From this we tasted the Chilean sauvignon blanc, the picpoul, the
fiano and the albarino. The sauvignon was fresh, zesty and packed
with ripe gooseberry. The picpoul was a lovely light, fresh, lively wine
with great weight. Citrus and heaps of lemon/ lemongrass. The fiano
was again fresh, but with a touch of richness to it. Citrus, a hint of
grapefruit, some melon and an overall feeling of ripeness about it.
The albarino was, as you would expect, clean and fresh. Again, citrus
to the fore – but not just lemon here, apple and a touch of orange too.
The Reds...
The ten reds constitute: (i) a merlot from Chile; (ii) a pinot noir from
Romania; (iii) an Australian shiraz; (iv) a primitivo from Puglia; (v)
a syrah from Portugal; (vi) an alicante bouschet from the Languedoc;
(vii) an Argentinian malbec; (viii) a Spanish Rioja; (ix) a St Emilion
from Bordeaux, and; (x) a red wine from Priorat in Spain. Again, a
good selection of wines from different countries and wine producing
regions, and a good selection of grape varieties and blends.
Here we tasted the Romanian pinot noir, the alicante bouschet from
the Languedoc, the primitivo from Puglia and the Priorat red. The
Romanian pinot noir came from the Banat region of the country. It
was light, smooth and clean with ripe fruit (red cherries on the nose).
Very drinkable. The alicante bouschet was an obvious choice for me.
Rarely seen as a single varietal, as it is often found as a blending
grape, this stuck out to me as a ‘must try’. This is actually a red fleshed
grape which produced a dark red, smooth, juicy but very soft red
wine. Perhaps a touch of the forest fruit in here – but very nice. Then
the primitivo. As you would expect a powerful, full bodied and rich
wine. This was primitivo ‘appassimento’. The ‘appassimento’ process
means that the grapes are dried on straw mats for a time. This adds to
the ripe, rich flavours you get from this wine. Ripe plum, black fruit,
a gentle spiciness and, as the restaurants own wine list states, a bit of
chocolate to boot. Finally, the Priorat red. This was Cuvee "Riu" from
Trio Infernal - the brainchild of three of the Rhone Valley's most
talented producers. A blend of carignan, syrah and grenache, you get
a fruit forward, full bodied and fresh red wine. Redcurrant, wild red
fruits and vanilla.
The Cost...
As to cost, the white wines range from £18.00 a bottle (the Chilean
sauvignon) and go up to £35.00 a bottle (the Sancerre). The majority
are in the £18.00 - £25.00 a bottle bracket. The reds also start at £18.00
a bottle (the Chilean merlot) and go up to £45.00 a bottle (the Trio
Infernal ‘Riu’). Again most are in the £18.00 - £25.00 a bottle bracket.
All the wines are priced with a fair uplift (having, as I often do,
compared the price displayed on a wine list against the price I would
have to pay if I bought it elsewhere from a retail outlet). If you really
wanted to push the boat out you could always go for the Laurent –
Perrier Grand Siecle, La Cuvee, Champagne at £175 a bottle!
A number of the wines are also sold by the glass – either £4.50 or
£5.00 for a 175ml glass. This is, again, a welcome addition to any
wine list and gives the customer the opportunity to try a number
of different wines with their meal. For those of you who have been
reading Wirral Life Magazine for some time, you may remember
my interview with Oz Clarke. His advice was that when you go to
a restaurant: “Buy wine by the glass, not by the bottle. This way you
can experiment and buy a number of glasses containing completely
different wines. By doing so you won’t waste a bottle you may not
like, and at the same time will have a number of chances of finding
something that you do”.
The Verdict...
The problem that many of us face these days is that some restaurant
wine lists can be poor and lacking when it comes to both range and
quality. Some also involve wines where the mark up, when it comes
to their list price, is too high. The wine list at ‘Elixir’ does not tick
any of these three boxes. The wines have been carefully chosen. The
wine list is excellent when it comes to range and quality. It represents
value for money with mark ups, on the wines, which are fair and
honest. Finally, when looking at both the wine list and at the menu,
and having dined at ‘Elixir’, there are multiple wines that match with
each and every one of the items on the menu. Another box ticked.
Overall a good menu and a good wine list to go with it. A survey
recently revealed that very nearly half of all diners opt for the second
cheapest wine on a restaurants wine list. Why? Who knows - perhaps
thinking that the first isn’t worth buying, is below them or that
anything else that is more expensive is likely to be overpriced? Well
there is nothing wrong with the cheapest or the second cheapest wine
on the Elixir red or white wine list. There is much to enjoy here, at
every level, and very much so with all of the wines that exceed the
price of the second cheapest wine on the list.
So Oxton has not only another restaurant, but another decent wine
list. It is a very lively environment for those of you who want to eat in
somewhere with a bit of a ‘buzz’. It also does a Sunday lunch menu,
albeit one I have not yet tried.
Whenever you go, and whatever the food you choose, enjoy the wine
list. Great credit must go to the team that put the wine list together,
not least because it is prepared to take us away, as the consumer,
from the norm and to take us to wines that you would often not
come across on a restaurant wine list. Be bold. Overall you won’t be
disappointed – whatever you choose from the wine list at Elixir!
Elixir Oxton is now closed until after the Coronavirus situation.
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