Wine list - Vinicultural secrets

Vinicultural secrets

Trade up

Because of the way wine is taxes there is a huge difference in quality between a £5 bottle of wine and a £10 one. The fixed costs (tax, transport, bottle, cork) of a £5 bottle of wine are around £2.45. Take off the supplier’s margin and the producer has about £1 to make the wine. Apply the same process to an £8 bottle and the producer has £2.25 to play with. Thus, by spending 60 per cent more, you have probably more than doubled the quality of your wine.


Corkscrews

Disappointingly, gadget fiends, the best way to get a cork out of a bottle is with a very simple corkscrew called the Waiter’s Friend. Look out for a long thin screw (called a worm in the trade) and a good lever mechanism.


Glasses

Wine somehow tastes better out of quality glasses. You want something that you can give the wine a good swirl in (without worrying about flinging it over your guests) and get your nose into. So big is better and don’t fill them to the brim. The Rolls-Royce of wine glasses is made by Riedel – an Austrian fellow who has designed a different type of glass for every type of wine imaginable.


Food and wine

Food undoubtedly affects the taste of your bottle. Many European wines are only really designed to be drunk with food. You might wonder what all the fuss is about when you splash out on a big tannic red, as it will taste harsh without food. Get a bit of steak in on the actiona nd you’ll find you prefer it to the New World red you were quaffing before dinner.


Wine in restaurants

Wine is heavily marked up in UK restaurants. Avoid the most obvious choices – chablis, sancerre, and so on attract the highest margins as restaurants know they are a safe choice. White house wine might be the cheapest; it will certainly be the poorest value. Get a much better deal by asking the sommelier for advice. Many staff in restaurants are just as passionate about wine as food; tell them your budget and what you like and let them get on with it.

Some restaurants to try:

Albertine, 1 Wood Lane, London W12 – 0208 743 9593. Cheap, but excellent wine list. The place looks like shit, but is always rammed which says something.

Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1 – 0207 887 8825. Only open at lunch. They have a policy of laying down wines and marking them up reasonably. They also serve the wines in half bottles which allow you to experiment.

Chez Bruce, 2 Bellevue Rd, London SW17 – 0208 672 0114. An excellent wine list and an unpretentious sommelier.


Buying wine

Like food, dedicated artisan producers produce the most interesting wines in small quantities. Independent wine merchants generally sell these. Find one, tell them what kind of thing you’re after, and you’ll end up with a treat in a bottle - plus some extra knowledge to show off with. If you want a bargain don’t ‘buy one, get one free’ (the aptly named BOGOF); instead look to the unfashionable regions (Germany, Alsace) or the next big thing (Austrian whites, Portuguese reds). Oddbins and Majestic are still the best high-street retailers, while Waitrose is miles ahead of the other supermarkets.