M&B’s Harvester and Toby Carvery to match exclusive wines with food

A Chardonnay has been blended to compliment Harvester’s rotisseries chicken and Toby Carvery’s roast turkey.

An ideal pairing with Harvester’s steaks and Toby Carvery’s classic roast beef is the specially-created Cabernet Sauvignon and a Shiraz has been paired with Harvester’s ribs and Toby Carvery’s roast pork.

Each of the wines have labels denoting which type of meat they are best paired with, as well as the grape variety.

Deferred wine choice to others​

The new range was developed following research from Bibendum, which showed 49% of consumers deferred their wine choice to others – due to confidence issues.

Just a quarter of consumers asked by Bibendum said they know what wine they like and 23% of those asked associated choosing a wine with feeling either “overwhelmed”, “timid” or “embarrassed”.

M&B wine buyer Henry Boyes said: “The customer experience is at the heart of what we do and we realised that we could help make dining more enjoyable by reducing the anxiety around choosing wine.

“After discussions with various wine producers around the world it became clear Gabb Family Vineyards was the perfect partner for the project.”

M&B recently partnered with London beer-maker Meantime​ to launch an exclusive golden ale.

Delta Bravo​

The beer is named Delta Bravo and has an ABV of 4.5%. It is brewed with American delta and bravo hops and is the second in a series of four beers to be brewed in collaboration with M&B.

Meantime marketing director Richard Myers said: “At Meantime we are always looking to push the boundaries of modern craft by bringing new and exciting beers to drinkers.

“It was our founding mission and one we follow with each of the beers we brew. Using these exciting hop varieties has enabled us to create something special that we know drinkers will really love.”

Meanwhile, the pub operator posted revenue down 1.5% to £1.1m in its half-year results​ last week.