][1]Now that we are firmly in February, it is time to ditch the hairshirts, forget about those pesky New Year resolutions and start living life high on the hog again. Wine dinners are a good way to combine eating, drinking and being merry and there are a number of slurp-tastic looking ones scheduled for 5pm restaurants over the next few weeks.
First up is tomorrow’s event at Brian Maule’s Chardon D’Or in Glasgow. The chef is teaming up with Australia’s Elderton Estate for a four course dinner matching Brian’s skills in the kitchen with top notch wines from the Barossa Valley.
Elderton Wines is a small, family owned winery in the heart of the Barossa which produces some of Australia ’s most highly regarded Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The vineyard owner, Cameron Ashmead, will be there on the night to talk about their wines and their fascinating histories, as well as the traditions from the area.
The Barossa Wine Dinner will begin with a reception at 7pm on Thursday, February 4th, 2010, followed by a four-course menu specially created to compliment each wine. Cost is £70 a person.
Also in Glasgow, Hotel du Vin at One Devonshire is holding a wine lunch on Saturday 20th February. The featured wines come from d’Arenberg in Australia’s McLaren Vale. Tickets are £45 per person. D’Arenberg makes some serious wines but they have a light-hearted approach to naming them. The Stump Jump, Love Grass, Feral Fox and The Noble Mud Pie are among their bottles.