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We are passionate about beer. And wine. And good whiskies.

CASK ALES
Doing a refurb gave us the chance to convert the existing beer store into a split cellar operation. With a cellar dedicated to cask ales, this means more space for more products, and the perfect temperature for ALL our beers.

We aim to always have six cask ales on offer. Tried and tested favourites will sit alongside guest ales from the region and the cream of the national crop on an ever-changing basis, so you'll always be spoilt for choice and faced with tough decisions. Guest ales will be changed pretty much on a daily basis, with forthcoming ales and tasting notes handily scrolled on blackboards around the bar area. Please let us know if you have a particular favourite, and we will do our best to get it for you. Cash bribes are actively encouraged.

Alongside our guest ales, we have one resident - Flat Cap is Bank Top Brewery's signature beer. At 4.0%, it is highly quaffable - a pale bitter with citrus aroma and hoppy finish. It always sells incredibly well when we stock it, and we feel it is a worthy resident.

In our first six weeks of being a free house, beers included:

Abbeydale (Brimstone)
Newmans (Druid's Choice)
Blue Bear (Autumn Breeze)
Nelson (Jammin' Jack)
Nelson (Cutlass)
Hop Back (English Hop Medley)
Green Jack (Orange Wheat)
Holdens (Dragon's Blood)
Kelham Island (Back Beat)
Kelham Island (Easy Rider)
Hop Back (Summer Lightning)
Dunham Massey (Big Tree)
Dunham Massey (Little Bollington)
Brewdog (Trashy Blonde)
Everards (Sunchaser)
O'Hanlons (Port Stout)
Jarrow (Rivet Catcher)
Bradfield (Brown Cow)
Keltek (Magik)
Oakham (JHB)
Greenfield (Hopped and Stoned)
Greenfield (Summer Ice)
Outstanding (Blond)
Outstanding (OSB)
Three B's (Bee Thrifty)
Bank Top (Old Slapper)
Bank Top (Flat Cap)
Box Steam (Cog 9)
Box Steam (Golden Bolt)
Fox Beer Co (Blond)
Abbeydale (Chocolate Stout)
Windsor Castle (White Fire)
Sheffield Beer Works (Corpse Nailer)
Leeds Brewing Co (Hellfire)
Kelham Island (North)
Six Bells (Noggin)
Hornbeam (Autumn Leaf)
Hornbeam (Lemon Blossom)
Cairngorm (Trade Winds)
Otter (Bright)
Coach House (Coachmans)
Wylam (Angel)
Kelham Island (Riders on the Storm)
Outstanding (Stout)
Phoenix (Snowbound)
Phoenix (Spotland Gold)
Salamander (Jackass)
Salamander (Toffee Nose)
Salamander (Golden Salamander)
Salamander (Porter)
Salamander (Figaro)
Salamander (Man Moon)
Spitting Feathers (Thirstquencher)
Spitting Feathers (Smoked Autumn Ale)
Three B's (Doff Cocker)
Three B's (Weavers Brew)
Hopstar (Dark Knight)
Hopstar (Lancashire Gold)
Ossett (Silver King)
Ossett (Pale Gold)

This list is grows faster than we could ever hope to update it - you get the idea!

MICROBREWERY
The creation of a microbrewery in Phase 2 (Sept-Oct 2010) is fundamental to our plans for the pub. We ♥ the idea of brewing our own beer and giving people the chance to sample real home brewed ales direct from the brewery tap.

Guided tours are planned for people to learn about the brewing process and see it in both a historical and contemporary context.


OTHER DRAUGHT PRODUCTS
Don't panic Mr Mainwaring....lager, cider and stout drinkers, as well as those crazy fools who prefer a keg bitter to cask, are taken good care of too:

Lagers

• Heineken 5.0%
• Staropramen 5.0%
• Becks Vier 4.0%
• Amstel 4.0%

Specialist Beers

• Erdinger 5.3%

Bitter

• Boddingtons Draughtflow 3.8%

Stout

• Guinness 4.1%

Cider

• Bulmers 4.5%

We also have a traditional, real cider on offer at all times for those who prefer the taste of real apples!

