The English Wine Maker & Great Food Club Present… | A Wine Dinner at The Olive Branch

Join Great Food Club and The English Wine Maker for a seven-course wine dinner at Great Food Club Pub of the Year 2018/19, The Olive Branch in Clipsham.

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Canapés
The English Winemaker, Dry Moscato “Mascot” 2018, Piedmont, Italy

Lightly smoked trout, apple, cucumber, horseradish, dill
The Hermit Ram, Skin Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2017, North Canterbury, New Zealand

Pan-fried fillet of cod, passion fruit & curry spiced aubergine, wild rice
The Hermit Ram, Whole Bunch Pinot Noir 2017, North Canterbury, New Zealand

Spring lamb, broad beans, peas, morel mushrooms
The English Winemaker, Piemonta Barbera 2018, Piedmont, Italy

Chocolate tagliatelle, Gabriel blue ewes milk cheese, walnuts
Villa Giada “Tre Ponti” Nebbiolo 2013, Piedmont, Italy

Carrot & sea buckthorn sorbet

Olive Branch Tiramisu
Villa Giada Moscato d’Asti “Suri” 2018, Piedmont, Italy

Coffee & petit fours

The English Wine Maker – aka Matt Gregory – will present his own wines and a few made by his friends, matched to seven exquisite courses prepared by The Olive Branch’s award-winning kitchen team. Great Food Club founder Matt Wright will also be there to give the story behind Great Food Club.

The Olive Branch is Great Food Club’s Pub of the Year 2018/19

About The English Wine Maker
Matt Gregory’s home is in Oakham but he travels the world as The English Winemaker. If you think your commute is long, try going to Milan twice a week, or sitting on a plane for 30 hours to go and check vineyards. He studied viticulture as part of his university degree and has sold wine since he was legally old enough. He has worked with family vineyards in Italy and famous-name Champagne houses right through to Chilean boutique wineries.

The English Winemaker was born out of a desire to utilise some of the amazing grapes from the stunning vineyards he visited, and to let those grapes make the great wines he knew the fruit was capable of. Winemaking stints in Sussex and New Zealand convinced Matt to eschew modern winery practise and embrace a natural winemaking style: a hands-off, low-intervention, minimum-addition method.

Matt worked with the rising star of “pre-technology” wines in New Zealand, Theo Coles of The Hermit Ram, at the beginning of the millennia when they were both still finding their way. Working together again nearly 20 years later helped solidify Matt’s vision for time- and place-led wines that are allowed to express themselves without the influence of the winemaker being too evident. This is proper old-school winemaking, right down to getting into the vats and pressing with your feet.

One of the key techniques employed is the extended period of contact between the wine and the grape skins: common practice for short periods for red wine, but still relatively unusual for white wines. White wines made in this way are generally referred to as “orange”. It is both an ancient and newly discovered modern technique.

Join The English Wine Maker and Great Food Club at The Olive Branch to find out more, while enjoying the wines and some amazing food! Book on 01780 410355.