Be A Connosieur with Cono Sur

A fantastic menu at at classic restaurant

If I could arrange my perfect evening then the evening I spent at Le Pont De La Tour restaurant at Buttler's Wharf near Tower Bridge would be as close to perfect as it gets.  Le Pont De La Tour offers luxurious French cooking coupled with impeccable service in an ideal setting on the River Thames.

I was there as a guest of Cono Sur wines for an evening of fantastic food and a tasting workshop in Chilean wines from Cono Sur.

This restaurant has its outside patio along side the Thames under the guradianship of Tower Bridge which was perfectly lit up this evening and absolutely beautiful to stroll over on such a fine evening.

A beautiful backdrop 

There were bottles of wine everywhere but we were guests of Cono Sur wines from Chile which meant we had to focus our attention in one direction but it surely was tempting!

The purpose of the evening was to introduce us to some of the wines that Cono Sur have to offer and each wine was matched perfectly to each course.  There was a mixture of food bloggers and wine bloggers at the meal giving the conversation a nice balance.  The food bloggers eagerly taking photos before eating anything and the wine bloggers just tasting!

We were offered a gentle aperitif of a delicate sparkling wine from the Bio Bio Valley, the southernmost vinyards in Chile, made with Chardonnay, Reisling and Pinot Noir grapes and whilst we were sipping this we fired questions at Tom the Head Chef about how to cook the perfect Christmas turkey and side dishes.

Our first course was Smoked Salmon and Trout Paupette, Caviar Creme Fraiche with Herb Salad and Lemon Dressing, light and refreshing way to start the meal. With so many different foods and wines to try it's good to start out light.

There just seemed to glasses of wine everywhere!!

Next we had grilled halibut with pommes galette, buttered kale and red wine jus.  This was delicious! I  haven't been a great fish fanatic in my life time but I am trying to eat more over the last year or so and this piece was certainly something I would love to eat again.  The potatoes were thin and crispy and very tasty. and with two red wines to taste a very enjoyable course. The wine served with this course was 20 Barrels Pinor Noir Reserva, Casablanca Valley, Vina Cono Sur2008.

Succulent tasty fish with crispy potatoes

Our main course was Roast Turkey, Brussel Sprouts, Alsace Bacon, Potatoes Roasted in Duck Fat which was served with two vintages of the same red wine; Ocio, Vina Cono Sur, Casablanca Valley, 2008 & 2009.

Tender slices of turkey and crispy bacon 

Such a warming and pleasant sight to see so many glasses of wine!!

Pudding was White Chocolate & Passion Fruit Buche de Noel served with a dessert wine Riesling "Consecha Noble", Vina Cono sur, Bio Bio Valley.  Sweet after dinner wines are often ignored but are designed to go perfectly with pudding and complement the sweetness perfectly.

Finally we had home made biscuits and chocolate truffles with coffee but there was still plenty of wine to drink up!

We made our way home with a lovely goodie bag provided by Cono Sur including two of the bottles we had tasted and some other great Christmas gifts! Definitely a highlight of my Christmas 2012 season!