The 5-star
Royal Horseguards hotel has long been a favourite haunt for politicians,
aristocrats and civil servants. Built in the style of a French château in the
1880s on the former site of Whitehall Palace, this hotel has certainly led an
interesting life.
It housed
the original Scotland Yard. One Twenty-one Two (1212), the Royal Horseguards’
acclaimed restaurant, bases its name on the former telephone number of
the London Metropolitan Police which was
known as Whitehall 1212.
The National Liberal Club, founded by William Gladstone in 1882, has its
home in the northern end of the building adjoining the hotel.
From secret service meetings held during the
two world wars to playing host to the Treasury and bankers tasked with sorting
out the credit crunch, the walls could reveal a tale or two.
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| The 5-star Royal Horseguards hotel |
Taking the
marbled spiral staircase, reputed to be the largest free-standing one in
Europe, I found myself in the cellar. Behind a closed door, so the rumour goes,
is a secret passage that Winston Churchill had commissioned to lead from the
National Liberal Club to the next door buildings.
What a
perfect setting for the main event, a wine tasting with educator Kelly Bayliffe
who promised to divulge a few of her tips.
Our first challenge was to test two sparklers to see if we could guess what they were. There was no mistaking the dry, fresh bubbly with toasty, biscuity nuances. It was so delicate and elegant that it had to be Taittinger Brut Réserve (glass £15, bottle £85). This is an extremely drinkable champagne which works well as an apéritif.
Our first challenge was to test two sparklers to see if we could guess what they were. There was no mistaking the dry, fresh bubbly with toasty, biscuity nuances. It was so delicate and elegant that it had to be Taittinger Brut Réserve (glass £15, bottle £85). This is an extremely drinkable champagne which works well as an apéritif.
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| Ready for the tasting |
A feisty
sparkler with less yeast than the champagne tingled the tongue with apple pie
flavours. This turned out to be Chapel Down Brut Blanc de Blancs
(glass £11, bottle, £60). If you have not tried English fizz, you
could be in for a pleasant surprise.
Then it was
on to the wines. When flavours persist in your mouth, according to Kelly, you
won’t drink as much. “A good wine should make your mouth water,” she says. So,
it is worth going for quality over quantity.
A great
piece of advice from Kelly is to smell the wine before you drink it. After
swirling, smell the aromas. It will help you to appreciate the taste.
For every
half an inch you smell the wine away from your nose, you should, she advises, be prepared to spend £5 more on
the bottle in a bar or restaurant.
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| Wine educator Kelly Bayliffe |
She also
recommends sampling it before you buy even if you are buying a glass . “If the
establishment will not comply, go somewhere else.”
There are
wines for the different seasons of the year. Kelly feels that as we change the
weight of the clothes we wear each season, so we should change our wines.
The aromatic
Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand (bottle, £72)
always delights my palate with its fruitiness and crunchy acidity.
But, how
right the lady was. On a cold winter’s evening I prefer something slightly
heavier. A number from Saint-Véran (bottle, £42) although quite feisty,
was more intense. I could envision myself drinking this chardonnay with turkey.
When you are
pairing wine with food, Kelly says to ensure that they do not overpower each other. When eating out, ask the sommelier for guidance.
Tell him what you like and do not like.
Pinot noir
is one of the hardest grapes to get right but when it is, the velvety smooth
wine bursting with cherries and raspberries is a real treat. It can also mature
with more vegetal tangs.
The
Gamay-Pinot Noir Coteaux Bourguignons Rouge (bottle, £38) crammed with summer
fruits was so light, it slipped down a little too easily.
Oozing
blackcurrants with bags of charm and flavour, the robust full-bodied red we
tried next was Veramonte Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile (bottle, £33).
As Kelly was
at pains to point out, the soil where the grapes are grown will play a part in
the final taste of any wine. For example, try a cabernet sauvignon from
France and one from Chile and you should taste the difference.
After some
delicious food and a few more drinks under our belts, the evening was all too
quickly over.
If you are
wondering what wines to accompany your holiday feasts, remember Kelly’s words:
“There is no wrong wine if you like it.”
By Daralyn
Danns
For more
information about wine tasting at the Royal Horseguards hotel visit
Twitter & Instagram: @horseguardsLDN
Twitter & Instagram: @horseguardsLDN
