So what wines were chosen for us :
Hencote ‘ Evolution ’ [ 2021 ] - for those of you who don ’ t know , the Hencote winery is found in Shrewsbury . This was one of the wineries lovely sparkling wines . The ‘ Evolution ’ is actually made from whatever the winery considers its most suitable grapes at each harvest . In 2021 the wine was made from 75 % Seyval Blanc and 25 % Pinot Meunier . This was a lovely start to the evening . Fresh , elegant and with plenty of fruit on both the nose and the palate . Some citrus and apple from the Seyval Blanc ; a hint of sweetness from the Pinot Meunier .
Doppler Zeleni Silvanec , Stajerska Slovenya [ 2022 ] – next we travelled to Slovenia . This wine was made from 100 % Sylvaner . Perhaps the epitome of what ‘ No . 1 ’ is trying to achieve ? A wine from a country that , whilst certainly upcoming , isn ’ t perhaps thought of as mainstream yet , coupled with an unusual grape that many of you may never have heard of . This was dry , full , clean , almost zesty and fresh . Citrus notes , gooseberry , a hint of lychee and some green apple .
Il Fiore Langhe Bianco [ 2022 } – from the Piedmont region in northern Italy , this was the second white of the evening . A blend of 70 % Chardonnay and 30 % Nascetta . The latter , again perhaps proving the point , is a grape that many of you may never have heard of . Nascetta is an indigenous , local , grape that has been blended beautifully here with the better known Chardonnay grape . The result is a full , slightly creamy , dry , straw coloured wine . In keeping with its name ‘ Il Fiore ’ ( the flower ) you get plenty of floral notes . Another unusual blend . Another lovely wine .
Pomfy Pinot Noir [ 2019 ] - made by in Slovakia by Martin Pomfy , this wine comes from Pinot Noir grapes in the Strekov area , mainly around the village of Rúbañ in Južnoslovenská , to the north-east of Bratislava . Whilst Pinot Noir is likely to be familiar to most , perhaps once again Pinot Noir from Slovakia may not be so . This was an easy drinking , slightly sweet wine . It had good fruit with strawberries and some cherry on show . In many ways Burgundian in style , rather than new world .
Le Soula ‘ Trigone ’ XXI – the Le Soula wine stable produces wines at high altitude in the Roussillon region , in the foothills of the Pyrénées . This was another easy drinking red wine . The wine itself is unusual , in that it is characterised by its multi-vintage blend ( hence why there is no vintage specified ). The XXI version of the wine consists of 92 % Syrah , 5 % Carignan and 3 % Grenache Noir . This Syrah dominated wine is full of black fruit , a touch of chocolate and some pepper around the edge . A touch of elegance too .
Overall I would describe the wine list at ‘ No . 1 ’ as eclectic . There is more than a touch of imagination here . Couple this with the fact that you will be in the hands of someone who knows their stuff , who is knowledgeable about what is on the restaurants wine list and can give you some advice about what is on offer …… you are on to a winner if you are interested in wine . Even if you are not , the food is fabulous … and you can still drink the wine !
Would I go back ? Absolutely . Even for those of us who profess to know a little about the world of wine , the wine list represents something of an education . In many ways , it is about time we had somewhere like this on our doorstep . wirrallife . com 25