Perfect Pairing

Champagne Brunch The scientific reason you should choose Champagne at brunch

Françoise Peretti, Director of the Champagne Bureau UK, shares groundbreaking research on why Champagne is such an enticing and versatile partner to food.

Wine and food pairing can seem a mysterious art. It has always been a matter of taste, but of which kind – culture, or chemistry? Trends, tradition or tastebuds? We know that Champagne is incredibly versatile and works deliciously with many of our favourite dishes, but why? This is the question we asked Professor Barry Smith, Founding Director for the Centre for the Study of the Senses and his colleague Ole Mouritsen from the University of Copenhagen to investigate. The results were fascinating.

As we all know, our sensory perception of food depends on both taste and aromas, with much of our experience coming from our sense of smell. But while we recognise the contributions made to the tasting experience by salt, sweet, sour, and bitter, many of us forget, or are unaware, that the satisfying taste of many of our most loved dishes is down to umami.

Discovered in 1907 by Professor Kikunae Ikeda in Tokyo, umami is the characteristic savoury taste we find in a stock broth. It’s the intense flavour of shitake mushrooms, the joy we find in a deep meaty stew and the succulence of seafood. Going deeper into the science at the molecular level, the taste of umami is created by the presence of glutamic acid and ribonucleotides, both of which are present in many fresh and fermented foods. Further than that, when glutamates (free amino acids + glutamic acid) combine with specific nucleotides, it creates synergistic umami – an experience that makes our tastebuds fire, delivering a greater sense of pleasure. Naturally, foods that combine these elements have integrated themselves into our culture, simply on the basis that they taste great. Bacon and eggs for example. A ham and cheese baguette. Anchovies and tomatoes on pizza. Champagne and oysters.

So what role does Champagne have to play? Upon conducting their research, Professor Barry Smith and Ole Mouritsen discovered that due to its lees ageing (sitting with the yeast in the bottle) all Champagne contains free glutamates. All Champagne produced is aged in the Producers ‘cellars: for a minimum of 15 months for Non-Vintage Champagne, a minimum of 3 years for Vintage Champagne and up to 10 years+ for Prestige Cuvées (We currently have 1.3 billion bottles of Champagne ageing in the Producers ‘cellars). Therefore, Champagne has the potential to create synergistic umami when paired with the right foods, delivering exceptional pairing experiences. Upon investigation, this is what happens with Champagne and oysters providing all the building blocks for umami synergy. Other pairings include chicken and morels and delicious scallops with pea purée. Right in season now.

As London’s hospitality scene roars into action this June, with more vibrancy and creativity than ever, many of us will be indulging in enjoying food out with friends – and at the heart of the capital’s culture – brunch. So when you go, opt for Champagne. Our recommendations are Champagne and eggs benedict, smoked salmon and scrambled eggs, bacon, or a mushroom omelette to unlock the power of synergistic umami.

SABINE

London’s newest rooftop bar, Sabine has opened in the heart of St Paul’s on Godliman Street. With spectacular views of the cathedral, The Shard, and even the Tate Modern, Sabine offers a relaxed and welcoming vibe, botanical interiors, contemporary cocktails and delicious bar food. And, with two outside terraces, one with a retractable roof for all-weather drinking and dining, Sabine is truly a bar for all seasons.

From afterwork drinks to weekend lounging, Sabine boasts an array of seasonally-changing bar-friendly bites and impressive sharing plates; from burrata with white peach, pistachio and toast; Roast Asparagus with bocarones wrapped in Serrano ham; to delectable chilli and lemon crab sticks with brown crab ketchup.

Big sharing plates include Grilled Lebanese Chicken Flatbreads served with roast biber peppers, ezme, tamarind yoghurt, pickled red onions; and fall-off-the-bone Shiraz braised Short Ribs with celeriac remoulade, crispy onions, focaccia.

An array of beautifully crafted cocktails embrace the bar’s botanical theme using premium spirits, with signature serves including Birds of Paradise, a blend of Belvedere vodka, chambord, elderflower cordial top with Pommery champagne; What The Dickens, mixed with Beefeater 24 Gin, Grand Marnier, orange and lemon juice, fresh raspberries, and topped with Fever-Tree Blood Orange Soda; and Whizz Fizz, a refreshing serve made with Edinburgh Gin Rhubarb & Ginger, elderflower cordial, crème de cassis and lemon juice. Each cocktail is presented in suitably stylish glassware, and delicately garnished making for the perfect social media snap Add to this an array of local gins, great wines and a good selection of champagnes, and you have yourself a fantastic night out.

28°-50° Chelsea

With bustling locations in Marylebone and Covent Garden, independent wine specialists, 28°-50° have launched their third London site. 28°- 50° Wine Workshop & Kitchen Chelsea on the King’s Road.

Similar to its sister sites, the new Chelsea restaurant offers a European, brasserie-style menu alongside a diverse and thoughtfully curated wine selection, offering both old and new world wines plus a small, unique range from their own specialised vineyard in the French Alps.

Boasting seasonal and modern European-inspired dishes, guests are invited to start with an array of light bites such as Truffle Arancini and Artichoke Tempura. Perfect for wine tasting, there are also sharing platters of fine cheese, charcuterie, and a garden platter with hummus and olives.

The main A La Carte menu features delectable dishes such as fresh Crab Salad, Grilled Tiger Prawns, Oysters and seasonal Asparagus to start before moving on to mains such as 28°-50°'s Famous Cheeseburger, Welsh Beef Steaks, and Seared Tuna served with artichoke, courgette, almond and Romesco sauce.

