Brett Stephens of The Fabulous Wine Company has been working closely with Noel and between them they are confident that this will be one of the best dining experiences in North Devon this summer.

The idea is to offer a six course tasting menu with the option of matching wines for which Brett will be on hand most nights at the restaurant to offer his expert advice.

As described by Noel, it will be a very intimate, humble and honest affair.

With limited capacity and just a four week run we recommend that you book as soon as possible!

For booking details click here

Fortunately, we were all big enough to ignore the cricket and get down to the serious business of food and wine!

Our six course dinner, which was designed by Brett Stephens of The Fabulous Wine Company and James Duckett, chef/proprietor of The Old Custom House in Barnstaple showed some wonderful pairings of food and wine, the highlight being James's delicious Morrocan Fish Stew which we enjoyed with Bob's intense White Viognier.

Bob Berton gave us some fascinating insight about his history in the wine trade and talked about each on each of the six wines that were served whilst fielding some interesting questions form the diners.

Just to make your mouth water , the full tasting dinner is listed below and don't forget that we are offering a 10% discount on all Berton Vineyard wines until the end of April 2011.

Appetizers on arrival

Lundy crab with mascarpone and green apple on rye lavash

Fig roll with Serrano ham

Foundstone Shiraz Rosé, Berton Vineyards, 2010

*****

Orange and Beetroot Cured Salmon

With walnuts and herbs

Foundstone Unoaked Chardonnay, Berton Vineyards, 2010

*****

Morrocan Fish Stew

The White Viognier, Berton Vineyards, 2009

*****

Rare Roasted Venison Loin

With rocket purée, roasted beetroot and a prune sauce

Berton Reserve Barossa Shiraz, 2007

*****

Selection of West Country Cheeses

With toasted cherry paste and home baked digestive

Berton Reserve Coonawara Cabernet Sauvignon, 2008

*****

White Chocolate and Passion Fruit Custard

With mango filled doughnuts

Berton Reserve Botrytis Semillon, 2009

Effectively, an increase of 15p was added to a bottle of wine and 18p to a bottle of fizz. On a normal bottle of wine, this now takes the duty to roughly £1.75 (still checking this!). And then you pay VAT on top of this - a tax on a tax. Lovely.

By the time you take in to account bottling costs, shipping and distribution (with VAT on the whole lot) it now costs the best part of £3 just to get a bottle of wine in to the UK. 

Just tought you might like to know...

Your tutor is Brett Stephens of the Fabulous Wine Company and the course is held on midweek evenings over eight consecutive weeks in the private dining room of the Old Custom House in Barnstaple.  For each meeting chef James Duckett prepares and serves four dishes which he and Brett have agreed are ideally accompanied by the wines being tasted on that evening and which enable participants to experience the art and joy of matching wine with food.

Over the eight evenings the course is structured to cover:-

• Grapes and wine production; and how to taste a wine.
• Wines of France
• Wines of Germany & Italy
• Wines of Spain & Portugal
• Wines of Australia & New Zealand
• Wines of South Africa & the USA
• Wines of Chile & Argentina
• Sparkling, Champagne & fortified wines

This fabulous opportunity costs just £300 per person for the full 8 evenings which includes wine, food and tasting guides.  For couples we offer a 15% discount, i.e. joint membership of £510.  If you cannot commit to the full course you may select individual modules at £45.00 each.  Club members , i.e. those signing up for the full course will receive a set of six tasting glasses and will be entitled to a 10% discount*  both at the Old Custom House and with The Fabulous Wine Company for the duration of the course.

Following successful introduction and running of the Course in the autumn of 2009, and further courses in 2010, we are planning still further courses for 2011. 

Next course

The date of our next course has yet to be decided upon and depends upon interest.  Telephone the Old Custom House on 01271 370123 to reserve your place.  Or, if you'd like to discuss the content in more details call  Brett Stephens on 0330 440 182 or 07743 752518 or email him with your questions: mail@fabulous-wine.co.uk

* not redeemable in addition to any other offer

To launch these wines, we are hosting a tasting at the restaurant on Thursday 9^th December from 5.30pm to 7.30pm. James will be providing some of his excellent canapés and Brett Stephens of The Fabulous Wine Company will guide you through the wines.