BEERS OF THE WORLD
Our remit for choosing which bottled beers to stock is pretty straight-forward - pick the best of the best rather than hunting down the obscure. Fundamental to this is the necessity for all the bottled beers and ales we offer you to be brewed in their country of origin, not under licence in the UK.

We have also introduced our Niche Collection of specialist Belgian and German ales, complete with tasting notes and branded glassware.

During Oktoberfest (mid-Sept to mid-Oct), expect this list to grow quite considerably as we buy in special edition brews and one-offs.


BELGIAN ABBEY AND TRAPPIST BEERS

• Maredsous Blonde (6.0%, 300ml) 3.90

Considered to be amongst the best of abbey beers, Maredsous is clean tasting, very drinkable and the authentic beer of the Benedictine monks of the Abbey of Maredsous in the Belgian Ardennes. A delectable Blonde ale with sprightly fruitiness, soft malting, and a slightly dry, gently-hopped finish.

• Orval (6.2%, 330ml) 4.00

Trappist Cistercian monks of the Brasserie d'Orval produce only one beer, distinctive in its skittle shaped bottle. A dry, herby beer which is ideal as an aperitif and characterised by a bouquet of fresh hops with a fruity note.

• Tripel Karmeliet (8.4%, 330ml) 4.20

Brewed by a Flemish family brewery based in the small town of Buggenhout from barley, rye and wheat. Very refined and complex with hints of vanilla mixed with citrus aromas, this beer has the lightness and freshness of wheat, the creaminess of oats together with a spicy lemon dryness.

• La Trappe Blond (6.5%, 330ml) 3.90

The La Trappe brewery is actually in the Netherlands. Gold blond in color, made with fine hops and full malt. Refreshing and fruity in character, only natural ingredients are used in the production, including water from its own source.

• Chimay Blue (9.0%, 330ml) 4.50

Without doubt a Trappist beer of great tradition. The Cistercian Trappist monks of Chimay have been brewing since 1862, with their abbey being located on the site of a well which provides pure water for the beer. A dark, strong ale characterised by its full flavour and port-like aroma.

• Leffe Blonde (6.6%, 330ml) 3.70

This famous brew, highly fermented, truly is a beer to be savoured. The ingredients are light malt, corn, water, hops and yeast, which give it a bright golden colour with dazzling reflections. The taste is full, sweet and fruity (with a hint of bitter orange), and the after-taste is powerful and surprising.


BELGIAN BEERS

• La Chouffe (8.0%, 330ml) 4.30

A real microbrewery success story, this brew is a golden ale, strong, spicy & lightly hoppy, re-fermented, unfiltered, unpasteurised & without any additives. So what is a chouffe? A red hatted, long-bearded gnome according to folklore...

• Kwak (8.4%, 300ml) 4.40

A dark, warming beer with liquorice-like flavours and a slightly spicy character. The Kwak glass has attracted great attention because it is a round-bottomed, hour-glass shaped glass which is held upright in a wooden stand―rather like a piece of old scientific apparatus.

• Duvel (8.5%, 330ml) 4.20

One of the world’s great beers, at first glance Duvel may look like a lager - light in body, pale in colour - but it is in fact a top fermented beer enjoyed at its best when served chilled. Its dry but still alcohol-sweet flavour makes the beer an excellent thirst-quencher, with a pronounced hop aroma.

• De Koninck (5.0%, 330ml) 3.60

Amber coloured, top-fermented beer with a lively taste and velvet soft aroma. Brewed with Saaz hops and 100% pure malt, without the addition of maize or other brewers’ sugars, this beer from Antwerp is a great thirst quencher and best enjoyed out of a 'Bolleke', the famous bowl shaped glass.

