Tuesday 16 December 2014

Restaurant Trends (and our plans) for the New Year

We're not even into the new year yet, but already I'm planning what to implement at The Wingerworth in 2015. Part of this process involves looking at forecasts for industry trends and how we can integrate some of those thing into what we do, in order to remain at the forefront of the hospitality industry. In 2014, three of the biggest trends were "hybrid"cuisine, continental-style sharing and "hip" or "quirky" wines. Of course, like all trends they have been going in and out of fashion for decades, but we really noticed a boom in them last year and at The Wingerworth we were excited to be able to implement them in one form or another in order to give our customers a truly modern gastro-pub experience.

Although none of the leading chefs would admit to it, hybrid cuisine is indeed a hybrid of fusion food, which was huge in the 1990s. It is very simply the mixing of cuisines from different parts of the world. Many gastro-pubs opt to restrict themselves to a solely British menu, but I cannot understand the attraction or benefit of doing so with so much wonderful food out there in the world. That said, I would only consider these additions if they enhanced a dish or a menu - adding things for the sake of it is never a good idea. Throughout 2014 we've had some lovely hybrid dishes on our menu, one of my favourites being a ras el hanout rump of pork with polenta, courgette and pineapple. Even some of our pub classics have been garnished with a twist, such as the prawn cocktail with spicy avocado and Bloody Mary in April, the delicious five spice and honey glazed ham and eggs from the start of the year, or even the curry sauce that accompanied the fish, chips, crushed peas and cockles.

But hybrid cuisine was so 2014...

Sharing cuisine was also a big "thing" this year, with tapas in particular becoming really fashionable. That's not to say it won't continue to be so, it just won't be the "new thing" anymore. When we opened The Wingerworth I particularly wanted a sharing element to our pub menu, partly because of the trend and partly in homage to my time at Iberico. We launched with three sharing platters on the menu - a seafood platter, a continental cured meat platter and an English Picnic board, which was by far the most popular. The great thing about sharing is that it's a more casual way of dining - you can pick at things as you chat over a lazy lunch with friends. We've also found that the sharing element works really well during our monthly wine tastings, where guests can have little bits here and there as they go through the guided wine tasting.

As for the quirky wines, well that's where we came into our element! I've spoken about this in greater detail in a previous blog on Wine Lists, so to prevent me from boring you by repeating myself, have a read if you haven't done so already!

So what's "in" in 2015?...

In 2015 we will be seeing three very specific influences on our food in restaurants. The first of these will reflect the change in preference on our palate towards the bitter end of the spectrum. This has largely evolved over recent years as a result of an increased fascination in the moreish, savoury fifth taste - umami. Although the notion of something similar to umami was first suggested in the early 1900s, it was only in 2009 that American scientists found proof of umami taste receptors on our tongues. Since then, media exposure peaked the interest of major food manufacturers, who have increased the balance of umami in certain products, particularly things like soups, sauces and ketchups. It is only fitting that in 2015 restaurants will be adjusting to changes in people's palates with heavily umami-ed or more bitter dishes, containing more of things like dark greens, bitter coffee or bitter chocolate, as well as mushrooms of course.

With this in mind, as well as keeping our food menu in line with the consumer's tastes, it was a great priority for us to find a great coffee supplier. In keeping with other recent trends they had to be relatively local and definitely artisan in their techniques, so in the end we decided to work with the wonderful guys at 200 Degrees. They carefully source the finest coffee beans from around the world before hand roasting them at their headquarters in Nottingham, individually testing each batch before sending over to us at the pub. In roasting the coffee beans to 200 degrees farenheit, they take the roasting process to the "second crack" stage, which is about as bitter as you want to go without impeding the flavour of the coffee - perfect for the modern taste. Similarly our cocktail menu now includes a popular Espresso Martini and we have very recently added a Gin & Tonic Menu, with a selection of premium gins to tantalise the bitter taste-bud. These subtle changes keep us in line with the latest industry trends and in all honesty, our staff are pretty excited about the changes!

We've had quirky wine last year, but second big thing in hospitality in 2015 is quirky food combinations. We humans get bored with eating the same stuff all the time. Equally, with the rise of social media we crave to try something weird that we can tell everyone about - whether it's good or bad, as long as we can be the centre of attention for just a moment. We're not just talking sweet/salty combinations here guys - we're talking full-on bonkers stuff! I don't know if it's the fact that our food sources are quickly depleting, or the influence of "that" horrendous celebrity social-experiment TV show in the Australian jungle, but the word on the street is that we may be seeing insects making their way onto our plates... I don't know if Chesterfield is quite ready for that yet, so perhaps we'll see how it goes down in London before giving it a try at The Wingerworth. Even so, I'm sure you will be seeing something a bit more unusual on our menu at some point during the year! We're already hearing that the Japanese beer-maker Kirin has released a range of salty soft drinks and these interesting flavour combinations will undoubtedly also find their way into our cocktails. If sweet/salty works with food, why not with drinks too?

The final (and in my opinion most interesting) advancement comes in the form of technology. There's just no getting away from it, but the question is which technology to implement and when? The big thing over the last, well, decade now really is the addition of ePOS tills. There's no doubt they make things so much simpler with their back-office reporting systems, but boy are they expensive and the till companies certainly do know how to exploit their market. I recently had a visit from a former employee, who is now a sales person for Apple-endorsed payment company Zapper. Their product allows customers to pay their bill via their mobile phone, with the addition of a financial incentive to the customer for signing up to the scheme. In theory it's a great idea - simple to use, practical and cutting-edge. After much [difficult] deliberation I did decide that we weren't quite ready for it yet. Partly because it's so new to the marketplace, but also because frankly the financials just didn't stack up - for a greatly increased operational cost, the product would not have brought us any additional revenue. Their major downfall is that they treat every transaction like a credit card, charging a [I will say very reasonable!] percentage of the transaction. However, that percentage of transaction will still undoubtedly be much, much higher than the set fee that I currently pay for debit card transactions, which do make up the majority of our PDQ payment split. Make no mistake though - paying through your mobile phone is coming and they will undoubtedly snare some slightly less clued-up operators, but I think they need to make some major base-level changes before it really takes off.

