The Wines of Street Fighter 2

This one has been weighing on my mind for some time, but which wines/ grapes best represent the various characters in Street Fighter 2?

Here are some initial thoughts on the matter:
Blanka: I had thought that his accessibility, and exoticism made him quite like Gewurztraminer, but upon reflection I think he is more like New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Again he has an instant appeal, he is both green and exotic, and his electric shock move represents the high acidity of sauvignon blanc. Ultimately he is a one dimensional character though, and gamers soon tire of the repetitive nature of his moves.

Eddy Honda: Is a trickier proposition, although the thinking operates along similar lines. He is a red wine and fleshy with it. He is also a simplistic character to play with, having a few crappy moves and is not capable of greatness. Maybe he is something like a Dolcetto, instantly appealing but uninteresting when compared to other characters. There may also be some argument in favour of his being either Grenache or Gewurztraminer.

Ken and Ryu: These guys are universally popular with players of Street Fighter 2, yet their popularity is justified as they are certainly two of the best characters in the game. I think they are probably- in no particular order Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay.

Guile: Annoying and American. Popular with some people, but really fairly limited. Zinfandel?

Dalsam: Undoubtedly represents Riesling. Capable of some of the greatest moves in the game but generally unpopular with people who go for Ken and Ryu as he is more complicated to master.

Chun-Lee: Very tricky. As a female character she should really be a white varietal, but nothing really fits. Maybe she is Merlot. Dismissed as one dimensional but capable of being the best character of them all.

Zhangief: I had thought that Zhangief was Nebbiolo, but this is too flattering. Zhangief's 360 joypad move is just impossible to do, whereas Nebbiolo is capable of being mastered. Maybe he is more like Baga from Portugal, which is generally fairly undrinkable due to massive drying tannins and high acidity. Difficult to love unless you are very, very dedicated ( or drink the wines of Luis Pato!)

Is this odd?

I haven't included any of the extra level characters- but they are fairly useless and no obvious pairing really jumps out- although there is a Spanish/ latin character named Vega which should be easy.

Good Lord above, Chanson Meursault 2007

Once again I am the spit-roasted whore of O'Briens and Chanson, and yet all I have is an O'Briens loyalty card. Their Meursault 2007 is currently on offer for 24.99, down from an unattainable 39.99, it may represent the bargain of the year at this price. Given that you can pay 24.99 for Bourgogne Blanc from a posh producer- in this regard check out Simon Bize's Bourgogne Perrieres 2007, or Chateau de Puligny's Clos du Chateau Bourgogne Blanc 2007- both are fab.

As noted before in this blog Chanson has recently transformed from one of the true crud-fests of the Cote d'Or to take its place along side the very top negotiant houses in Beaune.

This is a more crystalline, razor-edged Meursault-style than many of the butter-fests out there, spending 11 months in oak. It has that crisp 07 acidity and is all the better for it. Loads of acidity, minerality and finesse, with citrus, some honey and nuttiness too. Their website notes that the grapes come from four different plots of vineyards, bought from select vignerons (winemakers). Two are located in mid-slope and give finesse and minerality, the other two are closer to the village giving more depth and richness.

In short this is fantastically good, and performs the most ridiculous ballet on your palate. Be careful though as it needs a good hour in the decanter to give up any of its saucier details. I didn't decant mine but it only really opened up towards the end of the second evening. Serve it with white fish in creamy sauce, or lobster.
Seriously recommended, possibly my Christmas day wine depending on how the mugging goes!

Il Grigio Chianti Classico Reserva reduced to 15.99

Just a quick note to say that O'Brien's have reduced San Felice's Il Grigio Chianti Classico Reserva 2005 from a princely 17.45 to a pauper-ish 15.99. This cheeky bearded gentleman is reviewed below. Ninety points from Wine Spectator, five stars rating from Decanter and, most importantly, a big Christmas tickle from the Fenster. Get your scabby chops around this fella, you won't regret it.

Five Good Italian Reds (some quite scabby)

That lethargy is a personal failing of mine should be clear to anyone who has a passing acquaintance with this blog. To counteract this I have resolved to maintain my dizzying one-posting-a-month average with a note on a couple of Italian reds tasted recently.

First up is a Nebbiolo d'Alba 2006 by Umberto Fiore from Marks and Spencer at 10.49. Nebbiolo is the native Piedmontese grape used to make Barolo and Barbaresco. Obviously at this price you aren't going to get any of the complexity associated with these great wines, but this is good stuff and an ideal way for people to find out that they don't like Barolo without dropping 60 euro! For me Nebbiolo is more of a head wine than a heart wine, meaning that very few people will experience love at first sip with this varietal. High acidity and gum wrenching tannins generally eviscerate whatever fruit filled enjoyment lies at the heart of the wine. Nebbiolo is hard work and definitely requires food, but if you- and your wallet- persevere you will be rewarded with some of the most complex wines the world has to offer. That is not to say that this sub 11 snots gem is going to fill you with wonderment, but it is a perfect illustration of the contrast between cherry. raspberry and sloes and mouth drying tannins which lie at the heart of this king of italian grapes. I recently used this in the Piedmontese classic Stracotto al Barolo, a pot roasted beef traditionally braised in a sauce of onion, carrot, celery, barolo and stock and it was fantastic. Have to admit that I served the meat with a 1996 Aldo Conterno Gran Bussia though!

Next up is another great value Marks and Spencer's Italian, a Friuli Merlot 2007 from Arigo Bidoli 14.99, currently reduced to 11.79. Friuli, in the very far east of Northern Italy is home to some of the most aromatic white wines in all of Italy, but good red wines are also produced here. This is a lovely Italianate Merlot, where the juiciness of the varietal are held in check by the cool climate in which it is produced. No Chilean Merlot jaminess here but rather cherry, plums and a hint of vanilla from 10 months in French oak. This is an absolute steal at 11.79, and I consider it very good value at the regular price of 14.99.



Yet more Marks and Spencer's Nebbiolo with a Renato Ratti Langhe Nebbiolo 2008. The late Renato Ratti was amongst the first innovators in Barolo in the 1970s, and made a great contribution to both winemaking in the Langhe and the mapping and classification of the great Barolo vineyards. He experimented with shorter alcoholic fermentation and more controlled malolactic fermentation and limiting traditional wood aging, all in the aim of making more appealing, fresher, rounder and younger-drinking wines. Their Langhe Nebbiolo 2008 is a gorgeous, early drinking Nebbiolo full of cherry and raspberry, the dryness in the finish is tempered by a hint of oak. This is lovely stuff and has great complexity for a wine at this price point. Thoroughly recommended.

For all of you who think that I am a northern Italian whore from M&S, I will now confuse you with the inclusion of two Tuscan wines from O'Brien's and Sheridans Cheesemongers respectively. First up is the San Felice Chianti Classico Reserva, Il Grigio 2005, O'Briens 17.45. Don't let the Tintoretto on the label fool you, this is good. Medium to full bodied Chianti from select parcels on the estate. The nose is full of cherry and dusty tea, with some vanilla too. Highly enjoyable. Serve with roast pork or a strip loin steak.

