Experience… Hotel Du Vin's Wine Dinners

The Newcastle branch boutique chain Hotel Du Vin has so much to offer: great accommodation, great dining and drinks, and a great location perched commandingly above the Tyne.

But did you know about their Wine Dinners? Approximately once a month, the hotel offers a chance to enjoy - and learn about - food and wine pairings at a professional level, with food prepared by the hotel’s master chefs and wine carefully chosen by master sommeliers.

We were keen to find out if it was as good as it sounds and went along to try their USA & Canada Wine Dinner, hosted by Michael Steen from Enotria.

We arrived around 7pm, to be greeted by general manager Andy, who welcomed us to the hotel and seated us in the luxurious foyer. We were offered some delicious canapes (Chicken Liver Parfait, Smoked Salmon Bellini and Tomato & Red Onion Bruschetta) and a glass of Sparkling NV Ice Cuvee while everyone got to know each other. From the way people were greeting each other, we assumed these people were old friends but it turned out they were all people who knew each other from previous wine dinners: the first indication that these meals were at the heart of a real community.
 

Soon we were escorted to the lavish but tasteful private dining room and introduced to the sommelier Shaun, who is responsible for the cocktails and pairings for the whole Hotel Du Vin chain, and Michael Steen from Enotria, who provided the wines for the evening. In the end, everyone joined us for the meal – there were around 16 people seated and the friendly, welcoming vibes flowed.

For our starter we had Crispy Cod Brandade, paired with a Californian Picpoul and Washington State Reisling. The sommelier talked to us about the wines and their regions, and whether you were an expert or a complete novice (like us), everybody felt equal and involved. The main course was a Navarin Of Lamb Printanier with rice pilaf, paired with two Cabernet Sauvignons, from Washington State and California. And to finish, a Tarte Citron paired with a Canadian Ice Wine (we learned all about the very specific production methods that make an Ice Wine different from a dessert wine!). All of the food was absolutely delicious and all the wines complemented it perfectly.

Everything about the evening felt special. From the beautiful hotel to the wonderful welcome, the absolute mastery of the kitchen and the fascinating information about the excellent wines. The staff were tremendous throughout - from greeting to goodbye. When we left – well past 11pm – everyone hugged and planned to see each other again, and if there’s one central thing we took away with us, it was becoming part of a lovely, wine-loving community so quickly. Some of us were novices, some had their WSET wine qualifications but everyone felt involved.

The price for the evening was just £94 per head which included canapes, a three-course meal and quite a few large (and regularly topped-up) glasses of excellent wine. The whole thing felt like terrific value and a great way to meet people, enjoy a special meal and learn some things along the way. So if you have a special occasion coming up – a birthday or anniversary, perhaps – or just want to do something different and really quite sumptuous, Hotel du Vin's Wine Dinners come personally recommended by us. You might even make some new friends for life.

The next event is A Wine Dinner From The East on June 1st. All the forthcoming events are listed on the Hotel Du Vin website here.