One thing that really does intrigue me is robot pubs. The single biggest overhead in a hospitality business is staff costs and every operator struggles monthly to keep this reigned in. One of the latest "things" in London is iPad-operated pubs such as the Thirsty Bear or the Lazy Fox. Just imagine it - you sit at a table, the beer taps are at your disposal [increased sales?...], you order food and process payment through an iPad. It's quicker, it's easier and it's cheaper. With increasing pressure in the industry to increase salaries, incorporating technology in some way may be a way of making this step more affordable. That said, I do believe that people are a pub's biggest asset and with technology comes less available jobs! But how could we use an iPad in an effective way at The Wingerworth in 2015? My former boss David Perkins recently wrote a brief article in the Nottingham Evening Post on their use of iPads in gathering customer feedback at Perkins and Escabeche. We currently use the archaic method of pen and paper and spend hours inputting and sifting through the data - I'm sure that a similar more technologically advanced system will be finding its way to The Wingerworth next year. We'd never have self-serve beer taps, but who knows - maybe an iPad-based menu with the option to place an order through it rather than waiting for a server is the way forward?

Whatever the New Year brings, I hope it is a happy and prosperous one for everyone involved in the hospitality industry. Happy New Year!

Thursday 11 December 2014

Ageing Ale

I heard something very refreshing the other day, which got me thinking about ageing real ale - I was desperate to pull a cask of 5.5% winter warmer ale from North Star through the lines at the pub, basically because I was eager to try it [I'm not ashamed to say...]. A member of my staff almost physically stood between me and the cask and sternly told me that it needed more time, because it had only had 24 hours stillaging and 24 hours venting. He was right - higher ABV beers do need longer to settle and to vent, with the process being very similar to the idea of decanting in wine. In my opinion keeping a good real ale cellar is the single most difficult thing that you can do in a pub. It may seem a bit crazy, but each ale does  have it's own personality and temperament; some will be angry and fizz out at you when you tap the barrel, some will be stubborn and require a longer venting time to bring out the flavour. Just like people, they don't like it when it's too hot or too cold, as this will either speed up or stop the natural fermentation process.

The most difficult part of cellarmanship to perfect is the venting process - too much and you're left with flat beer and too little and the ale will be too fizzy, almost like lager. In the case of higher ABV beer, it does requires longer to vent and release the excess carbon dioxide so my diligent staff member was absolutely right to stop me in my tracks. But cellarmanship and the venting process isn't the real concern of this blog - I'd like to talk about really ageing beers. When bottled, brewers will happily put a best before date a year or two into the future on it, but when in cask 3 months is probably the most that you will see. According to the guys at the Brewing Sciences department at the University of Nottingham, there shouldn't really be much difference - both are sealed, airtight containers that have been cleaned and sterilised just before filling. I'm just going to put it out there that the difference is simply that a bottle is disposable, whereas a brewer wants his cask back to refill as soon as possible...

Even after a year or more, beer won't go off as such, it will just taste different. 

Some people make an artform of ignoring the best before dates - they are so in tune with the beers that they sell, they  will tell you when the beer is best. Must be a nightmare for brewers... Around Christmas-time all the "big" beers come out and I know of one particular pub in Nottingham, where the landlord will buy a cask of a particular ale around about now, for Christmas 2015. This Christmas he will be pulling through 2013's purchase. Why? Because just like wine, beer matures and mellows with age; it's highest and lowest notes will be smoothed out. This is particularly the case for bottle-conditioned beers [and casks], because the yeast is added at the very end of the manufacturing process - the longer it has to work with the beer, the more it will impart flavour. Just as with spirits, higher ABV beers will have a "hot" top note from the higher alcohol content, which will mask the other flavours if it isn't left to mellow with time.

So which beers are best to mature? Well in my experience heavily malted beers are best. Although hops are partly added to beer to act as a preservative, the flavour of the hops fades relatively quickly so it is arguably a bit of a waste to mature heavily-hopped ales. Generally it needs to be higher ABV because the alcohol acts as a preservative too, so we're talking strong, dark ales - porters, imperial stouts or even barley wine.

One of my favourite annual traditions is to buy a mixed case of Fuller's Vintage Ale, which then
becomes almost a scientifically detailed 'vertical tasting'. Some we drink almost immediately, but some go into storage for the following Christmas, or even several Christmases to come. Fuller's even recommend to try now, in five years and in ten years. If you don't mind splashing out a bit, there's a 'boxed' case, which looks prettier and gives you a few of the older vintages (back to 2006 this year), but costs £4.16 a bottle. For just £2.91 a bottle, you can buy an 'unboxed' mixed case that usually has two of the latest vintages. But in my opinion Vintage Ale needs to be at least 5-6 years old to be at its best, so you'd have to store these for a good few years yet.

Luckily, we've been amassing this festive treat for a number of years now, so I'll be trying the 2005, 2009, 2011 and 2012 vintages, just to provide a good comparison of how they mature with age. Fuller's do change the recipe slightly each year - using the year's best hops and malt, but the colour, bitterness and ABV of the beer remains the same. Bearing in mind that this is a really great beer to begin with, I've scored each one to the nearest 0.1 stars, rather than my usual 0.5 in order to differentiate between them more easily.

Fuller's Vintage Ale, 2012:

This edition of Vintage Ale is brewed with a combination of Goldings, Sovereign and Target hops. From the Goldings we'd expect citrus (grapefruit or orange), from the Sovereign there will be a more savoury herby element and the Target will again add citrus and spice. Pouring the bottle I immediately noticed how fizzy it was and that the beer didn't hold it's head for particularly long indicating that in the ideal world, it isn't quite ready. There hasn't been enough time for oxidation to complete and for the beer to mellow. The nose is heavy - boozy raisin followed by marmelade and a hint of something like treacle with pepper and spice. On the palate the bitter marmalade hits immediately, before mellowing into a young (perhaps too young), peaty single malt with sultanas and raisins. Then bitter sweetness comes back in with treacle, marzipan and lingering finish of orange pith, raw spices and burnt caramel. Although it has great depth of flavour, the bitter top notes are still just far too strong in the 2012. Make no mistake, this is still a great, great beer, but I know what it will be with another 3-4 years - the caramel will add more sweetness the mouthfeel will be smoother, the bubbles will subside to make it less lager-like and the single malt will really come into its own.
Beer Score: 4.3 Stars

Fuller's Vintage Ale, 2011:
In the 2011 version, the Target hops are substituted with the even more heavily orange/marmalade First Gold hops. Although the beer was still fizzy, it was less so and the head retention was much better. This was partly due to the slightly higher viscosity of the beer as a result of longer maturation and gave the beer a much smoother and more opulent mouthfeel. Sadly, but somewhat interestingly, it had closed up just as wine does in stages of its maturation. It wasn't offering much, even with a good half an hour in the glass to aerate. The nose was particularly stubborn, but did offer a surprising over-ripe red apple aroma, along with something sweet and buttery - perhaps toffee. There was little citrus in the palate too, with the immediate flavours being apple, pear and sour cherry, followed by a sweet, peppery mandarin and peach finish, again with the burnt caramel element. There isn't really too much more to say about this one - let's leave it a year or two and see if it opens up again.
Beer Score: 2.5 Stars

Sunday 7 December 2014

'Tis the Season (to be gorging on mince pies...)