Those with a sweet tooth will delight in the Chocolate Madeleine with Creme Anglaise; or French Vanilla Rice Pudding with caramel sauce and pistachio.

As with each unique 28°-50° location, wine is the central feature. The group recently won the World’s Best Micro Wine-list in the respected ‘‘World of Fine Wine’’ magazine. They will be building on that at Chelsea. The hand-picked mostly European list, put together by a passionate and knowledgeable team of in-house sommeliers, features an impressive variety of Bordeaux, and a vast range of high-end wines by the glass, carafe and bottle, which will change frequently. The exceptional wine list also features 28°50°’s unique ‘Collectors’ List’ of fine wines from several private collectors, meaning guests can try unusual and mature grapes, some of which are rarely seen in London restaurants. Guests needn't worry about being overwhelmed with choice however, as knowledgeable in-house sommeliers are on hand to help advise with their choices.

The new Chelsea location is situated in a late Victorian bank, offering spacious indoor dining as well as a small private courtyard. Large original arched windows flood the impressive space with natural daylight, creating a warm and inviting ambience.

The locations are privately owned and operated Riviera Restaurants and Luxury group, founded by Richard Green, who has plans for further London expansion later in the year.

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E-TRON WELCOMES SLEEK SISTER

One of the latest additions to Audi's ever growing electric offering brings a sporty new style to the original e-tron in the shape of the e-tron Sportback. What's more, the marque have added their signature 'S' to the mix for even more athleticism and poise.

GR SUPRA

The fifth generation of this automotive icon welcomes a 2.0-litre variant bringing with it reduced weight and improved handling for an even more exciting experience.

Returning after an extended absence from the market, the Supra name hit the roads again back in 2019 with the launch of the 3.0-litre variant. Now, Toyota have released a 2.0-litre option opening up the exciting world of Supra to an even bigger audience and in this case, less doesn't necessarily mean less.

Delivering impressive performance figures, the 3.0-litre GR Supra is not to be taken lightly. Boasting 335hp and impressive 500Nm of torque thanks to the turbocharged unit, this straightsix will launch you from standing to sixty-two in 4.3 seconds and swiftly up to a governed speed of 155mph. While the 2.0-litre can't quite boast about the same performance levels, it is still able to hit sixty-two in just over 5 seconds and will achieve the same governed top speed thanks to 254hp and suprisingly muscular 400Nm of torque.

However, where the 2.0-litre might be - ever so slightly - lacking in power and acceleration, it more than makes up for it when you need to turn. Thanks to a 100kg weight saving over the bigger engined version and delivered in a more compact package, the 4-cylinder offers improved inertia characteristics along with better chassis balance for even sharper handling.

In the real world, the difference between power becomes relatively negligible - unless you make a habit of racing at the lights - but when it comes to handling, that is something you make the most of, certainly if you find yourself enjoying some of the many country roads the UK provides.

An unmistakably Toyota sports car, the fifth generation Supra has been expertly crafted by sporting arm Gazoo Racing and received a trip down memory lane when it came to the design department. Taking cues from its predecessors including the 2000GT and previous iteration, the front engined, rear-wheel drive layout lends itself beautifully to the striking exterior design.

The long bonnet and sweeping profile are more than a little reminiscent of cars gone by, and the inclusion of a double-bubble roof and muscular rear wheel arches only support the heritage of

the design. Vast gaping air intakes illustrate the development in cooling and aerodynamic technologies since the disappearance of the Supra name in the early 00's and the overall design continues the impressive legacy its predecessor built.

The compact, two-seat cabin has been designed with one thing in mind - the driver. Everything is targeted on creating the perfect environment for driver focus with sweeping glass surrounding the cabin for improved visibility and minimal switchgear control interference, you can sit back in the cocoonlike bucket seat and enjoy the ride.

Despite the incredibly low stance of the car and almost racelike seat positioning, you will find that both the driving position and passenger seating is surprisingly comfortable, especially when combined with the adaptive variable suspension allowing you to alter the suspension to suit your driving needs. When your passenger would like to enjoy a comfortable ride to the shops, you can soften the impact, and once they've left, you can shift to a stiffer setup and take full advantage of this cars capabilities.

Not only can you select between normal and sport modes for the suspension, but the system will also provide instant response to changes in the road surface, adjusting the shock absorber force at each wheel ensuring a flat posture, improved steering response and of course ride comfort.

There are further benefits to running the smaller 2.0-litre option and they come in the shape of economy and efficiency. Achieving 38.7mpg on a combined cycle and just 167g/km CO² emissions, this is not just a sports car to enjoy speeding through the winding lanes, but an every day runner that won't break the bank when it comes to filling up.

There's no denying that this is stunning looking car and whether you opt for the 3.0 or 2.0-litre version, you can be sure that driving pleasure is at the top of the list the second you step inside. Numerous options are available, but even as a base vehicle - thanks to it being a Toyota - you could happily buy and be happy with the result without even venturing into the optional extra list.

Performance, poise and a bucketful of character born from decades of predecessors, this is a car you can and will enjoy on a daily basis. Just make sure you don't plan on buying too much when you go to the shops, it's not designed to provide substantial luggage space.

TOYOTA GR SUPRA 3.0 PRO

Engine 3.0-litre Turbocharged Straight-Six Power (hp) 335 Torque (Nm) 500 0-62mph (secs) 4.3 Max Speed (mph) 155 (governed) Transmission 8-speed Sports Automatic Fuel Consumption (mpg) 34.4 Carbon Dioxide Emissions (g/km) 188 Price (from) £54,365