WICKHAM WINE BAR AND RESTAURANT IN HAMPSHIRE
- Name: Wickham Wine Bar & Restaurant
- Adress: The Square, Wickham, Hampshire, United Kingdom
- Telephone: +44 1329 832732
- E-mail: clive@wickhamwinebar.com
- Web: www.wickhamwinebar.com
- Cuisine: New English, Mediterranean and Downstairs Tapas Bar
- Drinks: Over 70 World Wines, Spanish Draft Lager, Real Ale & 100% English Apple Cider.
Wickham Wine Bar & Restaurant is located in a Sixteenth-Century Building with Authentic Medieval Wall Paintings. This is a 3 floor with a Downstairs Tapas Bar, Balcony Dining, a Large Working Inglenook Fireplace, an Original Period Frieze (Wall Painting), a Secluded Wine Garden and a Seasonally Based English and Mediterranean Inspired Menus.
FOOD MENU AT THE WICKHAM WINE BAR & RESTAURANT
Starters:
- Mediterranean Mixed Olives with Sun Blushed Tomatoes, Feta, Artisan Breads, Extra Virgin Olive Oil & Aged Balsamic Vinegar
- Fresh Seasonal Soup
- Warm Leek & Goat's Cheese Tartlet with Rocket Pesto
- Gravadlax with Horseradish Cream, Walnut Toast & Summer Salad
- Seared Fresh Scallops
- On Tomato Toast with Serrano Ham & Piquillo Pesto
Lunch:
- Scrambled Eggs with Spanish Bacon or Gravadlax on Walnut Toast with Salad
- Autumn Special: Steak and Chips / Sauces: Brandy & Green Peppercorn & Blue Cheese
- Autumn Special: Fresh Fish & Chips / With Salad Leaves & Saffron Mayonnaise
- Cassoulet: A Classic French Stew: With Confit of Duck & Pork, Sausages, Pancetta & Butter Beans. Served with garlic Bread.
- Whole Crispy Duck Leg or Pork Stir-Fry /with Sweet Chilli, Mushrooms, Spring Onions, Peppers, Spinach, Ginger, Soy & Noodles
- Char-Grilled Lemon Chicken / With Creamy Macaroni, Chorizo, Red Onions & Spinach
Dinner:
- Tapas Platter Special: Hot Smoked Tortilla, Chorizo, Butter Beans & Spicy Peppers, Saffron Paella, Garlic Bread & a Glass of Rioja or Pinot Grigio
- Whole Crispy Duck or Pork Stir-Fry / With Sweet Chilli, Mushrooms, Spring Onions, Peppers, Soy, Ginger, Spinach & Noodles
- Cassoulet: A Classic French Stew / With Confit of Duck & Pork, Sausages, Pancetta, Butter Beans & Garlic Bread
- Char-Grilled Lemon Chicken / With Creamy Macaroni, Chorizo, Red Onions & Spinach
- Irish Sirloin Steak / Served with Balsamic Shallots, Button Mushrooms, Roast Cherry Tomatoes & French Fries. Sauces: Brandy & Green Peppercorn & Blue Cheese
Desserts:
All Desserts Are Home-Made In Our Restaurant kitchen.
- Fresh Vanilla Creme Brulee
- Pear & Roast Almond Tartlet with Gingerbread Ice Cream
- Sticky Toffee Pudding with Toffee Sauce & Salted Caramel Ice Cream
- Dark Chocolate Mocha Mousse with Creme Fraiche & Amaretti Crunch
- Home Made Ice Cream / Liquorice, Fresh Vanilla, Salted Caramel, Gingerbread
- A Selection of Artisan Cheeses / A Selection of Artisan Cheeses with Chutney, Celery, Crackers & Oat Cakes
- A Selection of Artisan Cheeses with Port / A Selection of Artisan Cheeses with Chutney, Celery, Crackers & Oat Cakes served with Port
Tapas:
- Any 3 Tapas with Nuts / Any 3 Tapas below with nuts.
