Throughout last week the boys and girls at the Rhône Wine marketing board had teamed up with an arts school in London to put on a bit of a show for everyone. The students at Central Saint Martins had been tasked with coming up with a few art installations that reflected the sensations of drinking wine. Being a maths geek, I thought all this arty stuff would be right over my head, but at least the wine would be good!
I have to say though, the exhibition bit was a lot of fun. It was an interactive experience, which roughly means you got to play around with everything. From the sound of pouring bottles, to spooky walks through the sounds of mates sharing a glass or tow, to the final showdown with the grape treading bucket. Everyone one of the bits and pieces were a lot of fun and got everyone chatting away.
Once done with that it was time to head over to the dinner tables and get stuck into a slap up tasting menu from chef Adam Rawson. I loved the ceviche and the beef dishes, and I liked his attempt at a quirky pudding with cep mushroom truffles. Slight drawback is that I just see mushrooms as what they are: a fungus! Wish I loved them, but just can’t, so alas dessert was wasted on me, but it was going down just great with most people.
With all this came the wine pairings from across the Rhône valley. It culminated in white wines from Condrieu (you’ve got to try this stuff!) and reds from the Côte-Rôtie. Thanks to Douglas Blyde for looking after us all with the wines.
All in all a very fun way to spend an evening, and I really hope they’ll be back again next year!
Cheers