Somewhere in a boardroom, someone pitched “KFC, but make it a wine bar,” and nobody talked them out of it. The result is Coq au Vin, a four-day pop-up landing in Shoreditch this bank holiday that pairs the Colonel’s fried chicken with proper wine from La Vieille Ferme.
The pitch sounds unhinged, and it mostly works once you’re holding a glass. Popcorn chicken gets sparkling rosé, hot wings get a red with enough backbone to survive the Supercharger dip, and Original Recipe tenders get their pick of rosé or blanc.
La Vieille Ferme’s cult “Chicken Wine” label is making a limited comeback for the event. Wine nerds have been quietly hoarding bottles of it for years, presumably for exactly this occasion.
The menu, such as it is
Coq au Vin takes over Kachette Annex in Shoreditch from Friday 28 to Monday 31 August. Each £15 ticket buys a 90-minute slot and the full tasting menu, a decent deal for what’s essentially a sit-down wine flight with a bargain bucket attached.
- Popcorn Chicken with La Vieille Ferme Sparkling Rosé, strawberry, cherry and fizz
- Hot Wings with La Vieille Ferme Rouge, juicy red berries and cherries
- Original Recipe Tenders with La Vieille Ferme Rosé (strawberry, raspberry, nectarine) or Blanc (white peach, hazelnut, melon)
- Original Sauce, Supercharger and Texas BBQ, for dipping and arguing about
Phoebe Syms, Fame & Partnerships Lead at KFC UK & Ireland, says: “We’re iconic fried chicken. They’re the iconic Chicken Wine. Coq au Vin is one of those partnerships that just makes sense, and frankly, we can’t believe it’s taken this long.”
Andrew Bayley at Famille Perrin UK is similarly unbothered by the absurdity of it all: “Great wine and great food don’t have to follow the rules.”
The London x London take: brand collabs usually promise the earth and deliver a branded tote bag. This one delivers a proper sit-down tasting menu, a fun premise, and a cult wine label back from the dead.
£15 for 90 minutes is cheap for what you get. With only four days on the clock, book ahead, walk-in spots won’t last the weekend.
Need to know
- Where: Kachette Annex, 1 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch, London E2 8AA
- When: Friday 28 to Sunday 30 August, 12pm-9pm; Monday 31 August, 12pm-5pm
- Tickets: £15, book ahead
