A BIRD IN THE HAND. NEW WORLD WINES IN AN OLDE WORLDE ENVIRONMENT
Tim Kitchener-Smith is the founder and company director of Kitchener-Smith Wines. Having spent his entire working life involved with wine, previously with Oddbins, and then a successful stint at La Cave in Mayfair, Tim left the UK to set-up a wine shop/bar in the French ski resort of Les Arcs 1950, a brand new, mostly Brit owned, Canadian built mini Disney-World, but covered in snow. 
Now he's back......
A private function
One of the perks of the wine trade, especially when you’re looking to make additions to your list, is being invited out for dinner with winemakers, agents, and other such wine buyers, on a regular basis. These are normally held in private rooms in restaurants normally too expensive to dine in, or at venues perhaps you never even knew existed.
The Merchant’s Taylor’s Company in the City of London dates back, quite amazingly, to before the beginning of the 14th century. Originally The Gild was a religious and social fraternity and founded by an association of citizens who were Tailors and Linen Armourers. The Linen Armourers, an allied craft to the Tailors, made the padded tunics or gambesons worn under the suits of armour. Nowadays, it’s more an association of philanthropic and social character, devoting its energies to educational and charitable activities and forming part of the underpinning of the fabric of the City of London which today, as of old, requires the full support of the members of the company.
Our dinner, courtesy of Bird in Hand, a winery in the Adelaide Hills in South Australia, was held in the library, adjacent to the Merchant Taylor’s Hall, sited between Threadneedle Street and Cornhill that dates back between the years of 1347 and 1392. The library itself, stunning as it is, contains volumes of dealings with London, early books, and a whole host of first editions. Our host for the evening was Justin Nugent, who has the utterly painful task of travelling around the world marketing his family’s wines. On the menu then was a lavish six course dinner, with each dish being accompanied with one of Justin’s wines and a load of hilariously intoxicated tasting blurb to boot. Highlights of the meal that we devoured included a mouth-watering casserole of pheasant and venison, garnished with root vegetables, and a hazelnut and strawberry mille feuille that was so light and delicious I ate my neighbours as well!
Bird in Hand has recently signed a UK distribution partnership agreement with Champagne Lanson, who since 1760 has established an enduring reputation as one of the premier Champagne houses. The appointment is particularly relevant in today’s competitive world wine market, as Australia works to establish itself as a premium producer. The agreement tops off a fantastic year for Bird in Hand who have received constant accolades from leading wine critics, including their Bird in Hand Shiraz being named 2006 Australian and New Zealand Wine of the Year by Winestate magazine for the Bird in Hand 2005. Earlier in the year, the same wine was awarded five stars and won the $30-$40 category of Winestate’s ‘World’s Greatest Shiraz’ challenge. You can purchase this wine direct from Kitchener-Smith Wines for £12 per bottle.
Other wines that we washed down our dinner with throughout the evening were a gorgeously balanced and brilliantly named ‘Two in the Bush’ Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon, 2007 (£10) that displayed an obvious fennel-esque nettley-ness to it, and a Merlot, 2006 (£12), which was so smooth, I could quite happily have finished the bottle myself. The star of the evening though was the limited edition Nest Egg Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004. Only 300 bottles made it into the UK for this particular vintage, and at £26, The Nest Egg has become a bit of a cult wine already. With lashings of brooding cassis and a hint of eucalyptus, this wine, although enjoyable now, could happily lie in a cellar for at least ten years, and grow older more gracefully.
So, thumbs up all round really. A fantastic venue, certainly an establishment I would happily organise a wine tasting or dinner at myself, and best of all, I’ve added four brand new wines to my list that I absolutely have no qualms in bigging up whatsoever.
For more info on the wines mentioned above and to see what else I've been buying up recently, log onto www.kitchenersmithwines.com
