Red Carnation Hotels

WINE DINNERS

Every month the skills of Chef Steven Titman are married to the extraordinary knowledge and experience of Sommelier Eric Zwiebel in the now famous Summer Lodge Wine Dinners.

Focusing on a selected house or style, with a guest speaker to inform and entertain diners, these special evenings begin at 7.00 pm with an introduction to the selected wines. The following dinner includes a delicious 4-course menu specially created by Steven Titman to complement the 5 different wines (including apéritifs) showcased during the evening.

Each evening begins at 7.00 pm with aperitifs. Dinner is served from 7.30 pm.
The menu consists of 4 courses and 5 different wines (including aperitifs).
To make reservations, please call 01935 482000 or contact us.
Reservations must be paid in full in advance.

To view our accommodation package for these events click here

7 July – Au Bon Climat, California, USA £95 per person
The winery has cultivated an international reputation for its Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. Jim Clendenen, the “Mind Behind” Au Bon Climat, is recognized worldwide for his classically-styled wines (in addition to his Burgundian-focused ABC wines, Jim is also highly regarded for his Italian and other French varietals). In 1989 and 1990 Au Bon Climat was on Robert Parker's short list of Best Wineries in the World, and in 1991 was selected by Oz Clark as one of fifty world-wide creators of Modern Classic Wines. Dan Berger of the Los Angeles Times named Clendenen the "Los Angeles Time Winemaker of the Year" in 1992; Food & Wine Magazine named him "Winemaker of the Year" in 2001. Germany's leading wine magazine, Wein Gourmet, in 2004 named Clendenen “Winemaker of the World;” and in 2007, Jim was inducted into the James Beard Foundation’s “Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in America.”

Au Bon Climat sources fruit from several of the most highly regarded vineyards in the Central Coast. These include Clendenen’s own Le Bon Climat Vineyard and estate plantings at the legendary Bien Nacido Vineyard – both in Santa Maria Valley, Sanford & Benedict Vineyard in Sta. Rita Hills, Los Alamos Vineyard (Santa Barbara County), and San Luis Obispo County's Talley Vineyard.

4 August - 5 Sommeliers £100 per person (dress - black tie)
A very firm favourite on all our calendars of the last 4 years, this is an evening of fun and laughter, learning and competition. Hosted by Eric and a team of his friends, some of whom are the best sommeliers in the country, wines featured come from some of Eric’s favourite regions, some traditionally famous, others new and innovative. Book early!

1 September – Cape Mentelle, Australia £90 per person
Cape Mentelle is a founding winery of Margaret River, established in 1970. One of the most remote wine regions in the world located in the south-west corner of Australia, its natural beauty with spectacular coastlines captivates visitors. Here the maritime influence of the Indian Ocean ensures even temperatures, providing consistently excellent vintage conditions.

Cape Mentelle pioneered many of the region’s renowned wine styles and today is a benchmark for the quality of the region’s wines. Accolades, including consecutive wins of Australia’s most prestigious wine trophy in ’83 and ’84, helped put Margaret River on the international wine map.

6 October – Dirler, Alsace, France £85 per person
In 1871, Jean Dirler established Dirler Wines in the quaint village of Bergholtz in the southern part of Alsace. Today, still in family hands, the estate produces its wine according to biodynamic principles (where weed-killers and chemical fertilisers are strictly prohibited), and in four regions from its 18 hectares – Grand Cru wines from the Saering, Spiegel, Kessler and Kitterle vineyards; A range of ‘Lieu-dit’ (parcels worthy of distinction which often annex the Grand Crus), Belzbrunnen, Schwarzberg, Bux, Schimberg and Bollenberg; A range of varietal wines comprising the 7 varieties permitted in the Alsace Appelation, Riesling, Gewurztraminer, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Pinot Auxerrois; And finally, Cremant d’Alsace, the sparkling wine (created in 2005) made using traditional methods of the varieties Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Pinot Auxerrois.

3 November – Veuve Clicquot, Champagne, France £120 per person (dress – black tie)
Champagne is such a celebratory and evocative wine. Its development has been due to the individual achievements of various people, some famous, others less so. Among them all, a special place is deservedly kept for Madame Clicquot. She was given the accolade of ‘La Grande Dame de la Champagne’ by her contemporaries, in recognition of her determination to deliver “only one quality, the finest.” Veuve Clicquot’s vineyards cover 382 hectares scattered over 12 of the 17 Grand Crus, and 18 of the 39 Premiers Crus. They provide from 26 to 28% of the house’s requirements. The remainder is provided by growers in the Champagne area especially selected for their quality.

1 December – Ascheri, Barolo, Piedmont, Italy £95 per person
In a world where wines are generally produced with the same grapes, the same technology, the same wood for ageing and above all the same consultants, our aim at Ascheri, is to obtain a wine which is the expression of the vineyard it comes from, of the grapes it was made of, and above all of our own ideas. The growing of grapes and production of wine is on three different estates. Two of these, the Sorano and Rivalta estates, are in the heart of the Barolo region, and the third is on the Montelupa hill outside Bra in the Roero region. The philosophy is to pursue tradition in the Barolo region and innovation in the Roero region. Harvesting is done entirely by hand.