Finally, an unbelievable Rosso di Montalcino from Canaliccio di Sopra, Sheridan's, 22.00. Rosso di Montalcino is all too often a mere cash cow for Brunello di Montalcino producers, who have to wait 3-4 years after the vintage before they are permitted to sell their Brunellos. These lesser wines can be overpriced for what they are, as is often the case with regions where producers are used to getting a premium for their main, big name wines. This is not the case here, Canaliccio di Sopra's Rosso di Montalcino is the quintessence of Sangiovese. Ripe red cherry fruit with a touch of tea chest and a refreshing acidity. Plato would put it in his cave under sangiovese. I can't wait to try Canaliccio di Sopra's Brunello di Montalcino 2005, which Sheridans also carry. This is perfect main event dinner party wine and worth every penny of the 22 euro. Can't recommend this highly enough. Serve with hard sheep's milk cheeses such as Ardi Gasna, or roast pork.

The Sampler, Islington 2

Another trip to London and another unwilling companion forced through the doors of the Sampler in Islington. This time the victim is my wife, who I have forced to walk from St Paul's for added hatred points. Actually the missus is not that unwilling, particularly after experiencing the joys of good white burgundy last night in the form of Jean Louis Chavy's Puligny Montrachet Les Forestieres 2007. Unfortunately our first sample, a Chassagne Montrachet Vielles Vignes, Domaine Jouard 2007 couldn't live with this level of competition and was dismissed by as ' nice but not really special.' I couldn't really argue with this.

Next up was a banker, Clos Ste Hune 2004. This was initially muted on the nose but opened up in the glass and was full of white peach, petrol and minerals- in a good way. The finish was incredibly long, this will be outrageous in a decade or so.

With the exception of these two above the dry white selection wasn't overly top end. Lots of nice wines if you were sampling to buy, but seeing as I was busy accumulating further millionaire's memoirs we went on to the reds.

First up was Dujac's Gevrey Chambertin 2006, which was obviously too young, lots of cherries and earthiness but I thought lacked the sort of class you'd expect from even entry level wine from this level of producer. Still Jancis gave it 16.5, so perhaps I am a plum fool. Having said that though anything scoring below 16 from JR tends to have negative comments attached. Next up Chapelle Chambertin 1998 from Pierre Damoy, another respected producer and also disappointing for a Grand Cru. My scribble says 'developing, a little short'- a description more apt for a teenage Gary Coleman than a 12 year old Grand Cru Burgundy. There was some nice undergrowth-y stuff going on, but my scabby hand will stay in my scabby pocket.
Next up was a Volnay Santenots 1979 from Clerget ( their website says 1978, but I think it was '79). This was okay, with a tawny colour, very smooth with sweet fruit, but again for what it was... So all in all pretty disappointing red Burgundy but then again the joy of the Sampler is being able to taste wines like this without having to will them into being good just because you have cellared the wine yourself for years or spent a fortune on it.

Things perked up considerably with the Syrahs- for me, not so much for the wife who now sat at a table in the back of the shop sniffing and dismissing each sample with her new catch phrase- 'I hate red wine'.

First up was a Washington State Syrah, L'Ecole No 1 2006. Sixty Four Wines are selling their Cabernet Sauvignon. I am definitely going to check it out because this was lovely. Ripe, round and elegant despite hefty alcohol. I would buy this.

At this point I should declare my love of Northern Rhone Syrah and was fully aroused by the sight of two 1978's from Jaboulet, a Cote Rotie Les Jumelles ( 130 stg a bottle), and a Cornas ( 80 stg) . Weirdly a pub in Leeson Street has two bottles of 1978 Jaboulet Cornas in their diddly aye display, alongside old sewing machines, jugs and faded biscuit boxes. I have never worked out how the hell that happened. Enough nonsense, suffice to say that both wines were superb. It was fascinating to see the difference between the two areas with fully mature wines, from a top vintage. The Cornas still had that road kill, shaved dried coconut thing going on but in a very toned down and elegant way, the Cote Rotie did not but the fruit was similarly sweet and smooth- bloody lovely. I had never tasted a 1978 before and have to say these were fabulous.
Incidentally Michael Broadbent gave this wine five stars in his 'Vintage Wine' tasting note book describing a magnum in 1998 as ' Rich, full and lovely'.

This was going to be a hard act to follow, but I persevered bravely with an Aldo Conterno Barolo Colonello 1998. This had far more developed character than I had expected and was, it seemed, quite similar in profile to the Jaboulet's. I am sure this is heresy, or at least treason, but that is what happened. I wasn't wildly impressed by this, although it had a lot to live up to.

The last red was the best of the lot, a 1983 Penfold's Grange ( 255 stg). I have a traditional aversion to Australian reds which I have, only occasionally managed to overcome. Any hint of eucalyptus and I'll run a mile though. The nose was fabulous, think secondary aromas and a sprinkle of black fruit pastilles. On the palate the wine was full and sweet with a beautiful caramel aspect, and everything in perfect balance. 13% alcohol too. This was so good that even the missus liked it.

Finally, poorer yet wiser I couldn't resist a Clos du Bourg 1989 from Huet. The sweetest honey combined with searing acidity to produce a Vouvray with a long, long finish which I was still tasting walking down the street afterwards. Superb.

Another bloody good trip to the Sampler, highly recommended.

Scab Special 'St Romain, Les Senteurs 2007'

Marks and Spencers strikes again with the latest in the scab series.
This time we have a St Romain, Les Senteurs from the ever increasing portfolio of Nuits-Saint-Georges based negotiant-winemaker Nicolas Potel. Bettane and Desseauve give a figure of 450,000 bottles a year production for Monsieur Potel, making him a sizeable player on the modern Burgundian scene.



Non-freaks may not know that St Romain is a small village in the Cote de Beaune in Burgundy, located to the west of Auxey-Duresses. The vines are located at 300-400 m above sea level, higher than usual in the Cotes d'Or. As a result St Romain has a cooler climate than its illustrious neighbours of Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet, and fares best in very hot vintages such as 2003, where these better positioned areas get too fat and ripe.

2007 was not such a vintage, as M&S's St Romain definitely demonstrates. The wine has high acidity- incisively described on the back label as whitecurrant, a smart descriptor for non-citrus type acidity. Yet there is more there too, some cream, a little hazelnut as well. This was very good with roast chicken yesterday and a sweet bargain at 13.45 a bottle, down from 16.99. It was also good with some 14 month Comte. As always the pricing in Northern Ireland will make you cry, a little over 8 stg each if bought by six! Recommended as good but not incredible white burgundy, but a give away at less than 14 snots.

Funnily the back label also suggests serving it with barbequed turbot. Who is the millionaire who barbeques turbot, and wouldn't they drink Le Montrachet instead of bargain bin ?

