THE CELLAR AT HILLBARK HOTEL
More than 2,400 years ago the great Greek playwright
Euripides wrote the immortal words: “Where there is no wine,
there is no love”. Such sentiment remains as true today as it
was all those many years ago.
As each year passes the world of wine develops at a pace. More quality
wine is produced, from all corners of the planet, each and every year. The
trick, however, is to know where to find it. This is particularly true when
you are dining out. Sure, you can find wine just about everywhere these
days. You can find it online, you can find it in shops, in supermarkets,
in off licences, as a member of countless wine clubs and in all manner
of restaurants – all with varying results. But where can you find quality
wine? Obviously you can buy quality wine from a number of merchants
these days, including from a number on the Wirral, and take it home or
have it delivered to you. The purpose of this month’s article, however, is
not to concentrate on the consumption of quality wine in the home, but
on where you can find it at a reasonable price, and in abundance, when
dining out? So where is the real love in this regard? Where is this real
love to be found on the Wirral?
The truth is you will always find love where you find a good cellar.
Many cellars today are a million miles away from the little dungeons
of the past. Around the world today some of the best cellars that can be
found in countless wineries, vineyards, châteaux and restaurants (even
private cellars) are being used as an entertaining focal point where the
world of design meets the world of storage. Some of the best and most
spectacular are, nowadays, not just a solitary home for stored wine, but
are being integrated and turned into functional and accessible spaces
for wine education, wine tasting and dining experiences. Nowhere, on
the Wirral, is this perhaps epitomised more than in the cellar at the
Hillbark Hotel in Frankby. With a vaulted ceiling, this is a beautifully
crafted cellar. Wine bottles, comprising the hotels wine list, are racked
individually behind glass panels running down both sides of the cellar.
Guests dine down the middle of the room, bordered by the glass panels
and the wines behind them. The setting is magnificent. These wines
are available to all diners, not only in the cellar, but in the hotels other
dining rooms above.
So what does the Hillbark cellar offer up? The answer is, just
about everything that is good about wine. The wine list contains a
comprehensive list of sparkling wines and champagnes. It contains an
equally comprehensive list of white, red, rose and sweet wines from
around the world. If you really want to push the boat out you can spend
over £3,000 on a bottle of 1982 Château Latour or on a 1982 Château
Mouton Rothschild. If you don’t, then there are a multitude of quality
wines starting at around £17 a bottle - and then, literally, everything
in between. This is not a wine list that disappoints. Nor is it a wine list
solely for those with bottomless pockets or fat wallets. Far from it.
So where do you go to on the wine list? What do you buy from the
list? To a large extent this will depend on what you are eating from the
hotels Riviera menu. Ultimately we all have our favourites and, if so, go
with them (you will not be disappointed). However this wine list gives
you the opportunity to explore, without the worry of ending up with
something unpalatable. So to tempt you (albeit picking but four wines
from the list has proved to be an unenviable task) you might like to have
a go at these:
38 wirrallife.com
Henschke ‘Mount Edelstone’ Shiraz 2005
If you really want to push the boat out you could do worse, a lot worse,
than looking beyond this little treasure. Although at first blush it may
not seem like it, the £195 for this bottle represents real value for money,
for a fine wine of this calibre, and will give you a wine experience to
remember. Henschke is one of Australia’s oldest and most renowned
wineries. It is currently in the hands of the sixth generation of the same
family. If you ever come across any of their wines – buy it! The ‘Mount
Edelstone’ is one of the wineries flagship wines. It is also renowned as
one of Australia’s greatest single vineyard wines. It is a 100% Shiraz
cuvee sourced from a vineyard planted in 1912. On the nose the 2005
vintage gives up notes of mocha, chocolate, smoked meat, pepper,
blueberry and blackberry. It is elegant, layered, complex and stunning
in equal measure. It is a must for any special occasion, or if you feel like
splashing out on something that will live long in the memory.
Borsoa ‘Tres Picos’ Garnacha 2009
Towards, but not right at, the lower end of the price list is this remarkable
wine. Priced at £44 this represents, again, great value in terms of price
and wine quality. Perhaps not in the spotlight like many wineries,
perhaps unheard of by some, Bodegas Borsoa is situated in Borja City,
in the Northwest of the province of Zaragoza in Spain. According to the
world famous wine critic Robert Parker: “My favourite value winery,
not only in Spain but in the world, is Bodegas Borsoa.” Praise indeed.
The 2009 Tres Picos is a cuvee made from 100% Grenache. On the nose
there are aromas of ripe red fruit with floral nuances. It is a fabulously
structured wine. It is rich, yet somehow delicate, with soft and silky
tannins. A wonderful wine.
Pazo Pineiro Albarino 2005
The Albarino grape is native to Galicia on the North Atlantic coast
of Spain. It is best known as being the key grape variety in the Rias
Baixas DO, where it makes white wines with peach, citrus and mineral
characters. It pairs perfectly with seafood. This wine is a great example
of the grape and is an aromatic, fresh and crisp wine. It is priced at £155
for a magnum (double bottle), so if there are a number of you – give it
a go. It will work wonderfully with any of the fish or seafood from the
hotels Riviera menu.
Granges De Mirabel, Chapoutier 2014
This wine is produced by one of France’s most famous producers, Michel
Chapoutier. He produces what are now being recognised as some of the
most diverse and complex wines in the Northern Rhone Valley. He is a
true superstar of the wine world. One of his many wines is the Granges
de Mirabel. It comes from the Ardèche region of the Rhone Valley and
is a cuvee made from 100% viognier. It almost tastes floral with notes of
peach, tangerine and honey. It possesses richness in the mouth, yet still
manages to remain completely fresh and versatile. This wine is a steal at
only £29 a bottle. Fantastic value for money.
So yes, you will find the love in the cellar at the Hillbark Hotel; and lots
of it. If you have the good fortune to dine in the cellar you are literally
living with wine. If you have never been to the hotel before, or haven’t
been for some time, give it a go. Not only is the wine of the highest
quality, and reasonably priced, but so is the food. As with anywhere it
can be an expensive night out – if you go mad! But, if not, this venue
offers quality food and wine (including many quality wines by the glass
too) at a reasonable price. It has something for everybody. The cellar at
Hillbark is a hidden gem. Go and find it!