THE LAST DARK DAYS

I had a dream, which was not all a dream. 
The bright sun was extinguish'd, and the stars 
Did wander darkling in the eternal space, 
Rayless, and pathless, and the icy earth 
Swung blind and blackening in the moonless air

From Darkness by Lord Byron

It is at this time of year that the winter begins to feel eternal. Misplaced dispair! These are the very weeks when each evening is just a few minutes lighter, and chinks of long-forgotten sun appear along with the first green shoots. 

Turn away from thoughts of bleakness, put on your softest woolies and let's rejoice in the darkness, celebrating what long nights we still have left while raising our glasses to the light to come. The best of both worlds, for this season of in-betweens.

Our program of wine dinners restarts for 2018 with a menu full of warmth and nurturing, giving a grand send off to the last long evenings. 

What speaks of the fireplace more than a glass of sherry? We start with two styles, both from the same grape, both which started pale in hue and turned deep, nutty and intense over years in barrels. Cosy! Both are dry and perfect to freshen the palate on a cold February night, cutting through that glorious, oozing Rollright.  

Fergus tells us "The Georgians are well known for munching on bundles of herbs". And so will you be! And root vegetables and smoked duck, too. It is said that Georgia is where wine production started, so here we have a Saperavi, a grape native to the venerable land, and this brooding beauty is made using the traditional clay amphora. Ah, the warm comfort of tradition! Compare it with this wine from another revered region: our Claret. 

Ripe, plush and intense Calcaire with your sustaining Steak and Kidney Pudding! And that Veneto wine with your Eccles? Corvina grapes, air-dried before fermentation to give an indulgent concentration that delights in darkness and depth. Trevor will be talking wines, Fergus will be cutting into that suet crust, and you will be sitting with them around the long table, raising your brimming glasses. 

Then a nip of whisky to keep you cosy as you wander into the night, warmed from within and primed to embrace the last of the chill.

£85 pp, inclusive of all courses, wine and service
Thursday, 15th February
19.00 - 22.00

St. JOHN Maltby
Ropewalk
41 Maltby Street
SE1 3PA

CLICK HERE TO JOIN US IN CELEBRATING THE COSY COLD.