The Wines of Bodegas Ribas, Mallorca

Mallorca's Bodegas Ribas is the third oldest winery in Spain, according to Ribas family member and current winemaker Araceli Severa. The estate now produces 130,000 bottles a year from their 40 hectare holding around Consell, near Binissalem, the island's main wine town.



We were fortunate enough to be given a tasting by the lovely Araceli when we visited the bodegas on a very hot day in June. For her part she was forced to suffer the misfortune of witnessing two large, doughy Irish boys drip sweat all over her air-conditioned tasting room. There are some things which science cannot explain, eg why my sternum sweated profusely throughout the tasting. Anyway...

Araceli is the chief winemaker at Ribas and has an impressive pedigree, having worked with Clos Magodor, Clos Erasmus and Mas Martinet in Priorat, Achaval Ferrer in Argentina and Harlan Estate in Napa. This is an incredible array of some of the world's very finest estates, albeit all perennial high scorers with a certain American gentleman.

Ribas were amongst the first producers to plant international varieties in Mallorca, blending them with native grapes to compensate for some of the short comings of their indigenous varietals.

Prensal Blanc or Moll is the primary native white varietal on the island. Araceli explained that Prensal is a fairly neutral grape and tends to lack structure and aroma. As such it definitely benefits from blending with more aromatic varietals. Chardonnay is the main partner used in such blends throughout the island, see for example Macia Batle's blanc de blanc and Ribas' own Ribas Blanc.

As is often the way with tastings at family run winerys, things started in fairly shambolic fashion. We were offered a tasting of the Ribas Blanc 2009 upon arrival whils one of the staff who then left to fetch Araceli. Although it wasn't oxidised the wine was dead in the glass, and flat-lining on the palate. I glanced at my companion who was making a similar 'this is going to be terrible'grimace.

Still no sign of Araceli, and we were poured a glass of Ribas Rose 2009, which was equally dead. A long, and dreadful afternoon loomed ahead of us.

All this changed with the arrival of Araceli. Taking a sniff of our glasses, she dumped everything in sight with profuse apologies. She and the wine team had just returned from a week's trip to Bordeaux and no-one had bothered to check the freshness of the sample bottles in their absence.

She opened a fresh bottle of Ribas Blanc, which was unfortunately badly corked, and dumped this too. A third bottle of Ribas Blanc was opened and was utterly different from the first two. The defective cork was pocketed to be shown to her brother, who is in charge of cork purchasing, and the tasting began.



It turned out that Araceli had spent time in the rural county Cavan in her teenage years. Her father had decided to spend a couple of months fishing in the lakes and a thirteen year old Aracelli was forced to accompany him on this adventure. I am not sure that she remembered this trip with a particular fondness! We apologised as best we could and went on with the tasting.

Ribas Blanc 2009, Bodegas Ribas. 13% alc, 7.60 euro.
' Peachy and lactic with faint whiff of emmental. Nice lifted aromatics and some minerality too. Not hugely complex.'

The unoaked Ribas Blanc is currently a blend of 85% Prensal around 10% Chardonnay and the remainder is unlabeled Viognier. Araceli explained that Ribas had been amongst the first to plant chardonnay in Mallorca, and were now the first to start grubbing it up. The family have been experimenting with Viognier, but are now also looking into Chenin which can be used to add both aromatics and acidity to the Prensal.

The 'Ribas' entry level range also has as tinto blend of Mantonegro, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot ( previous vintage sold out, 2009 not yet released), and a rosado ( Mantonegro, Callet and Merlot) which we decided to forego tasting.

The upper range is called Sio.

The Sio Blanc 2007 is a blend of Prensal, Chardonnay, Viognier and unlabeled Chenin. The wine spends 6 months in new French oak. Unsurprisingly this was more complex than the Ribas Blanc. The aromatics were more interestinng, and complex and there was a salty lick of minerality on the palate. This was medium weighted and pretty good, although it failed to shine served with seafood paella at a dinner later on that week. The 2007, was being replaced by the 2008 the week we were tasting.

The Sio Tinto 2008 14.5%, 13 euro (?) is a blend of 55-60% native Mantonegro coupled with Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Mantonegro is one of the two main native varietals used in the production of red wines, the other being Callet.
Mantonegro is a clone of Grenache, and suffers from the same tendencies towards lack of structure and high alcohol. It is bloody hot on the planes in Mallorca, where the majority of wines are grown, and this definitely comes out in the alcohol levels in the wine.

Sio Tinto spends 12 months in French oak, 50% of which is new, and 50% of which is 2nd use. The Cabernet certainly came through on the nose, as did a fair whack of alcohol. This was ripe, with plenty of black fruit and some plums too. Big alcohol but very pleasant, with a big dollop of oak into the bargain. I have a bottle stashed for winter- or later this summer depending on the weather, and will add a note in due course.

Ribas de Cabrera 2006. This is the luxury cuvee from Ribas developed in conjunction with the Perez family from Clos Martinet. This is a blend Mantonegro, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. 14.5% alc. 15 months in new French oak and 45 euro, an incredible amount for a wine from the island. This smelled and tasted of far more than anything near 14.5% alc, even with the permitted .5% margin of error. I asked Araceli and she was honest enough to admit that this monster weighted in at a massive 15.3% alcohol! The nose was full of big gobs of alcohol with minerality, Bovril and new oak. Definitely not my sort of wine, and I really don't see how this is going to come together into something more elegant, especially given the short aging capacity of most Mallorquin wines. There is plenty of flavour here but the alcohol is overbearing. Not my style of wine at all. No thank you.

In conclusion, we couldn't have asked for a more pleasant, informative and accomodating host than Aracelli. The wines are definitely good, although the alcohol levels take some getting used to. For me the Ribas de Cabrera is just too big and overblown. I am looking forward to trying the Sio red again and seeing how it is. The wines are definitely worth looking out for if you are in Mallorca.

The Wines of Paul Kubler

The Kubler family have tended vines at Soulzmatt, south of Colmar since 1620. Such lengthy tenure is not unusual in Alsace, where wine families such as Trimbach, Hugel, (Leon) Beyer and (Paul) Ginglinger can all trace their wine connections as far back as the 16th and 17th centuries.



South of Colmar is definitely Gewurztraminer country. The main Grand Cru in Soulzmatt is Zinnkoepfle. The steep clay-limestone and sandy clay soils of the 68.4 ha Zinnkoepfle rise to 420 m and face southeast/south. The hot, dry microclimate is particularly suited to Gewurztraminer, which is the main varietal planted here. Pinot Gris and riesling are also plantes, alongside a smaller amount of illegal Sylvaner, which cannot carry the name Zinnkoepfle.

