Wine tasting at Rye's White Vine House
The Ambrette Restaurant at Rye located in the 5 starred Whine Vine House, is hosting a special wine tasting in conjunction with the Cranbrook-based wine and cheese merchants, Perfect Partners on Sunday 8th January.
Chef patron Dev Biswal will be serving a 7-course tasting menu with matched wines chosen by Perfect Partners co-owner Richard Clarke at £49.99.
Since its opening on 1st December, Biswal has witnessed his Rye-based clientele are wines from the more expensive end of his wine list, than at his original award-winning restaurant in Margate.
"Many of our customers here in Rye bottles of fine wines at around the £40 mark," said Dev. "At Margate they sit the shelves for a few months and I end up drinking them myself."
Having realised the preponderance of wine connoisseurs in the Rye area, Biswal approached Richard Clarke to help him create a special tasting menu to showcase the fine Indian dining and Perfect Partners' wines.
"The quality of most wines worldwide has improved hugely, but they still demand rigorous selection - some of the traditional wine regions disappoint, but the new areas astound at great value," said Richard Clarke, co owner of Perfect Partners, adding, "Our philosophy is to find quality wines, irrespective of label or country, that represent good examples of their grape variety and provenance at a fair price."
The Ambrette is hoping to dispel the myth that you cannot drink wine with Indian food and that beer is the preferred accompaniment. Matching the right wine with the right flavours is simply a matter of chemistry.
"The reason why wines do not pair well with a curry from your local take-away is because most of these currys are highly flavoured with cooked onion and garlic containing sulphur compounds such as allicin, diallyl disulphide and diallyl trisulphide," explained Biswal, adding, "These clash harshly with the taste molecules present in most wines.
Set on Rye's High Street, the Georgian frontage of the White Vine House belies its medieval heritage. Beneath the dining room lies a C13th cellar, complete with stone spiral staircase. Refurbished in 2005, the once grand home is now one of the country's premier bed and breakfast venues, having secured a 5 star AA rating.
The Ambrette (formerly the Indian Princess) in Margate has received wide national press recognition for Biswal's unique style, that eschews what he calls a "fast food mentality" offered by many high street curry houses stuck in a "1940's time bubble." There are no poppadums, curries or Chicken Tikka Masala on Biswal's menus.
