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What to drink at Don’t Tell Dad
Ahead of the opening of the new Queen’s Park restaurant and bakery later this month, db hears from sommelier Bert Blaize about why smaller wine lists are more difficult to curate, and what to pair with a croissant.
Blaize is a key figure of Norfolk’s wine scene, having founded North Norfolk Cellars in Holt. While his new wine bar in Wells-next-the-Sea was met by opposition from the owner of another such business, Blaize reassures that the process of opening the bar was “straightforward in the end”.
However, while North Norfolk Cellars remains Blaize’s key business focus, he will be forging the wine identity of Don’t Tell Dad, a new restaurant and bakery in Queen’s Park, London from Coco Di Mama co-founder Daniel Land.
“I was introduced to Daniel by a mutual friend and he’s inspiring to work with, his attention to detail and drive is unmatched,” says Blaize. He’s the first ever restaurant owner that’s asked me as a sommelier what I exactly need and how he can make my job easier. Wine is so often an afterthought by many restaurant owners.
“The team are all stars with incredible CVs he’s gone out and got the best suppliers, people and support in the industry. I’m extremely proud to be working with the team,” he continues. “I’ll be curating the wine list, working closely with the chefs to come up with food and wine pairings, and regular team trainings and tastings. We’ll evolve the wine programme there with some exciting ideas in the pipeline. Everything on the list is ready to drink, and the cellar is small but will rotate often.”
Curating the list
According to Blaize, the smaller the list, the bigger the challenge.
“It’s easier to build a large list as it’s a box ticking exercise. But you must make sure a small list is carefully balanced and interesting,” he argues. “I started where I always start with having lunch with the chef, get to know them and understand what kind of food they’ll be cooking, it’s always best to be led by the chef. Having written a book on food and wine pairings this has always been important to me. So many wine lists and food menus have a disconnect.”
Among Blaize’s favourite pairings is tea-smoked trout alongside a 2021 Kallstadter Kabinett Trocken Riesling from Pfalz’s Koehler-Ruprecht: “It’s a real classic pairing the Riesling rips though the trout and balanced out perfectly. The ripeness of the wine sits well with the horseradish and the dish brings out extra complexity in the wine.”
He also suggests enjoying a dish of spiced partridge with carrot and date purée with Trediberri Barolo.
As Don’t Tell Dad will operate as a bakery in the day, it makes sense for Blaize to have considered what to pair with a pastry too: “With a croissant, the 2017 Moelleux, Château La Gontrie from Bordeaux would be perfect. It’s like having fresh apricot jam on your croissant.”
English options
Asked to choose a bottle from the list which may divide diners, Blaize plumps for something rather surprising indeed: “Winemaker Matt Gregory loves to polarise, he’s making ancestral method sparkling wines in that famous wine destination of Leicestershire. He’s a reminder that wine is meant to be a fun drink and not to be taken too seriously. He producers highly drinkable wines with personality. I think consumers will have fun with this wine and for many it’ll be there first experience of an ancestral method wine.”
For an English sparkler which might be more of a crowd pleaser, there’s the 2021 Blanc de Blanc from Burn Valley, in Norfolk.
“We’ll be the first in London to have this and we’re looking forward to pouring and sharing,” notes Blaize. “It’s a small family-owned estate based not far from North Norfolk Cellars. We prefer working with smaller growers that follow the journey from start to finish and are more hands on in the vineyard and cellar.”
By-the-glass
“We like to keep things fun,” assures Blaize, “so from time to time, we’ll open rare and unique bottles and offer them by the glass, pouring them by Coravin. There will also be some real crowd pleasers like White Rioja from Senorio de Librares, well-priced Bordeaux with a little age on it from Franc-Cardinal. Then there’s something fun like the skin contact Pinot Gris from Craven.”
Coravin isn’t the only device being utilised to pour single servings of wine – Don’t Tell Dad will be keeping costs down for diners by swapping bottles for kegs.
“We’ve made sure that the wines available by the glass are both accessible and interesting. Having our house wine on tap is a real advantage. It allows us to pass on the savings from responsibly-sourced, kegged wine to our guests, while ensuring every glass is perfectly served and kept fresh. For those who appreciate wine more seriously, there’s depth and variety that you won’t often find on other lists. Our wines reflect both the character of the place and the winemaker, with special vintages that are drinking at their best right now.”
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