Despite this long history Paul Kubler's wines has recently taken a huge leap forward in quality thanks to the return of young Philippe Kubler to family's 9 ha in 2003. Philippe's own pedigree is impressive. After completing his diploma in Oenology at Bordeaux university he spent time with Denis Debourdieu- probably the best known white wine consultant in Bordeaux. Debourdieu gave Philippe the opportunity to gain hands on experience at, inter alia, Yquem, Doisy Daene and Clos Floridene. From there he headed to Burgundy, where he apprenticed with Colin-Deleger at Chassagne Montrachet before finishing his training with a stage at Cloudy Bay. His first vintage was 2004, of which I still have one or two bottles.



Philippe works organically, observing certain bio dynamic practices. He is not certified, and intends to remain so as he feels that his clients should be able to trust his integrity as a winemaker. He doesn't wish to be constrained by the impositions of certification bodies, or to pay for certification. All vines are picked by hand. Vinification takes place in old foudres. Philippe allows plenty of time on lees and uses battonage.

The Range:

The K range: these are good, restrained varietal wines available Pinot Blanc; Gewurztraminer; and Pinot Gris. They are dry, balanced and elegant, and perfect for the table.

Lieu dit:
The Lieu dit, or named place is increasingly common in Alsace, where many producers now offer a terroir-based range below Grand Cru level. Rieslings from Lieu dit are likely to be drier than their grand cru counterparts, although this is only really a rule of thumb. Sweetness in riesling is murdering the reputation of Alsatian riesling as one of the world's great white food wines, and as an outsider it is virtually impossible to know whether a given riesling contains 2g per litre or 20g per litre of residual sugar. Whilst some producers, eg Zind Humbrecht and Jean Paul Schmitt, provide some information on the label as to the dryness or otherwise of the wine this is the exception rather than the rule.

There is no pan-regional requirement for labeling of this kind. Hilariously the generic/ tradition riesling from most producers is invariably bone dry. This would appear to indicate that producers are aware of the demand for dry riesling to pair with food, yet practically all persist in producing wines with sugar levels well in excess of 5g/ l of RS. Despite asking many producers why this is the case, I have yet to get a satisfactory answer. Most claim that global warming, and the exposure of the better sites means riper grapes and therefore higher sugar. This is clearly an unsatisfactory explanation. How does Trimbach manage to produce bone dry riesling year upon year?

A quick tip for RS level verification is to see if the riesling is featured in the Guide Hachette, which gives the Residual Sugar figure at the end of each Alsace entry. This is available online (2008, and 2009 eds) on the Hachette website.

Back to Monsieur Kubler:


Philippe's Riesling Breitenberg 2006: is drier than the month-old, vulture-picked corpse of a screechy lemon-juice mouse in the Sahara. Nose full of lemon, sherbert, honey, apple, stone fruit( apricot) and a little kerosene. Medium minus body. Elegant, high acidity. Good, but not overly powerful.(Jan 2010)

The acidity here is searing, in a hurt your tummy way. This is definitely good, but still needs time to see if the acidity will integrate further. However 2006 was a dreadful vintage in Alsace for rot and there is not a hint of mushroom to be found here, which is an achievement in itself.

Weingarten Gewurztraminer 2005:
Philippe is, understandably, less concerned about residual sugar in his Gewurztraminer. This is demi-sec with a lovely floral nose full of rosewater.
A nice mineral hint to it too. Fairly elegant for this most inelegant of varietals.

Grand Cru:


GC Zinnkoepfle Gewurztraminer 2004:
Light, greenish gold colour. Lovely nose, quite restrained with lychees and pain d'epice spices. Quite sweet, beautiful weight and restraint on the palate. Bitter/ spicey finish crying out for food. Lovely with clear smokey minerality, hinting at long development ahead.

GC Zinnkoepfle Pinot Gris 2004:
Not tasted since domaine visit. No note.


Sylvaner 'Z' 2006 (13%): ( from the Zinnkoepfle)
Rich and honeyed nose. Leesy with milky/ caramel note on palate. Spice. Flat lining a little in terms of flavour profile/ lack of acidity? After 1 hr: Honey, spice, quince, nuts. Mango skin, tropical stone fruit. Salty caramel/ mineral aspect. Ice tea with lemon, miso soup?( I know, I know). A strange, fascinating wine. Really unusual and interesting.

Exams put blogging on hold

Just a quick note to say that I am up to my bubbies for the next couple of weeks with exams, so no blogs. Off to Mallorca for two weeks after that so hopefully will be able to put up a couple of related bits and pieces about the lovely wines of Binissalem.
In the meantime all prayers gratefully received!

Vigna Burello, Fattoria San Lorenzo, Rosso Piceno 2005

Fattoria San Lorenzo's Irish importer, Enrico Fantasia, has just returned from the Marche and gave me a hot tip that this wine was far more complex than he had initially thought, and is drinking superbly at the moment. He said that after a few hours in the decanter the Sangiovese aromas take over from the fruity Montepulciano. Such was the depth, complexity and elegance that it could be mistaken for a good standard Brunello.



The front-label also features a large Durer-esque rabbit, making it the ideal choice for Easter Sunday lunch. Unfortunately my taxonomist brother was able to clearly identify the aforesaid bunny as a hare, and I was back to relying on the quality of the wine alone to sway the punters.

Vigna Burello is a blend of 60% Montepulciano and 40% Sangiovese from the Rosso Piceno region of the Marche, on Italy's Adriatic coast. Fattoria San Lorenzo are better known for their white Verdicchio di Castelli di Jesi cuvees than for their reds, but the Burello is simply fantastic. Fattoria San Lorenzo produce just 5000 bottles a year. Grapes from 30 year old vines, grown with a south-east exposition are fermented in open vats, then macerated for 25 days. The wine is then aged in 28 hl botte before bottling.

2005 was a good vintage in the Marche. God had wrung out the clouds over Chianti and Brunello so that there was little rainfall to spoil the fun in Rosso Piceno.

The result is medium bodied, round and polished. Complex with lots of leathery cherry, tea and a touch of liquorice/ aniseed. bright acidity and long finish. The alcohol (13.5%) is discernable, but in balance. Perfect with fatty meats and sheep's milk cheeses.

Vigna Burello, Fattoria San Lorenzo, Rosso Piceno 2005 23.70 from Sheridans Cheesemongers, and selected retailers nationwide.
A serious bargain for an Italian wine of this quality. Highly recommended.

The Sampler, Islington

A visit to the Sampler is a must for those looking to accumulate a lifetime of vinous memories in a single afternoon. Those looking to fritter away seventy pounds in the space of thirty minutes may also enjoy themselves here.

The setup at the Sampler is basically the same as at Enowines in Monkstown, but on a London scale. The shop is equipped with ten enomatic wine dispensers, each stocked thematically. The machine works by blanketing open wines with nitrogen, meaning that oxygen cannot get at it. Open wines can therefore be kept in the machine for a couple of weeks without fear of oxidation, meaning that there is no fear that the proprietor will end up throwing out half a bottle of Screaming Eagle because it oxidised before he could sell it all.

