A wine-tasting for Christmas
We are holding one of our celebrated wine tastings in the lead-up to Christmas. Aftera successful Portuguese evening and several opportunities to meet distinguished winemakers from Italy, our focus is now moving down under.
We shall be offering you an opportunity to compare some of the outstanding wines that New Zealand is producing, concentrating on their uniquely-styled Sauvignon Blancs and Pinot Noirs. The food accompanyingthe wines will have a Christmassy feel, perhaps inspiring you to choose New Zealand wines to accompany your celebration spread on December 25.
Wednesday, November 26 at 7.30 pm
£30 a head, to include tasting wines plus a meal with wine.
BOOKINGS 01934 733004
Bank House Wine
...... plus beer, cider and juices
The Bank House wine shop is integral to what we offer. All the drinks we serve in the cafe are on sale at a very reasonable retail price in the shop. We specialise in outstanding wines from Europe and the South-West of England - with the occasional special case from further afield. And we have a good range of locally-made beers, ciders and fruit juices.
As with the food we serve, our emphasis is on the quality associated with smallscale producers and regional traditions.
Cafe wine list
Sparkling
ITALY
Ca’ Morlin Prosecco dei Collin Trevigiani A fragrant, easy-going frizzante wine from the mountain regions of northern Italy. Immensely popular in the café.
Glass £4.85 Bottle £18.75
Ruggeri Argeo Prosecco Brut This classic prosecco in the spumante style is characterized by its small bubbles - a sign of class.
Bottle £21.50
Ruggeri Brut de Pino Nero Rose This is something special. A pink prosecco, full of fizz, plus a hint of honeysuckle.
Bottle £21.50
Cuvee dei Frati Brut High-quality traditional-method, bottle-fermented spumante wine from the Veneto region of Italy.
Bottle £25
SPAIN
Covides Gran Gesta A delightful, crisp cava gives a taste of Barcelona café life. Glass £4.70 Bottle £18.50
WEST OF ENGLAND
Three Choirs Cuvee Brut A delightful traditional method sparkling wine from Gloucestershire. Great value.
Bottle £18.75
NEW ZEALAND
Kim Crawford Rory Brut 2003 We couldn´t resist sharing with you a sparkling wine
described as being “as good as you´ll get outside Champagne.”
Bottle £23
White
PORTUGAL
Casa de Saima Branco 2006 A blend of unfamiliar grapes (to all but the Portuguese) grown on this small, traditional estate in the Bairrada region: Bical, Gerceal, Maria Gomes and Arinto. Clean and as sharp as a pin.
Glass £4.25 Bottle £14
ITALY
Primo Malvasia Bianca 2005 Fresh, crisp and dry from Italy’s deep south. Very popular.
Glass £3.85 Bottle £12.50
Alpha Zeta Pinot Grigio 2005 This light and fresh version, from the hills above Verona, is the most popular wine we sell.
Glass £4.20 Bottle £15.50
A-Mano Fiano Greco 2005 One of the two wines we sell from this producer in Puglia, who proudly proclaims its handmade status. Fiano is becoming an increasingly fashionable grape. for its delicate overtones of summer fruit.
Bottle £18.50
Franz Haas Pinot Grigio Alto Adige 2005 An excellent example from one of Italy´s perfectionist winemakers. From the mountains of the north, hence the Austrian name. Strongly recommended.
Bottle £21
Cesconi Pinot Grigio 2005 From the mountainous Trentino region of northern Italy. The Cesconi brothers produce a sophisticated version of the popular favourite, with complex flavours. A DECANTER PRIZEWINNER
Bottle £25
Vesevo Sannio Falanghina 2005 Grown in soil containing ash from Mt Vesuvius. Scented and zingy, with a depth of flavour. These Vesevo wines are some of the best we sell.
