To Broadstairs We Shall Go

Thursday the 30th arrived. The last day of September (& the best day that ever there was, i.e. Chix’s “Happy Birthday!”). There we were: two girls, one guy, one white van and a whole lot of wine. Kent was calling. We had the Broadstairs Food Festival to get to: the debut of our Bubbly & Oyster Bar was nigh! More bivalve mollusk, exquisite French sparkling wine and battle of marquee v.s. the elements than sex, drugs and rock ‘roll. That’s how we do it at Hix & Buck (H&B) - and by that mighty, always brimming chalice of Bacchus did we have fun! Read on for a firsthand account of the bon vivant life of wine folk on the road...

Broadstairs, along with the more well known Ramsgate and Margate, makes up the seaside locale known as Thanet. After running to rip roaring success last year, the Broadstairs Food Festival was back in 2010, bigger and better than ever with over 70 stalls celebrating the vibrant gastronomic scene, from producers to restaurants, that imbues this corner of Kent. Those familiar with H&B will know that we are a London based company at present. What most don’t know is that we have a firm and growing fan base down in Thanet. So the festival was the perfect opportunity to let the corks pop and the rest of Kent flow in our home away from home! It was beyond brilliant to be working alongside such great names that we’ve paired up with, like the team from the phenomenal Age & Sons (who, alongside great food,

mix a mean Bloody Mary), and The Ambrette’s Dev Biswal - the passion behind the culinary half of our recent (and bloody tasty!) tasting menu collaboration. A particular highlight for us was a local couple who regularly dine at Peens (of Broadstairs) and were chuffed to find that their favourite rosé on the wine list was our Isidora - and now a whole wealth of wine to discover within our coffers.

But what is a Bubbly & Oyster Bar without its oysters? Shout out to our partner in crime for the weekend Eddie Gilbert’s of Ramsgate, who know all things fish according to the critics - and the locals. Owner Jonny Dunhill grooved his way through the weekend with us, shucking here there and everywhere, and developing a particular penchant for the Brut Rosé! Thanks to him, we now know the difference between Rock and Native oysters (that being while both are delicious, one salty, slimy creature of the sea is insanely better than the other. Like to know which? Well pop down to Eddie’s, see what you think and wash them down with a glass of our chardonnay. All in the name of science, of course.)

So, to come to the festival itself. Our corner charmed, it delighted, it conquered. We were sophistication meets good times and when we had the music going, bubbly flowing and oysters shucked, it was the bee’s knees. Thank goodness because the weather left a lot to be desired on the Friday! Wet, grey and blustery were the three words that described that day. Nonetheless, intrepid souls braved the elements and we had a great time chatting to them as they revived themselves over a glass of our award-winning Mas d’Intras Grenache, or Helvien 50% of that wonderful red fruit & liquorice complemented by 50% Syrah: if Mr. Darcy was a wine, it’d be this bad boy). Yes, we know it was a ‘Bubbly & Oyster Bar,’ but we’re so smitten with the rest of our list - and not everyone is a fan of effervescence - that we thought we’d better bring the others along for the ride.

Everyone knows about the marriage of whites and seafood and our Mainart Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc proved the dictum to the letter. It was all down to personal preference in the end; whether you preferred the green apple notes and full, rounded flavour of the Chardonnay, or perhaps the zesty, fresh fruit of Sauvignon to sip on whilst you enjoyed your briny bounty. Even our Isidora Rosé (if the Helviens is Darcy, than this pellucid, strawberry and summer suffused tipple is the exceedingly pretty, exceedingly good Jane Bennet) was popular - especially with the prawns. But, as good as these wines are, we were a Bubbly Bar that weekend, and the bubblies were, without a doubt, the stars of the show...

We decided on taking the Brut Rosé, Brut Chardonnay and Sparkling XO from our J&L Charlemagne range. Pink bubbles, Silver bubbles and Cognac infused bubbles: the perfect trifecta for the various ‘research’ parties that sprang up around our bar over the course of the festival! All our bubblies are made in the Methode Traditionelle (the established method for creating sparkling wine, including champagne) and all are gorgeous examples of why there’s so much more to sparkling wine than a Reims post code. J&L Charlemagne’s vines grow across the Petite and Grande cognac terroirs, where the soil and climate of the region is regarded as the very best. So, what with their exceptional terroir and ancestral expertise in Methode Traditionelle, it is little surprise that they are very good at making very good bubbly. The well-balanced, hazelnut meets plum, Merlot-Cabernet-Chardonnay blend that is the Brut Rosé wooed many a party with its deep pink hues. Then there was the Brut Chardonnay showing off its grape’s typical full, rounded flavour complemented by a freshness and delightfully long finish. But the standout performer was the Sparkling XO, a bubbly where innovation is perfectly balanced against tradition. J&L take their own Ugni Blanc grapes to make their XO cognac and then blend 1% with 99% chardonnay. The result? A sparkling wine that distinguishes itself by its difference; an excellent aperitif and special moment bubbly that took the festival by storm. We’d sold out by the end of Saturday!

Overall, it was a great weekend, showcasing our gorgeous wines to interested people. The vibe was buzzing and the number of new friends we made (especially those that just kept coming back over the three days) was brilliant. Completely made our festival. Now autumn’s here, watch this space for our next event and get thinking about what you want to be drinking this festive season. With six different reds to choose from; bubbly that continues to be almost to hot to handle at our pop-up events; a rosé that thrills regardless of the weather; and whites that deserve their own James Bond alias, you know who to call. What’s more, if you just don’t know what you want, despair not! Because you’ve got all the time in the world to, like our research friends, make your way at your leisure through our bubblies and find your favourite before Christmas is upon us! Is there a better way to spend the upcoming autumn nights? We think not.

Sante!

Dominique, Hix & Buck