But back to the Sampler. At the very top end is the wine icons selection, stocked with wet dream wines which you thought you'd never get to taste, the sort of wines that are terrifying to even pick up let alone buy. This selection changes weekly and the current listing can be found at www.thesampler.co.uk. This week's selection features 1971 Tignanello, 2006 Tignanello, Chateau Latour 1971, Pichon Baron 1961, Pichon Baron 1989,El Nido 2006, Faiveley Clos des Cortons 1990 and Caymus Special Selection 1997.

Other machines are stocked according to variety, theme or region. So we have Chardonnay; Sauvignon Blanc/ Pinot Gris; Other White Varietals; Riesling and Sweet; Cabernet/ Merlot; Shiraz/ Grenache; Spanish and Other Red Varietals; Pinot Noir/ Gamay; Italian Varietals.

You purchase a card from the counter, stack it up with credit then trawl the shop sampling from the machines. Samples come in single, double, or triple shots. The single is fairly meagre, but gave both of us two sups each per wine- no gulps mind.

The Sampler is also a pretty damn good wine shop in its own right, featuring numerous bottle-aged wines, some at fairly decent prices.

We began with a Chateau de Fiezal, Pessac Leognan 1996 which was oxadative and interesting in equal measure, but I wouldn't be forking out for it; then onto Didier Dagueneau's Buisson Reynard, Pouilly Fume 2004 which was a seriously good, although 65 stg for a Sauvignon Blanc? We faffed our way over to the Chardonnay machine and tastes a 2002 Bourgogne Blanc from Pierre Morey (oxidised and past it) ; a Meursault Les Charmes 2001 (good) also from Morey; Au Bon Climat's Santa Ynez Chardonnay 2006 (tasty). Finally we finished whites with 2006 Schlumberger Pinot Gris Grand Cru Saering which was round, ripe and smokey whilst retaining some elegance. I think Schlumberger's Grand Crus are fairly underrated.

The Riesling and Sweet had no bottle aged examples rieslings, and nothing from Alsace so I gave it a miss.

Then it was on to the serious business of reds. It is increasingly difficult to taste wines with serious bottle age and the necrophile in me took over slightly.
We started with the Pinot Noir, I played the role of boring arsehole whilst my companion feigned interest. We started with a Delta Vineyard Hatter's Hill Pinot Noir 2007 which was pleasant with sweet fruit and a hint of smoke. Then a Chambolle Musigny 2007 from Hudelot-Baillet which was less yummy but more elegant and complex on the nose; then onto a Charmes Chambertin 1995 from Bouree which needed food, and was serious and underwhelming in equal measure.

From the Spanish machine we tried Rioja Alta 904 1989 was full of leathery strawberries and undergrowth but still all there and a 1970 Rioja Bordan Reserva which was decidely gluey and too old.

On to Italy, which I thought probably had the most interesting selection of all.
We started with a 1995 Chianti Fonterutoli from Castello di Fonterutoli. I had never had the chance to taste a bottle aged Chianti before- sad but true- and I really liked it. Celtic Whiskey Shop stock more recent vintages here. Then onto to G. Mascarello's Barolo Monprivato 1996, a stunningly good wine. Nose full of violet and rose with tarry undergrowth and enough fruit to support the traditional nebbiolo structure. FANTASTIC. I had tasted their 2001 Santo Stefano previously and it was damn good too. Not sure their wines are currently available in Ireland, except via Berry Bros website. Finished here with a 1961 Borgogno Barolo Reserva. 8 stg for a taste. This was good too, although perhaps a little porty, and couldn't live with the balance between fruity and secondary development in the Monprivato.

Finally onto the Icons machines. Annoyingly- it is remarkable to become this fussy this quickly- the Chave Hermitage Rouge 1998 was empty, but we held each other tight for a moment and continued tasting regardless. Scab that I am I balked somewhat at forking out 21.50 stg for a snifter of 1985 Lafite-Rothschild, but the wine illness won out and we split our couple of meagre mililitres. Brickish in colour, the nose was quintessentially left bank Bordeaux- I read later that Michael Broadbent described it as oyster shell- and who am I to disagree. This smelt a bit like Bordeaux when you are a kid and I wasn't overwhelmed by it. Good to tick the box and all that, but give me the funny money and I would buy three Monprivato every time- well maybe two Monprivato and a Chave Hermitage. We finished off with a 2001 Mouton Rothschild, which was my companion's favourite. This was mid-development and starting to take on dried fruit character. It was certainly good, and I probably preferred it to the Lafite.

We finished with a frantic dash around the shop. Having told the wives we were already in a taxi en route to meet them, I didn't feel I could spend more than 20 minutes looking around! I lined up a bottle of Domaine Arrextea Hegoxuri White 2008, and Arrextea Rouge 2006 and a half bottle of Hugel Tradition Pinot Gris 2000- a gamble but could have been yum. Unfortunately their machine wouldn't accept my laser card and I had to leave them behind.

Final thoughts. I had spoken to a friend who works with Enomatics and he says that although you can't taste the nitrogen which blankets the wine preventing the from oxidising, he feels the wines got a bit tired in the machine and tasted a little flat. I couldn't help feeling that this was the case in certain instances here. Then again maybe I am just very suggestible. The girl in the shop says they don't bother listing the non-icon wines on line because they change so rapidly. The icon selection is changed every week, so if every wine is there for a week or less there shouldn't really be an issue.

This is a great way to wine taste wines that you would never, ever come across otherwise. It is fairly expensive at the top end, but many of less stratospheric but nonetheless desirable wines cost less than a fiver and there are plenty of wines for a pound or two. Still I will remember that I don't particularly care for Chateau Lafitte 1985, and have inherited a richer man's wine memory for less than a gross meal out in Dublin.

RESTAURANT PATRICK GUILBAUD

Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud was far from full when we arrived for dinner at 8 o'clock on a miserable Thursday evening. Good scabs as always we began the evening at home, toasting my sister's thirtieth at home with a bottle of Mumm Cordon Rouge 1998 and Bollinger NV.

I have long been under the impression that Mumm NV is proper plop, but this was pretty damn good. Lovely autolytic biscuit notes and oodles of complexity, this was tasty, pinot noir led champagne. A bit of a cheese-y nose, and some undergrowth complexity. The Bollinger seemed fairly one dimensional in comparison, and had a metallic taint, a faulty bottle?

We arrived in Guilbaud's and were shown to our table. There were only three or four other occupied tables in the restaurant, and it was far from buzzing. This was the place where the tiger came to tea, so I suppose it wasn't so surprising that business appeared to be suffering. Undeterred we sat down and ordered a bottle of Chablis premier cru 2008, on the suggestion of the sommelier. To my shame I didn't catch the name of the producer, but it may have been Guillaume Vrignaud. This was structured, mineral, restrained in its use of oak and good, although I still prefer the iodine aspect of Jean Claude Bessin's wines.

