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Liquid Refreshment

31

Jul

Coffee Served, Wine Service

Jacob Gaffney  in Red Wines, Barbera , , , ,

InterWined is happy to report we had a coffee.

This coffee, in fact, was consumed at Fitch Rating’s offices in Moorgate. Nice, filter coffee, made from a pot, some grinds and hot water. What could be simpler?

InterWined had two cups.

Tomorrow will find InterWined having another coffee. This time with the manager of the Pret a Manger in Aldgate; the site of a not so great coffee experience. This too shall be blogged.

But, really, we must talk about wine. All you talk about lately is coffee. Coffee, coffee. And frankly we’re sick of it.

Two days ago we had lunch with a friend who works at Societe Generale. The location was ‘1901’ in the Andaz Hotel near Liverpool Station. The Hyatt has rebranded this hotel into a ‘lifestyle’ establishment, whatever that means.

Nonetheless, one problem persists.

Despite a decent wine list and a smartly dressed, shockingly young sommelier, who wore a grape pendant on his lapel, the wine service still suffered from an age old problem.

Now, our friend wasn’t drinking as he wants to bulk up to look more like his twin brother who works at the Co-op bank in Manchester. And, the sommelier never pushed us, greatly, to order more than the one glass I picked to go with the rabbit terrine starter and wild Normandy boar main.

It was a glass of 2001 Domenico Clerico Barbera d’Alba, Trevigne… which actually brings up another point: the wine list notes the vintage as 2002. But I didn’t mention that, since the 2001 is a better bet.

No, instead the wine was served warm. And by warm, I mean, a little bit higher than room temperature.

The sommelier didn’t get it from the bar. In fact he made a show of leaving the restaurant floor to return with a new bottle, open it at our table and pour one single glass, at a price of £12.75 or so.

So, I’m not sure where it came from, but it wasn’t from the bar and I guess it wasn’t from the cellar.

The wine itself was fine though and the warm temperature meant slower drinking. But the added alcohol taste, feuled by the higher temperature, made the wine feel hot. Further, the wine itself is smooth by now and has lost its rustic edge but there is still plenty of ripe fruit. Nonetheless, it’s got maybe a year before it starts to go south.

Try once, serve slightly chilled. 8.5 points.

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dee
dee said: August 6th, 2008 at 10:21 pm

hey; i rather like this article… it’s so bizarre because I am just now discovering coffee as an alternative beverage during the day… sad to say, yes, I truly am way behind the StarBucks crowd! In any case, i have found my tasting for this beverage quite
surprising and that there are so many different blends esp. in US is amazing!

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