DECANTER GOLD MEDAL 2007
Bottle £18.85
Vesevo Fiano di Avellino 2005 From the same great stable as the wine above, a real delight. Richly flavored and golden, but light on the palate. Highly recommended.
Bottle £22
Pieropan Soave 2006 A superb example of one of the most popular wines in Italy. Winemaker Nino Pieropan is famous in Italy for his attention to detail.
Bottle £21.50
Franz Haas Traminer Aromatico 2005 Another exotic from the mountains of northern Italy, produced by the perfectionist winemaker Franz Haas. A real original.
Bottle £24.25
Livio Felluga Sharjs 2006 A peachy blend of Chardonnay and barrel-fermented Ribolla Gialla makes for an exotic drink of very high quality.
Bottle £25.25
SPAIN
Castano Domino Espinal Yecla Blanco 2005 A full-flavoured, sun-soaked white from
south-eastern Spain.
Glass £3.95 Bottle £14.40
Sabina Macabeo/Chardonnay 2006 Spain´s native Macabeo grape and the ubiquitous Chardonnay. Light, crisp, fresh.
Glass £4.15 Bottle £15.50
Mirador de Navajas Rioja Blanco 2005 A good-quality classically oaked white Rioja
from a family concern established a century ago.
Bottle £18
Txomin Extaniz 2006 An unusual wine - from its exotic Basque name to its crisp, fresh, lemony flavour, with a touch of spritz. Brilliant.
Bottle £21
Terra do Gargalo Blanco 2005 Full-flavored, with a touch of apple. From
a high-altitude vineyard near Spain’s border with Portugal. Much praised and prized.
Bottle £23
WEST OF ENGLAND
Three Choirs Premium Selection 2006 We are proud to present three excellent-value whites from the well-established Gloucestershire vineyard. This is the lightest and driest, but like its companions strongly evokes the soft and gentle qualities of the English countryside. Glass £ 3.50 Bottle £12.55
Three Choirs Willow Brook 2005 The tropical fruit overtones make this a lovely drink for a sunny day or a frosty evening.
Bottle £13.45
Three Choirs May Hill 2005 The gentle scent of pear drops adds to the rich mix of
fruitful flavour.
Bottle £17
Sharpham Bacchus 2005 This popular wine is produced by another much-respected West Country producer, with a vineyard sloping down to a bend in the River Dart in Devon.
The Bacchus grape, originating in Germany, has proved to be one of the most successful developed under English growing conditions.
Bottle £22.50
Pennard Organic Table Wine From another beautifully-situated vineyard, this one across the Levels near Glastonbury. A delicate white which finishes well.
Bottle £17
NEW ZEALAND
Kim Crawford Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2006 Yes, our Europe-only policy is starting to crack. But every list just has to have a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc - and this one is one of the most drinkable around. Bottle £22
Rose
WEST OF ENGLAND
Three Choirs Premium Selection Rose Delicate and light but full of summer fruit flavour. This rose from Gloucestershire shows just how good, and how reasonably priced, English wine can be.
Glass £3.75 Bottle £14.00
ITALY
Tenuta di Capezzana Vinruspo 2006 More complex and richer than many roses. From a prize-winning vineyard in Carmignano, Tuscany.
Bottle £21
Ruggeri Brut de Pino Nero Rose This is something special. A pink prosecco sparkling wine, full of the fizz of the spumante method - with a hint of honeysuckle.
Bottle £21.50
PORTUGAL
Carm Douro Rose 2004 ORGANIC
A truly extraordinary rose - so deep and dark, you might think it was a red. Made from the Touriga Nacional grapes that are used for port. Tim Atkin in The Observer called it “superb”. We agree.
Bottle £16
SPAIN
Navajas Rosado Crianza 2003 Its time in Virginia oak barrels gives this Rioja rose a distinctive character.
Bottle £21
AUSTRALIA
Melton Rose of Virginia 2007 One of the most spectacular wines on our list. Another rich rose, mellow enough to drink on the crispest winter night.