- Mediterranean Mixed Olives with Sun Blushed Tomatoes & Feta
- Garlic Bread / With Lemon & Parsley on Black Olive Bread
- Patatas Bravas with Aioli
- Spicy Onion & Potato Tortilla with Salsa Bravas
- Saffron Paella with Chorizo
- Chorizo, Butter Beans & Roasted Peppers
- Bar Nuts: Chilli Peanuts, Whole Roasted Almonds, Cashews
Specials Board:
Our current specials on the board
- Freshly Steamed Mussels: With Spicy Tomato, Red Onions & Garlic. Served with Garlic Bread
- Local Pheasant & Partridge / Served with Roast Potatoes, Winter Vegetables & Thyme Gravy
- Vegetarian Tapas: Saffron Paella, Hot Smoked Tortilla, Olives, Patatas Bravas with Aioli & Garlic, Lemon & Parsley on Black Olive Toast
- Fresh Fish Daily: Served with Seasonal Vegetables, Saffron Mayonnaise & Saute Potatoes
VILLAGE OF WICKHAM IN HAMPSHIRE
Wickham is a small village and civil parish in Hampshire, England, about three miles north of Fareham. Wickham has a wide and well-proportioned square lined with historic buildings and is designated a conservation area.
Wickham's historic village square is home to a number of bars and restaurants, as well as boutique shops and hotels. Wickham is also home to the Chesapeake Mill, a former water mill which now serves as a retail centre for antique and gift sellers.
Wickham has its origins perhaps as far back as the Stone Age, but was certainly settled by the Romans, who most probably built one of the original bridges over the River Meon. Wickham is mentioned in the Domeday Book of 1086, when it had a population of about 120.
Wickham continued to grow larger and more important. In 1269, the people of Wickham were granted the right to hold weekly markets and an annual Fair. This traditional gypsy horse fair is still held in Wickham on 20th May each year.
William of Wykeham grew up in the town. He went on to become Bishop of Winchester in 1366.
Wickham was a busy and thriving market town with a tanning industry and a brewing industry. Sadly, these are no more.
Today, Wickham is a picturesque village known for its historical buildings. In 2007, Wickham was named Hampshire Village of the Year and now has a population of over 4,800. It is noted for the large formal square which dominates the town centre. It is England’s second largest medieval market square, covering two acres. Here you will find 15th and 16th century workers’ cottages next to well-preserved Georgian villas.
The Wickham Wine Bar & Restaurant is an open hall timber framed building with a continuous jetty which dates back to the 15th Century. In the upper dining area, you can still see the wonderful medieval wall paintings, dating back to the 16th Century. There are original oak beams throughout the building.
This is truly an atmospheric setting for a meal where you are surrounded by history and character.
HOW TO MATCH FOOD AND WINE
Food, glorious food made even better by a well chosen glass of wine.
Food and wine matching knits a little art, a little science, and a lot of trial and error. Quite often it is better to lean heavily on instinct and luck to create decent matches. Remember, getting it wrong will ultimately help you to get it right.
In the pat our approach to pairing food and wine was simply red meat went with red wine, while everything else went with white. They were conservative times. The hard-and-fast rules weren't there to be broken. But times changed. We ate, drank, travelled, observed, and learned. Slowly we became more adventurous with food, and ultimately more confident.
We wanted to know more about what we were eating, and about wine, too. It was only a matter of time before we put the two together. In the world of food and wine matching, there are those who follow the rule book to the letter, and those who would happily watch the rule book go up in flames. Wherever you sit, remember this: It's not so much about a wine's colour as it is about the balance of flavours and textures of both the food and wine when combined. This is the essence of good food and wine matching.
When it comes to matching food and wine, there are several schools of thought. There are the traditionalists, who keep things classic and pure by creating conventional pairings. There are the noncomformists, who'd rather break the rules. Then there's the new breed: Those who understand and respect the classic combinations, but enjoy pushing the boundaries, too. And, of course, there are those who couldn't care less.
TEXTURES
Consider the weight of the food and the wine. as possible, in order to create the foundation for the match. Next, look for flavours that are similar or at least complementary to one another. Zoom in on texture and how the acidity, tannin, sweetness, and temperature of the wine will help or hinder the dish. Making this all work is one of the hardest parts, but often it produces some of the best matches.
- Weight: The weight or the "feel" of the food or wine in your mouth is the key to food and wine matching. First and foremost, you want to try to match the weight of your food and wine evenly, so that one doesn't overpower the other.
