, cinnamon and more burning rum in lime) was great for attracting attention to the drunks. I probably don't need to tell you that the day after was a rather subdued affair, but it was all worth it.
Have a lunch out in Reading some time. It's not just Nando's!
For the full list of Cerise cocktails see http://www.theforburyhotel.co.uk/brochures/cocktail%20of%20the%20month%20feburary%202013.pdf
The Balvenie serve was also a nice treat for the gents, emulating the tasting method the master blenders use in the distillery. And the flaming Baron Samdi (rum, ginger beer, honey, cinnamon and more burning rum in lime) was great for attracting attention to the drunks. I probably don't need to tell you that the day after was a rather subdued affair, but it was all worth it.
Have a lunch out in Reading some time. It's not just Nando's!
For the full list of Cerise cocktails see http://www.theforburyhotel.co.uk/brochures/cocktail%20of%20the%20month%20feburary%202013.pdf
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