Our Echeverria Wine Dinner proved a huge success, as 15 guests gathered to find out more about this leading winery in Chile.
Roberto Echeverria had just flown in from Tokyo, but there was no sign of jetlag: he was a charming host, telling us all about his family history and the wine-making techniques used on the estate.
We were fortunate to have Roberto all to ourselves at William & Victoria. He’s in much demand around the world – even our co-owner Jo Straker and Gary Smulders from our supplier Hallgarten Wines couldn’t resist the opportunity to hear from him while he was in Harrogate.
Roberto was happy to answer guests’ questions and spend time chatting about the estate and his background.
Of course, the night was not just for talking – there were wines to be tasted, and our chefs had outdone themselves with a beautifully paired menu.
We began with a selection of canapés, followed by fresh salmon and watercress terrine to start. The canapés were paired with the Echeverria Sauvignon Blanc Reserva Chile, a fresh gooseberry fruit with cut grass notes. It was well balanced and clean on the palate – a very good quality wine.
The salmon was paired with a fruit-driven and front in style Echeverria Chardonnay Reserva Chile. It was light to medium bodied, with fresh melon and soft apple fruit flavours.
The main course was a slow-cooked brisket, smoked pancetta and pearl barley casserole, which was paired perfectly with the Echeverria Merlot Reserva Chile. It was soft and easy drinking in style, with mellow plum fruit notes – a well-balanced wine perfect for the meat.
Alternatively, the fresh halibut poached in red wine was also a popular dish, served with creamed potato and greens. Unusually for a fish dish, it had a deep red wine outer which, once cut, revealed the brilliant white of the fish.
Our Yorkshire cheeseboard paired beautifully with the Echeverria Cabernet Sauvignon Reserva Chile, which is a good example of cool climate cabernet. It has a fresh blackcurrant fruit with good length on the finish.
The meal was rounded off with a smooth crème brûlée dessert, followed by coffee. Our guests told us they thoroughly enjoyed both the food and the wine, along with the expertise provided by Roberto.
Even Jo says she was unexpectedly won over: “I’ve not always been a huge fan of Chardonnay but this is divine – fruity and very quaffable with or without food. I’m most definitely a Chardonnay convert.”
The Echeverria range of wines has now replaced Santa Rita as our house wines, alongside the Georges Duboeuf range of house wines. Why not ask to try one of them next time you dinewith us? Our team will be happy to recommend the right bottle to pair with your meal.
See our current wine list here:-> Will and Vics 5.5.17
The Echeverria Wine Dinner was the second in our series of events with leading wine estates from around the world. If you’d like to be kept informed of news and forthcoming events please sign up for our mailing list.