No excuse for this wine list

Press, 6 August 1983, Page 12

No excuse for this wine list

Maurice Hunter’s

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A leisurely one hour’s drive from Christchurch — but this story applies to many other areas — is a hotel, the proprietors of which have mounted a campaign to persuade patrons to travel into the country for a meal, or to stop off on the way to other destinations.

It is an old building in an attractive setting. While the exterior has been maintained, the interior is being refurbished to provide improved bar facilities, a comfortable dining room, and modern accommodation. The inducements are that the building is an historic one where, a century or more ago, bullock drivers paused to wet their whistles

in the course of a long, slow, vituperative trip; it is situated in the fresh country air, well away from city pollution; and offers a relief from the hordes crowding the glitter of modern dining establishments.

An acquaintance found the prospect attractive, gathered up some friends and paid the place a visit. On sitting down to the meal they called for the wine list. It didn’t take long to read. It said:WHITE WINE Blenheimer Muller Thurgau Marque Vue RED WINE Alicante Claret

Velluto Rosso HOUSE WINE Red and white carafes

This apology, which hardly qualifies for the title, is a classic example of what a wine list should not be: a choice which amounts to no choice.

To make matters worse, the waitress did not know the brand of Muller Thurgau until she unearthed a bottle. She stood in the one position reaching across in front of the diners when pouring, filled every glass to the brim and, to extract the last drop, shook the bottle so vigorously that my acquaintance was afraid that, at any moment, she would shatter a glass. It is a sad story. As an anti climax it would take a lot of beating. But perhaps a more positive approach would be helpful. What should a wine list, even in a country pub, consist of?

Since half the pleasure in ordering a wine is to be able to make a selection, there should be variety.

There should be at least two dry whites; a riesling and a good quality blended white, or perhaps one of the more exotic such as Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, a Renwick or Villa Maria traminer/Riesling or a Marlborough Rhine Riesling. The majority of New Zealand palates being attunded to medium wine, the Blenheimer and Muller Thurgau (it turned out to be Wohnsidler) should be extended to no fewer than four by the addition of, say, Villa Maria Brookvale Riesling, Corbans Liebestraum, McWilliams Muller Thurgau, or Penfolds Autumn Riesling. The choice of rose is not extensive, but there should be one. Montana Bellaros or Corbans Riverlea would be eminently

desirable, say the popular low alcohol Penfolds Chardon, Corbans Cuvee or, slightly drier, Montana Mont Royale. Surely the offering of reds should include a Cabernet Sauvignon. Many of them are produced in a soft finish style and the choice is wide, Montana Marlborough, Corbans, Vidals Private bin, for instance.

Why not something imaginative, such as Corbans Merlot, Corbans Cabernet Pinotage, or McWilliams gamay Beaujolais in the medium reds? It does not take much effort or imagination to transform a list of wines into a wine list worthy of the name, with each wine showing the maker’s name, a brief description of the style, and the price.

If this seems to be too much of a hurdle for some, not only are the wine companies more than pleased to assist, but there is also available what I consider to be the ultimate in wine lists. It is so simple that it is a wonder it was not thought of years ago. It is foolscap size, attractively bound in brown vinyl and containing loose leaves, the number of which may be varied according to the range presented. Each leaf, also in vinyl, has six transparent pockets into which miniature photographic reproductions of the

The option of another sparkling wine would be labels are placed. Each label bears a description of the wine, and self adhesive spots on the outside of the pockets show the price. As new wines come on to the market, or old ones are phased out, just change the label. It is as easy as that. The easily cleaned vinyl ensures that the list is kept free of food or liquor stains left by untidy eaters or accidents, and does not become dog-eared and tatty. The cost, about ?60 for the initial list and 60c for each label change, compares more than favourably with that for printed lists which almost invariably become out of date before a new one is printed. I may be a monkey’s uncle anyway, but I shall certainly be one if I am wrong in the assumption that most wine companies will front up with some, if not all, of the cost of including their wines on a list.

So there is no excuse. Let’s have a little style, even in a country pub and, for heaven’s sake, let’s have a little management responsibility for seeing that whoever serves the wine knows what he or she is serving and shows reasonable flair in serving it.

Even if the pub is an historic curiosity that is no reason why there should be a wine list to match.