• Vedett Extra White (4.7%, 330ml) 3.60

Vedett is a premium beer brand in a class of its own when it comes to style and attitude, and is seen as 'the cult beer of Belgium'. Extra White is far from being a traditional white beer, both in appearance and taste. It is surprisingly crisp with lemon and orange zest, mildly bitter with a dry finish.


BELGIAN FRUIT BEERS

• Liefmans Fruit (4.2%, 250ml) 3.30

A unique, fresh beer blend which matures for 18 months on cherries. Brewed from pale, dark and roasted malts, and combining the natural juices of strawberry, raspberry, cherry, blueberry and juniper berry, this is a sweet and fruity beer - sparkling and refreshing with a soft head.

• Timmermans Pêche Lambic (4.0%, 330ml) 3.90

Lambic beer has to be the most unusual beer family in the world: small breweries maintaining a tradition for spontaneously fermenting wheat beers. A mature beer with a powerful fruit aroma - sweet and fruity flavour with just a hint of bitterness from the peach kernel and skin.

• Bacchus Framboise (5.0%, 375ml) 5.50

A light and refreshing drink with a spritzy tartness, raspberry being added to give an intensely fruity beer. The half champagne sized bottles are paper wrapped to produce a wonderful premium product.

• Bitburger Pils (4.8%, 500ml) 3.60

Drawing on almost 200 years of expertise, and brewed according to German Purity Law to produce a wonderful example of a Rhineland pilsner. The first taste takes you to a clean, sweet maltiness, but finishes with a firm elegantly rounded hoppy finish.

• Früh Kolsch (4.8%, 500ml) 3.60

A style distinctive to Cologne, the name Kölsch is protected by law so that only beers brewed in and around the city can bear the name. Früh is considered one of the best Kölsch - delicate, soft less bitter than pils. Has a faint strawberry fruitiness.

• Paulaner Original Münchner Hell (4.9%, 500ml) 3.60

Original Münchner was first brewed in the late 19th-century. Fine, light and elegantly sparkling, its popularity is constantly increasing. Generously hopped with a wonderfully refreshing, slightly dry, naturally full flavour, it is the best selling Münchner “helles” (pale) beer in the world.

• Erdinger Hefe-Weisse Dunkel (5.6%, 500ml) 3.60

A smooth, dark Bavarian wheat beer from the world’s biggest wheat beer brewery. All the wheat and most of the barley is grown locally to produce taste which is softer than most examples of this style with very pleasant chocolate and liquorice notes. An excellent fruity alternative to lager or cask beer.

• Franziskaner Hefe-Weisse (5%, 500ml) 3.60

An unusually high wheat malt content and top-fermentation produces a gentle fruity aroma, tart fruit and spices to taste with a light but quenching finish. Franziskaner dates back to the oldest privately-owned brewery in Munich in 1363.

• Schneider Weisse (5.4%, 500ml) 3.60

Brewed on the banks of the Danube in the oldest wheat beer brewery in Bavaria (1607), this is a darker interpretation of the style producing a full flavoured fruity beer with spicy, nutty & clovey notes.

• Augustiner Edelstoff (5.6%, 500ml) 3.70

Founded possibly as early as 1328 from the Augustiner brewery in Munich comes their outstanding export beer. It has a firm almost oily maltiness to produce a rounded and full flavour. A high-class product of the old-Bavarian brewing art.

• Schneider Aventinus (8.2%, 500ml) 4.00

A truly remarkable ‘Weizenbock’ - strong wheat beer. Dark-ruby, almost black, with a compact and persistent head. Very intense with a complex spicy chocolate-like aroma and a hint of caramel.

• Jever Pils (4.9%, 500ml) 3.60

The Jever Brauhaus, founded in the 1840s, produces a beer that typifies the very dry style of pilsner brewed in the north. Lagered for an impressive 90 days, and using two types of hops, Jever has a strong hoppy aroma, a dry start with a long bitter finish.

