We have been so impressed by the wines of Errazuriz at previous dinners that we hosted another special evening with some of their new releases. The Errazuriz Estate was founded in 1870 in the Aconcagua Valley in Chile. Don Maximiano Errazuriz, the founder, planted the first French vines in this region and it is widely considered as the premier family wine estate of Chile. The Aconcagua valley’ is affected by cool ocean breezes, hot sunshine and rocky soils, this provides the ideal conditions for growing high-quality grapes such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines have intense flavours and a perfect balance of acidity and tannins. Hosted by Olivier their brand ambassador we tried 6 of their wines including their premium selections from a variety of grapes and vintages over a three course matched tasting dinner in Frederick’s private room.Full details of the menu and wines below.
Thanks to the lovely crowd of 30 who attended including newly weds Ankur and Pooja!!
We had another great wine dinner with Familia Zuccardi – Mendoza, Argentina presented by Eugenia González, UK Brand Ambassador, on Tuesday 11th February 2025 at Frederick’s Restaurant in Islington.
Alberto Zuccardi, planted the first Zuccardi vines in a small plot in the Maipu region in 1963. Located in the Uco Valley, Mendoza which is at the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Argentina
They were voted The World’s Best Vineyard in 2020. Sebastián Zuccardi the third generation of the family, continues the family business and is one of South America’s finest winemakers. He added a Research and Development Wing in the family winery, to learn and analyse more about the terroirs.
They are known to produce some of the highest quality of wines in South America. The vineyards enjoy the benefits of altitude and a cool dry climate throughout the year.
They are high-altitude wines (from grapes grown at least 500 metres above sea level). At high-altitudes, vines get more sun during the day and are cool at night. This diurnal variation intensifies the flavour of the grapes. Zuccardi’s San Pablo vineyards are situated 1500m above sea level. Their Paraje Altamira vineyards are at 1,100 metres altitude.
We had six brilliant wines including their single-varietal estate wines, primarily made from Malbec with a matched three course menu.
Zuccardi Blanc de Blancs Vintage 2017 Delicious, very Champagne like, autolytic with a lovely freshness and showing characters of 8 years of age. Made from single vineyard chardonnay grapes at an altitude of 5,000 feet
Zuccardi Serie A / Valles Torrontés – A more restrained version of Torrontes, some florality reflecting it’s familial connection with Muscat but not overtly floral. Beautifully textured lovely mouthfeel. Really paired well with mild chilli prawn pappardelle.
Zuccardi Polígonos Chardonnay a rich creamy Burgundian style Chardonnay with beautiful integration from 30% ageing in oak barrels. Pineapple hints of peach with minerality and flint. Really well balanced.
Pan-fried fillet of hake, seafood risotto ˝ Chateaubriand steak, chips, French beans, chimichuri Zuccardi Tito Malbec Zuccardi Concreto Malbec˝ aged in concrete, egg shaped vessels, helps to retain the fresh red and black fruits
We are so lucky to have had such a lively and sociable crowd at last night’s wine dinner.
Regulars and new faces alike enjoyed glasses filled with drops of golden Californian sunshine which paired deliciously with rich umami laden Italian fare.
My favourites of the evening:
La Crema Sonoma coast Chardonnay 2020 – bursting with stone fruit kept in check with mouth-watering acidity.
Mt. Brave Mount Veeder Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 – the perfumed cedar, blackcurrant leaf, sandalwood, fresh vanilla pod, and hint of milk chocolate will linger long in the memory as this uniquely Napa Valley wine does on the palate.
Thank you to Michele Fazari for taking us through the wines. Jackson family wines’ commitment to sustainability is to be applauded. Their Rooted for Good: Roadmap to 2030 sustainability initiative, will see them adopt regenerative farming practices across 100% of their estate vineyards. Which as one of the largest land owners in California will have a huge beneficial impact.
Well done to Stuart for spending all afternoon double decanting the reds so that the wines showed at their best.
