On Sunday, 07 January, Jones offered invited guests a rare chance to try 48 of the World’s greatest Sparkling Wines and Champagnes, in association with The Champagne and Sparkling Wine Championships 2018. “The evening was a very relaxed journey across continents with a surprise coming from the New Zealand wines,” says Roy Davies, General Manager of The Vineyard. “The Janz 2005 with its litchi palate was a departure from what I am used to. The Krug 1996 was also very popular. It was such a privilege to taste all these wines. Our thanks to Roger Jones of The Harrow at Little Bedwyn for putting the evening together with Bubbles Ferreira of Graham Beck wines.”
The first dinner took the form of an International Wine Challenge on Friday, 5 January 2018. Each of the six courses of this banquet was served with an unidentified South African wine that was tasted against a wine of the same cultivar from France, Greece, California, Australia or Germany. Diners indicated their preference after each course, and votes are totalled to determine the winner at the end of the evening. South Africa came out on top.
On Tuesday, 09 January, we hosted Roger Jones and the Winemakers, an intimate dinner with Roger, David and Nadia Sadie, Lukas Van Loggerenberg and Wynand Grobler, the winemakers of the South African wines Jones had chosen to complement his final six-course menu. The nuances of each wine were discussed with the winemakers who also shared their personal wine-making philosophy.
The menu below conveys a small taste of the voyages of discovery we embark on whenever Roger Jones visits The Vineyard. If you weren’t able to attend in 2018, set a reminder to book for next year.
Menu: Roger Jones and the Winemakers
First Course:
Smoked salmon, yuzu and seaweed served with Aristagros 2016 by David and Nadia Sadie
Second Course:
Steak Tartare served with Kameraderie Chenin 2016 by Lukas van Loggerenberg
Third Course:
Kingklip, onion bhaji, mint yoghurt, mango chutney served with Road to Santiago Semillon 2014 by Wynand Grobler
Fourth Course:
Quail, truffle consommé served with The First XI the Centurion Cinsault 2015 by Wynand Grobler
Fifth Course:
Springbok lion, blackberries, morels served with Elpidios 2015 by David and Nadia Sadie
Sixth Course:
Welsh rarebit croquettes, quince, PX caramel served with Breton Cabernet Franc 2016 by Lukas van Loggerenberg
“This was a wonderful dinner. The wines were very special and unique in their own way,” said GM Roy Davies afterwards. “With the winemakers present, we discovered that each was made for a special reason, be it a block of grapes long forgotten, cultivars that are not mainstream, or a tasting that inspired a journey into an own production. Roger’s culinary art was delivered with simplicity and complementary flavours. A great success and fitting conclusion to Little Bedwyn experiences at the Vineyard.”