The 5pm Dining blog has always enjoyed the more inventive ways in which the restaurant industry tries to get bums on seats.
From pushing pink Champagne on St Valentine’s Day to promoting flights of wine, the wine part of the trade has often been behind some of the most ingenious ideas to encourage business.
One of the most well-known, at least it used to be, was the promotion of Le Beaujolais nouveau.
Every year on the third Thursday of November, tradition has it that the French open the first bottles of Beaujolais nouveau, the popular ’vin de primeur’ that has been fermented for just a few weeks.
Fresh and easy drinking, it’s a simple but fun wine designed to be quaffed rather than lingered over.
Wacky races
Back in the day, the people who used to market Beaujolais nouveau had a field day organising wacky races to see who could get the first bottles of the wine from the vineyards to Paris, London and so on.
Balloon races, rickshaw races and even an elephant race were used to promote the wine.
After a few years in which the event seemed to fall by the wayside a little, some restaurants are back in the Beaujolais game.
Edinburgh’s L’escargot bleu and blanc are both celebrating the arrival of Le Beaujolais nouveau tonight with a three course £29 menu which includes a glass of Beaujolais on arrival. The menu promises lots of Beaujolais specialities.
Alternatively, you could pop into Bar a Vin, the newly opened wine bar beneath L’escargot blanc on Queensferry Street, for a £7.50 Beaujolais sharing platter.
Gone to the dogs
Sticking with the quirky wine theme, WEST on the Corner, the new bar and restaurant from Glasgow’s WEST at Glasgow Green brewery, is hosting a special dog-themed wine and dine evening on Tuesday 24th November.
Lynne Parker, General Manager at WEST on the Corner, said: ‘This is our first ever wine and dine event and to make it extra-special we thought it would make sense to give it a doggy-theme.
‘As regular WESTies will know, well-behaved dogs are welcome in our bar area and as most wineries have dogs on site, it made perfect sense to give our first wine and dine event a dog-theme.
‘Of course that does not mean that you have to be a dog-lover or dog-owner to attend – that would be barking – the dog-theme is restricted solely to the wine selection available on the evening!’
Hosted by Philippe Laure from L’art du Vin, the menu for the evening will offer:
Black Dog Hill Classic Cuvee 2011, South Downs, Sussex England paired with warm Bavarian ham and Obatzda on crostini
Papegaai, A.A Badenhorst, Swartland, South Africa. A white wine alongside a crab and avocado salad with tomato and chilli salsa
Seabrook Cabernet Merlot, Western Cape, South Africa paired with confit of duck with salt baked celeriac and a thyme jus
OR
Heritage du Cedre, Chateau du Cedre, Cahors, France with a red wine-braised neck of lamb served with confit garlic mash and a redcurrant and rosemary sauce.
Muscat de Beaume de Venise, Chateau Pesquie, Rhone, France with WEST on the Corner’s popular apple strudel.
WEST on the Corner’s dog-themed wine and dine evening is on Tuesday 24th November at 7pm. Tickets cost £40 with a £20 deposit to secure a spot.
Market menu offer
Not that you need to wait until Tuesday. WEST on the Corner has regular 5pm offers. For example, you can have one course from the market menu for £10 between noon and 9pm today when booking here.