HOUSE WINES

House Red, Dry White and Medium-Dry White, Cuvée Jean-Paul  £10.95

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/Syrah.

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

Marktree Premium Red and Dry White (Australia)  £11.50

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

Quinta el Refugio Rosado, Bodegas Torreduero, 2006  £11.50

Light, attractive Spanish rosé of a lovely deep raspberry hue with a full, fruity palate.

SPARKLING WINES

La Chapelle de Cray brut, Montlouis mousseux, 2002  £17.95

A fine, crisp and clean bottle-fermented sparkling wine from the Loire valley – left on the lees for up to three years before disgorgement. Light, lively and elegant.

Starvedog Lane sparkling, 2000  £24.75

A blend of the three grape varieties used in making Champagne – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. Finesse and refinement Aussie style.

CHAMPAGNE

Champagne Gremillet brut selection  £27.95

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  £36.85

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

Champagne Gremillet rosé brut  £29.50

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

RED WINES

Marqués de la Villa Tinta de Toro, 2005/06  £12.50

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.

Jarrah Ridge Cabernet/Shiraz, 2006/07  £12.85

Prominent berry fruits and a fine, robust structure characterise this warming, surprisingly rich and full-bodied red from south-east Australia.

Barbera d’Asti superiore, Alasia, 2003/04  £16.25

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.

Peacock Ridge Merlot, Stellenbosch, 2005/06  £17.75

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, 2005/06  £14.80

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  £22.95

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

Ninth Island Pinot Noir 2004/05  £20.95

Subtly seductive Tasmanian Pinot Noir – vibrant, sweet red fruit and silky tannins combine smoothly to give a concentrated, rich palate with good length.

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.

Lagrein Dunkel, Bottega Vinai, 2004  £18.60

A bold, distinctive northern Italian red, the Sudtiroller grape variety Lagrein Dunkel giving a lovely deep cherry colour. Warm, rich cherry fruit too, with a hint of spice.

Côtes de Castillon, Château de Belcier, 2000/03  £23.95

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  £20.85

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, 2005/06  £16.25

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.

Jarrah Ridge Colombard/Chardonnay 2005/06  £12.85

An easy-drinking off-dry Australian white. Modern in style with plenty of soft yet vibrant fruit. Great on its own and no bad match to creamy fish and chicken dishes.

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, 2006  £14.60

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  £15.25

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.

Zeltinger Himmelreich Riesling Kabinett Feinherb, Markus Molitor,

 2002/04  £20.25

A genuine medium-dry Mosel Riesling and at 10.5% rather low in alcohol. Delightful nuances of top fruits, especially apples and pears, distinguish this lovely wine.

Albet I Noya Lignum Blanc, 2003/05  £18.60

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  £16.50

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, 2005/06  £21.95

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

Tallarook Chardonnay, 2002/04  £20.95

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.

Côteaux du Layon Faye, Domaine du Plessis, 1995  (half-bottle – 37.5 cl.)  £8.25

Well made Loire dessert wine from the superb 1995 vintage: intense, honeyed

elegance, yet not too sweet. The perfect way to round off a good meal.

FINE WINE SELECTION

RED

Colchagua Valley Coyam, Vinedos Organicos Emiliana, 2001  £25.25

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. Youthful wine with a New World feel.

Quattro Vicariati, Collezione di Cavit, 1998/2000  £29.50

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  £34.95

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  £39.50

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.

Quinta da Terrugem, Alentejo, 1999/2001  £26.95

It’s probably fair to say that this red from south east Portugal is one for the connoisseur. Built to last, it’s nonetheless intriguing in youth – complex and powerful

with quintessential Portuguese character. A wine to savour and reflect upon.

WHITE

Pouilly Fumé, Domaine Bouchié Chatellier Premier Millésimé, 2005  £27.75

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  £36.25

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.

Riesling Grand Cru Brand, Cave Vinicole de Turckheim, 1998  £28.25

Riesling is one of the great noble grape varieties, some would say the greatest.

Long neglected, it is now experiencing something of a resurgence around the world, being grown in Australia, North America and South Africa as well as in its traditional homeland of Germany and Alsace. This is a good example of Alsatian Riesling: essentially dry, but with a hint of honeyed sweetness. Smooth, with a fine finish.