• Köstritzer Schwarzbier (4.8%, 500ml) 3.60

The brewery, founded in 1543, is one of the oldest producers of Schwarzbier (black beer) in Germany. Using local spring water, it has the aroma of malt loaf & bitter chocolate. An integral part of German beer culture - 'a black beer with a blonde soul'. If you want it a little sweeter simply add some sugar.


USA BEERS

• Doggie Style Classic Pale Ale(5.5%, 355ml) 3.90

Brilliant-amber in colour and dry hopped with buckets full of Cascades for an unrivalled hop flavour. A true representation of an American-style Pale Ale from the Flying Dog ‘Brew Crew’ in Aspen, Colorado. The unique labels and branding are the work of artist co-conspirator Ralph Steadman.

• Anchor Steam Beer (4.8%, 355ml) 3.80

Made from an all-malt mash in a handcrafted copper brew house. Anchor Steam has a bronze colour with a thick creamy head. The palate is full and malty with a beautiful bitter hop aroma - a unique beer universally recognised as a world classic.

• Brooklyn Lager (5.2%, 355ml) 3.60

Winner of numerous awards, beginning with 1st prize at the Great American Beer Tasting in 1989. A superb balance of sweet malt and crisp bitter hops. Milton Glaser, best known for the iconic 'I Love New York' campaign, was commissioned to create the unique Brooklyn Brewery company logo.

• Goose Island Honker's Ale (4.3%, 355ml) 3.60

Inspired by visits to English country pubs, Honker's Ale combines a spicy hop aroma with a rich malt middle to create a perfectly balanced ale that is smooth and immensely drinkable. This hand-crafted ale is produced at their Fulton Street brewery in Chicago.


WORLD BEERS

• Corona (4.6%, 330ml) 3.20

The number one selling beer in Mexico, lighter than traditional beers, with a crisp and refreshing taste. Pleasant malt and hop notes with a round dry finish. The addition of the lime in the bottle neck provides a refreshing citrus overtone.

• Peroni Nastro Azzuro (330ml) 3.10

The world’s foremost premium Italian lager. An exceptionally crisp and clean taste, balanced malt and bitterness flavour, refreshingly hoppy character and a distinctive and full-bodied taste. The fashionista's beer in Italy.

• Estrella Damm (4.6%, 330ml) 3.20

A Catalan beer from Barcelona brewed since 1876 in the best Pilsen tradition. A light, smooth and refreshing beer.

• Budweiser Budvar (5.0%, 500ml) 3.50

This pale golden beer from the Czech Republic gives an aroma of toasted malt with a dash of vanilla and aromatic hops. Rich and rounded to the taste with a biscuity malt and gentle hop bitterness. Its low carbonation makes it ideal to drink with food.

• John Martin ‘Special Export’ Guinness (8.0%, 330ml) 4.20

This 'Special Export' Guinness is a much more intense chocolatey, burnt experience than available generally in the UK. A popular dry stout with a distinctive roasted barley flavour which remains unfermented.

MALT WHISKIES
abv all 40.0% unless otherwise stated

HIGHLAND
The largest whisky producing region and the one with the greatest variations of style. West Highland whiskies tend to have a sweet start and dryish finish. North Highland malts tend to be light bodied whiskies with a spicy character and a dryish finish, sometimes with a trace of saltiness. Malt whiskies from the Central, Southern and Eastern Highlands are quite a mixed bunch. They are generally fruity and sweet but not as sweet as the malts found in Speyside.

• Dalmore 12 yo Single Malt 3.50
• Dalwhinnie 15 yo Single Malt 3.40 (43.0% abv)
• Glenmorangie 10 yo Single Malt 2.90
• Glengoyne 10 yo Single Malt 3.40
• Oban 14 yo Single Malt 3.50 (43.0% abv)

SPEYSIDE
Not officially a region but generally accepted as a subdivision of the Highlands. Speyside malts are essentially sweet whiskies, although some can have a little peaty character with just a slight whiff of smoke. Many of the most popular single malts are produced in Speyside.