The cost is just £15 per head and bookings should be made through Ellie at The Old Custom House on 01271 370123.

• Quarter Bottle 0.2 litres.
• Half Bottle 0.375 litres.
• Bottle 0.75 litres.
• Magnum (2 bottles) 1.5 litres.
• Jeroboam (4 bottles) 3 litres.
• Rehoboam (6 bottles) 4.5 litres.
• Methuselah (8 bottles) 6 litres.
• Salmanazar (12 bottles) 9 litres.
• Balthazar(16 bottles) 12 litres.
• Nebuchadnezzar (20 bottles) 15 litres.

Our next wine tasting supper will take place at The Old Custom House in Barnstaple on Wednesday 9th June at 7.30pm.

The evening will be based on wine from Languedoc region of south west France and we are pleased to welcome guest presenter Neasa Miquel. Neasa's family has been making wines at the Château Cazal Viel since 1789.

However, wine making at Cazal Viel goes back even further and the superb terroir was first planted by Roman warriors, the ruins of whose villas and an ancient well still stand on the grounds of the estate. Then for almost six centuries from 1200 the monks of the local Abbaye de Fontcaude crafted their wine at Cazal Viel.

Today, Château Cazal Viel is the largest private producer in the appellation and is the Languedoc specialist for Syrah and Viognier.

Working closely with chef James Duckett we have matched five wines with five courses as below:-

Falafel with fish soup Moroccan style Cazal Viel

Chardonnay Viognier d'O c

*****

Seared red mullet, with arancini of shrimps and a saffron beurre blanc

Cazal Viel Grande Reserve Viognier d'Oc

*****

Warm salad of pigs' trotter stuffed with wild mushrooms served with garlic and rosemary crutons

Cazal Viel Syrah Granache d'Oc

*****

Assiette of new season lamb with garlic, tomato and olive jus

Cazal Viel Grande Reserve Syrah d'Oc

***** Bitter chocolate tart with raspberries

Château Cazal Viel AC Saint Chinian Cuvée des Fees

*****

Five courses, five wines, £45.00 per person.

To reserve places please contact Brett Stephens on 0330 440 1812 or 07743 752518 (email: mail@fabulous-wine.co.uk). Alternatively, bookings can be made through Andrew Phillips at The Old Custom House on 01271 370123 (please mention The Fabulous Wine Company when booking).

• Grapes and wine production, how to taste a wine.
• Wines of France
• Wines of Germany & Italy
• Wines of Spain & Portugal
• Wines of Australia & New Zealand
• Wines of South Africa & the USA
• Wines of Wines of Chile & Argentina
• Sparkling, Champagne & Fortified Wines

This Fabulous opportunity costs just £300 per person for the full 8 sessions which includes wine, food and tasting guides. For a couple we offer a 15% discount, i.e. joint membership of £510. If you cannot commit to the full course you may select individual modules at £45.00 each. Club members , i.e. those signing up for the full course will receive a set of six ISO tasting glasses and will be entitled to a 10% discount* both at the Restaurant and with The Fabulous Wine Company for the duration of the course. For the duration of the course, those attending will be entitled to a 10% discount both at The Old Custom House and with The Fabulous Wine Company. For further details or to secure your place for this unique opportunity, call Brett Stephens on 0330 440 182 or 07743 752518 or email: mail@fabulous-wine.co.uk *not redeemable in addition to any other offer.

