HOUSE WINES

House Red, Dry White and Medium-Dry White, Cuvée Jean-Paul        £11.50

Also available by the glass

Vins de Pays of a consistently high standard: the whites comprising Colombard and Ugni Blanc from the Côtes de Gascogne; the versatile Vaucluse red a blend of Grenache and Syrah with a hint of Merlot.

Selected and blended in France with scrupulous regard to quality and freshness.

Marktree Premium Red and Dry White (Australia)                                   £12.25

Also available by the glass

The red is soft, round and slips down a treat; its partner, a blend of Semillon and Chardonnay, is crisp and moreish. Both display remarkable style and structure.

Monte Arcos Garnacha/Merlot Rosado, 2007/08                                      £12.75

Also available by the glass

Youthful, vibrant Spanish rosado with a generous palate of summer berry fruits.

SPARKLING WINES

Aureus Crémant de Loire, Blanc de Blancs brut, 2002                           £18.50

Five years of cellar maturation before disgorgement allow this Méthode Traditionelle  wine to develop complex aromas and fine flavours. Racy, pure fruit with a dry finish.

Lunetta Prosecco Spumante brut                                                              £15.95

Also available by the glass

A wonderful apéritif and a good match for many modern cuisines. A refined example of this great fun wine: softly sparkling; deliciously light and fragrant.

CHAMPAGNE

Champagne Gremillet brut selection                                                        £31.95

Delicous, rich and complex Champagne with a ripe and full palate; well-balanced with a good finish. In terms of quality a real match for the big names. Great value.

Champagne Veuve Cliquot Ponsardin, Yellow label brut                       £41.50

Classic, distinctive Champagne – one of the best. Complex, subtle yeast and biscuit aromas and a creamy, lingering dry finish.

Champagne Gremillet rosé brut                                                                 £34.95

Stylish, hand-crafted rosé from this excellent family run Champagne house.

RED WINES

Marqués de la Villa Tinta de Toro, 2006/07                                               £13.75

Rugged full-flavoured red from Covitoro, Toro’s leading cooperative. A powerful wine, 50% of which comes from 80-90 year old Tinta de Toro vines, 50% from younger stock. Ideal with robust stews and meat dishes.

Barbera d’Asti superiore, Alasia, 2005/06                                                  £17.65

A premium wine of its type: rich and full-bodied, retaining the particular characteristics of Italy’s famous Barbera grape but without the commonly associated harshness. A product of Piedmont in the north-east of the country.

Vista Reserva TN, Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo, 2005/06                       £16.95

A robust, warming wine produced in central Portugal near the Spanish border. Made from the local Touriga Nacional grape and aged in French oak for twelve months.  

Peacock Ridge Merlot, Stellenbosch, 2005/06                                         £18.95

A new wine with dark, dense up front fruit balanced by fine, seductive tannins. Good weight and concentration with a long, complex finish.

Rioja, Vega del Rayo seleccionada, 2006/07                                             £15.75

A sophisticated example of new-style Rioja. A Tempranillo/Mazuelo blend, smooth and rounded with plenty of concentrated fruit, and with decent length.

Madiran Charles de Baatz, Domaine Berthoumieu, 2003/04                  £27.45

Classic, big-hitting Madiran (Gascony’s greatest red wine). Soft, ripe fruit, refined tannins and an elegant finish. At its best with rich dishes.

Clos Malverne Pinotage, 2003/04                                                               £18.25

Powerful, sensuous Stellenbosch red. A good, chunky Pinotage vinified with great care using traditional methods to bring out the best from South Africa’s ‘own’ grape.

Côtes de Castillon, Château de Belcier, 2000/03                                     £27.25

A well-balanced claret; possibly the best from the region (just west of St-Emilion), the achievement of over twenty-five years hard work by winemaker Gilbert Dubois.

Cousiño-Macul Antiguas Reservas, Cabernet Sauvignon, 2002/04      £21.95

A complex, distinguished Cabernet from a beautiful old estate situated in Chile’s Maipo valley just south of the capital Santiago.

WHITE WINES

Gavi ‘La Battistina’, Azienda Agricola la Battistina, 2007/08                   £17.50

From one of the finest vineyards in the heart of Gavi; a superbly balanced wine in which elegant fruit flavours are complemented by an inviting zesty acidity.

Frome Valley Huxelrebe, 2006                                                                    £18.95

A Herefordshire wine which in many respects epitomises the English style – fragrant and off-dry with good fruit – lovely on its own, and well suited to lighter foods.

Pinot Grigio, Trentino, I Mastri Vernacoli, 2007/08                                  £15.60

An elegant Pinot Grigio from Trentino in the far north of Italy not far from the Austrian border. Dry, yet quite soft and characterful, with nutty and spicy overtones.

Vouvray, Les Côteaux Tufiers, 2003/05                                                     £16.65

Recently blessed with several fine vintages, the Loire has produced wonderful stuff.

