Vinoteca comes to Marylebone!

After five fantastic years Vinoteca’s branching out and ‘’spreading the wine love’’ west.

Owners of the popular Farringdon wine bar in east London, Brett Woonton, Elana Ares and Charlie Young, are on track to open their second Vinoteca located in west London this October. Builders have started refurbishments at the partners’ new site at Seymour Place, Marylebone, which includes creating a wine bar, restaurant, shop, private function room and extensive wine cellar.

It had taken about two years to get the initial idea to this point and finding the right location was probably the biggest hurdle, Brett said. They considered several locations including Soho but decided to stick to somewhere with a similar feel to Farringdon, in that it’s close to the city centre but also residential. ‘’After failing with two sites, one in Baker Street and one in Tooley Street, we finally secured this place (in Seymour Place) but after nine months of negotiations,’’ Brett said. ‘’It’s close to the West End; it still has that nice residential feel but is close to the city.’’ Thought to be an up-and-coming hot spot, with boutique businesses and pubs popping up, the new Vinoteca should make a nice addition to the neighbourhood.

However, opening a second Vinoteca was never on the radar when the partners began in 2005. ‘’It’s just been natural progression after creating a very successful business in Farringdon that attracts wine and food lovers from all over London.’’

Preparations to get the new premise into shape include walls being knocked out and the interior stripped to create a clean slate for the builders. It was a relief to finally be transforming it from what had been plans on pieces of paper for so long, Brett said. The layout will be similar to Vinoteca Farringdon with an open-plan kitchen, bar, wine shop and restaurant accommodating about 60 diners on the ground floor and a large private function room, wine cellar, toilets, storage and kitchen downstairs. While the total space incorporates about 2000 square feet – about 800 square feet bigger than Vinoteca Farringdon – it is still small enough to replicate the unique dining and wining experience Vinoteca has become famous for. ‘’The key thing is it’s still small enough; that’s what we like. We don’t want a big old operation.’’

Brett acknowledged having enthusiastic, professional staff would be crucial to the new bar’s success. They had been lucky to secure a top chef and manager to head their new team. Reputable chef William Leigh (formerly of Blueprint Café, Kensington Place & Steam) will head the kitchen and Willoughby Andrews, former manager of Cafe Anglais, will be the new Vinoteca manager.

To welcome Vinoteca and other new businesses to the area a street party organised by Portman Village would be held on Wednesday 22 September from 12 – 9 pm. Look out for the Vinoteca Prosecco bar.

Amy Milne

Tips from a wine waiter . . .

One of the many perks of working at Vinoteca (I got to meet two iconic Winemakers at our Winemaker Dinner’s and sit in on the Tim Atkins wine course within my first month of working there..) has been the opportunity to discover over 280 wines from the Vinoteca list.  I have been able to sample this great selection of wines at tasting events such our bi-annual Portfolio Tasting’s and smaller, monthly specialist tastings such as last week’s Summer Essentials wine tasting, as well as in our Wine Bar with the ‘by the glass’ menu‘ (25 different wines that change as often as the English summer weather!).  And just like the somewhat fickle English summer, or perhaps because of it, I find my perception, and appreciation of each wine varies slightly with each visit. Wine appreciation, for me, is most certainly, weather dependent.

Two of my favourite Vinoteca wines have both been a perfect accompaniment to the (mostly) lovely, warm weather London has enjoyed this summer. So here they are . . .

2008 Riesling Kabinett Trocken ‘Black Slate‘ from Goettelmann (Nahe)

Summer, for me, is Riesling. Whether it’s off dry with a slight bit of residual sugar, lifted by crisp mouth watering acidity and elegant floral, honeysuckle and tropical aromas, or a rich dry style, with piquant minerallity and plenty of citrus fruit, mandarins and orange peel.

This Riesling comes from the Nahe wine region in Germany from vineyards stacked with big chunks of black slate. These rocks, composed of volcanic ash, not only give the wine its mineral complexity, but also retain enough heat from the sun to help the ripening of the grapes and the development of their flavour and aroma profile showing a wonderful tropical and stone fruit range in the finished wine.