OK so gorging might be a bit strong, but I must confess I'm partial to a mince pie at this time of year. Best enjoyed with a small glass of tawny port after a hard day! Which gives me an excuse to get myself a glass of one of my favourite (and in my opinion best value) tawny's, strictly in the name of an informative review of course... And a mince pie.

I haven't blogged about port before, so I feel that a brief introduction is necessary. Port is a fortified wine, which is achieved by adding a grape spirit to it during the production process. As well as increasing the alcohol content in comparison to "regular" wine, it makes it more rich and smooth. Port is produced primarily from the indigenous Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesca and Touriga Barroca grapes, which are grown on the mountainous eastern Douro Valley in Portugal. Just as with any wine, the unique terroir and climate of the area give the wine unique characteristics, which distinguish them from other fortified wines Madeira, Marsala, Sherry or Vermouth. It is then the different ageing and manufacturing processes that determine the characteristics of varying styles of port:

  • A Colheita is just a single vintage port, where instead of the number of years old it is (eg "10 Year"), it is marked with an actual vintage (eg "1997"). However, Colheitas should not be confused with Vintage Ports, which will have been bottled after 18 months of ageing. Colheitas may have been aged in oak for many more years.
  • Vintage Port is made entirely from grapes from a declared vintage year. It is often wrongly suggested that Vintage Port is only produced during exceptional years, but in actual fact it is declared in all but the worst years, or years where economic factors (such as recession or war) would make it difficult to market, export and sell. Vintage Port is only aged for two and a half years in oak, which means it requires another ten to forty years of ageing in the bottle. 
  • Ruby Port is has the shortest and simplest manufacturing time and therefore generally commands a cheaper price. It is aged in concrete or stainless steel tanks to prevent oxidation during the ageing process and to preserve its rich claret red colour.
  • Late Bottle Vintage (LBV) Port was originally aimed to be a Vintage Port, but because of lack of demand it was left back to age for longer than planned. As a result of longer ageing in the barrel, LBV requires a shorter ageing time in the bottle than Vintage Port and is therefore ready to drink as soon as it is released.
  • Tawny Port is made from red grapes and matured in oak barrels for varying degrees of time, allowing a gradual oxidation and evaporation. The oak gradually transforms the wine from red to a "tawny" golden-brown colour and imparts nutty characteristics to the flavour profile.
  • Crusted Port is blended with grapes from several vintages and is not filtered before bottling, so requires decanting before being consumed. These ports are only released when ready to be consumed, so offer a more affordable alternative to those who do not have room to cellar it. One final interesting fact about Crusted Port, is that the date on the bottle is the date when the port was bottled, rather than the date when the grapes were grown.


Taylor's 10 Year Old Tawny:
I always think it's worth spending a few pounds more on a decent tawny, but this one is currently on offer at Sainsbury's for £18. And I'm just going to throw this out there - if you buy it as part of a mixed case of 6, they're only £13.50! We actually like this one so much that we stock it at The Wingerworth. The port itself is a blend of several vintages, which is then aged in oak for around ten years. The nose is full of jammy berries and plums, along with my favourite characteristic - rich, oily walnut. The palate is really smooth and leans more towards the darker fruit, but the walnut sweeps in to steal the show on the sweet, lingering finish. As well as mince pies, I love this port with a strong Stilton - absolute heaven.
Vivino Score: 4.5 stars

So now to the pies...

Mr Kipling's:
The pastry was very pale and didn’t look as though it had enough sugar on top. The mincemeat was very bitter, which overpowered the other fruit, although the raisin did come through slightly. Again, it wasn’t sweet enough to balance the bitterness and the overall flavour was quite bland with a lack of spicing. The citrus bitterness also had a quite synthetic flavour, as though a cheap essence had been used instead of real fruit. The pastry was very dry and crumbly, with not enough butter and bland. Overall, a pretty disappointing pie.
Mince Pie Score: 1.5 stars

Tesco Finest:
There was a brown edge to the lid of the pastry, as though it had been overcooked, but with plenty of sugar on top. The mincemeat was very boozy, perhaps overly boozy, although surprisingly dry considering. The predominant flavour was raisin, followed by good spices – mainly cinnamon. The pastry was slightly dry from being overcooked but was quite rich and buttery and there was a nice sweetness from the sugar topping.
Mince Pie Score: 3 stars

Sainsbury's Taste the Difference:
The pie was a nice golden colour and evenly cooked at first glance. The sweet, moist mincemeat was a real treat, with just the right amount of alcohol in the raisins and a lovely orange peel undertone. There was also a lovely amount of balanced spice, which hit you at the end leaving you with a warm festive taste. The pastry was good – rich, buttery and crumbly, but unfortunately was just a tiny bit undercooked on the bottom. The only other minor criticism is that it was perhaps too sweet throughout because of the restrained alcohol and bitterness.
Mince Pie Score: 4 stars

I still have many more pies to make a start on, but I will add reviews to this blog as I try them.

Wednesday 3 December 2014

California Dreamin'



Inspired by Simon's recent blog on Zinfandel a few weeks back, I thought it was about time for me to blog about Californian wine. It has been suggested that I might be a fan of Californian wine on the odd occasion and it must be known that I wasn't at all until about a year and three months ago. Sadly, because of the import costs, taxes and therefore retail prices of Californian wines, we aren't readily exposed to quality producers in the UK, so I had drawn my own assumptions that all Californian wine must be as disappointing as the dross I had previously found in my local supermarket. This blog is my discovery of Californian wine.

