WanderCurtis Wine

Wine tastings, wine school, corporate events, reviews and recommendations


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Champagne Taittinger dinner July 8th 2026 with Kevin Mckee


We began the evening with the newly released debut vintage from Domaine Évremond, Taittinger’s landmark English sparkling wine. In 2015, Pierre-Emmanuel Taittinger made history by becoming the first major Champagne house to plant vineyards in England, acquiring land in the North Downs of Kent — terrain whose chalk geology and cool climate he recognised as sharing an affinity with the Côte des Blancs.The Classic Cuvée Edition I is a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, crafted using the traditional méthode champenoise and made with the same meticulous care as the Champagnes that follow. This was truly delicious and almost undistinguishable from Champagne

The Evening’s Menu

STARTER  ·  Taittinger Brut Vintage 2016

A wine of real poise and precision, the Vintage 2016 is made only in exceptional years and spends a minimum of six years ageing in Taittinger’s deep chalk cellars. The 2016 harvest delivered outstanding quality — concentrated, vibrant and beautifully structured. Expect notes of ripe citrus, white flowers and toasted brioche, with a long, mineral finish that speaks eloquently of Champagne’s unique terroir.Paired with: crab

Taittinger Préludes Grands Crus — en Magnum

A non-vintage prestige cuvée composed exclusively from grand cru vineyards — an equal marriage of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir sourced from the very finest classified sites in Champagne. The Préludes is a wine of remarkable consistency and generosity: creamy, complex and deeply satisfying. Presented in magnum this evening, which allows for slower, finer ageing and amplifies its elegance. A perfect companion to delicate seafood.Paired with: Alongside the Brut Vintage 2016 with the starter course  · 

Taittinger Comtes de Champagne Blanc de Blancs 2014

The crown jewel of the Taittinger range and one of the most celebrated prestige cuvées in all of Champagne. Made from 100% Chardonnay sourced entirely from grand cru vineyards in Le Mesnil-sur-Oger, Avize and Cramant — the spiritual heartland of blanc de blancs Champagne — the Comtes de Champagne is a wine of extraordinary finesse and longevity. The 2014 vintage is particularly revered: a cool, classic year that has produced a Comtes of linear precision, with vivid green apple, chalk and lemon curd aromas layered over a deep, almost creamy palate. Aged for a minimum of eight years on the lees before release, this is Champagne at its most profound.Main course Paired with: Pan-fried halibut. ·

  Taittinger Nocturne Rosé Sec A wonderfully original and slightly daring way to close — Taittinger’s Nocturne Rosé Sec is a city-of-night Champagne designed for the end of an evening. ‘Sec’ denotes a lower dosage than the standard demi-sec, giving this rosé a drier, more refreshing character while retaining a delicate touch of sweetness to complement dessert. Vivid raspberry and wild strawberry on the nose, with a palate that is light, bright and perfectly weighted against the richness of a red berry cheesecake.Paired with: Red berry cheesecake
Host for the EveningKevin McKee, UK Director of Champagne Taittinger With many years spent representing one of Champagne’s most iconic houses across the UK, Kevin brings an unrivalled depth of knowledge — from the history of the Taittinger family and the architecture of their cellars beneath Reims, to the minutiae of each vintage and the philosophy behind every wine in the range. He is a superb communicator and a tremendous host in his own right, and his presence made this an evening of real substance as well as exceptional pleasure.

Keep the datePlease reserve the date Thursday October 15th 2026 for an exclusive evening with Chateau Des Jaques from Beaujolais. Château des Jacques was purchased by maison Louis Jadot in 1996. They have an exceptional range of wines. We will taste  white Beaujolais (one unoaked the other oaked from a single vineyard called Clos de Loyse), a village and few single vineyards red wines from Moulin-a-Vent and Morgon


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Thai Square, Trafalgar Square with Monsoon Valley wines of Thailand. April 30th 6.30pm

Thailand..producing  wine? Yes, and it’s very good quality too.

Adam recently travelled  to Monsoon valley vineyards, explored the terroir, viticulture and wine making techniques. He tasted through their whole range and discovered  how they  achieve excellent results despite challenging conditions. For more details check our website to see  Adam’s recent publication in Decanter wine Magazine following his visit to Monsoon Valley.