Try it with the Cornish mussels and clams in chilli, parsley and garlic.

2008 Saumur Champigny from Domaine Le Petit Saint-Vincent (Loire)

Made entirely of Cabernet Franc grown on 25-30 year old vines, a fact that would most likely explain its great complexity.

This medium bodied red picked up its subtle currents of minerallity from the chalky soil of the Saumur Champigny appellation in the Loire. Lots of dark cherries and ripe raspberries in the mid palate, this wine has plenty fruit while still displaying the meaty, even bloody back bone I so love in a good Cabernet Franc. Followed by a long, refreshing finish of crisp red current tartness, Le Petit Saint-Vincent is a perfect ‘English Summer’ red. Have it slightly chilled or at room temperature.

I love it with the Spanish cured meats and cheese selection.

Moran

Tomato Risotto

‘Heritage Tomatoes’    ‘Basil’    ‘Buffalo Mozzarella’

Have any three ingredients ever been more perfectly matched? There are few other combinations that get my taste buds working into overdrive like those three do! The tomato risotto at Vinoteca is to die for – it has even been described as ‘risotto on speed’. Okay so maybe I’m a bit biased being married to the Chef, but let it be known that I am HYPER critical about risotto. The Chef can attest to that. Not just any risotto will make me happy, it has to be perfect. The rice must be of good quality (only Carnaroli, Vialone Nero or Arborio). The grains must be toasted in olive oil (known as the tostatura in Italian). Each grain must be perfectly cooked – not too soft, not too hard, just the right amount of bite – al dente! God forbid if you add cream. Proper risotto becomes creamy when cooked correctly. (If you really want to know why it’s because the grains of rice release their starch during the cooking process). Regular stirring with a wooden spoon ensures that each grain of rice soaks up enough liquid. Every drop of the cooking liquor must be absorbed by the rice before the next measure of liquid is added. You can’t rush risotto. And you can’t make it in advance. If you do a million Italian nonnas will turn in their graves. Just when the rice is done, you must remove the pan from the heat and add icy cold butter and cheese. In Italy this is called the mantecatura. (If you’re just making risotto at home for a quick, comforting supper, than just add a splash of olive oil in place of butter to save some calories.)Traditionally Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano are used in risotto, and always omitted if you’re making seafood or fish based risotto. Stirring vigorously at this stage of the cooking is what makes the difference between a sort of creamy risotto and a luxuriously creamy and unctuous risotto.

On this next point I must be very clear, and very firm. Do not under any circumstances serve your risotto on anything other than the following; shallow, wide pasta bowl or large plate and it is eaten with a spoon. Not a fork or a spork, a spoon. Mini copper pots, soup bowls, deep cups or any kind of froufrou post-modern plate will ruin your risotto. Seriously. It also looks silly. You must be able to spread out your rice so that the heat escapes and it stops cooking, otherwise even the most perfectly cooked risotto will become dry or gloopy (its 50-50 either way). Traditionally in Italy risotto is served as a main course and seldom accompanies another dish – it is the main attraction! There are so many ways to make risotto that I have to resist the urge to turn the rest of this blog into a list reminiscent of the shrimp scene in Forest Gump. A few of my favourites: risotto con nero di sepia (squid ink), risotto Milanese (made with saffron and parmesan – Italian comfort food), and risotto al Barolo (made with Barolo wine from Piedmont).

Now that you know what makes a perfect risotto, let me say that Chef Murray’s recipe is delicious, stunning to look at and has even passed this critic’s test for amazing risotto. I could eat it every day! My lovely vegetarian dinner companion practically licked her plate clean and refused to share when we dined at Vinoteca last week.

This risotto could only be enhanced by one thing – a lovely bottle of wine to enjoy with it!  Matching tomato with wine can be tricky (due to its very high acidity) but our 2009 Kamptal Gruner Veltliner ‘Kies’ from Kurt Angerer is the perfect complement!

Enjoy!

Alex

Strawberries

Strawberry season is upon us!

