`First Tuesday` Wine Dinner Review at The Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire

The Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire is an absolutely stunning hotel; it`s tucked away within beautiful countryside and yet amazingly it`s within a short drive from the M3 corridor. The hotel`s grandeur is breathtaking as you approach it up the sweeping drive yet once inside, the ambience has an immaculate, warm and intimate sensation that makes you feel incredibly welcome. However, you could say I`m a little biased, as the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire will play host to our wedding in December and we`re also aware it`s a favourite country retreat for high profile celebrities alike.

With that in mind we never need an excuse to keep going back to enjoy the hotels surroundings, and when we heard of the `First Tuesday` wine dinners we were extremely delighted to review the Italian tasting menu.

We had a Chrysler car, courtesy of Diamond Cars pick us up from our front door, we were driven in complete comfort and dropped off right outside the hotel. With the emphasis on enjoying high-quality food and wine, arranging a car to pick you up and drop you off is a fabulous idea especially for such a midweek treat!

Upon arrival in Bar 1086 we sat by the window where we enjoyed views out onto the clay pigeon shooting grounds and a glass of champagne each! The mood in the bar was totally relaxed and it was pleasing to see intimate groups of friends, families and couples socialising together. Next we chose two signature cocktails before we were seated in the Seasons dining room ready to participate in the Italian wine dinner.

Bar 1086

The atmosphere was buzzing with 64 guests present during the evening. I was surprised to see more mature guests there but most were regulars from previous wine dinners and of the hotel, which spoke volumes. We started with canapés that included polenta canerderli with parma ham, tortellini of butternut squash, pine nuts and grated amaretti, and trio of bell pepper mousse. These were served with an extra dry Prosecco, which I love to drink at any time but we missed out on sampling this and two of the other canapés. Sadly, I only got to sample the tortellini but the second course, vine ripened plum tomato salad filled the gap in my tummy with utterly fresh flavours and the best bit about this dish was the smoked Laverstoke Park mozzarella!

The slow roasted loin of Hampshire veal with Yellowfin tuna, caperberries and cured anchovies really hit the spot for me, and the combined flavours were a delight to eat all in one mouthful. This was my favourite course by far. We ended our dinner with slow roasted peaches served with Sicilian pistachio gelato, which provided just enough sweetness without being too overpowering.

Overall we thoroughly enjoyed this luxury interactive food and wine tasting concept, and what made it a pleasure to be there were the staff and management team who were absolutely devoted to making our experience in the hotel definitely one to remember.

Seasons Restaurant

Listed below are other Wine Dinner dates for 2009:

Tuesday 1st September 2009
South African Wines

Tuesday 6th October 2009
Rhone Valley Wines with Chef Cyrille`s Regional Food Pairings

Tuesday 3rd November 2009
New Forest Game Menu with Organic World Wines

In December there is going to be a very special Wine Dinner date, which is still being finalised please call Seasons for more details on 01252 853100.

£55.00 per adult. Dinners start at 7.30pm.

If you have any questions or would like to join them on any of these dates please call Seasons on 01252 853100 or visit the Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire website.