Another Fab dinner is on its way at The Courtyard Restaurant in Woolacombe. On Wednesday 9th September at 7.30pm, we will be joined by Carlos Latas from Rioja producers Bodegas Paternina. For those of you who have tasted any of the Paternina Riojas you will know the great quality 'old school' wines that will be in store and for those of you who haven't, you will not be disappointed! The wines (from entry level up to Gran Reserva) will be matched with some great Spanish influenced dishes from Chef Noel Corston and you can expect to hear plenty of Spanish patter from Noel and his sous chef. We will start the evening with the Paternina Banda Rosa as an aperitif and this will be followed by five delicious courses and Carlos will talk a little about each wine as it is served. The cost per head (including food and wine) will be just £50 and a full menu will soon be announced on our website. If you would like to book or would like further information, please contact Brett Stephens on 0330 440 1812 or 07743 752518 or email: mail@fabulous-wine.co.uk . We will be organising 8 seater taxis from The Quay in Bideford and from Newport in Barnstaple and, should you require transport from either destination, there will be a small additional cost of £12 per person (this covers transport to and from the Courtyard). As you know, these fun and informative events tend to sell out quite quickly so please do not hesitate to get in touch!

We are pleased to announce full details of our forthcoming dinner at The Courtyard Restaurant in Woolacombe on Wednesday 10th June at 7.30pm. This dinner will showcase the best of locally sourced food and wine with five courses matched with local wines from Yearlstone Vineyards in Bickleigh. Those of you who attended our previous dinner at The Courtyard will know that Noel's food is of an exceptionally high standard and the service and warmth at the venue make for a highly enjoyable evening. The cost for the dinner, including wines, will be just £50 per head and we will also be offering transport for a small additional cost from Bideford and Barnstaple. Below you will find details of the menu: On arrival: Yearlstone Vintage Brut 2006 *** Amuse Bouche Yearlstone Number 3, Delicate Dry Rosé *** Belly of Pork, Surf Clams, Orange, Peas, Wood Sorrel Yearlstone Number 1, Refreshing D ry White *** Pollack, Duck Hearts, Apple, Wild Garlic, Cauliflower Yearlstone Number 2, Soft and Floral Dry White *** Artisan Cheeses Yearlstone Number 4, Light Fruity Red *** Pear Sablé Five Year Old Somerset Cider Brandy *** Coffee and Fudge *** For further details or to book your place(s), contact brett Stephens on 0330 440 1812 or 07743 752518 or email: mail@fabulous-wine.co.uk We look forward to hearing from you soon.

It's Fabulous Gourmet Dinner time again and we are delighted to announce the return of François Pages of Château de Campuget in the Rhône Valley as our special guest - not to mention his wines! Our venue is The Old Custom House in Barnstaple which has a growing reputation as one of the best restaurants in the area thanks to chef James Duckett. François visited us only a few weeks ago for our dinner in Woolacombe and his knowledge combined with his informal style of presentation certainly added to a very enjoyable evening. Château de Campuget is based in Costières de Nimes in the Rhône Valley and produces a stunning portfolio of wines from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Rousanne and Viognier grapes. Combine this with the high standard of food that we know we can expect from James, then we should be in for a fantastic evening for all you food and wine lovers. This eight course dinner, including wines, will cost just £48 per head. For further details and to book your place(s) call Brett Stephens on 0330 440 1812 or 07743 752518.

We are pleased to announce that we have arranged another Fabulous Gourmet Dinner, this time at The Courtyard Restaurant in Woolacombe on 21st April 2009 at 7.30pm. The Courtyard is run by Chef, Noel Corston, who has many years experience both locally and internationally in a number of prestigious restaurants, many of which have held Michelin stars. Noel's food is described as modern European and he sources the freshest and best of local ingredients to which he applies a light touch which encourages the ingredients to speak for themselves. As well as the lovely surroundings of the restaurant (if the weather is nice we may even be able to roll back the sliding roof!) we are also pleased to announce that we have a guest speaker, M. Francois Pages of Château de Campuget. The Château is based in Costieres de Nimes in the Rhône Valley and produces a stunning portfolio of wines from Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre, Rousanne and Viognier grapes. The wines will be matched to each course and Francois will speak about each wine as it is served and will give us some interesting background on Château du Campuget itself. As Noel insists on using the freshest ingredients, the menu will be finalised nearer the time depending on what he feels is the best produce available. However, we do have a sample menu to give you an idea of what to expect:- Parsnip Cream, Rosemary, Truffle Oil... Open Ravioli of Duck Confit with Pumpkin, Apple and Chestnut... Roast Cornish Ling, Herb Risotto, Garlic Chips, Crisp Chicken Wings, Jus Gras... Apple Tart Fine, Ginger Caramel, Earl Grey Ice Cream... For further details, contact Brett Stephens on 0330 440 1812 or by email: mail@fabulous-wine.co.uk