It’s hard to imagine an English summer without those gorgeous, little red gems. Strawberries and cream is the quintessential British summer pudding, synonymous with Wimbledon and picnics! A British Summer just wouldn’t be the same without them. And British strawberries are unquestionably some of the best I’ve ever eaten. As a child, I remember they were only available for a few months every summer and could be bought from farmer’s stalls throughout the countryside. Sadly mass produced strawberries available year round commonly grace our supermarket shelves. They look good, but it is always a bit depressing to bite into a beautifully red berry only to discover white, watery, flavourless interior. Usually these berries have spent most of their life travelling by refrigerated lorry and ship from the far flung corners of the World. In contrast, British strawberries are in a class unto themselves. Red and glistening on the outside, covered in crunchy black seeds, their insides are bright pink, juicy and deliciously succulent (especially with a light dusting of sugar). You can even smell them from a few feet away! Why mess with perfection? Go for simplicity when you have a punnet of strawberries to hand. With that in mind, Chef Murray has been baking an absolutely gorgeous version of the classic strawberry shortcake. It’s fluffy, creamy, and just sweet enough to let the flavour of the strawberries sing! At Vinoteca the Chef uses strawberries grown in Kent. They’re small, sweet and perfect for this recipe. Head down to your local farmer’s market and do a few taste tests to find the perfect berry for you!

Vinoteca’s Strawberry Shortcake

Punnet of strawberries
175 g butter
175 g sugar
175 g self raising flour
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract (or use one 1 vanilla bean)
1 tsp lemon zest
Whipped cream

• Cream the butter and sugar and vanilla
• Add eggs one at a time and just combine (add the next egg once the last one has been absorbed – this keeps your shortcake fluffy)
• Add flour and lemon zest and mix until just combined
• Spread the mixture onto a baking sheet with sides (preferably ½” thick)
• Bake at 350F/180C/Gas Mark 4 for 30mins
• Leave to cool (in the tray)
• Once cooled, cut the cake into shapes. At Vinoteca we use a cutter to make 3” circles, but you can use a glass or even a knife and make squares
• Lay out the bottom pieces of sponge, spread whipped cream and strawberries, top with more whipped cream and a piece of sponge
• Refrigerate and dust with icing sugar before serving
• You can make the sponge ahead of time, but assemble the cakes a few hours before serving
• If you have a really big crowd to feed, just double this recipe for a restaurant size batch!

And what should you drink with this I hear you say . . . . well a little glass of Pink Moscato from Innocent Bystander will do just the trick!

A Day at De Bortoli Winery . . . .

A couple of weeks ago, I escaped the English ‘summer’ to the Australian winter (I won’t lie, the weather was rather warm and pleasant) and on my tour to my various relatives I managed to fit in a little sidetrip to the Yarra Valley.  It’s been a few years since I had been to the Yarra and on this occasion I had the privilege of spending some time out at the De Bortoli Estate with their head winemaker Steve Webber as tour guide extraordinaire.  For those of you who don’t know, Steve Webber is a highly accomplished winemaker with a string of awards to his name and, as an already eager fan of De Bortoli wines, it was quite a treat to hear about the wines from the master himself!

So, after an exceptional 4 course meal at the Winery’s restaurant, Locale, I was ready for some serious wine tasting . . . but before we got down to the tasting there was a lot to see and learn in the vineyard.  The De Bortoli estate in the Yarra Valley is a beautiful expansive site and whilst it looks a serene and tranquil place on the surface, the vineyards are a busy place indeed!  A quick whizz around reveals tonnes of compost bubbling away, sites earmarked for replanting and resting, and all the while Steve giving me the run down on the ‘biological farming principles’ they adopt  and the importance of getting the vineyard in the best shape possible.  Webber’s philosophy is very much about getting it right in the vineyard and then letting the wine do its thing – of winemaking he says ‘it’s harder to do nothing’.  This philosophy seems to be working pretty well for him judging by the wines he and his team are making.

