We were delighted to host an evening of plant-based canapés and vegan wines with Georgia Gallacher, Chef and Owner of supper club Table 13. Many of you will have heard about ‘nose-to-tail’ cooking; at Table 13, Georgia cooks ‘seed-to-stalk’, using the whole plant: stems, leaves, pods and trimmings.
During the evening, six canapés were served alongside six vegan wines. In a unique twist to a traditional wine pairing, we selected the wines without knowledge of the food and Georgia creatively paired the food to match.
Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli x Nori Cracker with pea pure, seaweed tartare sauce, and samphire
Our first wine, Txomin Etxaniz Txakoli, clearly comes from the land of unpronounceable wines, the Basque country. The local specialty is Txakoli a refreshing wine with a slight effervescence. Txakoli’s tense acidity cut beautifully through the salty sea flavours of the nori cracker, an ode to Basque seafood pintxo.
Hugel Classic Riesling x Feuille de brick tart with curried carrot puree, pickled chili and spring onion
Perhaps Alsace’s most famous wine producers, Hugel is a master of late harvest wines. Their Classic Riesling is a ripe aromatic
expression with notes of stone fruit, citrus and spice. The richness and spiciness of Alsatian Riesling paired perfectly with the curry spices.
Baia’s Tsitska-Tsolikouri-Krakhuna x Falafel cracker with roasted garlic houmous, burnt lemon jam, and tomato skin togarashi
Based in Georgia, Baia focuses on making wines from indigenous Georgian grapes. This skin fermented blend, vinified in amphora, has a light tannic grip and aromas of persimmon, apricot and citrus. Falafel spices and roast garlic called for a wine that could match and enhance the foods aromatic complexity.
Domaine Désiré Petit, Trousseau Rouge ‘Les Grandes Gardes’ x Table 13 Sausage roll
Désiré makes a slightly gamey Trousseau with notes of red cherry fruit and bright acidity. The gamey quality of this wine brought out earthy spices in the plant-based sausage roll. The fresh crunchy cherry notes nice provided a nice foil to richness.
Kimera Garnatxa x Rosemary crackers with beetroot puree, whipped feta and chive
There are many different styles of Garnatxa in Spain. The Kimera Garnatxa, from winemaker Luis Moya, is a middle ground between the light red fruited version of say Sierra de Gredos and the bruising spicey blends of Priorat. Beet dishes can be difficult to pair with because of their combination of sweetness and earthiness. Appropriately, the Garnaxta exuberance of fruit and spice could handle the sweetness. Herbal nuances of the wine were further enhanced by the chives.
Qupé Syrah x Dark chocolate and cep ganache, puff pastry shards, blackberry gel and red amaranth
Qupé, one of the many incredible US Syrah producers, are members of the Rhone Rangers, a Californian group formed in the late 1990s to educate the public on Rhone varietals grown in the US. This pairing is all about the savoury (almost meaty) quality of Syrah and Ceps. The intensity of Syrah’s fruit had no problem holding up with the chocolate’s sweetness.
Thank you so much to Georgia and all our attendees for a wonderful evening of plant-based food and vegan wine!
You can find out more about Table 13 here: https://table13oxford.uk/
Take a look here for our upcoming wine tastings.
