Gourmet wine delivery box from 2017 Masterchef contestant Jamie Patterson makes wine star of the show
Some of my most memorable meals have been tasting menus paired with wine. In my opinion there’s nothing more exciting than sampling a variety of different dishes in one sitting and seeing what pairing the sommelier has come up with to complement each merry morsel.
This concept is at the heart of immersive dining company Ramekins & Wine, except with one difference: rather than the food being the star of the show, wine takes centre stage with the food designed to champion its flavour characteristics.
Founded by Masterchef 2017 alumni, Jamie Patterson, who has more than a decade’s experience at Majestic Wine, E&J Gallo and iconic wineries across the world, Ramekins & Wine creates bespoke dining experiences for corporate events, private dinner parties, weddings, online tutored tastings and supper clubs, with the food served in the company’s trademark ramekins.
The company has also just launched a monthly themed food and wine delivery box, enabling customers to serve up their own tasting experience at home. The Southern Quarter was sent a sample of the August box review.
What’s in the food and wine delivery box?
For their August delivery box, Ramekins & Wine has partnered with wine merchant Slurp and the box features six wines from the Slurp portfolio, packaged in little glass bottles (125mlpp), six ramekins filled with the food pairings, a bag of crostinis and detailed information and tasting notes for each pairing.
The Menu
Jean Demont Chablis 2019, Burgundy, France paired with Whipped goats cheese, hickory smoked beetroot, Arbequina olive oil
Vionta Albarino 2019, Rias Baixas, Spain paired with Heritage tomato, anchovy pesto dressing, 20yo balsamic
Care for Wild Protected Bush Vine Chenin Blanc 2019, Swartland South Africa paired with Curried roast chicken, celeriac crema, apricot
Orube Seleccion de Familia 2017, Rioja, Spain paired with Jamon Iberico, red pepper, almond
Marquis de St Michel Chateauneuf du Pape 2018, Rhone, France paired with Potted confit duck leg, clementine butter
Chateau Lafaurie-Monbadon 2016, Bordeaux, France paired with 35-day dry aged ribeye, Roscoff onion, tarragon
How it works
Apart from chilling the food and white wine until 15 minutes or so before serving and warming the last two dishes through in the oven (although this is not essential so only if you want to) there is nothing to do. Simply take the lids of the ramekins, pour the wines and enjoy!
The verdict
We loved the Ramekins & Wine delivery box – it made for the perfect date night with minimal effort. Of course, you can dress up and make a thing of it if you’d like or order for more people and invite friends over for a dinner party.
A couple of the wines included might not have been what either I, nor my husband might have personally chosen to buy to drink, but sampled with the food, made total sense, so it’s a great way of trying wines you wouldn’t normally go for.
And, the information cards go way beyond just tasting notes, there’s history about the grapes and producers and, despite having a fair bit of wine knowledge ourselves, we picked up some interesting titbits that we can’t wait to share with friends next time.