So onto the wines . . . well the truth is that we tried too many to remember them all (I was on holidays after all!) but there were certainly a few standouts in my mind.  Firstly was the gorgeous (both to look at and to drink) Riorret range, a Steve Webber and Leanne De Bortoli creation that showcases two single vineyard sites, ‘The Abbey’ in the Yarra Valley and ‘Merricks Grove’ in the Mornington Peninsular.  Equal to Webber’s enthusiasm for getting the vineyard in tip top form his his passion for making wines from special single vineyard sites that reflect the character of the place – what the French would call ‘terrior’.  These wines do just that and are absolutely delicious into the bagain! The Abbey with its very pretty red cherry fruit, floral pink rose, nice earthy spice and rhubarb notes and Merricks Grove with ripe black cherry and warm spice notes fine tannins balanced with juicy acidity.

Next to spring to mind is the 2008 PHI Pinot Noir.  Steve Webber has teamed up with Stephen Shelmerdine to create the PHI range – the wines, a Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, are a reflection of a special single vineyard site in the Yarra,  Lusatia Park Vineyard, yet another example of Webber’s commitment to showcasing special sites and expressing a sense of place in his wines.  As you can imagine, the 2008 Pinot was another beautiful wine!

On a slightly different bent I also had the chance to try two wines from the Melba range – Lucia and Mimi.  In a move away from varietal wines these two are Webber’s interpretation of Cabernet blends made in Claret styles.  Very different from the other wines we tried but I loved the flavour and character of these wines. Lucia, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Sangiovese is bright red with a savoury palate with fine integrated tannins and a lick of rusticity.  Mimi, a mix of Cabernet, Syrah and Nebbiolo blend, also bright red, has complex fragrant leafy brambly notes and dark chocolate aromas with savoury Cabernet flavours and leather and tobacco characters.

As you can imagine I slept very well that night. Reflecting on what was an amazing day it’s certainly clear that its full steam ahead at De Bortoli Wines and exciting times ahead for both Steve Webber and us consumers.  Personally, I am very much looking forward to seeing what’s on the horizon from this winemaker and in the meantime I think I might just relax over a cheeky Lucia or Mimi . . . . .

As already dedicated fans, Brett and Charlie currently have 3 De Bortoli Wines on our list, 2005 ‘Windy Peak’ Sangiovese (only available at Vinoteca), 2008 Pinot Noir ‘Deen Vat 10’ and 2007 Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon – do come in and try some!

To help spread our ever growing enthusiasm for De Bortoli Wines here at Vinoteca, we are giving away a bottle of one of their most iconic wines, 2006 Noble One – to the first person who can tell me the very first vintage of this most famous and delicious dessert wine . . . . . .

Waiting to hear from you . . . .

Louise

Enjoying the wines of Masseria Li Veli at Vinoteca’s Latest Wine Dinner . . .

Despite the imposing ash cloud hovering over the city last week, Vinoteca managed to host a delightful Puglian themed wine dinner, featuring the wines of Masseria Li Veli in our private room.  This was my first chance to attend one of these events since joining the team at Vinoteca and I have to say I had an absolute ball!  It was an intimate affair (unfortunately the dreaded ash cloud kept the winemaker and some guests away) hosted the charming Francois from Liberty Wines (with a little help from Caitlin).  Guests enjoyed a 5 course feast prepared by our new Head Chef John Murray and his Sous Chef Anna Chen.

The evening started with some antipasti and a glass of Li Veli Verdeca, which interesting is the only white wine made by this producer, and is not actually available in UK at the moment.  It was a fruity refreshing wine with a hint of spice and good acidity.  A perfect match for our starter of Langoustine Orecchiette that John and Anna prepared for us!

This was followed by Slow-roasted leg of lamb with some delightful St George mushrooms which are tiny and very tasty (and only in season around St Georges Day!), which was paired with two Li Veli wines made from the Negroamaro variety –  2008 Passamante Salento Negromaro and 2005 Pezzo Morgana Salice Salentino.  These two delicious wines provided an interesting comparison with the Salice Salentino (my personal favourite) having been aged for longer in oak barriques.

It was then time for the cheese course, an aged pecorino with a little quince paste.  We enjoyed our cheese with two more wines from the Li Veli Estate, 2008 Orion Salento Primitivo (made from 100% Primitivo),  and 2008 Primonero Salento Rosso (50% Primitivo, 50% Negroamaro).

