Bernadette K.
Yelp
Iconic Sam's Chop House held a night of fine dining and wine matching last night, hosted by Chateau Musar's Ralph Hochar and the charming George Bergier of Victorian Chop Houses. 5 courses, 5 matched wines, £50. What a deal for quality of this level. My taste buds are still rejoicing, and here's why:
Located on Back Pool Fold off Cross Street, the evening is set in the dining room of one of Manchester's most venerable buildings. The intimate and friendly group of roughly 20 food and wine enthusiasts settled into the evening with canapés and a delightfully fruity Musar Jenne Rose wine. Our glasses were filled by no other than Mr. Bergier himself, who took the time to chat with each guest and wooing us with his considerable charm. As we waited for the first course to be served, Ralph Hochar walked us through the history of his families three generations in the business and the rather fascinating story of the blossoming of Lebanon as a respected province in wine making. From the Ottoman Empire through today, it was a captivating tale of religious crusades, war and wine.
Our starter of rabbit terrine with elderflower and beets was paradise on a plate, which was served with a robust Mosaic Chateau Musar Cabernet Sauvignon, a special reserve wine exclusively for this evening.
Next came a dish of Scottish salmon and smoked eel, which was set off beautifully with a 2004 Chateau Musar Rose. Again, we were taken through the development of the wine from Mr. Hochar, giving us further insight into how this lovely bottle made its way from the Bakka Valley in Lebanon to our tables. Mr. Hochar's engaging demeanour made each story informative and enjoyable, not preachy and pretentious as one might fear to be the case in such a setting. I'm not a connoisseur, so I was delighted there was no wine snobbery from anyone.
The highly anticipated main was a beautiful duck breast, duck leg sausage, gratin potatoes and roasted root vegetables in a glorious cranberry sauce. The lushness of the perfectly-cooked duck was paired with two deep red wines...both Gaston Hochar's from 2001 and 2003. The intricacies of how each vintage was made was told. A hush fell over the crowd as we tucked in; the only sound to be heard was the clanking of silverware striking the plates.
As if the previous courses weren't enough, along came our puds of apple bakewell with toasted almond ice cream. The pastry was flaky and light, with the apple filling a perfect ratio of sweet and tart. This was served with a beautiful Chateau Musar White 200. I'm not a huge fan of dessert wines, but this was a perfect complement to the apple dish.
If you missed out on this magnificent evening, fear not....Mr. Bergier will be hosting regular wine matching dinner events in the coming months. It's something to be added to every bucket list.