When a little bit of Alsace comes to Whitley Bay 🤌🏼
KORK Wine and Deli (74 Whitley Rd, Whitley Bay, NE26 2NE) kind of does what it says on the tin — it’s a wine and cheese deli by the coast. But that’s underselling it. It is distinctly and by some way, the best place to discover, try and buy quality wine and cheese in North Tyneside. Which is very welcome, as the coast is otherwise sadly a bit of a dead spot for serious wine.
They’ve been kicking around for a couple of years now, and throughout lockdown we’ve scranned countless tins of our favourite Ortiz anchovies, smeared chunks of house-fumigating cheese on sourdough loaves, and got sozzled on superbly sourced wines like the now quintessential Gran Cerdo. Missed out on this truffle cheese toastie, sadly, but I’m sure it’ll be back.
Anyway, I saw they were hosting an event last week focussing on wines of Alsace and mountain cheeses. And given that Kate’s favourite glass is an Alsatian Pinot Gris, we couldn’t miss it.
So this is less of a hot take on everything from the night, and really more of a shout out to KORK for being a lush little spot. And not just the KORK staff who are sound AF, but also our hosts for the night. On cheese was Rebecca/Louvre of Cheese, and wines by Fiona McLain of (miss you) Fourteen Drops.
Both are absolute authorities at their respective passions, with a fierce depth of knowledge that you have to respect. And I guess the main thing is that what they’d literally brought to the table was bloody epic.
Five wines and matching Alpine cheeses and general guidance of ‘just see which you like together’. Think some of the meltiest, nothing too offensively blue cheeses, and rarer biodynamic wines which ticked all of my boxes. Admittedly, I love mountain-style cheeses, and wines from Alsace are unlikely to be divisive. But there was not a single misstep or dud, from my usual go-to favourite — a two-year-old Comté, to a 2018 Pierre Frick Pinot Gris. Just delight after delight, and hazy ruminations on ‘just when are we moving to North East France?’
One of the reasons I love events like these is getting to taste something: A) I wouldn’t normally choose, like varieties I’ve never heard of (Alsace Saveurs, or Tomme de Savoie) and B) wines by the glass which would normally be in ‘treat’ territory (that Frick Pinot Gris retails about ~£32). Like so many things in life, the takeaway is always to just trust the professional and you’ll be alreet.
In ‘how to end an evening’ a few generous dollops of just-warmed Mont d’Or spooned from its piney realm, with some Northern Rye sourdough a perfect vessel for shovelling semi-liqiud cheese into ones face. An obvious highlight, served with a glass of an almost-triple-fruited-sour-esque Clair Obscure Macération which is sensational and really just on a whole other plane to what we’re usually drinking on a Friday night in Whitley Bay.
We left with yet more wine and cheese, and some DEYA tinnies which are effortlessly one of the best breweries in the UK. I’ve had a lot of 🤷🏻♂️ IPAs lately, but most breweries can’t even dream of brewing something this good. Quite tipsy, but very well served, I wouldn’t hesitate to book a KORK event again. Tickets were £40pp, so I’d say this would be a lovely gift/way to spend an evening …if anyone wants to take me to the next one…
If you still haven’t been to KORK or missed its existence entirely, consider this your timely prompt for those highlights of the festive period: the picky teas of cheese and biscuits and treacley black chutneys, and the fuck-it-its-christmas treat yourself wines. If you’re still not convinced, go for the house derg, who spends her life garnering tickles from every customer, so she can mop up the dregs of leftover Comté. It’s a dog’s life, eh?
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