With the festive season now upon us, Marty Grant and Richard Knighting from Bath-based Corkage restaurant have decided to provide the Business Exchange with a guide to help residents of Bath through the “minefield” of festive tipples.
In terms of a good wine to take to or serve at a party, Marty and Richard suggest that Godello from Bierzo is a “beautiful white wine.” They describe it as a “crowd pleaser” with a good balance of minerality and citrus – “perfect for large groups of people where tastes are bound to vary.” For a red wine, they recommend Cru Maury Grenache from Languedoc.
They say that a good gift wine is Saint Joseph Blanc – a Roussanne and Marsanne blend which they describe as being a “beautifully balanced white.” Additionally, a red wine gift option could be L’equalbrista – a “big, spicy Catalonia blended red.”
For Christmas lunch, they suggest serving something like Paper Road – a New Zealand Pinot noir, light red which they say would “match perfectly” with turkey and cranberry sauce. For white wine enthusiasts, they recommend Insolia – a “robust volcanic white grape from Sicily.”
According to Marty and Richard, Casta diva muscatel makes the best dessert wine and the best champagne is Cazanove 2009 vintage which they describe as being “a real taste of luxury.”
They say that, in terms of serving, it’s a good idea to give red wine “at least a couple of hours” to breathe in a decanter. For white wine, they suggest that 9 – 12 degrees Celsius is usually the best temperature to serve it.
In addition to the guide, Corkage is also running a Christmas promotion of 6 whites for £60 / 6 reds for £70 / mixed case (3 & 3) £65 – from a selection that is available to try at Corkage Walcot Street with free local delivery.
Marty said: “More wine is drunk at Christmas than any other time of the year and lots of people head straight for favourites at the supermarket. We want to open up a whole new world of wine and encourage Bathonians to try something different this year. Not everyone knows we offer wine to buy and take away -we have over 200 bottles to choose from so we’re sure to find something to suit every palette and budget.”
For more information visit www.corkagebath.com
Pictured above: Marty (left) and Richard (right)
