The weather is heating up as summer is here but I’ve had summer on my mind for weeks. My love for the summer heat is high, but the grapes’ threshold in the Loire Valley is even higher. Try Chenin blanc as a best summer alternative to the fashionable sauvignon blanc. Appellations to look for are Anjou white, Savenniere and Saumur blanc.

Inescapable summer heat calls for crisp, edgy wines that will help you get through the heat with an ease.

Chenin Blanc is equally refreshing as sauvignon blanc but the noticeable difference is palate aromatics. Gravely topsoil as result of the river influences in Loire region makes it a light to medium body with balanced acid and fruity. Golden terroir marries perfectly with Modern Indian food and that’s exactly what we aspire to create.

Tags: chenin blanc, summer wine 
Author: Priyanka

Championing ugly ducking grape varieties, Californian biodynamic experts Bonny Doon have descended on The Cinnamon Club, for an evening of discovery. Producing ultra-premium wines with a depth and complexity that is shared with Executive Chef Vivek Singh’s own ethos for Indian cuisine – the pairing is an idyllic match.

For one night only, on Tuesday 1st June, eccentric master wine maker Randal Grahm will host a five-course tasting dinner showcasing some of their best vintages that reflect the terroir on a macro and micro level while guests enjoy a stunning five-course dinner. 

 Complementing the Cinnamon Club’s own philosophy of pushing boundaries, this meeting of culinary passion promises to create a memorable evening for fine food and wine enthusiasts.

 Bonny Doon Menu

Apéritif and canapés

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Salad of Norwegian King crab with tamarind and green pea relish

Wine pairing: Albarino Ca’del solo, 2008

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Roast loin of rabbit with dried fruits in a mustard marinade

Wine pairing: Le Cigare blanc, 2007

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Tandoori breast of Anjou squab pigeon with peppercorn and cloves

Wine pairing: Syrah Le Pousseur, 2005

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Smoked loin of Welsh lamb with Chettinadu curry

Wine pairing: Cabernet Le Cigare Volant, 2004

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Mango fondant with chilled mango soup

Wine pairing: Vol des Anges Roussanne

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Coffee and petit fours

 Starting at 6:30pm till late and, with less than 50 places available for this exclusive event, booking is essential. The price is just £90* per person.  For more information write to us on events@cinnamonclub.com or call on 02076549393.

Tags: bonny doon, randall graham, Wine and Spice 
Author: Alison

Following on from last month’s post about matching wine and Chicken Tikka Masala, I thought we could stick to the ‘Curry House’ themed dishes. So this week is the big one: Vindaloo. How on Earth, I hear you shout, is it possible to match such a spicy curry with wine? Well, it’s possible. First a note from Vivek about Vindaloo. Did you know that it was the Portuguese who first pickled their meat in wine vinegar, chillies and garlic to preserve it on the journey to colonise India. When they reached Goa, the mixture was then cooked up and named Vindalho – vinho meaning wine vinegar and ahlos meaning garlic – now the famously hot Vindaloo which is usually served with an ice-cold lager on hand. Our wine buyer, Laurent Chaniac, recommends a beautiful Italian Sauvignon Blanc with delicate acidity to balance out all the vinegar in the dish. If all those chillies are just too hot for you though, try a spoon full of sugar on your tongue washed down with some water – it works!

Tags: chilli, lager, Laurent Chaniac, Sauvignon Blanc, spice, Vindaloo, Vivek Singh 
Author: Alison

You’ve followed the recipe, warmed the plates, the table is set and the glasses polished – what about the wine? Matching wine with spice has always been an art and certainly quite a complex affair - even for wine buffs. For so many years in Britain, drinking wine with Indian food was, quite simply, an alien concept. Beers and lagers have long been known as a great match to curry but in the past 10 years wine and spice matching a come along leaps and bounds. One of the original objectives when opening The Cinnamon Club back in 2001 was to explore this wonderful world of pairing grape with spice and, along with our food, this objective has developed and evolved over the years into a great appreciation for flavours for both the front and back of house.  

To explain wine and spice matching would require thousands of words, so as a taster, what better way to start than with a match to Vivek Singh’s Old Delhi-style Chicken Curry, the original Chicken Tikka Masala. Laurent Chaniac recommends Alsace Gewurztraminer and comments; ‘The rich sauce will complement an equally rich Gewurztraminer from Alsace, while the smoky flavours and the fenugreek will enhance the wine’s fruit’. Delicious.

Tags: alsace, chicken tikka masala, dinner party, gewurztraminer, lager, wine 
Author: Alison