I have to pause for a moment to say it was absolutely the trip of a lifetime - From seeing Cirque du Soleil and Penn & Teller in Vegas, to swimming with dolphins in San Diego, to taking in the sights, sounds and attractions of LA, followed by the Santas (Monica, Barbara and Maria), Malibu and staying with Rachael's great aunt Sue and uncle George in the Pacific Palisades. Then a complete contrast - the serenity and beauty of the landscape and wildlife driving up the stretch from San Luis Obispo, through Morro Bay, Cambria and Big Sur to Carmel. Finally, there was a half-week of gorging on Michelin-starred delights and watching the Americas Cup in San Francisco. It was just incredible. But the best and most surprising part was honestly the wine. We drank many wines, some not so great. But some really stick nostalgically to my mind.

I could kick myself now - beginning the trip in LA, we spent the first week between there and Vegas and I must confess I passed up many opportunities to try local Chardonnay, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir. I knew better than these "bloody Americans", whose wine lists were filled with nothing but American wine. So narrow minded of them... [So narrow minded of me!...] It was only when Rachael's Aunt Sue said "no, really, you need to try this" at their local Italian restaurant, Casa Nostra, that I succumbed to a taste. It was a half-bottle of Chardonnay from "some local vineyard". I had no idea which producer at the time, but it just so happened to be Au Bon Climat. I was sat in David Beckham and Kobe Bryant's local Italian in the Palisades, sipping Au Bon Climat with Senator Stackhouse. Jesus, if only I knew then what I know now...

Au Bon Climat Santa Barbara Chardonnay, 2011:
I've previously mentioned Jim Clendenen's wines when I reviewed the Wild Boy Chardonnay, so I won't regale the same information. What I will mention is the high quality that he consistently achieves in his Burgundian-style wines, achieved by carefully selecting the appropriate terroir, by ageing in French oak and fermenting in small open-top vessels, just as in Burgundy. As a result, we see characteristics in this wine that are unusual for Californian Chardonnay - it is crisp, clean and refreshing rather than overly opulent. I'm not certain, but I think that Sue probably singled this wine out as the one to try because of these characteristics. Contrary to the Chardonnays I had previously tried, on the nose and palate it was more like ripe orange than sharp lemon and the oak made it more nutty than anything. The finish was long, with a more crisp citrus flavour hitting the back of the palate, along with really buttery toast (Lurpak, not the cheap stuff...). I don't know if the surroundings contributed to the experience, but I would never look at Californian Chardonnay in the same way again - I was besotted.
Vivino Score: 4.5 stars

Unsurprisingly I decided that I'd be drinking Californian wines from then on. Equally, as soon as we hit the coastline I was on a mission to find the best seafood I could. But whilst in San Diego we were staying near the famous Gaslamp Quarter and found a great steakhouse just up the road from Petco Park called Donovan's. With my New York Strip Steak I needed to go red, so opted for a half bottle of Carneros Pinot Noir. In the meantime, we were entertained by the crowds leaving the ball-park after the game, along with the local "nutter" who was dancing in the street and climbing lampposts in celebration of their victory.

Saintsbury Pinot Noir, 2011:
I remember thinking that this wine was much bigger than the Pinot Noirs that I was accustomed to. Not in the fruit, which was the same lovely, juicy red cherry and raspberry combination that I particularly like, but in the length and ripeness of the finish along the accompanying pepper, spice, vanilla and dark chocolate flavours that layered their way into each sip. Tannins were also slightly higher than expected for a Pinot. The feel of the wine was quite "velvety" and sophisticated. It wasn't at all what I anticipated when I ordered but it was a great accompaniment to the succulent steak. Rachael's quip of "is it Taste the Difference?" left me chuckling but no, it was better than that. Had we not just completed a grueling six and a half hour drive from Vegas, I would have loved to finish the other half of the bottle.
Vivino Score: 4.0 stars

Then began our 600 mile journey following the Pacific Coast Highway up to San Francisco - something that everyone must do in their lifetime! Although we took it steady over about a week, I never felt satisfied that we had spent enough time in any place. It was just brilliant. Although not specifically wine-related, I must mention two places that we visited along our route very briefly. San Luis Obispo is renowned for being the most picturesque town in California and the happiest town in America - I really can't agree more. With an beautiful town centre and a breathtaking mountainous backdrop, I can't see why anyone wouldn't be happy there. I have come across many wines from the area since, but sadly we were only driving through in the space of a day. The second place is Morro Bay - a small, sleepy surfer-town. There isn't anything particularly spectacular there, it's just a brilliant atmosphere. We stopped at an amazing beach-front "shack" for lunch and were treated to the most incredible calamari sandwich, caught that morning. Sadly their beverage list came exclusively in cans but the food was definitely both the simplest and the best of our whole trip.

The next major stop was San Simeon, where we stayed at a lovely family-run hotel near Hearst Castle and of course, the Paso Robles wine region. Aside from the absolutely mad Hearst Castle, my lasting memory of the place was the local beach, which was teaming with sea lions. After a walk along said beach, we opted for a local wine with our shrimp pasta dinner that evening - the Eberle Chardonnay.


Eberle Chardonnay, 2011:
Having travelled just about 40 miles from the vineyard to our table, this Chardonnay was very different to the Au Bon Climat varietal I had tried in LA. Theeir "pioneer" Gary Eberle is widely known as the "godfather" of Paso Robles wine and has been producing premium wines for over three decades. This is exactly how the wine was introduced and recommended to me by our waiter - I didn't feel as though I could refuse. Eberle is indeed one of the highest award-winning wineries in the US and their fascinating network of caves where they age the wine at the vineyard is perhaps a contributing factor. With such a pedigree behind it, the wine did not disappoint. It had apple and pear on the nose with the lemon only coming in on the palate. Again, it had more of a crisp edge than I was accustomed to at the time, but this balanced the richer buttery quality perfectly. With the coastal backdrop on one side and the hills behind me, it was just magic.
Vivino Score: 4.0 stars

Further up the PCH we spent a few days in Carmel and Monterey, which for a wine-lover is just incredible. Literally every street in both towns seemed to have a tasting room for a producer from the local countryside. Even more exciting was that the Carmel Valley is now regarded as one of the top 10 wine producing regions in the world! Aside from visiting the Monterey Aquarium (which again, is a must), our time here was going to be devoted to wine. Before flying out, our wine supplier Peter had tried a wine from Hahn Winery at a tasting and highly recommended that we visited them, so we did. Again, we couldn't do this any-old-how and after seeing us pull up in the convertible Mustang, they persuaded us to take a guided tour of the vineyard in an ATV, which he promised to drive around the dirt paths of the vineyard much faster than we could ever do in our Mustang. He did. It was epic! If you go to California, visit Hahn and if you do, do the ATV tour!

