Ramsay and Rothschild wine pairing dinners

A series of gourmet extravaganzas in London begin this autumn

For the next seven months it will not simply be extraordinary flavours and alliteration that aligns Ramsay and Rothschild. The chef and the wine estate are being brought together for a series of monthly Rothschild wine dinners at Gordon Ramsay restaurants, beginning in September and running until spring – and for which booking opens this week.

Taking place at a variety of Ramsay restaurants including Maze and Maze Grill, York & Albany, Union Street, The Savoy Grill and London House, the chef’s latest venture in Battersea, specially created menus will be with matched with some of the finest wines from the cellars of Château Baron Philippe de Rothschild.

The first dinner will take place on September 17 in the D’Oyly Carte Room, the private dining room of Gordon Ramsay’s Savoy Grill (pictured), and will seat around 25 guests. The five-course menu will include Caesar salad with poached native lobster tail, shaved truffle, Parmesan and shellfish dressing matched with Reserve Graves Blanc, Baron Philippe de Rothschild, 2012. Beef fillet Rossini with sautéed Landes foie gras will be served with Château d’Armailhac, Cinquièmes Crus Classé, Pauillac 2004, while Tamworth cheese will be served with spiced black-fig purée and oat biscuits and the exceptional Château Mouton Rothschild, Premier Cru Classé, Pauillac 1998. Tickets are £175 (prices vary for each subsequent dinner).

“When approaching wine and food pairings the chefs and the sommeliers work together to create that all-important balance of flavours,” explains Matt Pickop, executive chef of Maze and Maze Grill, which is hosting its Ramsay/Rothschild revelry this October and again in March 2015. “Once the food menu has been selected, head sommelier Arnaud Bardary and Maze’s head chef Alex Thiebaut hold a number of tasting sessions to create the perfect combinations,” Pickop continues.

Some dinners will be at shared tables, so enquire when booking and arrive with an open mind to discover new flavours, new wines and perhaps, new people.