Full Bottle Wine List - Autumn/Winter 2008/09

We have taken a long time to decide our new wine list for this season, so thank you to our regular customers who have put up with a lot of changes to our list recently and given us lots of feedback and ideas on what would be a good wine list.

What we have done is bring you wines of exceptional quality that provide great value for money but have something special. Multi-Award winning Grant Burge Barossa Vines from Australia, Organic and Fair Trade wines from South Africa's Stellar Winery, Wines from Grove Mill in New Zealand the worlds first carbon zero winery and something very special from Pfaffenheim at the foot of the Vosges mountains in Alsace (if you like your "French" wine to be just a little different give it a try). Best of all we have tried to have a wine list you just don't get in your local pub!

Let's hope we have succeeded.

Champagne, Sparkling and Rosé

1. Baron de Beaupre Brut Reserve Champagne (12%) France £22.00

Our house Champagne is produced in Epernay by the Ellner family who cultivate some 65 hectares of mainly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. The brut Reserve is delicately light and stylish. It is an opulent Champagne with mushroom, toast and honey aromas and fine length.

2. Baron de Beaupre Brut Rosé Champagne (11.5%) France £26.50

The Brut Rosé Champagne offers a beautifully fresh wine with wonderful Pinot Noir nuances. This is a well balanced pink Champagne showing delicate floral fruit flavour of raspberries and blackberries.

3. Castell d'Olèrdola Brut Reserva Cava (11.5%) Spain £14.00

This is one of Spain's best Cava's. A fine mix of Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada grapes makes a fine pale yellow wine in the "Método Tradicional" way. Fine small pearls of bubbles give way to an aroma of slightly fruity hints. An elegant and well balanced Cava.

4. Grant Burge Sparkling Pinot Noir-Chardonnay NV (12%) Australia £20.00

Tinged with copper hues, this wine exhibits yeasty hazelnut and brioche aromatics that combine with ripe strawberry and rose-petal notes to form a complex nose. The palate is rich and shows flavours of oyster from its fruit origins and cool climate. The bead is small and delicate which serves to heighten all the flavours of this exceptional wine.

5. Grant Burge Barossa Valley "Benchmark" Rosé (13%) Australia £12.50
Benchmark by Grant Burge is the epitome of a great wine from South Australia. The name sets the high standard of quality, style and taste of the wine, which others strive to attain.
This light, fresh wine is bright red and has aromas of ripe raspberry, hints of shiraz and candy from its Grenache fruit. It has a delicious sweetness with balanced acidity.

Dessert Wine (37.5cl)

6. Mitchells Noble Semillon (10.5%) Australia £10.00

Jane and Andrew Mitchell established the winery in 1975 in the western hills of the Clare Valley in South Australia. This classic award winning dessert wine displays characteristic honey and marmalade concentrated sweet fruit balanced by crisp acid on a lingering luscious finish.


Red Wine

7. Grant Burge Barossa Vines Shiraz (14%) Australia £12.50

Dark red with rich ruby hue this wine exudes complex aromas of raspberries and cherries, fruit and spice with a touch of coffee and tobacco. The palate is rich with fleshy fruit and spice with white pepper and well integrated vanillin and chocolate oak, soft tannins provide a long fruit finish.

8. Miguel Torres Santa Digna Cabernet Sauvignon (14%) Chile £14.00

This wine is a clear ruby colour with the spicy liquorice and blackcurrant aromas characteristic of the grape variety. The wine has a firm backbone with smooth tightly knit fruit and tannins and a long elegant aftertaste.

9. Rioja Vega Crianza (13.5%) Spain £13.80

Made from Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Garnacha grapes and careful ageing for 12 months in oak casks has resulted in a complex wine rich in aromas and flavours. Clean bright ruby red with aromas of vanilla toast and spices. Well structured meaty and well balanced.

10. Stellar Winery Fairtrade and Organic Shiraz (14%) South Africa £13.50

This classic Shiraz produced by Stellar Organics in the Western Cape is a gorgeous organic Shiraz lightly spicy and round. Beautifully deep red and full of the rich fruits you would expect.

11. Grove Mill Pinot Noir Marlborough (14%) New Zealand £19.15

From the worlds first Carbon Zero Winery this is a wine of warmth and elegance. It is rich with aromas of boysenberry and mocha chocolate. The palate is finely balanced with berry fruit vanilla and oak overtones with a long lingering finish.

12. Lourensford Five Heirs Merlot (14.5%) South Africa £14.00

Produced in the magnificent Lourensford by the Wiese family since the 1700's this Merlot is a full bodied red wine with blackberry and current fruit flavours complimented by vanilla and spice.

13. Lourensford Five Heirs Shiraz (14%) South Africa £14.00

Produced in the magnificent Lourensford by the Wiese family since the 1700's this Shiraz has black pepper spiciness underscored by a firm meaty character.

White Wine

14. Grant Burge Barossa Vines Sauvignon Blanc (13%) Australia £12.50

This wine shows bright lemon hues with hints of youthful green. It has typical fresh lively aromas of tropical fruit such as pineapple along with subtle green leaf and citrus notes. These flavours follow on to the palate which is complimented by a rich creamy mouth feel balanced with fresh acidity and leads to a vibrant clean finish.