Of course, the visit was predominantly about the wine so after the tour we settled in to their tasting room and began sampling. Some of my favourites were:

Hahn Monterey Pinot Gris, 2012:
As with most producers, Hahn's vineyards are scattered across the local landscape to provide the desired qualities from the varying terroir and sub-climates. This Pinot Gris was from the Lone Oak Vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands. The cooler ocean breezes and Easterly-facing slopes catching the morning sun are ideal for Burgundean varietals. This Pinot Gris was just so full of fruit, with ripe stone fruit on the nose and a palate of crisp, green apples and a hint of lime on the long, lingering finish. The slower growing time allowed by the cool breezes increases the wine's acidity, creating this amazing crisp wine that is just bursting with flavour.
Vivino Score: 4.0 stars

Hahn Monterey Chardonnay, 2012:
Again, a lovely Chardonnay. The grapes are taken from several of their vineyards, but primarily from their youngest Arroyo Seco Vineyard, which sits on the rocky valley floor beneath the Santa Lucia mountains. This offering had tropical fruit on the nose - predominantly mango, but it was silky and smooth. The palate was baked apples and pears with vanilla and toffee, followed by a sweet buttery, creamy finish, that was balanced with just the right level of acidity - almost like an autumnal fruit crumble.
Vivino Score: 4.5 stars

Hahn Winery Malbec, 2010:
I was delighted to see one of my favourite grapes at the Smith & Hook Vineyard in the SLH. The gently sloping hills of this vineyard are generally above the fog line, which allows for great Malbec (and Pinot Noir). Due to small production quantities, this was one of only a few wines that are only available at the tasting rooms of the vineyard itself - it was a real privilege to be trying them! The nose was massive and incredibly opulent, with all of the flavours on the palate coming through. The palate itself was very smooth, with ripe plum and black cherry, followed by pepper, spice, leather and a hint of smoke on the medium-tannin finish.
Vivino Score: 4.0 stars

Hahn Santa Lucia Highlands Pinot Noir, 2011:
This varietal is carefully blended with grapes from all four of Hahn's vineyards to provide lovely balance to the wine. Although the 2011 season was particularly challenging in the region, the longer growing period and smaller yield created wines of extraordinary intensity and depth. This Pinot Noir is matured in 40% new French oak for 11 months, giving a lovely spice to the finish. The nose and palate are dominated by intense blackcurrant, plum and black cherry, with a slight acidity and gentle tannins on the finish.
Vivino Score: 4.0 stars

Hahn Lucienne Doctor's Vineyard Pinot Noir, 2012:
The Doctor's Vineyard sits just below Smith & Hook in the Santa Lucia Highlands and is comprised solely of Pinot Noir and Syrah. It is known for producing much more robust fruit and the flavours are certainly jammier, suggesting more direct sunlight. However, they are still at the blackcurrant and blackberry end of the spectrum. The mouthfeel is much more velvety and the finish brings in more vanilla and spice from the more aggressive oak ageing compared to the SLH blend. I like that it was unapologisingly bigger and bolder.
Vivino Score: 4.5 stars

Back at our hotel, we noticed a tasting room for McIntyre Vineyards in the lobby (they were everywhere!). Naturally, on the way to dinner that evening we had to pop in for ten minutes see what McIntyre had to offer too! My lasting memory was that their winemaker loves to experiment with Spanish varietals and that their Albarino was execptional. Sadly I didn't make any notes as we were just passing through on the way to the restaurant and I can't seem to find it online - could I have been imagining things?!

My final wine of note was at the two Michelin-starred Atelier Crenn in San Francisco, whose menus are based on poems written by the owner and Executive Chef Dominique Crenn. Of all the places that we ate in California, this was the most sadly the disappointing on the last day of our trip. My review is simple - hidden behind the bull... of the overly elaborate menu, was stuffy and obnoxious service and food that wouldn't have received one star back in the UK, let alone two. The English sommelier presented us with a "Yellow Pages" of wine and actually made the whole experience very awkward. When I asked him what he would recommend because there was so much choice, he actually told me that his favourite wine was this [pointing to a bottle for a hundred-and-something dollars], but Sir might find this one a bit more affordable. I kid you not. Sir opted for a half bottle of 2012 Ramey Chardonnay, followed by a half of 2011 Peay "Titans" Syrah, both of which were lovely but overly-priced and left a decidedly sour taste in my mouth as a result of the service.

All-in-all though, our experience of California and its wine was unbeatable - it ignited an understanding and a passion for Californian wine in me and may explain to some people why I'm so bonkers about it. I long for the day when I can return.

Friday 28 November 2014

Black Friday Deals

Today is the American retail phenomenon that is Black Friday. Originally it was created to kick start the festive shopping season with great deals and offers at a time that would otherwise fall slightly stale in the retail world. Every year it seems to become more and more prominent over here in Britain and this year it seems as though there is no avoiding it. So if you can't beat them, pick up some great wine bargains!.. No reviews here (I'm sure they will follow), but I've just spent a few hours trawling the various online Black Friday wine deals to see what I can find. I'd heard big things about a Black Friday wine sale on Amazon, but when looking through the wines they seemed overpriced to begin with for the most part and didn't receive very good reviews. Here are my pick of the best:

Majestic:
Majestic are offering 33% off if you buy two bottles or more - bearing in mind that they usually offer 25% and there are often deals of 33% or higher, this isn't as epic as it sounds. To add to my disappointment, their focus this Black Friday is Sauvignon Blanc, which you may have guessed I'm not a huge fan of. On the plus side, their red offering is Rioja! It was no great surprise that the majority of wines on offer were from the 'lesser' vingtages of recent years - 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011. What I was really looking for was a nice, fruity, bold 2010 and if I was really lucky, a 2004/2005 Gran Reserva - well I never...