Think of freshly shucked oysters and Champagne, a grilled piece of fish and a glass of crisp dry white, a salad of tomato and mozzarella with a glass of rosé, a juicy steak and a great big glass of red, sweet wine and blue cheese. As the food gets heavier, so, too, should the wine.
How to match weights: Balancing weight is the key. This way the subtleties and best parts of each are highlighted, rather than pushed to one side and ruined by a "heavier" partner. Now, when we talk about weight, we're not talking in "grams" or "kilograms", but rather the "feel" of either the food or the wine when it's in your mouth. For example, steamed piece of chicken is much lighter than the same piece of meat stuck in a casserole dish and roasted with a bottle of red wine and a whole block of butter.
Wine weights at a glance:
- Light: Riesling; Pinot Grigio; Gamay
- Medium: Sauvignon Blanc; Merlot; Pinot Noir
- Heavy: Oaked Chardonnay; Cabernet Sauvignon; Shiraz/Syrah
- Flavour: Understanding complementary flavours will usually mean the difference between a good match and a great match. Those of you with an above-average knowledge of food have a real head start here. Being able to identify specific flavours is one thing, but knowing which flavours will complement those you've identified is another skill altogether. This is where chefs have a real advantage.
- How to match flavours: Start by looking for common flavours, or "hooks", between your wine and food. Some of these will be more obvious than others. Let's use a good old roast chicken as an example, with its sweet, full-flavoured meat that becomes richer thanks to time spent in the oven. Assuming you've already got the "weight" thing under control, you should be looking for a wine style with a richness of flavour to match. Next, take it a step further by thinking about complementary flavours.
Chicken is very good with lemon, thyme, garlic, butter, and mushrooms, all of which has me thinking of a full-flavoured white wine, probably with a bit of oak, and more than likely Chardonnay. Watch out for lemon and lime, chillies, and other heavyweight spices. Also, some wines will challenge certain dishes - for example Gewurztraminer, Viognier, and other aromatic styles. But, see pages 108-112 and 120-129 for more of my favourite flavour matches.
- Acidity: All wine contains naturally occurring acidity that´s an essential part of every wine´s make-up. Acid helps to balance a wine's flavours, adding a crisp, sometimes mouth-watering character to it. As a natural preservative, acid also plays an important role in helping wine to age. You can't smell or taste acidity in wine, you simply feel it. It registers as a "pins-and-needles" sensation that you pick up on either side of your tongue.
How to match acidity Beyond flavour and texture matching, other essential ingredients in the marriage between food and wine are "tools". Acid is one of these.
Often described as "sour" or "sharp", acidity is a naturally good tool for cutting, cleansing, and refreshing. Think salty battered fish washed down with a nice cold glass of bubbles - the acidity in the wine helps to cut through and strip away any oily y textures left behind, while cleaning and refreshing your palate at the same time.
In the grand scheme of things, finding a wine with the right tools is just as important as finding a wine with the right flavours and texture. Acidity in food usually comes via a squeeze of lemon or lime, or a splash of vinegar somewhere during the preparation. While a little bit is fine, too much acidity in a dish can make your wine seem flat and dull. The same thing goes for wine, too much acidity in your wine will kill off the flavours of your meal. Finding a balance is the key.
- Tanning: Tannin in wine comes from the skins and pips of grapes and is one of the best tools for matching "meaty" food.
Tannin helps to improve the colour, texture, and structure of wine. This doesn't apply to all wines, though, as tannin is far more common in reds where the skins spend more time in contact with the juice.
Like acidity, tannin has no smell or taste. Just texture, which at its most obvious registers as a bitter drying character on the back of your tongue. It can feel coarse and grainy, or silky and smooth, much of which depends on the grape variety and how it was handled in the winery.
For example, if you put the kettle on. It boils. You make yourself a cup of hot tea but, before you have time to remove the tea bag, the phone rings. You answer it, you talk, and you forget all about what you‘d been doing previously. By the time you eventually return, your cup of tea is jet-black, luke-warm. and as bitter as anything you've ever put in your mouth. That right there is tannin.
