I love my food and I love my wine but I've never been a big fan of drinking while I eat.
Whenever I've been out for a meal I've always preferred to sip water instead, and never really felt that wine 'compliments' a meal in the way that everyone says it should.
When I heard about a wine tasting night at 60 Hope Street in Liverpool, I thought it was an opportunity to try and prove myself wrong.
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The restaurant, which is flanked either side by the city's two towering cathedrals, regularly holds wine tasting evenings, with a different theme each time.
On the night my partner and I attended, the focus was on Spanish wines of the Bodegas Ca N'Estella estate in Penedes.
What makes the evenings so unique, is that the wine becomes the menu for the night, and the food is an afterthought - albeit a carefully orchestrated one.
On arrival we were offered a flute of Cava Rosado Rabetlaat i Vidal, a dark pink sparkling wine that was a deliciously fruity aperitif before the first course was served.
The wine tasting evenings are social affair with everyone sat on three or four large square tables, allowing diners to compare notes on each glass.
We were lucky enough to be sat with 60 Hope Street owner Colin Manning and Efrem Mallol, from Bodegas Ca N'Estella, who told us a bit about each wine between courses.
Our first glass following the aperitif, was a 2008 Chardonnay Clot del Oms, which was served with a chorizo and roast tomato risotto, with gremolata. Had I not seen the menu before hand, I would have expected a red wine to be served with chorizo, but surprisingly each sip of the Chardonnay brought the flavours of the dish bursting out, and perfectly complemented the gremolata, which Mr Manning explained, was the lemon zest, garlic and parsley seasoning.
Before the second dish was served, the super-efficient waiters had filled up another of our glasses with a 2008 Gran Rosado Clot del Oms. As a big fan of rose I couldn't resist having a sneaky slurp before the dish arrived, and I instantly fell in love with the creamy, strawberry flavour of the Gran Rosado. It was paired with a pan fried red mullet with shellfish bisque, which was rich in flavour, with aniseed tones, yet a light enough serving to leave you wanting more.
The third course moved us onto the red wines, with the velvety tones of the 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon Clots del Oms. The wine reminded me of the kind I like to drink in the corner of a country pub at Christmas, and although some on my table disagreed, I thought it paired well with the roast rump of Cumbrian lamb, with warm Claremount Farm asparagus and Jersey Royal salad, with salsa verde. The tender cuts of lamb melted in the mouth and the locally-sourced asparagus was full of flavour. I thought the rose was going to be my winner of the night, but the fact that I was still sipping the cabernet sauvignon when I should have moved onto the next course spoke for itself.
Eventually I prised myself away and moved onto the 2005 Cabernet Merlot Clots del Oms, which was served with Lancashire rarebit on toast, with Wirral watercress. The full-bodied wine certainly packed a punch and was the perfect drink to soak up the thick toast, smothered in rarebit. The kind of wine that would leave the most discerning of wine drinkers legless, I made sure I took my time to keep my dignity.
Filter coffees were served to round off the night, though several people - myself included - stuck with the wine that was being generously topped up almost as quick as it went down.
At £50 per head for the whole experience, I thought the value for money was fantastic and a price worth paying to be transformed into a wine tasting expert - at least for one night.
All the wines served on the night are available from the Cheshire based family importers, C&O Wines Ltd
For more about up-coming events at 60 Hope Street, Liverpool, L1 9BZ, 0151 707 6060, click here
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