Stephen Tanzer (93), Wine Spectator (91), World Decanter Bronze

Rioja Reserva Vina Ardanza 2005 - £15.99 - save £8.01
Stephen Tanzer (92), Wine Spectator (92)

Bodegas Vina Eguia Gran Reserva 2004 - £8.99 - save £4.50
International Wine Challenge Silver

Despite what I said about Sauvignon earlier, I also couldn't resist giving these two a go:

Bob Campbell (94), Wine Spectator (92), Wine Enthusiast (92)

A Sticky End Noble Sauvignon Blanc 2012 - £10.65 - save £5.34 (37.5cl)


Ocado:
Some of these deals were a bit high-end, but the savings were staggering. Don't forget that you also get £20 off your first shop with Ocado (if you spend over £80). 

James Halliday (95), Jancis Robinson (16)

Tattinger Comtes de Champagne 2000 - £79.99 - save £50.00
Wine Spectator (94), Robert Parker (96), Jancis Robinson (18)

Krug Vintage 2000 - £150.00 - save £75.00
Stephen Tanzer (95), Wine Spectator (95), Jancis Robinson (19)

Dom Perignon Rose Champagne 2000 - £175.00 - save £100.00
Robert Parker (96), Wine Enthusiast (94), Jancis Robinson (18)


Asda:
Back down to Earth. That's right, Asda - they've been making waves with their Extra Special range and a couple of them are included in the 6 for £25 offer this weekend. One of my favourite "everyday" Riojas was also included for less than half price. I'll be taking three of each of these beauties. Result!


International Wine Challenge Bronze, Decanter Bronze


There are of course lots more of the "usual" great deals to be had this Black Friday weekend, let me know if you find any more worth mentioning!

Tuesday 25 November 2014

Wine Lists

It's an exciting week at The Wingerworth - we're launching our new Wine List! It's hard to imagine that we began trading over a year ago now, but that we have. Before opening we went through no less than nine revisions of a list with our wine supplier Peter Bamford of Modern French Wine, with the process including a mega tasting evening to sample the key lines. Erring on the side of caution, our list was initially focused on the mid-range, ticking all of the "expected" boxes - we are a pub after all! Very soon, much to our delight we realised that we had the potential to not only sell premium wines, but also "quirky" or interesting wines too. Through the year we have added, amongst others; a Marlborough Riesling (£24.95), an Alsace Pinot Gris (£26.50), a 2009 St Estephe (£44.95) and a 2002 Cote Rotie (£60.00), as well as taking a bit of a gamble on an English Wine section in the Spring. The thinking behind adding English wine was simply that we focus on British products on a British food menu in a British pub, so why not try the same with wine. The results have been as remarkable as the wines themselves - people seem to love trying something they haven't tried before and of course, something that is locally produced. Recently we popped over to an Italian wine tasting at The Market Pub, whose owners are also very into wine and boast a list that includes a "private collection" with some serious, serious names on it. We were sat with a lovely couple and made a point not to initially disclose we were from The Wingerworth, just to see what peoples' opinion of us was on the wine scene. Much to my delight they said that we had one of the most interesting and approachable wine lists they had ever seen! I have to say that the quality of the product helps, but our most valuable of resource is our staff. They work exceptionally hard to learn the products that we sell and genuinely seem to enjoy relaying that knowledge and passion to our customers. It was also this visit to The Market tasting that spurred us on to adding higher-end wines to the list. Admittedly we don't have a private collection that makes the eyes pop out of the sockets and we are nowhere near to listing a 1996 Penfolds Grange for £175, a 1998 Latour for £275 or a 1996 Petrus for £1000. A quick online search will tell you that you will be pushed to find these sorts of prices at cost. It's just staggering, mind-boggling value. In a "cash only" pub one has to assume that these additions are simply for show? In fact, we joked about buying them from The Market and selling them for a small cash margin at The Wingerworth... Nevertheless, with our latest revision of the list I believe that we are taking the right steps to build a reputation that balances exceptional quality at every level - with big names and unknown gems alike.

Indeed, a year on our wine sales are way ahead of target and I think that is simply down to the passion at every level of our business; from Peter the supplier, to myself and of course most importantly all of our lovely staff headed up by our "wine guy" Simon. Simon does prefer the the name "wine guy" to sommelier, or anything else that is too formal and I believe that it's that laid back, approachable attitude that puts our customers and the rest of our staff in such a comfortable place when approaching our list. Too many restaurants have a really scary-looking list, with an even more austere and unapproachable wine expert to recommend and serve. Simon is the antithesis to our stereotypical sommelier - sleeves rolled up, pen behind ear and under no circumstance will he wear a tie... He doesn't need to hide behind false flamboyancy because he simply has great knowledge and a deep passion and love for what he does. That's not to say in any way that we don't sell a serious product, because we really do.

Apologies to the traditionalists out there, but Simon and I are both big fans of the New World, particularly California, Australia and New Zealand. In fact so much so, that Simon will take any excuse to regale the story of The Judgement of Paris to anyone who will listen. In short, this was a 1976 wine competition where Californian producers wiped the floor with established producers from Burgundy and Bordeaux such as Mouton-Rothschild, Montrose and Haut-Brion. Although we are now adding a Fine Wines section to the list in our revamp, we are actually a little more excited about the New World additions! We thought that after a year, the list should begin to reflect our own personalities and tastes a little more. I just hope that everyone enjoys them as much as we do!

old vine zinfandel
ravenswood, lodi, california, 2011+      
zinfandel, the heritage grape of california, is the big success story of ravenswood winery. theirs is a big, powerful, luscious wine, with ripe red fruits and a lovely richness.
4.30 / 5.80 / 21.50 pounds

riesling
chateau ste michelle, washington state, usa, 2011+
the columbia valley sits east of seattle, and produces some fantastic wine, which are slowly but surely gaining great respect and a cult following. this riesling is packed with fresh green apples, ripe lemons and a trace of honey.
24.95 pounds

shiraz-mataro
“naked on rollerskates”, some young punks, Australia, 2011+
some young punks are fronted by winemaker col mcbride, and are really paving the way at the moment in unique, quality driven australian wines that are gaining recognition the world over. this french-style blend is smooth, rich and powerful.
27.95 pounds

chardonnay
byron, santa barbara, california, usa, 2011+
santa barbara produces some of the best californian chardonnay, and byron produces some of the best chardonnay in santa barbara. this is a wine with great richness; packed with apples, smoke, vanilla and honey, followed by a silky smooth finish.
31.50 pounds



zinfandel
east bench, ridge vineyards, california, 2012
ridge vineyards are one of the best producers in california, known worldwide for making fantastic wines. head winemaker paul draper has won numerous awards for his wines. this single vineyard zinfandel is full of classic zin qualities; dark spicy fruit, brambles, blackberries, vanilla and smoke.
52.00 pounds


nebbiolo
adelina, adelaide hills, south australia, 2011
adelina are the side project of some young punks founder – col mcbride, who has begun sourcing interesting, high quality parcels from regions beyond his native barossa valley, in this case from the talc hill vineyard, near adelaide. nebbiolo is the classic northern italian grape, and currently is thriving in the cooler, southern regions of australia. aromas of redcurrant, red cherry, dried rose petals and spices, with a tart raspberry finish make a great wine to rival those of europe.
55.00 pounds



