Out & About Winter 2018

From the Naked Grape, Hungerford

Snapper Rock Pinot Gris, Marlborough, New Zealand, £11.99 per bottle A refreshingly dry Pinot Gris with great concentration. Attractive aromas of apricot mingle with fresh fig. The palate has a rounded core with flavours of ripe yellow stone fruits with notes of tropical fruits and exotic florals. If you need a change from the same old same old, this is the wine for you. (Top Tips comment – Pinot Gris is known elsewhere as Pinot Grigio but here the Kiwis work their usual magic)

Chateau Terte de Calon 2015, Montagne St Emilion, £36.99 per Magnum bottle What better winter warmer than a classic Claret from Bordeaux? This Merlot dominated wine shows juts why these wines are so popular. The open fruity palate is backed up a backbone of oak driven structure. The palate is long and rounded. Perfect with winter fare. (Top Tips: getting a mature claret in magnum at this price…this is a good deal)

O’Donnell’s Tough Nut Moonshine, Whisky Liqueur, £26.99 ea including pouring lid Just the ticket over the winter is a cheeky little tipple to warm you up. Tough Nut Moonshine is a beguiling hazelnut creamy caramel liqueur with a whiskey aroma. Symbolic of the past are the traditional “Mason jars” which were used as containers for Moonshine. They are not only a reminder of the past, but a symbol for the simplicity and purity of its content.

Pascal Toso Alta Syrah 2012, Mendoza, Argentina, £30 per bottle An uber-rare Syrah from the fantastic vineyards at Las Barrancas, high up inMendozaArgentina. Astonishing fresh polished fruit flavours, silky, rich and very long in flavour. Very much Châteauneauf du Pape style with a rush of new world fruit. Very limited stock.

Food and Wine Matching from Romain Bourger

The Aperitif: “To me it is important to have a dry wine as an aperitif as salt in food make wines feel more fruity and less acidic when you try them. Sparkling in any way is great. I like a dry white wine to start my meal.” Costers del Segre, Castell d’Encus, Ekam, Catalunya, Spain, 2017 A delicious blend of Riesling and Albariño from the east of Spain. The palate is dry and oily in texture with notes of ripe yellow apple, citrus and nectarine. It is mouth-watering and goes well with a wide range of canapés. The Starter: Food: Sweetbread ravioli, pumpkin sauce, seeds and brown butter Notary Public, Sauvignon Blanc/Chenin Blanc, Santa Ynez Valley, CA, 2014 This is a new and incredible starter! Delicious autumnal and robust flavours but amazingly delicate too. The wine is a lively blend and to me the ripe and slightly honeyed character of Chenin Blanc pairs amazingly with the sweetness of the pumpkin and the slight tastiness of the seeds. The sauvignon Blanc brings seductive tones of pink grapefruit and cut through the richness of the ravioli. The Main: Venison loin, blackberries, parsnips, cabbage and bacon Château Marsyas, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon, 2012 This is a fantastic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot and Petit Verdot from the famous Bekaa Valley. The wine is full bodied, fruit driven and elegant. It has an intense perfume of blackcurrant and blackberry, plums as well as hints of spices and chocolate. The palate is velvety and long and matches the juiciness and strength of the venison perfectly The Dessert: White chocolate and ginger crème brûlée, mango, passionfruit and banana Jurançon, Uroulat, South West France, 2015 As a rule of thumb, dessert wine should be at least as sweet as your dessert. I personally like dessert wines with a bit of freshness and it is exactly what this wine delivers. Made with the local Petit Manseng, this amazing wine has a tropical character of cooked pineapple, mango and passionfruit. It is delicate with a fresh touch of conft orange zest and is just a match made in heaven with our crème brûlée

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