As we kick start 2020, Head Sommelier Fabrizio has created a series of monthly wine tastings to take place in Le Pont de la Tour’s renowned wine cellar, showcasing a selection of his favourite producers.  Introducing The Sommelier’s Cellar.

Join us on Monday 10th February, at 6.30pm, as we kick off our new Sommelier’s Cellar wine tasting series, with a special Australian Wine Tasting with Yangarra Estate.In support of those affected by the catastrophic Australian fires, we will be donating £1 from each ticket sold to support selected Bushfire relief funds.

Yangarra Estate specialises in Mediterranean varieties grown mainly as bush vines. Their whole wine philosophy is built around the Estate’s original, dry-farmed bush vines planted in 1946. These vineyards are spread amongst an extra 70 hectares of creeks, native vegetation and nature corridors. Grenache, Shiraz, Mataro, Cinsault, and Carignan are the stalwart red varieties; Roussanne and Viognier are the major whites.

The following three different wines will be tasting on the evening, accompanied with nibbles.

• Yangarra Estate Roussanne
• Yangarra Estate ‘PF’ Shiraz
• Yangarra Estate Old Vine Grenache

The evening is priced at £30.

All ticket holders will receive a 10% discount when purchasing any wine in the wine shop afterwards, and 20% off the bill (A La Carte only) when dining in the restaurant afterwards, with no corkage fee on any of the wines tasted from the event. 

More information on  Yangarra Estate

In 1862, Ebenezer Ward, the most colourful wine critic of his day, described one nearby vineyard as a “gigantic pyramid of verdure, its slopes and summit clothed with luxuriant vines”. These included “Temprana, Shiraz, Malbec, Carbonet, Mataro, Carignan and Grenache”. The Grenache was considered “especially valuable for its erect, self-supporting habit, its fecundity, and the richness of its must”.

A rival wine scribe of the day, Dr. Alex C. Kelly, wrote in 1867 that while “the two excellent white grapes of the Hermitage – Roussanne and Marsanne – have not been introduced into Adelaide, there is much for us to do in this matter, and it ought to be gone about without delay.”

Planting of the Yangarra Estate vineyards commenced in 1946, when the property was called Lalla Rookh – “love nest”.  In that year, Bernard Smart, who still lives on Yangarra with his wife, assisted his father plant the High Sands vineyard to unirrigated bush vine Grenache. They planted another vineyard adjacent in 1947, but that was enveloped and killed by drifting sand before it got the chance to properly establish.

In 2000, Jess Jackson and his wife Barbara Banke (proprietors of Jackson Family Wines) began investigating Australia’s potential for a world-class Shiraz and Grenache vineyard. A year later they purchased. Yangarra Estate, in awe of the priceless old bush vines which they knew would give the reborn Estate its gastronomic heart and soul.

For more information please call us on 020 7403 8403