- How to match tannin: Tannin is one of the true heroes of food and wine matching. Like acid, tannin is a really useful tool. Another good cutter, tannin is great at working to get through major obstacles such as protein and fat. Italy's red superstar, Sangiovese (the main grape in Chianti), is a good example. Hard going to drink on its own due to high levels of tannin, yet pair it with the right foods (meat, pasta, or anything a little bit fatty) and you'll struggle to find a better match.
Tannin levels in wine:
- Light: Most white wines; Gamay; Cabernet Franc
- Medium: Tempranillo; Malbec; Grenache
- High: Sangiovese; Shiraz/Syrah; Mourvèdre
- Sweetness: Sweet food needs a wine of equally sweet proportions. Get that right, and you are heading for a match made in heaven. Sweet wines are made in a different way from dry wines, and can have varying levels of sugar in them. Instead of all the natural sugar being fermented to alcohol until the wine is dry, some is kept in the final wine. How much depends on the wine style being made, from off-dry to super-sweet.
- How to match sweetness: Sugar poses a number of challenges for wine and, as a result, great combinations are likely to require a bit more thought. Gelato needs Moscato, Thai food needs off-dry Riesling, pan-seared foie gras needs Sauternes, sticky toffee pudding needs Pedro Ximenez, and Stilton needs port. Well, at least that's what the rule book says. Experiment for yourselves, but know that as the weight and intensity of your food go up, so, too, should the weight and sweetness of your wine.
- Tricky sweeties: Fruit comes in such a vast range it can make it hard to match. But, demi-sec fizz and Moscato work well with most fruit, slightly chilled light red wines are brilliant with summer fruit, while late-harvest Riesling, Tokay, and Muscat all suit tropical fruit. Keep port, Madeira, Marsala, and sweet sherries for dried fruit.
Sometimes it is best to appreciate food and wine separately. Dark chocolate and rich chocolate dishes show off best alone, while the top sweet wines (Sauternes, German Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein) do also. There are a few partners for chocolate however, including southern French sweet reds (Banyuls and Maury), Amarone from Italy, and liqueur Muscats.
- Temperature: Temperature is key when it comes to both food and wine, and has the ability to make or break a match. You can tick every box. You know what you're eating, and you've found a wine with all the right flavours, the right texture, and the toots to match. And yet all that hard work can be let down by something that is completely within your control wich is temperature.
You're out to dinner. You're having chicken and have settled on something full-bodied and white, Chardonnay. Your food arrives at the same time as your wine, and as it's poured, the wine makes the glass quickly frost up with condensation. Your wine is freezing. For the next ten minutes as it comes up to temperature, it might as well be a glass of water. Meanwhile as your wine thaws, your food is getting cold.
Understandably, if the wine has been poured, of course it's easier to warm a wine up than it is to chill it down. Remember the old hands-round-the-glass trick. But, if you are in a restaurant, do ask for an ice bucket with water and ice for a bottle of white that is too warm, and don't wait to take an iced-up-bottle out of its bucket if it is freezing cold.
- Changing seasons: The whole temperature debate can be further fuelled by mentioning that tastes change depending on the temperature outside, so choose your wine according to taste. A heavy, warming red might not be the best option for a sweltering summer barbecue, while a super cool, racy white might not make the cut for a cosy night spent in front of the fire.
What temperature does to wine:
- Weight is not so obviously affected, but to a certain degree will follow the rules for flavour.
- Flavour will be less obvious if too cold or more obvious if it is warm because the aromas in wine are subdued or enhanced accordingly.
- Acidity is defined better when the wine is cold, it is key for white wines
- Tannin becomes bitter and more aggressive in a red wine that is too cold, but softens as it warms.
- Sweetness is always better chilled. The colder a sweet wine is, the less obvious the sugar and more zingy the wine.
INGREDIENTS
Always consider the individual ingredients, the overall dish, and how you intend to prepare it. All of this will have a huge impact on the success of your match. Fish, shellfish, poultry, game, meat, and cheese. Each is simply a "gateway" to a more expansive and diverse range of products - each in turn with its own distinct set of aromas, flavours, and textures. Add a whole variety of cooking methods, accompaniments, and sauces to the mix, and you begin to realize that there's all number of variables to consider when you're looking for the right wine.
