Match of the week

Gazpacho and Rueda

Posted by Fiona Beckett (Google+) on June 21 2010 at 16:42

Just squeaking in in time for this week’s match of the week is a great gazpacho and Rueda combo I had at lunch today at a new London winebar 28-50.

I’ll be reviewing it in a few days time but this was really a stand-out combination. The chef Paul Walsh, who used to be no. 2 at Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road, has created a spicy twist on the Spanish classic with a crostino rather than a crouton, topped with a coarsely chopped fresh tomato purée and with some basil, chilli and olives in the soup. It wasn’t hot but it had quite a kick.

I picked one of the least expensive wines on the list, a crisp minerally 2009 Rueda called Herbis - a blend of Verdejo and Viura from ex-sommelier Franck Massard of Epicure Wines. I’ve had Sauvignon Blanc before with tomato-based soups so I thought it would work but the combination was actually quite perfect.

28-50 which refers to the latitudes between which wine can be successfully grown is the latest enterprise from Xavier Rousset and Agnar Sverrisson of Texture. Cleverly they’re selling wines by the 75ml measure as well as the standard glass and carafe sizes so you can easily try more than one.

Image © Francesco83 - Fotolia.com

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