The Art of the Table is part of a series put together by FineWinesnMore as part of their WineEssentially programme, an exclusive wine consultancy service for members. The evening, which started with flutes of Prosecco and mango mimosas moved on to a lavish sit down dinner where the three Il Borro wines were paired with an extensive dinner table set up by Chef Vijay Malhotra and his team.

It began with the signature Windsor antipasti table, laden with cheeses (provolone, Grana Padano, bocconcini, camembert), olives of every size and flavour, Scottish smoked salmon, cold meats (chorizo, pepperoni) and delicious canapés like the tartlet of brie, leek and caramelized onions with berry marmalade. The antipasti was a huge hit with the suggested pairing, a delicately balanced and unusual chardonnay, Tenuta Il Borro Lamelle Toscana Bianco IGT, with its elegant structure and fine balance.

If that wasn't enough, a second room opened up to display buffet tables laden with a range of foods offered with pairing suggestions for the full-bodied Tenuta Il Borro Pian di Nova Toscana Rosso IGT (shiraz and sangiovese) and the intense, ripe fruit-rich and dry Tenuta Il Borro Toscana Rosso Il Borro IGT (a blend of merlot, cabernet sauvignon, shiraz and petit verdot).

As guests picked their favourite wines, they tasted them with a variety of dishes, from mustard marinated crab cappelletti to duck and pomegranate risotto, from osso bucco, chicken cacciatore and lamb giambotta to grilled prawns, stuffed jacket potatoes, roasts of lamb, Virginia ham and tenderloin, and a wide selection of salads. The dessert display, that wound up the repast, was a chocoholic's delight and consisted of an irresistible array of chocolates with centres ranging from mint to pecan - as well as pannacotta and tiramisu.

Craig W Wedge, senior vice president FineWinesnMore kept the guests both amused and educated as he walked them through the wines for the evening.
Right: Craig W Wedge, senior vice president FineWinesnMore

The Ferragamo family does not only produce some of the best designed shoes and bags in the world, they also have a taste for fine wines, a passion which led them to buy the Il Borro vineyards in Tuscany. Wedge said the Art of the Table in any language meant more than good food and wines. It also meant good company and a wonderfully happy feeling at the end of such an evening.

The guests that night were in complete agreement!