- Fish and shellfish: White wine goes with fish. Yes, we all know that, although ordering or cooking seafood shouldn't always see you revert to the same old safe options. Generally speaking, white wine is well suited to all manner of things from the sea, but with the exception of full-throttle reds, there are plenty of great and far more exciting options to be had.
- Poultry and game birds: While it all comes with a set of wings, that's about where the similarities between poultry and game birds begin and end. At one end of the spectrum, you have chicken, turkey, goose, and pheasant. These are the milder tasting birds and are perfectly suited to full-flavoured whites. Some degree of oak will really help you here. At the other end of the Spectrum, you have the extreme. Duck, pigeon, squab, and grouse. Intense, full-flavoured birds, birds that can smell so strong they have the ability to clear a room in seconds. For this reason you need structured, earthy reds with a good balance between sweet and savoury.
- Pork: For most carnivores, the bloodthirsty combination of meat and wine is just about as good as it gets. This is the territory where reds of all shapes and sizes really come into their own, although, as always, there are one or two exceptions just to keep us on our toes. Pork is the anomaly in that it works well with both full-flavoured whites and similarly heavy reds. It all depends on how you cook it: Chargrilled pork chops with Chardonnay; Stuffed and rolled porchetta with cavolo nero (black kale) and Sangiovese; Chinese roasted pork belly with sparkling Shiraz; Sweet suckling pig with southern Italian reds such as Primitivo, Negroamaro, and Nero d'Avola; and six-hour slow-roasted shoulder of pork with salsa verde and Grenache. The choice is yours. Grape Varieties: Chardonnay; Sangiovese; Shiraz; Primitivo; Grenache
- Lamb and mutton: Lamb, whether pan-fried, chargrilled or slow-roasted, shares a mouth-watering bond with Cabernet Sauvignon, although this wine could quite easily be substituted for any full-flavoured red with enough depth of flavour and dry grippy tannin. Look for robust, sun-soaked reds full of leathery spice and earthy flavours: Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, and Amaron-style wines from Spain, Portugal, and Italy, respectively, will serve you well. Grape Varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon with lamb, Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, and Amarone with mutton
- Veal: Veal needs the fruit sweetness and softer structure of wine styles such as Valpolicella Classico, Carmenère, or Merlot, while Its older sibling demands wines with more. Grape Varieties: Valpolicella; Carmenère; Merlot.
- Beef: Beef calls for heavy artillery. And considerations when looking for an appropriate wine match should include how long the meat has been hung (or aged), the amount of marbling (or fat) it contains, and how it has been prepared. Aged meat needs wines with greater intensity and richness, while younger cuts need examples not only with flavour, but structure, too. If you can, be wary of heavy sauces and reductions that can really spoil the flavour of both the meat and wine. Shiraz, Grenache, Mourvedre, Zinfandel, Malbec, and Carignan will all be worthy contenders, although there is certainly no shortage of great steak wines out there, too. Grape Varieties: Shiraz/Syrah; Grenache; Mourvedre; Carignan; Zinfandel; Malbec.
- Cheese: Just as wine is the product of grape juice, cheese is the product of milk. Every variable that can influence how a wine turns out can (and will!) also be seen in the cheese making process. Good matches are easy to produce, largely because you are simply combining two finished products, although there are a few things that you'll need to consider along the way. Consider texture, light and delicate, soft and creamy, hard and dry, heavy and intense. Balancing the weight of both your wine and your cheese as evenly as possible is step one. Next up consider flavour, generally the more flavour you have in your cheese, the more flavour you will need in your wine. Acidity is important, too. It's no great coincidence that high acid cheeses, such as fresh goat's cheese, work beautifully with high-acid wines such as young Sauvignon Blanc. And, finally consider mould, mould can often make dry wines seem fruitless and bitter. Both sweet and fizzy wines are good options to combat this. Grape Varieties: Sangiovese with Parmigiano-Reggiano; Pinot Gris with Morbier; Sauternes with Roquefort; Gewurztraminer with Munster; Grenache with Berkswell; Chardonnay with Brie; Botrytis Riesling with Cashel Blue; Rosé with mozzarella di bufala; Off-dry Riesling, with Comté; Pinot Noir with Epoisses; Sauvignon Blanc with feta or chevre; Amontillado sherry with Manchego; Proseco with Gorgonzola dolce; That trusty old classic, Port with Silton.
