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Avenue Restaurant to host The Jugdement of St James

31st March 2014 Print
The Judgement

On Tuesday 6th May, the new St James’s restaurant Avenue will partner with award-winning wine merchants Berry Bros. & Rudd to present Judgment of St James: an exclusive four-course dinner and blind wine tasting in homage to the iconic Judgment of Paris of 1976. 

The Judgment of Paris was a wine competition in which eleven wine experts carried out two blind tasting comparisons: one of top-quality Chardonnays and another of red wines including Bordeaux from France and Cabernet Sauvignon from California. Shocking the leaders of the French wine industry, who at the time were regarded to be the foremost producers of the world’s best wines, a New World Californian wine was rated best in each category against the French.

Playing on Avenue’s exclusively French and American wine list, the restaurant has decided to host The Judgment of St James. Almost 40 years on from the original event, the one-off dinner will present eight different wines throughout a four-course dinner, hosted by wine expert and original Judgment of Paris organiser, Steven Spurrier, and Berry Bros. & Rudd Master of Wine Jasper Morris. Pairing two different wines – one Old World French and one New World Californian – to each individual course, guests will taste the wines blind before Spurrier and Morris ask them to compare, contrast and vote for their favourite pairing. Supported by Berry Bros. & Rudd, wines will include a 2006 Domaine de la Vougeraie, Charmes-Chambertin-Les Mazoyères, Grand Cru, Burgundy; 1991 Ridge, Monte Bello, Santa Cruz County, California (Magnum); and 2008 Qupé, Syrah, Sawyer Lindquist Vineyard, Sonnies, Edna Valley, California.

Starting at 6.30pm, guests will be invited to enjoy a sparkling wine and canapé reception in Avenue’s Long Bar before dining in the main restaurant. Head chef Michael Blizzard has worked closely with Avenue’s head sommelier Andres Ituarte to create a special four-course menu, tailoring his New American dishes to complement and enhance the selected French and American wines. Dishes will include clam chowder in San Francisco sour dough with littleneck clams and paper bag-crumbled bay crackers, rabbit terrine with black truffles and asparagus, lamb chops with slow-cooked quinoa and cilantro gremolada and Farmstead cheese with walnut and raisin bread. 

Not to be missed, Avenue’s Judgment of St James is sure to be a unique and memorable experience, offering guests the opportunity to learn about and taste some of the best French and American vintages today with two of the industry’s leading figures.

Tickets are £195 per person, including an aperitif and canapés on arrival, a four-course dinner and eight matching wines.

Address: 7-9 St James’s Street, London, SW1A 1EE
Website: avenue-restaurant.co.uk

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The Judgement