This is a great contemporary country inn in the heart of the Trough of Bowland . As with our little wine shop , it is an award winning pub , complete with two bedrooms ( just in case you need to stay a little longer than anticipated ). It offers regional and classic food . It aims to use only the best locally sourced produce and is complete with a little bar that serves up a fine selection of wines and real ales .
It describes itself thus : ‘ We aim for rustic yet contemporary décor , casual yet elegant , warm , and welcoming in the true Lancashire way and as functional as a food pub should be ’. If those were its aims – then it has well and truly succeeded in achieving them !
Suffice it to say , some fine real ale was enjoyed ; the Parkers Arms saw a substantial stock of tomahawk steaks disappear before its eyes ; there was suddenly a shortage of seafood in the area and there wasn ’ t a spare lemon posset to be found within miles ( to name but only some of the damage done to the food stocks in the area )! Importantly , though , the food was ultimately washed down and tasted with the seven carefully selected wines from D Byrne and Co .
THE WINES on the pallet ( particularly cherries ), a touch of earthiness and a little spiciness . Structured and elegant . It is a steal at £ 15.99 a bottle
4 . Domaine Yannick Amirault ‘ Bourgueil La Coudraye ’ 2016 - from the Loire valley in France . Made from 100 % cabernet franc . This is a very drinkable wine . It is rich , with silky tannins . Fresh red berries and crisp red fruit , a touch of spice and soft tannins . This is a lovely wine and a bargain at £ 13.99 a bottle .
5 . El Tiemblo ’ s ‘ Los Chorrancos 2011 – 100 % garnacha from Castilla y Leon in Spain . Today we can get some sublime single varietal garnacha from Spain – and this is no exception . Smooth , light brick in colour , rich tannins , cherries , roses and herbs . Complex , delicious and wonderful with the tomahawk steaks . Not cheap at £ 31.99 a bottle ; but for a fine wine like this , value for money . You can pay a lot more for some of the more illustrious wines around , but not get as good a bottle of wine as this .
6 . Quina Do Vale ‘ Meao ’ 2010 – from Douro in Portugal . We go up a price bracket again . At £ 45.99 a bottle we get a wine with ripe dark fruit ( dark plums , blackberry , cherries ) and a touch of mocha ( almost some chocolate ). Full bodied , a touch of spice , yet it somehow possesses a lovely creaminess . Fine .
7 . ‘ Crete Malvasia ’ from Domaine Lyrarakis – a historic wine from Crete that has , apparently , been produced for some 300 years . Produced from grapes dried in the sun , this is a rich , honeyed wine . It possesses some orange tones and a touch of the frizante . This was a fresh and elegant wine . Great with the lemon posset . It is well worth a try for those of you that like a little sweet or dessert wine and at £ 13.59 ( 375cl ) it is as good , if not better , than many of its more illustrious competitors from around the world ( and which fetch far greater prices ).
CONCLUSIONS
Some , perhaps many , of the seven wines tasted blind are not wines that you may necessarily have heard of , or tasted , before . But give them a go . The selection proves two things : ( i ) that the world of wine is growing and growing in every direction , meaning that we , as the consumer , are becoming better educated as to what is available for us to purchase and enabling us to sample unusual , interesting and well made wines from all around the world and ; ( ii ) you never get a bad bottle of wine from D Byrne & Co . The seven wines , in order , were :
1 . ‘ Rall White ’ 2016 - from Swartland in South Africa . Made from 60 % chenin blanc , 30 % verdelho , 7 % viognier and 3 % chardonnay . An unusual blend that gives off a wonderfully complex , full bodied , slightly earthy but balanced wine . A wonderful bouquet on the nose . Lots of delicate dark fruit , a bit of nectarine , a bit of peach and a touch of spice . There is a huge amount going on in your glass . A great wine to start with – went well with the prawns . Well worth a punt at £ 20.99 a bottle .
2 . Villa Raiano ’ s ‘ Ventidue Fiano Di Avellino ’ 2013 – from the great and ever increasingly impressive Campania region in Italy . Made from 100 % fiano , you get another great , complex white wine . This is a medium bodied wine . On the nose some citrus , a touch of smoke perhaps and some herbal nuances . On the palate you get tasty fruit , including citrus , and a touch of mint . A refreshing glass of wine , which is alive in your glass . Good value at £ 17.59 a bottle .
Two conclusions . Firstly there were a lot of empty bottles on the table at the end of a very long lunch . Secondly , and perhaps more importantly , this a wonderful part of the country to visit . Whether you go for one night , a weekend or just simply on a day trip ( the Oxton group took a mini bus – good planning ) you should go . The little wine shop in Clitheroe is a wonderful place to visit and is unlike any other wine shop I know . The area itself is full of great places to eat , mostly selling wonderful local produce . Another haunt for the Oxton Group in the area has , over the years , been the Inn at Whitewell ( an establishment I am sure many of you may know ).
The bottom line is simple . This is not only our countryside at its best ; it is also where you can find an amazing collection of wines , including many of the worlds best wines , at very reasonable prices ; and with food to match . Go and explore it !
3 . ‘ Giant Steps ’ Pinot Noir 2016 – from the Yarra Valley in Australia . For a pinot this is actually quite dark . It is a delicious savoury and rich wine , with wonderful red and blue fruit on both the nose and wirrallife . com 43