• Aberlour 10 yo Single Malt 2.90
• Balvenie 12 yo Signature 3.30
• Cragganmore 12 yo Single Malt 3.30
• Glenfiddich 12 yo Special Reserve 2.80
• Glenlivet 12 yo Single Malt 2.90
• Glenfarclas 10 yo Single Malt 3.00
• Macallan 10 yo Sherry Oak 2.90

ISLANDS
Another subdivision of the Highlands region. Due to the location of the Islands distilleries their whiskies tend to have a coastal feel to them. They are slightly more peaty in character than most Highland malts but not to the extent of peatiness that you will find in Islay malts. The peatiness is generally softer and sweeter than there stronger cousins from Islay.

• Highland Park 12 yo Single Malt 2.90
• Isle of Jura 10 yo Single Malt 2.90
• Talisker 10 yo Single Malt 3.40 (45.8% abv)

LOWLANDS
The Lowland region lies South of an imaginary line that runs from Greenock on the West coast of Scotland to Dundee in the East. Generally speaking, Lowland region whiskies are mellower than whiskies from the neighbouring Highlands, are very much appreciated by those new to malt whisky and experienced malt drinkers alike, and are regarded as excellent aperitifs.

• Auchentoshan 10 yo Single Malt 2.90
• Glenkinchie 10 yo Single Malt 3.20 (43.0% abv)

CAMPBELLTOWN
Campbeltown lies towards the end of the Mull of Kintyre peninsula on the West Coast of Scotland. Campbeltown single malts are very distinctive, tending to be full bodied, renowned for their depth of flavour and also for their slightly salty finish.

• Springbank 10 yo Single Malt 3.50 (46.0% abv)

ISLAY
Islay is located in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island is often lashed by sea winds and rain, producing the strongest flavoured of all Scotch whiskies. They are renowned for their strong peaty smokiness which comes from the peat fuel which they use for malting the barley, and sometimes come with quite a bite.

• Lagavulin 16 yo Single Malt 4.20 (43.0% abv)
• Laphroaig 10 yo Single Malt 2.90

AMERICAN WHISKEY

Whiskey came to the American continent with the Irish and Scottish immigrants. As they settled in their new homeland, they were forced to adapt in many ways including the use of new raw materials. Over the years a new kind of whiskey gradually evolved. Today there are few if any similarities left between American Whiskey and its cousins the Scottish and Irish whiskies. For example, no smoke is used to dry the corn, rye or wheat, which are used in American Whiskey. Because of this, American Whiskey often has a fuller, stronger and sweeter taste than its European counterparts.

BOURBON
Because of the fact that almost all Bourbon is made in Kentucky many people believe this is a requirement, but in fact Bourbon may be produced in any state. The only prerequisites are that it must be made in the US, contain at least 51 percent corn and that it must be stored for at least two years in new, charred oak barrels. Lastly, the raw spirit may not be distilled to more than 80 percent alcohol by volume.

Kentucky Straight Bourbon

• Buffalo Trace 45.0% 2.70
• Bulleit 45.0% 2.60
• Fighting Cock 6yo 51.5% 2.90
• Jim Beam 8yo Black Label 45.0% 2.50
• Maker’s Mark 45.0% 2.60
• Old Grand Dad 43.0% 2.70
• Old Rip Van Winkle 10yo Special Reserve 45.0% 4.20
• Wild Turkey 8yo 50.5% 2.60

Small Batch Bourbon

• Elijah Craig 12yo 57.0% 2.90
• Knob Creek 9yo 50.5% 3.00
• Jeffersons 41.1% 3.50

Single Barrel Bourbon

• Blanton’s Special Reserve 40.0% 3.00
• Eagle Rare 10yo 45.0% 3.00

TENNESSEE
Closely related to Bourbon but there are a few differences; Tennessee Whiskey must be produced in the state of Tennessee and is always filtered through sugar-maple charcoal. The filtering process usually takes 10 days to complete. Tennessee Whiskey, almost exclusively produced by Jack Daniel’s, was recognised as a separate style by US government officials in 1941.