Friday 21 November 2014

PubCo Reform - A Great Victory or Just Plain Stupidity?

They say it's about time the "other side" got to throw a Punch or two - the way that PubCo's have been running their lease agreements just isn't in the Spirit of ensuring the success and sustainability of Britain's pubs. But have we gone about it the right way, or is our knee-jerk reaction just as slapdash as the running of the PubCos we are trying to break free from? I have deliberately refrained from openly speaking about this issue until now, simply because I feel that it would put my professional relationship with our PubCo at The Wingerworth [Punch Taverns] in a difficult position, but there really isn't any avoiding the matter now.

I met with my own Business Development Manager from Punch Taverns on Wednesday lunchtime and one of the first things he asked me was what my thoughts were on the recent vote in the House of Commons. I honestly told him that I hadn't really kept tabs on it because even if the changes were passed, it probably wouldn't benefit us in the short-term. The stark reality is that only a minor progression has been made in the grand scheme - it will realistically take at least another 3 years for any "benefits" of a free of tie, market rent only option on leases to be seen in the real world. That is, if the decision isn't overturned in the meantime before it becomes law. I do of course have an opinion on the matter and my stance may come as a surprise from a tied pub owner. The future of pubs in Britain is on a knife-edge and we must consider the bigger picture, rather than just the short-term saving that this bill will offer for landlords.

CAMRA have been one of driving forces behind this campaign for over a decade now and believe this vote is a huge victory for British beer and British pubs, but it seems to me that they can't see beyond the end of their own pint glass [and how much it will cost them to refill it]. It must be said that when CAMRA began the campaign, the relationship between PubCo and landlord was very different. The system was certainly abused with [among other things] obscene rent increases through rent reviews and liability orders for costly repairs that weren't mentioned before signing the lease. Since then these practices have ceased, to the degree that the only party able to ask for a review of the rent is the tenant. That isn't to say that the system is fair, it's just more fair than it was. The CAMRA campaign simply hasn't adapted with the times and those organising it were so focused and hell-bent on achieving their goals that they hadn't noticed that the world changed around them.

In order to understand the complex relationship between a PubCo and its tennants, we need to understand one key fact - although the original PubCos were owned and operated by a single brewery, the modern-day PubCo is more akin to a property company so the "cost price" for the product that they sell onto us is much higher than the raw ingredients, had they been brewing it themselves. They have no obligation to a single brewery and before the recession they were simply interested in acquiring as many properties [on credit] as they possibly could. When the recession hit, this left them in a position of mind-boggling debt just at a time where Britain's social habits changed and we began to do most of our drinking at home.

So what does the vote mean for the PubCos, who quite frankly are already on their knees? It was only in August that I was reading about the latest "last-ditch" attempt from Punch Taverns to restructure £2.3bn of their debt, leaving 85% of the company in the hands of bondholders. The big plan from the bondholders is of course to sell assets [pubs] to recoup the losses, probably to large [more] successful companies such as Tesco or even someone like The Restaurant Group, who own Frankie & Benny's, Chiquitos and so on. Or worse, housing developers... Either way, our pubs won't be pubs anymore and this week's "victory" will only compound the issue. Today, Punch's shares are worth about 0.023% of their highest value in June 2007, losing a further 10.9% of their value immediately following the vote this week. So who is going to pay for this dramatic decline in the long-run?

The Daily Mail was quick to announce its opinion that the scrapping of the beer tie is a good thing for the customer because landlords will be able to shop around for the best deals, which ultimately means greater profit for the pub and hopefully a saving for the customer too. But I cannot understand how in reality this will result in a saving for the customer. If pubs are apparently struggling because they aren't making enough profit, surely they would ensure their own financial security before passing on the benefits to the end consumer. Similarly microbreweries will be quick to act in increasing their wholesale prices - the fact of the matter is that there are now more breweries in the UK than ever before and less pubs than ever before. Simple math, simple economics. What it might mean is a better standard of beer - if wholesale beer prices go up, pub owners will be more selective in the beers that they buy so only the best breweries will survive. That said, with higher quality come less choice.

Just to briefly look into a price comparison on a few of our own core lines becomes a complex calculation because of the way in which the rent structure is intertwined with the product purchase price. We are currently on Punch's "PA2" agreement, which entitles us to a [I suppose purely hypothetical] £160 per barrel discount on our draught purchases. This was the option that we chose over their "PA3" agreement, which offers a £100 per barrel discount. In addition, if we were to achieve the [unachievable] annual barrelage target set by Punch, we would see the benefit of a further £20 per barrel discount on any purchase above the target. Sounds good so far, BUT... the "PA2" agreement of course comes with a higher rental valuation, which happens to be just shy of £83,000p.a. at The Wingerworth. The reason we chose this option was because it was more of a known entity - although we made countless projections prior to taking on the lease, in reality we had no idea how much beer we would sell, so the safer bet seemed to be to take a lower beer purchase price, with a higher known weekly rent that we could manage. Once you add in our weekly draught purchases [forget any bottled or soft drinks...] of over £1000, it takes Punch's 10-year income on the site to around £1.4m. Considering that the [one assumes circa £600k] property is mortgaged, and that they spent almost that again on the refurbishment, I don't think it is that unreasonable.