Vouvray is a regional classic, particularly enjoyed by those preferring a sweeter style.

Albet I Noya Lignum Blanc, 2007                                                                £21.45

Alluring, complex blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. Subtly powerful oak is balanced by delicious citric acidity. A distinguished organic wine from Penedès.

Peacock Ridge Chardonnay, Stellenbosch, 2005/06                               £17.25

From South Africa’s finest cool climate growing area overlooking False Bay. A straight 100% Chardonnay of considerable intensity, forward style and fine balance.

Alta Sauvignon Blanc, 2007/08                                                                    £21.25

Pure and intense Australian Sauvignon. Generous, soft fruit flavours (gooseberry, grapefruit) in harmonious balance with natural grape acidity. Long, clean finish.

Orballo Albariño, Bodegas La Val, 2007/08                                               £21.50

Refreshing and energetic wine. Tangy, yet generous palate with floral, citric and minerally flavours. Fermented on the lees and estate bottled in Rías Baixas, Galicia.

Tallarook Chardonnay, 2005                                                                       £22.75 Surprisingly, considering its richness and intense fruit flavours, this central Victorian   Chardonnay remains a wine of graceful subtlety. Interesting too in that it is vinified using 100% wild yeast fermentation. A ‘textural’ wine of complexity and fine length.

DESSERT WINE

Monbazillac, Domaine de Grange Neuve, 2005  (50cl.bottle)                £16.95

Luscious dessert wine, not unlike a Sauterne, made from late-picked Semillon, with a little Muscadelle and Sauvignon Blanc. Fine acidity lends a delightful freshness.

FINE WINE SELECTION

Colchagua Valley Coyam, Vinedos Organicos Emiliana, 2004                £29.50

An exciting product of Santa Emiliana’s organic venture produced from grapes grown on land in conversion to biodynamism by Alvaro Espinoza. A big, round, Chilean red of superb tannic structure with fine, persistent length and a complexity you’d expect from three Bordeaux grapes (Carmenère, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon) plus Syrah and Mourvèdre.

Quattro Vicariati, Collezione di Cavit, 2000/03                                         £33.40

A stunning Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend of great concentration: strong tannic backbone in perfect balance with ripe red fruit – long in length with a spicy finish. This fine red from Trentino in northern Italy is only made in good vintages.

Cadus Malbec, Nieto e Senetiner, 1999/2000                                           £37.25

Nieto e Senetiner has developed a solid reputation for its wines over the past few years having produced wine in Mendoza through virtually all of the last century. The ‘top of the range’ Cadus Malbec is an Argentinian classic. A full, complex wine of great style, with subtle tannins and concentrated fruit.

Rioja Gran Reserva, Marqués de Murrieta, Castillo Ygay, 1995                        £46.50

The historic bodega of Marqués de Murrieta, among others, endured a lean spell in the 70s and 80s but is now back on song. The ’95 (a top year) is a superb example of traditionally made Rioja – a supple, comfortable wine with fine oak balance.

Balgownie Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 2005                                          £31.95

Gorgeous Cabernet from the famous Balgownie estate located in the old Victoria gold mining town of Bendigo. Dark, sumptuous wine from old vine grapes: intense, rich fruit – elegant rather than forceful – a wine which will age well, yet delights in youth.

Chianti Classico Riserva, villa La Pagliaia, 2000                                      £27.95

Archetypal Chianti displaying the classic Sangiovese flavours of brambly, bitter cherry fruit backed by succulent acidity and well-merged tannins, nicely softened with age.         

A traditionally vinified wine of spicy character with a rich and satisfying finish.

Jurançon Sec, Domaine Bellegarde, 2008                                                            £29.25

Racy, citrus scented dry white with a delicious acidity absolutely characteristic of the finest Jurançon. From the south-west of France, the wine, a fine blend of low yielding Gros and Petit Manseng, goes well with fish and makes for a first-rate aperitif.

Pouilly Fumé, Domaine Bouchié Chatellier Premier Millésimé, 2006/07 £34.50

A Pouilly Fumé of real elegance. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes, from thirty year old vines, are harvested slightly later than usual for optimum maturation. The wine is bottled in June rather than March, to benefit from extended lees contact resulting in a wine of beautiful aromatic complexity.

Pernand Vergelesses Blanc, Vallet Frères, 2003/04                                £41.70

Vallet Frères pride themselves in producing top quality Burgundy with a remarkable respect for traditional practices. The Pernand Vergelesses is a vivacious dry white with citric/apple nuances and hints of nuts and honey in harmony with gentle oak.

Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Spätlese, Markus Molitor, 2004           £25.25

From the steep, slate covered slopes of the middle Mosel, a classic for lovers of fine German wine. Hand-picked grapes fermented using natural yeasts are expertly crafted to produce a vibrant mix of minerality, acidity, sweetness and ripeness.