A crucible of creativity: Bottle Apostle supper club with Filipa Pato & Leandro Carreira

Dynamic duo Leandro Carreira & Filipa Pato

Worlds collided on Monday.  Fine wining and fine dining.  Nothing new there, you might say.  But actually, not so common for them to collide at your local wine merchants.

A smoky roe amuse worked well with Filipa Pato’s 3B Baga fizz

Hackney Wick-based independent wine merchant Bottle Apostle has really upped the game here, not for the first time bringing in Michelin-starred Viajante’s Leandro Carreira to work his magic at their 14 seater “supper club.” And what better partner than the wines of Filipa Pato?

Strips of cuttlefish & pickled cauliflower stem a fine match for Filipa Pato Nossa Calcario Branco 2011

Both Carreira and Pato are brilliantly versed in technique.  Sourcing is off beat but impeccable. And how the creative juices flowed!  Inevitably, there was a love in.  Oh, and did I mention they’re both Portuguese!

The sweeter, richer 2012 Nossa Calcario Branco squared shoulders with an intensely rich “bisque-like” duck egg sauce while retaining the delicacy to match the leek and crab

Pato spoke passionately about the alchemy which lengthy macerations (for perfect polymerisation) work on the Baga grape’s notorious tannins (QED Filipa Pato Nossa Calcário Tinto 2010).

Carreira about cooking Iberico pork pig cheeks for three days sous vide to break down collagens to tender, gelatinous effect (much tastier than that sounds!)

And funnily enough, these mirror cooking and winemaking techniques came together to sublime perfection in Filipa Pato Nossa Calcário Tinto 2010 with Iberico pork, which I forgot to photograph! Though I must say even it was surpassed by the final course, which reminded me just how uniquely fresh and delightful Baga is when fortified. Pato is the only one doing it at the moment but she revealed that it’s about to be officially recognised with the Bairrada DOC moniker – good for her!

We gave thanks for this, my match of the night – squash with sour cram toffee, roast lactose & yarrow, paired with Filipa Pato’s exquisite fortified Espirito de Baga

As the photos (and captioned wine matches) bear witness, with its candlelit, initimate setting, the night was as convivial as it was creative.  How lucky was I to be invited along as a guest.  I’d highly recommend watching out for the next thrilling installment here.  I shall.  And from Pato, whose 2013 amphora-aged white is a new cuvee in the making.