Dine with Bordeaux - Home Restaurant & Direct Wine Shipments - 15 September 2014

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I am a huge fan of Bordeaux, so when Direct Wine Shipments advertised a Dine with Bordeaux evening at Home I was overjoyed and excited. The food produced by Home is consistently good and the service is always attentive and courteous so I couldn’t have been more pleased.

The production of red wine in the Bordeaux region outweighs white and rose 6:1 so I was surprised to find only one red on the menu. The first course, beef consommé, pickled girolle and foie gras toast with sauternes jelly, was served with a rose. The highlight of this dish was the foie gras and sauternes jelly toast – the sweetness of the jelly perfectly complementing the rich flavour of the foie gras.


The second course was paupiette of sole, scallop mousse, samphire and mussel and chive veloute, served with a sauvingnon blanc. This was the only course for which I did not think the wine was a great match. There was too much fruit to complement the perfectly balanced and delicate flavours of the fish. If only Chablis was from Bordeaux. My only criticism was the crescent moon of puff pastry. It was pretty, but pretty pointless.
 

A main of roast saddle of lamb, crispy lamb breast, potato terrine, baby turnips and St Emilion jus was paired with the only red – the St Emilion. The star of the show. Very well balanced. This was a meat dish that did not leave me feeling like it was too meat heavy.


The final course was prune and Armagnac tart with vanilla crème fraiche, served with sauternes. Although delicious, a little on the dry side. The sauternes was a beneficial lubricant.


All in all, this was a very successful and enjoyable showcase of what the Bordeaux region produces and a nice reminder that it can cater for every palate, interspersed with informative introductions to the wines by Neal McAlindon from DWS.

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