Finally thank you to Fells for supporting the event.
We welcomed Michele Fazari, DWWA judge and Prestige Account Manager at Jackson Family Wines of California on Wednesday October 30th at 7pm
Jackson Family Wines are based in Sonoma County – in the heart of California’s wine country. Their flagship brand is Kendall-Jackson but their portfolio now includes 40 brands, sourced from vineyards and wineries in California, Oregon and many other wine regions worldwide. They produce wines with broad appeal including some of the world’s best Cabernet Sauvignon. They are very focused on sustainability. Their founder Jess Jackson said, “Take care of the land and it will take care of you.”
We tasted a selection of five wines from the finest Californian wine regions served with a three-course dinner in the newly refurbished private room of the award-winning Bocca Di Lupo restaurant in Soho on Wednesday 30th October at 7pm.
The wines served include one of Napa Valley’s best Cabernet Sauvignon’s – Mt. Brave Mount Veeder see tasting note in our Wines of the month
Te Mata Estate is New Zealand’s oldest winery, dating from the early 1890’s. Vines were first planted at Te Mata Estate in 1892. The original three vineyards produce its most famous wines: Coleraine, Awatea and Elston.
It is a New Zealand family-owned winery, based in Hawkes Bay, North Island. John & Wendy Buck have been co-owners of Te Mata Estate since 1978. Te Mata’s wines are renowned as the country’s finest.
They produce a stunning array of red and white wines including Coleraine and Awatea Cabernet/Merlots, Bullnose Syrah, Elston Chardonnay, and Cape Crest Sauvignon Blanc.
Coleraine was first made in 1982 vintage. It is a Bordeaux style wine described by Decanter magazine as “New Zealand’s First Growth”. It is made from their finest selections of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Cabernet Franc. It is one of New Zealand’s iconic wines.
We were delighted to welcome Toby Buck, the son of the owner, over from New Zealand. Toby talked us through the history and his family wines.
We had a selection of five wines including Coleraine, served with a three-course dinner in the private room of the award-winning Boca Di Lupo restaurant in Soho.Tickets were priced is £95pp. We had a full house of 32 people.
Te Mata Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2021
Rigatoni with ricotta, broad beans & basil
Te Mata Estate Chardonnay 2023
Tagliata (served on sharing platters) Potatoes garlic & rosemary
Te Mata Bullnose Syrah 2019
Te Mata Coleraine Cab/Merlot 2018
Dessert
Te Mata Estate Gamay Noir 2023
Te Mata Wines Hawkes Bay New Zealand
Some readings of the best wine descriptions of the night
Our first time at Bocca Di Lupo was a great success. The Tagliata (Thin slices of perfectly cooked beef tenderloin) was so good it almost overwhelmed the wines! Te Mata wines lived up to their expectations and previous tastings. Beautifully crafted and immaculately balanced.
Umberto Cantele third generation of Cantele Wines of Puglia hosted this memorable evening at Fredericks a day before Burns night 2024.
Adam, his father and brother visited Umberto at Cantele winery in Salento a few years ago and have been long planning this dinner.
The whole family is involved in the business. They have 50 hectares of their own vineyards and manage a further 150 hectares. Their primary focus is on local native grapes of the region, including Primitivo, Negroamaro and Susumaniello for the red wines, and Verdeca and Malvasia Bianca for the whites. The winery also produces pure expressions of international varieties such as Chardonnay.
Aperitif
2022 Verdeca, Cantele, Puglia Stone fruit with ice texture and medium acidity
With Starter
2021 Teresa Manara IGT Salento Chardonnay
2021 Teres Manara Vendemmia Tardiva Chardonnay The star of the show tonight
rich textured beautiful oak integration caramel vanilla butter stone fruit
With maim
2021 Amativo, Cantele, Puglia lovely blend of NegroAmaro and Primitivo delicious rich black fruits hints of smoke and choclate
2022 Primitivo Puglia IGP, Cantele
Thanks to the crowd of 31 who braved dry January. Special thanks to Umberto who gave us great insight into his family winery and brought his Italian warmth to a London January.