Sorry to say it but Christmas is well and truly on its way. However, with this in mind, we have a number of tastings coming up before the red nosed alcoholic arrives in his red suit and drinks all of your sherry…and we are talking about Santa and not Uncle Ken. Our first tasting (1st & 2nd November) will have a couple of bargains: Casa Solera Chenin Blanc and Bonarda/Malbec; a pair of new French wines from the Languedoc, and a couple of old favourites in the shape of Saint Clair’s 2007 Riesling and the 2003 Les Gauries Saint Emilion. The second tasting (15th & 16th November ) will also kick off with a couple of bargains (South Africa’s Pendulum Semillon/Chardonnay and Ruby Cabernet as well as a couple of Saint Clair’s spectacular Pioneer Block wines: Block 4 Sauvignon Blanc 2007 and Doctor’s Creek Block 14 Pinot Noir 2007. We are pleased to announce that Richard Halliday, Marketing and Design Director of Dartington Crystal, will be with us on Saturday 15th November from 11.30am to 3pm to present some of their wine glasses and explain how the glasses enhance the aromas and flavours of your favourite Fabulous wines. There will also be more tastings in December which we will let you know about in due course.

A WINE TASTING LUNCH AT THE OLD CUSTOM HOUSE, BARNSTAPLE SUNDAY 28th SEPTEMBER 2008 at 12.30pm: With the help of an old colleague and friend of ours, Guy Boursot, we have sourced a number of new and exciting wines from France (soon to be available on-line) and to introduce some of these wines, we would like to invite you to an informal lunch on Sunday 28th September at 12.30pm at the Old Custom House in Barnstaple. I am delighted to announce that Guy will be our guest speaker for the lunch. Guy spent 17 years at Berry Bros & Rudd, the UK’s most prestigious wine merchant and ran his own family business, A. Boursot & Co, for 11 years before returning to his ancestral home in France where he has set up businesses advising both British and French companies and individuals on various aspects of wine. Since 2004 he has developed his wine writing, his vineyard tours business and more recently has set up a wine shop in the historic town of Ardres in northern France. Guy is a member of the Circle of Wine Writers, has appeared on UK television and radio and is an accomplished and knowledgeable speaker. The Old Custom House is now in the more than capable hands of Chef James Duckett. After completing a degree in Business and Hospitality, James first went to France to work at a small Michelin starred restaurant in the vineyards of the Plan Medoc under the watchful eye of chef/patron Christian Sauvage. Having spent a year as Commis Chef, James developed a true passion for French cooking and so Christian Sauvage sent him off to work with his old friend Albert Roux, firstly at his restaurant in Amsterdam at the Grand Hotel and then subsequently at the two Michelin star Gavroche in London. Later, while in London James helped in the opening of Gordon Ramsey’s second restaurant venture, L’Oronger, under Marcus Wareing where a Michelin star was quickly gained, completed a spell at Frederick’s in Islington and then moved to work with Philip Howard at The Square in Mayfair as part of the team which secured the restaurant’s second Michelin star. As well as all of this, he has worked at prestigious eateries in Australia and Spain, adding even further to his international experience. As you can see, this promises to be an amazing way to spend a Sunday lunchtime and we are very pleased to have Guy coming to speak and very excited about having such a talented chef here in Barnstaple. Tickets are priced at just £50 per head to include food and wine. Please contact Brett Stephens as soon as possible to secure your places on 01271 370097 or email: mail@fabulous-wine.co.uk – as usual, we can only book on a first come, first served basis. A full menu can be downloaded below.