As if we hadn’t had enough to eat, the meal concluded with a lovely cherry dessert paired with an equally lovely sweet wine from A Mano – 2008 Aleatico di Puglia Passito.  Delicious!

All in all it was a great night of good food, wine and company . . . . I am looking forward to the next one already . . . . .

Louise

Getting My Head Around Fortified Wines at ‘The Big Fortified’ Tasting

Fortified Wine = Normal wine with spirits added, can be dry or sweet depending on when the spirit has been added

What better way to start a week than with a glass of Fino sherry? Admittedly, I wasn’t swallowing any of my Fino, but I was definitely still enjoying it! I have become a little obsessed with sherry over the past few years, and sadly still haven’t made it to the new sherry bar near King’s Cross Bar Pepito, but the BFT tasting was a great substitute for the time being. I arrived just before 11am, and didn’t leave until after 2pm, there were just too many wines to try, and too many questions to ask.

The ‘BFT’ tasting was the first of its kind and by the looks of it, a huge success, the place was packed! It just goes to show that people in the wine trade are very excited about fortified wines. Why are fortified wines so exciting?

I think it is because they are so unique. Especially sherry, it blows my socks off every time I get the chance to taste a good quality Manzanilla or Fino, I don’t think there is anything quite as refreshing and suprisingly food friendly. I keep hearing the sad stories of the Sherry market suffering because young people aren’t into it, because of  associations with the sweet Sherries that their Grandma drinks. The most interesting Sherries (in my opinion) are they dry ones, Fino, Manzanillo (same as a Fino, only aged in coastal town Sanlucar de Barrameda), Amontillado (Once a Fino, but allowed to be oxidized hense the dark colour & nutty flavour) or Oloroso (similar to Amontillado, but did not begin life as Fino, and can be sweet).

What may put people off Sherry is when experiencing  them for the first time they expect them to taste like normal wines, when in fact they are completely different.You must keep an open mind when tasting these types of wine, and I’m sure you’ll be converted!

Caitlin

The Importance of a Restaurant’s Website

One of my repsonsibilities here at Vinoteca is to maintain our website. I go through and check links, reword text, and decide which pictures should be swapped for new more exciting ones. I don’t make any of these changes myself, I simply put all of the desired changes into an e-mail and send it off to our website host propeller. Our aim is to give visitors an idea as to what Vinoteca is all about, as well as provide them with all of the information they are looking for.

Each month we’re sent a file with the stats for our website, which explains how people have arrived there, which pages are most popular, and how long they remain on our site. Visits are incredibly short, which I assume means they are mainly there getting essential information such as our phone number, opening times, and address.

On Friday night, I had dinner with a friend who has recently helped to open a new cafe here in London, and our discussion led us to the revelation that they have decided not to have a website. I know there are many restaurants in London who have opted out of having one (Anchor & Hope group), which doesn’t seem to have reflected negatively on their business.

I personally prefer a website. I like to take the time to check out a restaurant that I would like to visit from the comfort of my home computer, and I appreciate finding the same essential information that our website visitors are searching for. Also, if I have an enjoyable visit I would like to have a link to forward on to my friends so they can visit as well.

I’m interested to hear how other people feel about websites, and how important they are?

What information are you looking for when you visit a restaurant’s website?

Should a newly opened cafe have a website?

Looking forward to some feedback on this one!

Thanks,

Caitlin

Tasting Château Haut Brion – Cabernet Sauvignon the ‘King’ of Grapes

Last summer, I wrote my final WSET Diploma exam, consisting of two parts – a blind tasting of 12 wines, followed by 3 hours of theory. The theory section was particularly daunting, considering you know you could be faced with questions regarding ANY aspect of the global (still) wine industry.  You can bet, that one random topic that you didn’t cover in your weeks of study (ie. indigenous Greek varietals), will be on there. Even scarier, is that within the theory section, there is one mandatory question, worth high marks, the type of question that can make or break you. In my examination this question asked students to discuss the pros and cons of Cabernet Sauvignon in the vineyard, the winery, and the market. Quite a challenging question, but once I started writing, It became clear that there is much more to this grape than most wine drinkers realise.