Our bouches were amused by a perfect pairing of parmesan foam, red wine syrup and foie gras. This was truly fantastic, a real exploration of fermentation flavours and was probably the best thing I ate that night.
STARTERS
I chose truffle tortellini with warm baby leeks, hazelnut, potato mousse and a truffle vinagrette.
At 38 euro this consisted of three tortellini, sitting on the potato mousse, and topped by the leeks and hazelnuts. As the proud father of a relatively new baby I can attest that the leeks didn't actually taste of warm baby, but perhaps that is no bad thing. The dish was elegant and restrained, a sound combination of autumnal flavours. A slight criticism that the pasta was too thick at the edges, but overall this was good.

My sister went for the red king crab cannelloni, with pineapple, pickled ginger, baby herbs, and wasabi creme fraiche. This was all you could wish for in terms of light, fresh, clean flavour without resorting to lime juice or coriander- I know because I scabbed some! She was bowled over by the intensity of the micro greens and also, strangely that the wasabi tasted of wasabi but 'didn't hurt when you [ate] it'.A very good dish, and perfect lady starter food.

The Ma elected to try the stewed basque pepper terrine, with whipped goat's cheese, fennel confit, balsamic croquant and black olive tapenade. This was good, but not great. I didn't think the balsamic croquant had much to recommend it. It looked quite cool, but the flavour was not good. It tasted like burnt-y cake bits. Pretty punchy at 35 bucks, although a bit of a bargain relative to the omnivore's starters.

Pa Pa had the Castletown Bere Scallops, with cauliflower three ways, confit zest with grapefruit reduction and citrus seasoning. I purloined a piece of the scallop and thought it was perfectly cooked, although the Pa said he would have preferred it to have seen the pan for a minute more. He was wrong.

Main courses followed a bizarre interlude where empty plates were places in front of us, presumably to symbolise the lost fish course which we had decided to fore go. I shed a single golden tear. Goodbye my fishy friend. No cutlery was presented. I can't decide whether this made it all more of less bizarre.

MAINS:
Pa couldn't resist his favourite food, veal sweetbreads. These were served with endive and caramelized fennel, with an aribica glaze, and were pronounced excellent.

Despite her fear of bivalves Mama chose the West Cork Sole, Artichoke, Parsley and Shellfish nage. This featured a sizeable and perfectly cooked piece of sole, covered in a nage, which failed the scary bivalve test, and therefore passed mummy muster with flying colours.

My sister's turbot with carrot and star anise and seaweed butter, was a very good combination, featuring a generous portion of turbot.

I chose the Brittany pigeon, slowly roasted with parsnip and seasame and cocoa grue. This was quite a small portion compared to the fish to my right and left, but was good.

Wine wise I chose from a surprisingly well priced list, at least relative to continental urban two stars. Regular readers- are there any?- will know that I am a foul scab, but when in Rome...

I was tempted by the Trimbach Pinot Gris Reserve 2005 at 49 snots, which is a lovely wine but probably too big, even in the dry Trimbach style, to go with all the dishes chosen. I went instead for a superb A and P de Villaine, Cote Chalonnaise 'Les Clous' 2006. 100% chardonnay made on the personal estate of Romanee Conti owner, Aubert de Villaine. Both the reds and whites are fantastic and worth looking trying if you come across them. This was restrained and fine, with a certain yuminess, and a nose full of ripe orchard fruit and a hint of oatmeal. Perfectly balanced, this is a superb wine for the money. We also got two glasses of Simon Beze Bourgogne 2006 to go with my pigeon and the pa's veal, this was very good albeit at 12 a glass. Still when you can pay the same for a glass of absolutely crap pinot grigio in the Shelbourne perhaps this represents relatively good value?

We finished with a selection of fromages- more expensive than a selection of cheeses would have been. The condition of the cheese wasn't great. Not that they were underripe but rather that the rinds of the soft cheeses, particularly the washed rinds were dried out.m Twenty five quid verges on outrageous for 200g of cheese.

This was washed down with a glass of Trimbach Gewurztraminer VT 2002. The sommelier seemed surprised by this choice, conceding that it would be good with the blue cheeses but conveying an overall impression of deep scepticism. I have long thought that gewurz is probably the best variety to pair with cheese and it worked out well.

My sister's chocolate fondant with a warm criollo biscuit, milk chocolate and hazelnut centre and a stout ice cream was decidedly underwhelming. My sister is a chocolate fondant jedi and found this lacked real depth of flavour.

We finished with some good coffees and a plate of very average at best petit fours, including chocolate tuiles and cubes of orange jelly.

The bread throughout the evening was delicious.

Would I be running back with my own money? Probably not. It isn't that there was anything wrong with the food, some of it was very good and the amuse bouche was genuinely excellent. Amuse Bouche aside there was little in the way of genuinely exciting flavour combinations, and for this kind of money you can eat in some of the rural french three stars.. I suppose the 85 euro tasting menu is good value, but I think Guilbaud's is more about the service and being seen than a genuinely memorable gastronomic experience.

Yannick Amirault Le Grand Clos 2004, Bourgeuil

Yannick Amirault is widely regarded as one of the best red wine producers in the Loire.Yet his wines remain affordable and are a hot tip for anyone presented with a terrifying tome of a wine list in Relais et Chateaux restaurants. Guilbaud's used to list some 1995's but don't seem to have any left.



Yannick took over the 3.4 hectare domaine from his grandfather in 1977, and has built it up to 19 hectares today. Yannick's son Benoit joined the enterprise in 2003, and the pair are currently in the process of converting the domaine for organic certification.

Amirault makes a number of different cuvees of Bourgeuil, and St Nicholas de Bourgeuil- all from 100% Cabernet Franc. The fruity La Coudraye, La Mine, La Source and Le Rose are from sandy soils; the heavier, more serious Le Grand Clos is from clay-silex; and La Petite Cave, Les Quartiers and Les Malagnes are from and sand and clay mixture.

The wines are in short supply, so much so that Irish agents Sheridans/ Grapecircus were unable to secure any 2005s whatsoever despite having bought a large quantity of 2004s. Sheridans have just sold out of Le Grand Clos 2004, but still have some of the lighter, cheaper, and less interesting La Coudraye 2006 (16.95) in stock. This cuvee conforms more to light and fruity, chill it if you like, Loire red than the more serious Le Grand Clos. I think La Cave may still have a couple of bottles of Le Grand Clos 2004 on their list. Visitors to the Grand Epicerie in Paris can stock up on a wide range of Amirault's wines at very reasonable prices ( from 9 euro upwards).

2004 was not a decent but not fantastic vintage for Loire reds, nowhere near as ripe as 2005 or 2003 and probably on a par with 2002. Then again it wasn't a total wash-out and maybe you get more a sense of red Loire from an goodish vintage, than from a blockbuster year like 2003. Enough decent weather to get rid of dilute character and serious greeness, but not sufficient heat that you would never guess Loire. Think 2004 Bordeaux vs 2005. High levels of ripeness in 2006 prior to rain in September saved the harvest from washout. I would avoid red Loire 2007s, probably 2008s. 2009 is supposed to be savagely good, on a par with 2005 according to initial reports.