However, it must be noted that Punch have coined the phrase "fair maintainable rent" rather than "market rent" when negotiating the rent that they charge for their sites. What they suggest this means, is "the level of rent that a competent operator could maintain whilst still retaining good profits". Here lies the gaping chasm in the PubCo's side of the argument on this reform - if their rent calculations are fair and they really do work on a balanced sliding scale, why are they so upset about this vote? If the calculations really are fair, there aren't very many competent operators out there at all, because over 60% of landlords tied to a PubCo earn less than £10,000 per annum, which equates to about £3.21 per hour, based on an extremely modest 60 hour week.

what pub owners earn

Nevertheless, apart from tied landlords largely living on the poverty line, incorporating inflated beer prices into the deal does look great on paper because it means that someone with not much capitol to invest can operate a site on an [allegedly] lower rent. The PubCo makes its money back if the site is successful through inflated product sales. The key phrase here is if the site is successful. The risk is being taken by the PubCo and it is greatly in their interest to make it a success, wherein comes the plethora of "additional services" offered to tied publicans; marketing teams, trade shows, trade "experts" and so on. I use ironic air quotes deliberately but a handful of people we've worked with have genuinely been hugely helpful - our BDMs through regular meetings and constant email contact, the Catering Development Manager who works closely with and offers guidance to our Head Chef and the Property Manager when the refurbishment was taking place. One of the big worries that our BDM expressed on Wednesday was that something would have to give if this reform was passed and in his opinion one of the first things to go would be these additional services. The Telegraph supports his views, suggesting that PubCos will slash their central expenditure by 25%. My opinion is honestly, don't wait for it to happen. Do it now. Most of the services are a waste of time to a competent operator and most of the people carrying out those services are in fact grossly incompetent...

So how much does the beer cost us from Punch? And what would it cost us if we were free of tie?

Well real ale is an easy comparison, because we sell our own exclusive ale LokeAle 1643 on a free-of-tie basis from North Star Brewery and we also sell tied ales from Punch Taverns:


Wholesale Price
Per Pint
Punch Price
Per Pint
Sale Price
Our GP%
LokeAle 1643
£61.00 +VAT
£1.02
-
-
£2.80
63.52%
Farmer’s Blonde


£103.46 +VAT
£1.72
£3.30
48.00%

From the figures above, one would assume that Punch make approximately £40 (net) per cask on the higher £160 per barrel discount just for being the "middle-man". But of course not, because they sting the brewer aswell. Rather than the brewer setting a price for his/her product, Punch tell them what they will pay. This value is often 20-25% under market wholesale rate, leaving the poor brewer with only £20 cash margin on each cask that they produce and Punch with a whopping £50-55 (>50%), just for delivering the beer to me, which the local brewer would happily have done for £60-65 instead of the £103 that I pay to Punch.

It is evident that we do make a healthier margin on the free-of tie products, which we have to do in order to recoup some of the deficit left by tied products, but we do also pass on a substantial saving to the customer. Because of this, we sell almost three times as much LokeAle as any other ale - which Punch are (of course...) not happy about!

Let's also briefly consider flip-side of the interaction between Pubco and microbrewery - the fact that the 'tie' is actually keeping the wholesale price of beer under control. Without the weight of these huge companies determining what they are prepared to pay, brewers could effectively charge what they wanted. Particularly with limited production capacity and supply/demand coming into play, we could easily find ourselves in a situation where the cost to the pub actually goes up, not down. Take two local success-stories for example - Castle Rock and Blue Monkey, whose 'free of tie' ale prices are £20+ per cask (25%) more expensive than their local competitors. Why? Because they can.

Contrary to popular belief, pub beer prices aren't actually expensive in comparison to the "good old days". In 1970, the average salary was £1,664 and the average cost of a pint 20p (0.012% of the annual salary). Today, the average salary is £26,500 and the cost of a pint of ale £3.10 (again, 0.012% of annual salary!). So why do campaigners believe that cheaper beer is the solution?

Real ale is not the only affected product - let's take a look at San Miguel, which I sold at The Embankment in Nottingham through Marston's on a free of tie basis:


Marstons Price
Per Pint
Punch Price
Per Pint
Sale Price
Our GP%
San Miguel FOT
£96.00 +VAT
£1.31
-
-
£3.50
62.67%
San Miguel Tied


£146.61 +VAT
£2.00
£4.20
52.29%

It's the exact same stuff remember! If we were to sell the San Miguel at the same price that I could afford to at The Embankment, the margins would be catastrophic. Don't even get me started on Peroni...

So yes, pubs tied to PubCos have to pay more for their beer and make a lower margin. In turn they have to charge the customer more, which undoubtedly impacts levels of sales, particularly when competing with large chains such as Wetherspoons and indeed supermarkets. Yes, many tied landlords are struggling to survive because they can't make their margins work or their sales are impacted by the high prices that they have to charge. But what of the alternative?

Make no mistake, I do believe that the leases that "us landlords" have agreed to are fundamentally unfair. But we have agreed to them. For one, there is absolutely no way that we would have been able to afford the in-excess-of £550k refurbishment that Punch stumped up for us at The Wingerworth in August last year. We live in a privileged time, where as a customer we expect a perfect pint, in lovely surroundings at minimal cost. Can anyone remember drinking anything other than local beers before PubCos came along? Can anyone remember the state of their local pub before a PubCo took it over and refurbished?

Enterprise Inns alone spends £70m per year on renovating and maintaining its pubs - operators would never be able to afford anywhere near this level of expenditure. The reality is that if PubCos such as Punch didn't charge us more, The Wingerworth would still be a dingy pub struggling to turn over what we pay out to Punch in a week. In fact, PubCos themselves would have folded long ago because of their lack of ability to service their debts and the majority of pubs would most likely no longer still be pubs.



Yes, PubCos have displayed ineptitude at every level, comparable only to the banks that keep lending them money to buy and refurbish. Yes, PubCos have brought pubs, one of the finest elements of British heritage, to its knees but let's not be hasty - let's make sure that we're making the correct decisions to sustain pubs for the future. After all, PubCos are not the only reason for the decline of our pubs. A recent survey by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills suggested that only 42% of tenanted pub owners felt that their struggles were a result of mistreatment by PubCos, in comparison to 61% stating supermarket prices, 60% taxation, 32% the recession and 16% the smoking ban as one of the three biggest challenges they were facing.

Spare a thought - what will happen to your local when [not if...] the major PubCos go bust following this reform and the administrators take over? Without a recession, would we have any qualms about the prices that PubCos are charging? And finally, are supermarket prices not the real threat to our pubs?