The Wimbledon wine challenge: Top desserts to pair with wine
Few British Summer events can compete with the glamour and sophistication of Wimbledon. Whether jostling for tickets to the courts or watching on a big screen, families from around the country will soon be agog to see if Jack Draper and Emma Raducanu can give us something to celebrate.
I decided to visit three esteemed establishments offering Wimbledon-themed pairings of wonderful wine and delicious desserts, all in the time it takes Katie Boulter to polish off three sets. Here’s what I found.
Town House in The Kensington Hotel
(Pairing: £29)
1pm – South Kensington Town House’s rooms are colourful yet calming, all lofty ceilings, white tablecloths and fine china teacups striped in duck egg blue – it feels like stepping into a modern Agatha Christie novel. It could be stiff but for the effusively warm service and our welcoming hostess, who found us a cool, comfortable table for the pairing to be served.
Skilfully created and theatrical, the dessert is a crumbly custard tart topped with a miniature tennis ball, the crispy shell cracking open to reveal vanilla cream and frozen strawberry compote. A glass of Charles Heidsieck Champagne, tasting like crisp apple pastry, is poured and this duo is on point for a high-end afternoon tea feel. A real treat for a tennis loving Mama, this certainly isn’t the place to dine and dash but by half past we’re on the road to make it to…
108 Brasserie, Marylebone
(Pairing: £10.50)
2pm – The outside terrace, backed by a cascade of fake flowers and fairy lights, has partnered with Provence rosé house Mirabeau. Our glasses of Mirabeau La Folie Sparkling Rosé are served swiftly but we wonder what is taking the simple bowl of strawberries and cream so long. As it turns out, it is because they have been chopping a kilo of berries.
The portion is enormous and it is also superb, reinforcing the idea that there’s no need to mess with the classics. The strawberries are staggeringly good: redder, juicier and sweeter than any I have tried before. I am told there is a special supplier for them but who and where remains secret.
The wine, made from the ‘charmat method’ like Prosecco, is peachy and slightly sweet and this pairing feels casually, joyfully true to the Wimbledon theme. The small sun-dappled tables on the pavement are ideal for people-watching so we have lingered longer than intended and jump in a cab for a 10-minute ride down the road to…
The Coral Room, Bloomsbury
(Pairing: £20)
3.45pm – This place is a vibe: the bold coral walls, the splashes of art, the marble-topped bar. The clientele is eclectic and eccentric. It screams artsy bohemian but with a trust fund. Our charmingly buoyant host brings us two cocktails, both made with Rathfinny English wine. The Fred Perry Spritz has a Negroni-style bite with Rathfinny rosé, Asterley Aperitivo, notes of wild shrubbery and one of those large balls of ice that roll around the coupe.
It’s good but Mrs Barker’s Sgroppino just gets it over the net for me. Wonderfully described on the menu as “happy as Summer” it is a refreshing strawberry sorbet with Rathfinny’s Classic Cuvée and Jasmine liqueur, topped with a balsamic glaze. This could be both drink and dessert in one but there is a tiny, creamy serving of vanilla cheesecake with a potent wild strawberry sorbet to go with it.
A few bites of festive sweetness before we dab our lips and depart before the cocktail hour buzz really begins. Not quite within the time frame of an average tennis match but three venues in under four hours isn’t bad.
I can wholeheartedly recommend getting your strawberries and cream fix at one of these very different venues – all available until the end of Wimbledon on 13 July.
The perfect pairing: Syrah blend x pan seared lamb chops
Not Yet Named Wine Co is a genius idea for wine lovers. Subscribers become part of a community that decides everything about the wine – the grape, the fermentation, the blending – making it as close to winemaking as you can get from the sofa. Then when it’s ready, a case arrives at your door!
Couple that with informative emails, vintage release parties and winery visits and you have a wonderful experience. My bottle was even hand delivered by co-founder Alex Brogan. I was searing lamb chops that evening, so it was perfectly timed as this Chilean blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault, with just a pinch of Viognier, was an ideal accompaniment. Richly deep in flavour, with a slight smokiness and a delicious vibrancy – and it had my name on the bottle, too. A happy (slightly proud) dinner indeed. (notyetnamedwineco.com)