Anyway suffice to say that the Grand Clos 2004 (22.95) was just coming into its own. I tasted this a few years ago and it was good, but far too young. Now it had blackberry fruit with a hint of briar attached, restrained oak (2nd uses barriques from Chateau Margaux), smokey/ cigar box and some nice secondary characteristics starting to come through. Too bad this is the last bottle! Went very well with the huge veal cutlet from the butcher's in Donnybrook, which cost almost as much as the wine.

Scab's Pinot Noir continues

The search for scab's pinot continues.

Prior to the 2001 vintage Chanson had arguably the worst reputation of any of the negotiants of Beaune, think Louis Latour; Drouhin; Jadot. Bollinger bought the company from the Marion family in 1999. Bollinger immediately found themselves at the centre of a scandal which was not of their making. Over 700,000 bottles in the cellars were found to be illegally blended wines.

Cellar master Marc Cugney had, under the supervision of the Marions, committed numerous fraudulent acts in the cellars. Standard Bourgogne had been bulked up with Vins de Pays from Languedoc and wines from Allicante. Some red burgundies contained in excess of 75% vins de pays! Certain site specific wines including those from the famous Clos des Mouches and Beaune Greves were blended from a concoction of wines. Worryingly these wines passed the agrement ( testing and tasting by the INAO required if the wines are to be granted the AOC). Evidence given at the trial indicated that over 25% of Chanson's wines in 2000, 1999 and 1998 were fraudulent. In light of this my advice would be to avoid Chanson wine predating 2002 like the plague. There are a couple of older bits and pieces knocking around various branches of O'Briens at apparently reasonable prices for bottle aged Burgundy. For the reasons stated above I haven't tried any of these, but would caution against purchase.

Fortunately those days are firmly behind Chanson now. Bollinger have installed the team of Giles de Courcel- of the illustrious Domaine de Courcel in Pommard, and winemaker Jean-Pierre Confuron- of Confuron-Cotetidot at Vosne-Romanee. Together these two have redefined quality at Chanson and the wines are improving with every vintage.

My impression of the overhauled Chanson wines are as follows ( based on the relatively limited wines I have tried) . The reds are more consistent than the whites, although the whites have come significantly since 2005. From what I have read the 2006 whites are superb, notably the Pernand-Vergelesses En Caradeux 2006. The 2005 is very good too, although there appears to be a hint of free sulphur knocking around. ( perhaps this is in reaction to the phenomenon for premature oxidation of white burgundy experienced in recent years, suppposedly caused by, amongst other things, a trend for increasingly low sulphur dosages in recent years).
I have been less impressed by their Savigny Les Beaune les Hauts Marconnets 2004, which appeared to be suffering from a serious fault in a couple of bottles, characterised by a horribly pronounced curry leaf aroma. At the far end of the scale their Macon Village 2008 is undoubtedly good value for money and a fantastic party wine. I have read that this is O'Brien's best selling wine.

The reds from the Cotes de Beaune, Chanson's home turf, have a better reputation than their wines from the Cotes de Nuits and Cotes Chalonnaise. I have tasted many of the 2002 Beaune Premier Cru reds and would recommend them all, particularly the Clos des Feves. I have come across a couple of corked bottles of Clos du Roi 2002. I would skip the 2003 and 2004s, although I have not tasted them. The 2005s are more expensive than the 2002s, presumably because Bollinger are not doing this for the good of their health! In fairness to O'Briens though the pricing is roughly in line with cellar door retail prices in France, and you could probably pay a lot more for these wines in a posh shop in Paris.

The 2005 Clos des Feves scored 19/20 in the Bettane and Desseauve Guide 2008- in the same league as the Romanee Conti's of this world- and is still a bit of a bargain at 55 euro. I have one sacred bottle which I am keeping for my fiftieth, or when I qualify for the bar- whichever happens first! The Beaune Greves 2005 is also damn fine and rated so by Jancis Robinson. I had a bottle recently over Sunday lunch. Way, way too young but pretty damn tasty nonetheless.

I was less impressed by their Mercurey 2006, and Cotes de Nuits 2006. That is not to say that these wines are bad but that they were less expressive, and less interesting than the wines above. Having said that both were just under twenty euro so I am not sure that this is a fair comparison.

Anyway, what about their Bourgogne Rouge 2007?

Wine: Light in body. Fairly muted on the nose with some red fruit character and a touch of pinot whiff. Light to medium bodied on the palate, old world ripe with refreshing acidity and sufficient grip to stand up to plain salmon or chicken. Refined, elegant and restrained. Nothing spectacular here, but very well done. Would buy again, recommended. Available for 15.95 in O'Briens. 11 euro at Chanson in France.

Also recommended by Bettane and Desseauve Guide 2010. 15/20 and smiley face for good value!

Le Preverre, Rue Thenard, Paris 5eme

Unlike the Irish rugby team, I have learnt from my visits to Paris over the years. Despite its reputation as a foodie Mecca I have found that eating out in Paris can be surprisingly (i) expensive (ii) hit and miss. Mark ups on wines are generally higher than in Ireland, and the food can be punchy too for what you are getting. With this in mind I put a psychotic amount of research into where to eat and, thankfully, came up trumphs. This involved long hours on the internet and texting anyone I could think of who regularly eats out in Paris.

The ever increasing number of bistro-nomique restaurants are probably the most interesting places to eat in Paris at the moment. The 'nomique' refers to both 'gastronomique' and 'economique'. Over the past number of years the prices of the top restaurants have risen to such an extent that most of the population simply cannot afford to ever eat in them. Even in a country like France where normal working people will actively save to dine out in a top restaurant perhaps once a year, these restaurants are considered ludicrously expensive. It should be noted that this is not simple profiteering by these restaurants, it is simply unbelievably expensive to run such operations. You need a fancy address (high rents), a huge number of front of house staff; an army in the kitchen to assemble each dish; and massively expensive raw ingredients (lobster; foie gras; turbot; chickens with postgraduate degrees etc). The Michelin system is a vicious cycle, requiring the output of ever larger sums to either retain the stars you have, and constant refurbs, crockery changes, refits etc if you hope to move from one level to the next.

At the other end of the scale many of the better known traditional bistro/brasserie restaurants in Paris are owned by various big operations where the bottom line is the primary motivating factor. The food tends towards to be generic, bistro classics trotted out using bog standard ingredients. Many tourists end up in these premises, swept along by the romance of big, busy, historic restaurants serving classic french fair but culminating in an ultimately disappointing experience.

It is therefore unsurprising that it is more difficult to eat out well in Paris than the capital's image as a food destination would have you believe.

