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Dim Sum and Rosé Wine at Yauatcha Soho:
Are you still unconvinced about the merits of rosé? Maybe it’s been a while since you tried one. I think that, like me, you will be pleasantly surprised if you do crack open a bottle. In the last 5 to 6 years production methods have come on, and it’s now the biggest growing wine style in the world. Not just a summer tipple, it’s now drunk throughout the year, with a peak in sales in November and December. It’s not just about quantity, the quality is better too. The style is more serious. And nowhere is this more evident than at Château d’Escalans, situated in Provence, who have employed a winemaker from Bordeaux. Patrick Leyon makes wines for them as if for a white burgundy, rather than in a typical Côte de Provence style. Hence my excitement to be asked to try a selection of these rosés to accompany the famous dim sum at Yauatcha.
The first wine we sampled was the famous Whispering Angel, which is usually difficult to pair with food. I’d wondered where the name had come from. To me, it makes it sound more like a new world wine. It seems that the names come from a 13th-century chapel on the estate; there are 2 cherubs on the wall of the chapel whispering to each other – hence the name. Bone dry, delicate with a lovely finish, this is perhaps more in the Provence style. This was paired with a King Crab dumpling. The sweetness of the crab meat was perfect with this rosé.
The Les Clans was altogether different. With my eyes closed, I’d be convinced that this was actually a white burgundy.
Served in a Reidel Riesling glass it was a very pale pink and delicious. It is made from the same blend of grapes as the Whispering Angel; Grenache, Syrah, Tyberon, and Vermentino (which isn’t often used in a rosé). The grapes come from 70-year-old vines and are aged in double sized barrels, not in steel vats. This means that the grapes have more interaction with the lees, in the same way that champagne and white burgundies do. The lees are stirred up twice a week and the wine aged for 10 months. The pale pink is due to the juice only sitting on the skins for 2 hours. The juice is leeched under its own weight rather than by pressing. Grape picking stops each day when it gets too hot, normally by 11.30 a.m. The grapes are de-stemmed and a computer takes a photo of every single grape and any rejects are blown away by air. We were told that this wine could age for 10 years if kept in the dark, which is contrary to the normal belief about rosé being drunk young. This was paired with a soft prawn and crispy red curd Cheung Fun and was a lovely match for the dish.
Our third wine is at the pinnacle of rosés, akin to a Meursault. The Garrus made a big statement served with a crispy duck salad. The duck salad normally works better with a red wine. This wine shouldn’t be able to do what it does, but it does. It offers up intense fruit and subtle oak. Yauatcha offers this by the glass giving a wonderful opportunity to try this legendary wine.
Our final wine was the Rock Angel which was paired with the specially created pink macaroon. The nose gave us apricots and a hint of sweetness which paired perfectly with the strawberry flavour from the macaroon.
The Celebration of Rosé menu will be available at both Yauatcha Soho and Yauatcha City from 17 June until 31 August. The pairing menu costs £135 and gives an amazing opportunity to try a different side to rosé wine.
If you just fancied the macaroons they are available to purchase from Yauatcha’s Patisserie.
Yauatcha Soho
15-17 Broadwick Street,
Soho,
London,
W1F 0DL
0207 494 8888
OPENING HOURS
Sun 12 noon – 10.00pm (last reservation)
Mon-Sat 12 noon – 11 pm (last reservation)
Patisserie Counter: Mon-Sun 12 noon – 11 pm
Disclaimer: I was a guest of Yauatcha Soho
We are big fans of rosé wine at London Unattached and have even done our own rosé recipe pairings for Christmas. And, I’ve already written a piece on how to celebrate National Rosé Day in style with my own recipe for crab and fennel risotto. Finally, we love champagne and we love rosé wine – so obviously rosé champagne is something we are keen to explore!
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