Bar News:
One of the real joys of my job is getting to taste a wide variety of wonderful wines and spend time matching them to my food, looking at the flavours and textures of the dishes.
This year, we introduced the ‘What We’re Drinking’ section to our wine list which is designed to share with diners the fantastic wines we currently have, give advice on food and wine matching and also offer some extra special wines by the glass.
This week I’ve picked a couple of wines which have stood out recently and for me, complement some of the dishes on our menu.
My first choice is Albariňo Deusa Nai 2011 – my favourite white wine from Spain. It’s refined and fresh but has just enough body and complexity to stand up to a heavier wintry seafood dish. The fillet of brill, currently on our dinner menu, contains some strong flavour combinations including thyme gnocci and trompette mushrooms and is perfect with the Albariňo.
Next up is a fantastic red from the Languedoc region of France, Pic Saint Loup Mas Bruguière L’Arbourse 2011. This blend of Syrah and Grenache is a perfect match for any meaty winter warming dish and is fantastic with our Lydney Park Venison casserole & hazelnut crusted loin.
We’re also extremely lucky to have Parva Farm Vineyard, one of our wine suppliers, so close by in Tintern Chepstow. We caught up with Colin and Judith recently to ask them a few questions…
What are you most famous for? Probably for our Bacchus wines as we have won many awards with them, both nationally and internationally.
What makes it so special? The Bacchus grape is quite aromatic and the wine is noted for its “elderflower” nose. It is fresh, fruity and very distinctive – customers come back asking for it time and time again.
Why is your produce important to the area? This area is well known for its local produce and also has some very good restaurants. The chefs like to use local ingredients and these wonderful meals should of course be accompanied by high quality, locally produced wines!
What is your favourite dish using your produce? Personally I think that Bacchus wine should accompany a meal, not be an “ingredient”. It is particularly good with fish dishes, chicken and pasta.
Can you supply a little known or quirky fact about either your own produce or produce from the Gloucestershire area? Not many people realise that wine was produced in this area as long ago as Roman times and that the monks of Tintern Abbey probably had their vineyard on the very site that we now use to grow our grapes…
If you’ve got any questions about food and wine matching or would like to know where you can buy any of our wines, please feel free to get in touch with me – I’d be more than happy to help.
Enjoy your weekend!
Martin Adams, head chef
A Fish Out Of Water 