The Bistronomique movement is an effort to address this lacuna. The philosophy behind these independently owned restaurants is that just because you can't afford to eat in the top restaurants does not mean that you should have to eat badly. The customer is still entitled to enjoy dishes made with the top ingredients appropriate to this level of restaurant. You won't find too much lobster or Wagu beef on the menu but every detail of the food from the bread to the coffee has been carefully selected to maximise quality. Many of the chefs in these restaurants have worked in the two and three stared establishments and become disillusioned by the elitism and essential falsity of this over-refined style of dining.

Le Pre-verre is a small restaurant on Rue Thenard in the 5eme, specialising in wines from small producers and the subtle use of spices in food. I had reservations about the latter, as I was concerned about the over zealous, and needless application of spices across the menu. Fortunately my visions of turmeric cheesecake never materialized as all spices were used in a judicious and sparing manner, and served to add subtle complexity to the food.

The wine list was the main reason I had booked Le Preverre. Wine lists in Paris vary massively in price and quality. At the lower end many cafes simply list the wine with no reference to producer or vintage. Elsewhere you can pay in excess of Dublin prices for pretty bog standard wines. At Michelin star level the sky is the limit, and you will be lucky to find anything half-way decent for less than 60 euro. By contrast Le Preverre has a short, but perfectly formed wine list. The list is divided into everyday wines, prices from 20 something to 50 something euro, and special occasion wines from 60 to 150 euro. All the wines are sourced from small, independent producers such as Barmes-Buecher from Alsace; Muzard from Burgundy; Domaines David and Saladin from the Southern Rhone; Domaine Tempier from Bandol. Scab that I am we stuck to the everyday section and had a lovely white Santenay Champs Claude 07 from Muzard (48 euro), and, as recommended by the sommelier, a rich, dark 2002 Cahors le Cid from Domaine Cosse-Maisonneuve (52 euro).

By Parisian standards the interior was lacking in dark wood, mirrors, zinc bars and a touch of Parisian romance. The restaurant is not going to win many prizes in this regard, although the space was pleasant, convivial and well lit.

We started with two portions of seared, carpaccio-ed scallops, with jerusalem artichoke puree and chips chips or artichoke and a plate of guinea-fowl terrine. The scallops were served topped with well dressed rocket leaves and a few strips of unidentified red vegetable. The round richness of artichoke puree was perfect with the delicate, yet rich scallops. The searing gave them a caramelized exterior which contrasted perfectly with the delicate raw scallop within.

The guinea fowl terrine was delicious. The dish was served with a lively kumquats sauce and mixed leaves in a nut-oil based dressing. The top of the loaf shaped terrine had been rolled in poppy seeds- the spice theme I mentioned earlier. It was moist and moreish.

The Santenay had a nice weight and good presence, without being in any way heavy or oily. Bright acidity and minerality made it refreshing and it was a perfect match with the richness of the scallops and puree.

Main courses were a shared rib of beef with smoked mashed potatoes and wasabi sauce- a signature dish- and slow braised pork in a milk with crisp cabbage. The beef was fabulous, in stark contrast to a tough, flavourless and expensive rib of beef recently ordered in a nameless south Dublin establishment. The meat was perfectly rare as requested. I would generally be wary of ordering this as the connetive tissue around the rib can require a slight bit more cooking than pure fillet, but this was perfect, testiment to the high quality of ingredients used here. The beef had great flavour and a melting texture. The smokiness of the mash was french in its understatement- which is a complement, I think? The wasabi sauce did not appear to be in evidence though, although the steak was topped with a red coloured dressing which contained shallots. All in all, pretty damn good.

The pork was seriously bloody good. Tender without being string, it had been poached in the milk which now formed its sauce. There was a faint rasp of anise in the sauce. Pork's friend cabbage was along for the ride and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

The Cahors was ideal with the beef. Full, Rich and smooth it still had a long, long life ahead of it, or would have done if we had not finished the whole bottle.

Nothing on the dessert list really screamed for us to order it. New York Cheesecake is apparently the house special, but not the idea follow up to any of the mainers. Roast pineapple with black sesame icecream sounded interesting, but not tempting. Ever eager for calories, especially those derived from a dairy source, I ordered the cheese.

The cheese board was a slight let down after the meal, which had been very, very good. I readily identified a slice of Brie de Meaux ( Donge I think), and what I assumed was Fourme d'Ambert.
The third cheese has a pinkish hue on the rind and a chalky texture, I wondered was it Langres.
I asked the japanese waitress, 'what are the cheeses?', she helpfully replied that the cheese were the white pieces and that the green pieces were the salad. The mystery cheese turned out to be Mont d'Or, which should never be in anyway chalky. I'm not saying the cheeses were bad, far from it, but there were disappointing after what had preceded them.

We finished with three good coffees and petit fours of mini chocolate pots flavoured with liquorice. These were delicious, especially accompanied by the warm glow of smugness that accompanies the correct identification of a particular flavour when your dinner companions have failed to do so.

I would heartily recommend Le Pre-Verre to anyone staying in the centre of Paris who likes good wines, good food and affordable prices. The menu and wine list change every month and are available on their website www.lepreverre.com

Scab's Pinot Noir

The eternal quandry, you love Pinot Noir but are too scabby/ broke/ jobless/ homeless to buy a passable example( 17 euro minimum and no guarantee of quality). What to do? Reach with trepidation for a jammy Chilean or cheap, icing-sugared Kiwi?

Nay sir. The scabby wisedom lies in Marks and Spencer's Palatia Pinot Noir 2008 (12.99) from the Pfalz. M&S must have been justifiably fearful that anyone seeing a bottle which is a)from Germany and b) red wine, would run screaming for the padded safety of the underwear department. Accordingly the Spencers have cunningly disguised this wine with a trendy modern label and the name Palataia- derived from the state Rhineland-Palatinate. The overall effect is to allow the customer's inner dyslexic to takeover thus fostering the assumption that this wine must be from somewhere in Italy. 'I'll certainly try that' thinks the customer to himself, ' I love Italian wine and I've heard of Pinot Noir'. No one runs for cover to the underwear section, and Marks and Spencer sell a bottle of German red wine. Once at home indepth rereading of the back label with a highlighter pen just about reveals that this wine is from Pfalz, but by then the damage has been done and the customer is actively enjoying a bottle of german pinot noir.

But enough about the theory, what does the wine taste like?
It is fairly light, but juicy at the same time. There is a distinct pinot souboise nose and plenty of crunchy raspberry. The acidity is refreshing and the tannins are smooth. All in all this is good stuff and worth a hell of a lot more than 12.99 euro. It should be noted in passing that the same bottle is a risible 7.99 stg. Marks and Spencer often also do decent reductions on any 6 bottles.

Finally I suppose it is worth reflecting on the fact that a shop like Marks and Spencers are not buying German Pinot Noir because it sells itself, as a Chablis or Fleurie undoubtedly would.
It is probable that anything more outre than the usual categories is there because it is actively good, not because it is something they have to have.

This wine is also recommended by Jancis Robinson and Tim Aiken.
Try it with some plainly cooked salmon, or white meat.