15. Grant Burge Barossa Vines Chardonnay (14%) Australia £12.50

A bright straw colour with green hues, this wine has delicious varietal peach and melon aromas along with fresh ripe grapes and rich buttery notes. These aromas follow through on the palate which is full and rich from its partial malolactic fermentation. Fresh acidity balances the fullness the wine brings a flavour of lingering ripe peaches and green apples.

16. Due Torri Trentino Pinot Grigio (12.5%) Italy £15.00

Azieenda Due Torri is based in San Martino della Battaglia. Owned by Gerardo Cesari Spa and under the expert eye of Dr Franco Cesari Due Torri produces a very fine Pinot Grigio from grapes sourced from their own vineyards. This wine is a very pale yellow colour with fruity bouquet and a full harmonious taste.

17. Broken Rock Chenin Blanc (14%) South Africa £12.00

This is a quality easy drinking dry wine from the South African coast. Soft fresh and light with a strong juicy finish.

18. Stellar Winery Fairtrade and Organic Chenin/ Sauvignon Blanc (12.5%)
South Africa £13.50

This Chenin Blanc/ sauvignon Blanc produced by Stellar Organics in the Western Cape is a gorgeous organic wine lovely guava nose followed by a refreshing grassy palate.

19. Grove Mill Sauvignon Blanc (13.5%) New Zealand £15.50

Grove Mill's philosophy is to produce excellent wines with minimal environmental impact. This is a stunning example of Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc with concentrated varietal characters. An elegant blend of the tropical overtones of passion fruit, mandarin, peach. This wine has a full palate with balanced structure and a crisp clean finish.

20. Tokay Pinot Gris Pfaffenheim (13%) France £14.00

From Pfaffenheim a small village at the foot of the Vosges mountains in Alsace comes a French wine which is just that little different. If you like "Pinot Grigio" you will like this wine. Fresh and fruity it tastes superbly just now.


Our "house" wine

Our "house" wine this season is from Grant Burge Wines in Australia.

Established in 1988 Grant Burge Wines has grown to become one of the top 10 privately owned wine companies in Australia. The company has a strong commitment to its customers.

Grant Burge is a fifth generation winemaker absolutely committed to the Barossa Valley. He strongly believes that fine wines are born in the vineyard and that the vineyards are the cradle of the wine.

Grant Burge has been awarded every major trophy and medal in Australia including the Jimmy Watson, Stodart, Brisbane Club and Montgomery trophies.

All the reds are produced at the Illaparra Winery and the whites are vinified at the Barossa Vines Winery. An assurance of regional integrity.

Single Serve Quarter Bottles of Wine

Supplied to us by Grape Expectations of Ireland (the company behind Ballygowan bottled water) their "Mini Cellar" range of wines is now the worlds leading specialist range of high quality quarter bottles of wine.
All the wines come in a single serve size (187ml) this allows you to experiment with new varietals and countries of origin at little risk with a guarantee of a "fresh serve" every time.

Why not try something new today.

Sparkling and Rosé

1. Chateau Grandin Brut Champagne (11.5%) France £4.25
A sparkling wine produced in Ingrandes-sur-Loire dry and full of flavour
2. Mateus Rosé (11%) Portugal £3.20
A classic fresh, young and fruity and slightly sparkling rosé
3. Gallo family vineyards white zinfandel (9.5%) USA £3.30
A medium dry wine bursting with strawberry and watermelon fruit flavours

White Wines

4. Pinot Grigio La Bella Vendemmia (12.5%) Italy £3.30
Pinot Gris at its best a crisp refreshing and lively white wine
5. Mossel Bay Chenin Blanc (13.5%) South Africa £3.20
Light and easy drinking soft and juicy dry wine of quality
6. Paulita Sauvignon Blanc (13.5%) Chile £3.25
Crisp and refreshing dry supporting tropical and citrus fruit flavours
7. Canyon Creek Chardonnay (13.5%) USA £3.15
Elegant, light Chardonnay tasting of fresh fruit medium soft wine
8. Piesporter Michelsberg QbA (9%) Germany £3.30
Crisp acidity and peachy fruit flavours and offset sweetness
9. Tall Horse Sauvignon Blanc (13%) South Africa £3.20
Crisp and dry fresh wine with full citrus flavours

Red Wines

10. Picacho Merlot (13.5%) Chile £3.20
Fruity and smooth and deep red Merlot from Chile
11. Merlot Vin de Pays de L'Aude (12.5%) France £3.25
Fruit filled, plumy and slightly spiced
12. Côtes Du Rhone Cellier Des Dauphins (13%) France £3.20
Deep red colour with spicy flavours and a long finish
13. Paulita Cabernet Merlot (13.5%) Chile £3.30
Family owned vineyards produced this soft and smooth example.
14. Sacred Hill Shiraz (13.5) Australia £3.30
Shiraz Cabernet mixed to soft and fresh perfection
15. Canyon Creek Cabernet Sauvignon (14.5%) USA £3.20
A fresh and dry young bright red wine with hints of spice and layers of fruit
16. Tall Horse Shiraz (14%) South Africa £3.20
Strong rich wild berry flavours and aromas plus spiced oak