Since my exam, I haven’t given Cabernet Sauvignon much thought. A Christmas spent in the Bordeaux region entailed consuming large amounts of wines dominated by it, but I haven’t spent much time pondering the role of Cab Sauv in the world of wine.

That is until a recent afternoon, while attending a Château Haut Brion tasting at Bibendum Wine Ltd. Tasting wines of this calibre is a rare and exciting event for someone like myself, despite being lucky enough to work in the wine trade, my place of work focuses more on offering good value than posh wines, so tasting some of the most expensive wines on the planet doesn’t seem to happen that often.

As I listened to 3^rd generation Chateau Haut Brion winemaker Jean-Phillipe talk us through his wines (all from the 2004 vintage), giving each wine’s grape percentage break down, it brought me back to Cabernet Sauvignon.  There may be some negative aspects working against this grape (late ripening, high tannin, demands aging to name a few), but you can’t argue with the fact that it is the foundation of some the best wines on the planet.

The Bordeaux region has been producing wine for centuries, giving them ample amounts of time to develop strategies in the vineyard, which will produce the highest quality of wine. For some consumers it may seem confusing that wines from Bordeaux don’t usually state which grapes are in the bottle, or that you have to memorise which side of the river a vineyard is on to make a stab at which grape may be dominating the blend. I assume one of the main reasons for not listing grape percentages on their labels is because from vintage to vintage their blends are always changing. This is one their strategies for dealing with the sometimes difficult Cabernet Sauvignon. Take the vineyards of Chateau Haut Brion Rouge for example, you will find the three key grapes of the Bordeaux region – Merlot, Cabernet Franc & Cabernet Sauvignon. This is their way of taking out a sort of ‘insurance policy’ on Cabernet Sauvignon. If the weather doesn’t co-operate in a particular vintage, and the Cab Sauv doesn’t quite reach the quality level required, then they will look to Merlot & Cabernet Franc (who will have developed differently in the vineyard), to step in (blending), and help Cab Sauv to perform at it’s very best.

Another downfall of Cabernet Sauvignon that baffles consumers, is that most of them aren’t ready to drink upon release. Despite Jean-Pierre’s wines having 6 years in bottle, they are still considered young, and would benefit from many more years in bottle. Wines like these are in a whole other league, and for me the hardest ‘con’ to swallow are the prices. I sadly, will never have cellar full of Chateau Haut Brion. These precious opportunities to taste them will have to do, which I believe actually make me appreciate them even more than if price was not an issue.

Despite Cabernet Sauvignon being a tough grape to love at times, the ‘pros’ are in the glass, and on the palate. Cabernet Sauvignon can produce some of the most intense, complex & stunning wines that one could ever come across, which I believe firmly crowns it as ‘The King’ of grapes.

Caitlin

Drinking My Way Through Vinoteca’s List – 2004 Rheingau Riesling ‘Erstes Gewachs’, Schloss Vollrads,Rheingau – GERMANY £21.50

Today I met with Rowald Hepps of Schloss Vollrads for a quick tasting of his wines. Schloss Vollrads who will be celebrating their 800 year anniversary of selling wine next year, is dedicated to producing only Riesling, all of their wines are 100 % Riesling, which Rowald explained as their way of offering purity to wine drinkers, allowing them to experience Riesling for what it is. While tasting his wines, purity is definitely a word that comes to mind, they are incredibly clean and pure.

Currently, we are listing Schloss Vollrads magnificent 2004 ‘Erstes Gewachs’ (meaning ‘Grand Cru’, also signified by the little church window looking symbols on the bottom of the label). Schloss Vollrads ‘Grand Cru’ is a complex wine, with so many impressive aspects. From intense honeyed aromatics on the nose, to deep apple & citrus fruit flavours on the palate, complemented by minerality, texture, and an enjoyable creaminess. Rowald described his wines as ‘swinging wines’, I love this description, and I know exactly what he means, these are bold  and exciting wines, while remaining balanced, and perfectly elegant. I can’t recommend these wines enough!

Caitlin