Olivier captivating the crowd of 34 at Frederick’s
We were so impressed by the wines of Errazuriz at our last dinner with Magui Chadwick that we have decided to host another dinner with some of their new releases.
The Errazuriz Estate was founded in 1870 in the Aconcagua Valley in Chile. Don Maximiano Errazuriz, the founder, planted the first French vines in this region and it is widely considered as the premier family wine estate of Chile.
The Aconcagua valley’ is affected by cool ocean breezes, hot sunshine and rocky soils, this provides the ideal conditions for growing high-quality grapes such as Chardonnay,Pinot Noir Carmenere and Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines have intense flavours and a perfect balance of acidity and tannins.
We tasted 6 of their wines including their premium selections from a variety of grapes and vintages over a three course matched tasting dinner in Frederick’s private room.
A fine selection tasted over the course of the evening, not a drop leftMy Junior Doctors enjoying some extracurricular education
Apéritif
Brut Nature Blanc de Blancs NV
Lovely Zesty and biscuity 100% Chardonnay 4 years on Lees
With starter
Tomato & mozarella arancini
Aconcagua Costa Sauvignon Blanc 2021
Nice texture taught capsicum notes hints of passion fruit
Aconcagua Costa Chardonnay 2021
ripe fresh great balance and some vanilla notes
Steak, chips, chimichuri sauce
Aubergine parmigiana
With main course
Max Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 vintage in magnum
Blackcurrant fruit and leaf
Don Maximiano Founders Reserve 2018
Rich layered and complex delicious now but built to Mature
Pinot Noir is a difficult grape to grow. There are only a few places in the world which can express the secrets of Pinot. Burgundy of course, Central Otago in New Zealand and Oregon.
Oregon’s Willamette Valley offers the perfect conditions for growing the delicate Pinot Noir grape, combining the elegance and complexity and of Burgundy with the benefit of American sunshine. This leads to the most beautiful perfumed red fruited wines.
In April 2013 Jacques Lardière who was leading winemaker at Maison Louis Jadot for 42 years formed a collaboration with Thibault Gagey whose family had operated Maison Louis Jadot since 1962.
Résonance is Maison Louis Jadot’s first wine project outside of Burgundy since their founding in 1859
Resonance Wine is sourced from two vineyards: the 20 acre Resonance vineyard planted in 1981 and the 18 acre Decouverte vineyard located 10 miles from Résonance Vineyard in the Dundee Hills AV
We will be tasting the following six wines including their excellent Chardonnays with a matched 3 course dinner in Frederick’s Private club room.
Aperitif
Resonance Decouverte Vineyard Chardonnay 2019
Starter
Beetroot cured & horseradish cream salmon, mixed leaves or Stuffed courgette flower tempura, beetroot carpaccio, pine nuts, balsamic dressing (vegetarian)
Esporão was founded in 1973 by José Roquette and Joaquim Bandeira,
They are one of the leading wine companies in Portugal and one of the largest organic wine producers.
They have three wineries – Herdade do Esporão in Alentejo,
Quinta dos Murças in Douro and Quinta do Ameal in Vinho Verde –
In Alentejo, all of their vineyards are certified organic, as well as those at Quinta dos Murças, Douro. They own 623ha of organic vineyards – the biggest ownership in Portugal, representing about 18% of total organic production in the country.