COUNTRY
- European food: Ever wondered why wines that under normal circumstances you probably wouldn´t drink, and almost certainly wouldn´t buy, tasted so good on holiday, but not so great back at home? While much of your enjoyment of wine is often part of a bigger emotional experience, the fact that a particular local wine works so well with a particular local dish is no great surprise, and more likely the result of many hundreds of years worth of refinement and fine-tuning. Italian food with Italian wine. French food with French wine, Spanish food with Spanish wine, and Asian food with German wine. Yep, there's always the odd exception, but. from my experience, most things go for a reason.
- Asian food: Designed to contrast a mixture of flavours and textures. Asian cooking largely concentrates on four key cornerstones: sweet, sour, salty, and hot. Cornerstones that individually prove a big enough challenge for most wines, let alone having to face two or three of them at once. Common hurdles include wines with excessive alcohol and oak, both of which have a nasty habit of overpowering delicate flavours. Overly tannic wines can be a real problem, too, particularly when it comes to balancing subtle textures. Also, when combined with the raw hit of fresh chilli, wines that are naturally high in acidity but low in sweetness can make spicy food seem mind-numblingly hot. Asian dishes can be some of the hardest to match wines to due to there being no obvious partners as there are with European dishes.
Good Wine Matches for Asian Food:
- Delicate and aromatic food-styles such as Thai and Vietnamese require wines of similar nature. Riesling. Gewurztraminer, and often those with a bit of sweetness, will be spot on.
- The richer, earthier flavours found in both Japanese and provincial Chinese cooking should have you looking at varieties such as Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
- Heavier sauces and the use of dried fruit and spices in much Indian cooking will require you to seek out wines richer in flavour, but softer in texture. Viognier, Merlot, and a cast of unwooded reds from warmer parts of the world should be top of your list.
SEASON
Each season has a massive impact on the colour, the smell, the flavours, the weight, and the texture of food. Also indicates the type of wines customers, will order.
- Summer sun: Summer dishes come to life with bright and vibrant flavours. Juicy Sicilian peaches with paper-thin slices of sweet prosciutto and a drizzle of good olive oil quite literally signal the best of summer on a plate. This is the time of year for light wines. In particular, crisp unwooded whites, dry fruity rosé, and lightly chilled reds.
- Earthy autumn: As summer wears into autumn, flavours became richer, earthier, and more intense. Heavy whites become light reds as those blue skies become grey. Autumn is the season when wild mushrooms, dried woody herbs, greens that come with the first of the season's frosts, chestnuts, rabbit, quail, pheasant, pigeon, partridge, and duck are officially ready to eat. And it's a time of year when certain wines really come into their own. In particular, some reds and fuller whites.
- Winter warmers: Winter cries out tor robust, hearty ingredients. Slow-cooked meats, thick soups, and roasted root vegetables. Dishes that can quickly make you feel warm again. Big gutsy reds shine, wines with weight and stuffing.
- Spring fresh: At this stage, you know spring is just around the corner. Chilly mornings, sunny days, the return of green to the garden, short sleeves for the overly enthusiastic. Even the odd smiling face during rush hour. Like a rush of blood to the head, the first signs of spring come as a welcome relief from the bleakness of winter.
And you think the weather doesn't affect people's demeanour? Look around you. If you've been meaning to see the bank manager, spring is the time to do it. As Mother Nature's mood changes for the better, so, too, does the outlook for food-lovers. This is the season for eating. Springtime brings with it an abundance of great new produce: Asparagus, peas, broad beans, lamb, and great fish. And the drinking isn't so bad either, with fresh whites, delicate pinks, and soft reds the colours of the season.
Keep it simple: Sauvignon Blanc with goat's cheese, broad beans, basil, lemon, and mint; rosé with the season's sweetest tomatoes you can lay your hands on; and that all-time food and wine classic, Cabernet Sauvignon with sweet spring lamb. When spring finally arrives, a cast of fresh young wines step up to the plate and create some of the year's best food and wine combinations.