We tasted five of their wines including their recently released Sparkling Brut Prestige 2024 which was exclusively imported for the evening. The other wines are detailed below.

Melissa Barshef and Chutiton Pryde from Monsoon valley talked us through the history and introduced the wines. We had a quiz with exciting prizes wine by Ella Read and Ankur’s crowd and a blind tasting wine expertly won by Dr Konrad Laker

Monsoon Valley was founded in 2001 by Chalerm Yoovidhya, the visionary co-founder of Red Bull. Monsoon Valley was created to establish a world-class wine culture in Thailand.

Nestled in a former elephant corral near Hua Hin, the vineyard thrives at the 13th latitude, producing “new latitude” wines enriched by mineral-heavy soil and cooling sea breezes.

With over 300 international accolades, including gold medals from the Decanter World Wine Awards, these wines are celebrated globally for their quality.

Aperitif

Monsoon Valley Sparkling Brut Prestige 2024

First Course

Monsoon Valley Premium Shiraz Rosé 2024

Seared Scallops
Glazed with blended coriander, green chillies, garlic and fresh lime.

Second Course

Monsoon Valley Premium Colombard 2024

Soft-Shell Crab with Mango Salad
Roasted coconut flakes, cashew nuts and fried shallots.

Third Course

Monsoon Valley Premium Shiraz 2020

Roasted Duck Curry with Jasmine Rice
Red curry and coconut milk with lychee, pineapple, cherry tomatoes and bell pepper.

Fourth Course

Monsoon Valley Flagship Late Harvest Muscat 2025

Fresh Mango with Sweetened Sticky Rice
Finished with coconut sauce and sesame seeds.

We would be delighted for you to join us on

Thursday 30th April starting 6.30pm
Thai Square, Trafalgar Square, London

Kiran, Adam and Stuart.

A memorable evening of food wine entertainment quizzes education and blind tasting showing off the beauty of Thai wine from Monsoon Valley


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Wine dinner with Olivier Gasselin of Errazuriz Errazuriz wines of Chile at Frederick’s Restaurant’s private club room, London, Wednesday 4th June


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!!

Some short videos below


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Wine dinner with Familia Zuccardi – Mendoza, Argentina with Eugenia González, UK Brand Ambassador Tuesday 11th February 2025 at Frederick’s Restaurant

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 Blanc De Blancs Vintage 2017

Starter            

Chilli prawns “Pil Pil” pappardelle ˝
Superfood winter salad; roast pepper, butternut squash, avocado,
broad beans, pearl barley, pumpkin seeds (vegetarian/vegan)˝

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

Tiramisu
Zuccardi Malamado Fortfiled Malbec NV


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Jackson Family Wines WanderCurtis dinner at Bocca di Lupo

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.


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WanderCurtis and Jackson Family Wines at Bocca di Lupo October 30th 2024

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

Kiran’s Instagram post gives a feel of the evening

Aperitif 
 Kendall Jackson Vintners Reserve chardonnay
Starter
  JFW La Crema Sonoma coast Chardonnay 2020
      JFW Hartford Court Pinot Noir Russian River 2021

Main
   JFW Edmeades Mendocino Zinfandel
     Mt. Brave Mount Veeder  Cabernet Sauvignon 2018


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Wine Dinner with Te Mata Wines of Hawkes Bay, New Zealand, with Toby Buck at Bocca Di Lupo Restaurant, Soho London April 16th 2024

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.


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Cantele Wines of Puglia, Italy with Umberto Cantele, Wednesday January 24th

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.


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Errazuriz Wine dinner with Olivier Gasselin on November 2nd 2023

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 left
My 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

Dessert

Tarte tatin, vanilla ice cream

Late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc 2019


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Resonance wines of Oregon with Oliver Gasselin May 4th 2023 at Frederick’s Restaurant

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)


Resonance Decouverte Vineyard Chardonnay 2020


Resonance Hyland Vineyard Chardonnay  2018


Main  


Daphne’s Welsh lamb rump, Israeli couscous,
roast courgettes, rosemary jus or
Risotto primavera (vegan & vegetarian)


Resonance Decouverte Vineyard Pinot Noir 2018


Resonance Resonance Vineyard Pinot Noir  2018
 


Selection of cheese from The Cheese Plate

Resonance Willamette Valley Pinot Noir 2019

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