We tasted a selection of their wines from their three regions, Vinho Verde, Duoro valley and Alentejo with a matched three course dinner in Frederick’s private room on Tuesday February 7th 2023. Hosted by Pedro Lopes Vieira Sales Manager at Esporao Wines
Aperitif –
Quinta de Ameal Loureiro
From the Lima sub-region of Vinho Verde, the birthplace of Loureiro, this vibrant wine really shows the huge potential for this eminently approachable variety. Reminiscent of lemon sherbets, zingy, fresh and lively, yet intense and balanced wine, that will evolve well over the next 15 years
Starter –
Smoked salmon with potato & beetroot salad Frederick’s Waldorf salad
Monte Velho white
A blend of Antão Vaz, Roupeiro and Perrum from 18-years-old vineyards planted on granite, schist and clay soils. Fresh and balanced, with a firm body, citrus and white fruit characters and no oak.
Herdade do Esporão Reserva white
An organic blend of Antão Vaz, Arinto and Roupeiro, fermented and matured for 6 months in a combination of tanks and new American and French oak barriques. The calling card for the range with an elegant, creamy palate, notes of peaches and nutmeg.
Esporão Reserva Red was the first wine launched in 1985 and it still represents the estate’s diverse winemaking history. A true Portuguese blend of native varieties that are fermented separately, then blended together and aged for 12 months in American and French oak barrels, with a further 8 months of ageing in bottle before release. Black fruits, nutty and black pepper notes intermingle on the rich and complex palate that doesn’t disappoint.
Quinta dos Murças Reserva red
This Reserva is from some of the oldest vineyards of the estate, located between 150m and 280m with a south and westerly exposure. Its special terroir gives the final wine its complexity and longevity. Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Sousão, Tinta Amarcela, Tinta Barroca and Tinta Roriz combined with 12 months in oak result in an intense, balanced beauty dominated by black fruits and spice
Dessert
Pear & almond tart, clotted cream
Quinta dos Murças Tawny port
A wine with gravitas and history, from the first vertical vineyard planted in the Douro Valley in 1947. One hectare of vines is planted on schist soils at altitudes greater than 262m, with a southeast exposure. The highest expression of the estate terroir, characterized by great harmony and elegance, with fine mature tannins and balancing acidity, with a great ageing potential.
Alberto Zuccardi, planted the first Zuccardi vines in a small plot in the Maipu region in 1963. Located in the Uco Valley, Mendoza which is at the foothills of the Andes Mountains in Argentina
They were voted The World’s Best Vineyard in 2020. Sebastián Zuccardi the third generation of the family, continues the family business and is one of South America’s finest winemakers. He added a Research and Development Wing in the family winery, to learn and analyse more about the terroirs.
They are known to produce some of the highest quality of wines in South America. The vineyards enjoy the benefits of altitude and a cool dry climate throughout the year. They are high-altitude wines (from grapes grown at least 500 metres above sea level). At high-altitudes, vines get more sun during the day and are cool at night. This diurnal variation intensifies the flavour of the grapes. Zuccardi’s San Pablo vineyards are situated 1500m above sea level. Their Paraje Altamira vineyards are at 1,100 metres altitude.
We had a selection of their brilliant wines including their single-varietal estate wines primarily made from Malbec with a matched three course menu.
Our next Wine Event with Zuccardi wines October 27th 2022
Nico had flown in that morning from Mendoza. Zuccardi had been elected for the Hall of fame the night before. He gave a great introduction into Zuccardi and amongst other things discussed ageing in new concrete eggs.
Zuccardi Blanc de Blancs 2017 Delicious, very Champagne like, autolytic with a lovely freshness
Zuccardi Valles Torrontes 2020 Beautiful florality and fruit. A perfect match for the gentle spice of the prawn piri paparadelle
Zuccardi Q Chardonnay 2018 lovely mouthfeel balanced oaked influence and good length
Zuccardi Tito Malbec Cabernet Franc 2017 Concrete then oak aged, plenty of ripe fruit nicely balanced with a touch of spice and vanilla
Zuccardi Concreto Malbec 2019 delicious Malbec with rich fruits and no oak influence
Zuccardi Malamado Fortified Malbec NV well matched with Tiramasu brought out hints of chocolate and mocha.
WanderCurtis Wine 