Bottle £25
Red
ITALY
Villa Tonino Nero d’Avola 2004 Made from Sicily’s most popular native grape. A
café favourite.
Glass £4.10 Bottle £14.50
A-Mano Primitivo 2005 Like its white stablemate this handmade wine is produced in the hotlands of southern Italy by a local winemaker and a New Zealander. Amazingly good value for such rich flavour.
Glass £4.85 Bottle £18
Il Faggio Montepulciano d'Abruzzo 2005 An exceptional example of an Italian classic. Fruity, rich and spicy but light on the palate. Bottle £14.25
Allegrini Valpolicella Classico 2005 A first-class example of one of the Veneto region’s most famous wines, from a first-class producer.
Bottle £19.50
Cantine Leonardo Chianti Riserva 2003 A rich and deep version of the Tuscan classic – real artistry from Vinci, the genius Leonardo´s home town.
Bottle £23
Cantine Leonardo San Zio 2003 From the same vineyard as the Chianti, a multiple
award-winning stunner - deep flavour and long on the palate.
Bottle £28.50
Vesevo Taurasi 2001 Another multiple award winner. This one comes from within
sight of Mt Vesuvius, and has wonderful depth and balance, but also a freshness. One
of the very best on the list.
DECANTER GOLD MEDAL - for the fourth time in succession
Bottle £30
PORTUGAL
Lavradores de Feitoria Douro 2005
These comments from the leading wine magazine Decanter sum things up: “As the profile of Douro wines moves ever higher … this is a wonderful combination of quality, authenticity and value.” Strong, dark flavour. A bargain.
Glass £3.75 Bottle £12.85
Herdade Sao Miguel 2005 A soft and light red from the much talked about Alentejo region. Based on Aragones grapes (the Portuguese equivalent of Tempranillo), it is blended with Trincadeira and a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon.
Bottle £16.50
SPAIN
Castano Monastrell 2005 This intensely-flavored red from a high-altitude vineyard in the Yecla region has a peppery nose and a liquorice touch to the dark taste. Often compared favorably with a quality red from the Rhone valley in France.
Glass £4.50 Bottle £15.95
Abadia Retuerta Rivola 2003 Here the Spanish Tempranillo grape is blended with
Cabernet Sauvignon to make something splendid and smooth.
Bottle £21
Guelbenzu Azul 2003 A much praised, prizewinning wine from Galicia. A complex character, given high marks by the most influential of all wine critics, Robert Parker.
Bottle £22
Izadi Rioja Riserva 2003 Mature, smooth, complex. A Rioja at the peak of performance. Bottle £28
To start your meal
Tio Pepe Palamino Fino A clean dry sherry to enliven the palate.
125ml Glass £4.50
Taylor´s Chip Dry White Smooth and unusual port. We love it.
125ml Glass £4.50
Kingston Black aperitif Ice cold and unadorned, a blend of apple juice and
Somerset Cider Brandy.
125ml Glass £4.50
To end your meal
Villa di Vetrice Vin Santo del Chianti Ruffino 1990 A classic dessert wine from Tuscany.
125ml Glass £5
Librandi Le Passule Vino Passito 2004 This dessert wine comes from the
other end of Italy, hot and dry Calabria, which gives it bags of flavour.
125ml Glass £5
Florio Targa Riserva Marsala 1997 A superb example of Sicily’s famous fortified
wine. Well worth exploring
125ml Glass £5
Dows Finest Reserve Port
125ml Glass £4.50
Taylor’s Late Bottled Vintage Port 2001
125ml Glass £4.50
Somerset Pomona Another brilliant blend of apple juice and Somerset
cider brandy.
125ml Glass £5
Pennard fruit liqueur - Ginger or Raspberry Two intriguing drinks from Hugh Tripp’s beautiful organic vineyard and orchard near Glastonbury. He recommends you drizzle
them over ice cream.
50ml Glass £5
