Cellar Table with Dermot Sugrue and Mark Hix at Sugrue South Downs

We knew when we founded The Society of the Silver Sword that we wanted to host a diverse range of events, in order to work out what really resonates with our members. So far, we’ve hosted a dinner in an exclusive members’ Club, an evening reception with canapés and bowl food, and a casual afternoon tour and tasting (learn more here). We have deliberately experimented with events of different sizes, times of day, price points, and formality levels, in order to ensure that we are truly succeeding in our aim to bring joy by celebrating excellence in English sparkling wine and the pursuit of the noble art of sabrage. We are, after all, not people who do things by halves (unless it’s a tactical half-bottle of fizz on the train on the way to an event, of course…).

When we were talking to our partners and planning our calendar for the year, a possibility emerged for an event that was so totally ridiculous as to be almost impossible to believe. Our dear friends at Sugrue South Downs offered to let us host an intimate banquet at Bee Tree Vineyard, cooked by renowned chef and food writer Mark Hix, and presided over by master winemaker and storyteller Dermot Sugrue.

Suffice it to say, we immediately availed ourselves of this fabulous opportunity, and the resulting event totally surpassed our already sky-high expectations.

We were once again blessed with truly glorious weather, so gathered in the vineyard, then presented Dermot with the official Sugrue South Downs silver sword. He immediately put it to use, recruiting Mark for a dynamic double-act to kick off proceedings.

We then enjoyed a leisurely reception with several glasses of Rock Story, during which Dermot advised the budding viticulturists among us about optimal techniques for cultivating vines, while the less green-fingered started practising sabrage.

When it was time to transition from reception to dinner, we made our way into the winery to find a beautifully-decorated table waiting for us. Mark and his team then proceeded to serve a truly phenomenal dinner, while Dermot talked us through the exquisite wines that had been perfectly paired to each course.

Just before the main course, we had a short spontaneous pause, because we wanted to celebrate the fact that two of our dear friends had just got married—and that despite having just organised their wedding and travelled back from the Caribbean to their home in Germany, they still made the trip over to the UK to attend this dinner. Such staunch support of The Society of the Silver Sword does not go unnoticed, so we asked Dermot whether there was some way in which we could make this already astonishingly extravagant evening even more special.

With a playful glint in his eye, he told us that we were in luck, because he might be willing to part with the last few bottles of his prestige cuvée, Cuvée Dr Brendan O’Regan 2018, which were chilling nearby. We seized this opportunity as quickly as one might imagine, and our friends—both already highly proficient in the noble art of sabrage—opened them in the manner they deserved.

Oh, and there was also a single magnum of Cuvée Dr Brendan O’Regan 2016 remaining in the winery. So we had that too.

After comparing these two majestic wines at length, we resumed dinner, which was even more incredible than any of us could have expected. Many more bottles were opened, much laughter ensued, and it was with the deepest regret that we finally said goodbye to Dermot, Mark, Callum, Amy, and the rest of the team, after thanking them profusely for a truly magical evening.

We will most assuredly be back.