There can be wide variation in what good quality restaurants charge for similar wines, one of the factors influencing this is whether the establishment works on a fixed mark-up or a percentage.
Some restaurants list wines in price order, others attempt to give an indication of style.
All the wines in this tasting, from seven different countries, are examples of wines frequently seen on the lists of Brighton & Hove’s best restaurants, and the prices quoted are taken from some of those.
Sparkling
Nyetimber ‘Classic Cuvée’ Brut– restaurant price £60-100
Nyetimber’s head winemaker, Cherie Spriggs, was the first person outside Champagne to be awarded Sparkling Winemaker of the Year in 2018. She was also the first woman to win the accolade. Classic Cuvee is Nyetimber’s flagship fizz, and it’s made in the same way as traditional French sparkling, giving it equally complex flavours. This wine has outperformed some of the finest Champagnes in blind tastings. It has a stream of fine, delicate bubbles and flavours of toasted brioche, golden apple, honey and sweet spice.
Grapes – Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Meunier. ABV 12%. Region Sussex, England
Majestic mix six price £28, otherwise £45
Whites
South African Chenin Blanc – restaurant price £35-50
Our example – Mulderbosch, ‘Steen Op Hout’ Chenin Blanc 2022
Region: Western Cape, sub-region: Stellenbosch
Grape varieties: 100% Chenin Blanc; ABV: 13.5%
A vibrant and lifted expression of Chenin Blanc. Aromas of stone fruit and green fig are underpinned by flint and earthy spice. The palate shows finesse and balance, with a lively, refreshing finish. Symposium Lewes £14.50
Italian Gavi di Gavi – restaurant price £38-60
Our example – La Soraia Gavi di Gavi DOCG 2023
ABV: 12.5% / Grape: Cortese Region: Piemonte
This Gavi is delicate and fresh with aromas of white blossom and citrus. The palate is light and fresh but textured with subtle peach flavours and some honeyed citrus notes. The Guido family has been growing and producing wine since last century. The hilly conformation of the ground combined with the clayey white soil and vines which are over thirty years old make their wines full bodied, intense and aromatic.
Burgundy Premier Cru Chablis – restaurant price £70-100
Our example – J Moreau et Fils Chablis Premier Cru Vaucoupin 2020
ABV: 13%. Grape: Chardonnay Region: Burgundy, France
A rich, full wine with beautifully rounded aromatic layers of apricot, mango and white tea complemented by a palate suggesting honey and hazelnut. In 1814 Jean-Joseph Moreau, a young cooper, marries a local winemaker’s daughter and inherits the oldest wine House of Chablis. Driven by passion for the vine and traditional values, he runs the business incredibly well and becomes very quickly one of the most important producers of wine in Chablis. He was a pioneer in the region and his success kept on rising.
Note – Premier Cru is the second highest grade of Chablis, Grand Cru being the top level.
Reds
Californian Zinfandel – restaurant price £60-70
Our example – Kendall-Jackson ‘Vintners Reserve’ Zinfandel 2022, California North Coast, USA
Bright, fruity Zinfandel from one of California’s oldest family run wineries. Founded in 1982, the Kendall-Jackson story is one of family, quality and stewardship. Eight years after planting the first grapes on his Lake County property, founder Jess Jackson and his family set out to make a premium, yet affordable, Californian wine. This Reserve Zinfandel is crafted in the boutique-winery style using small individual lots throughout the winemaking process for flavour distinction – before ageing in French and American oak. It bursts with plum, raspberry jam and blackberry flavours. Supported with solid chalky tannins and sultry cedar and spice highlights. A great pairing for smoky, grilled meats or BBQ. Grape – Zinfandel. ABV 14.5%. Majestic mix six £17.99, otherwise £19.99
Note – Zinfandel is the same grape as Primitivo in Italy / Croatia.
Spanish Reserva Rioja– restaurant price £65-90
Our example – Vina Cerrada Reserva 2018
This wine is cherry red with brick red tones. There are intense, spicy, ripe cherry and plum aromas merged with notes of tobacco, toffee, vanilla and wood. On the palate, the body is full and fleshy with excellent balance. The origins of Bodegas Ugalde date back to 1882 in Haro, when the name of the estate was Bodegas Felipe Ugalde, and it was a family business led by Felipe Ugalde. Bodegas Ugalde continues its tradition of care for the vineyards and in the cellars in the pursuit of high-quality wines. Made from Tempranillo, Graciano and Mazuelo grapes. ABV 14%
Note – Rioja is one of only two wine regions in Spain to qualify as a DOCa, the highest level under Spanish wine regulations, Priorat being the other.
Italian Brunello di Montalcino – restaurant price £75-105
Our example – Trambusti Brunello Di Montalcino 2018
ABV: 13.5% / Grape: Sangiovese / Region: Tuscany
After ageing in oak barrels of different sizes for at least 2 years it refines in the bottle for 5 to 6 months. It is most appreciated for its intense ruby red colour with slight garnet reflections, it is persistent in the nose with hints of oak, elegant and austere in the mouth.
Note – along with Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino is Tuscany’s most famous DOCG and its boldest expression of the Sangiovese grape.
To Finish
LBV Port – restaurant price £45-70
Our example – Bulas LBV Port 2016, bottled in 2020
ABV: 20% / Grape: Touriga Nacional / Region: Douro Valley, Portugal
This port wine from a single harvest was trodden by foot, fermented in stainless steel tanks and bottled after 4 years of barrel ageing. It has intense, complex aromas with notes of black fruits and chocolate. Quinta FozCeira and Quinta da Costa de Baixo produce grapes of excellence, having historical records dating back to 1256. Both are located at the confluence of Ceira River and the right bank of Douro River at the heart of the oldest demarcated region in the world in 1756. All their vineyards are A rated, the best quality for making Port and Douro wines.
Wines were accompanied by three styles of cheese (blue, goats and aged cheddar), dark chocolate, dried figs, roasted hazelnuts, almonds, prawns, and crackers
Favourite wines of the evening were the Gavi and the Zinfandel.