• Jack Daniel’s No.7 40.0% 2.50
• Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel 40.0% 3.40
• Jack Daniel’s Gentleman Jack 40.0% 3.50

RYE
Only a small amount of Rye Whiskey is bottled as Straight Rye – most of it is used in blending to add character to other whiskies. To be called a Rye Whiskey, the spirit must be made from at least 51 percent rye, distilled at less than 80 percent and stored in new, charred oak barrels for at least two years. Rye Whiskey is slightly more powerful and bitter than Bourbon. Most current Rye Whiskies are made in Indiana and Kentucky.

• Pikesville Supreme 4yo Straight Rye 40.0% 2.30
• Rittenhouse Straight Rye 40.0% 2.30

CORN
Developed due to the abundant supply of corn, and is a predecessor to Bourbon. As the name suggests corn is the main ingredient; the mash must consist of at least 80 percent corn. Another difference between Corn Whiskey and Bourbon is that Corn Whiskey does not have to be aged in wood. If Corn Whiskey is to be aged, any maturation must be done in either uncharred barrels or used Bourbon barrels.

• Mellow Corn 50.0% 2.80
• Georgia Moon (comes in a jar!!) 40.0% 2.80

As well as beer, wine and malts, we offer a full range of spirits, fortified wines and soft drinks. We might even make you a rather splendid cocktail, a jug of Pimms or a pitcher of sangria. If you ask nicely of course. But we have no desire to be a trendy cocktail bar....

WINES
Good food and good wine go together like Thelma and Louise, Bill and Ben, Wallace and Grommit, Morecambe and Wise. Working with who we consider to be the best importers and merchants in the North West, we aim to bring you an eclectic mix of well-known and less well-known varieties produced in limited quantities by people who are passionate about what they do, rather than a six-red-six-white-one-rose wine list by numbers made up of stuff you can easily pick up in your local supermarket. Genuine bin end corkers will complement the more permanent offer.

The vaulted natural ventilation shaft at the foot of the beer tower, adjacent to the planned kitchen and currently used as a boiler room (!), has been restored and converted into a cellar for storing our wine at optimum temperatures behind glass.

WHITES (ABV, 175ml, 250ml, Bottle)

light and fruity

Trebbiano Colle Del Gelso. Emilia Romagna. Italy. 2008. (11.5%, 3.20, 4.20, 12.50)

• Terrific crisp ripe apply flavours from Emilia Romagna.

Sauvignon Blanc. Ochagavia. Chile. 2008. (13.5%, 3.75, 4.95, 14.25)

• One of the few Chilean Sauvignons that still provide crackling spritely refreshment.

Pinot Grigio. Sentito. Veneto. Italy. 2009 (12.0%, 3.80, 5.00, 14.50)

• What would you expect, relaxing fresh dry quaffable? Yes indeed.

Quinta de Espiga. Estremadura. Portugal. 2009 (12.5%, n/a, n/a, 16.50)

• Undoubtedly Portugal has really got its winemaking together, deliciously refreshing.

rounded but still fragrant

Nadaria Viognier. Sicily. 2008. (13.5%, 3.30, 4.50, 12.95)

• Excuse us all our Sicilian whites but they are such delightfully ripe bargains.

Chardonnay. Witts End. Australia. 2007. (13.5%, 3.80, 5.20, 15.25)

• Still providing excellent value for money in the rounded balanced delightful manner.

Fiano. Mandrarossa. Sicily. 2008. (13.5%, 3.90, 5.30, 15.50)

• Lighter, perhaps more apple to the Viogniers spicy warmth. Lots of awards this year.

Pinot Grigio. San Michelle Appiano. Italy. 2008. (13.5%, n/a, n/a, 22.50)

• One of the great stars of North Italian wine making, Alto Adige is producing the most gorgeously scented wines.

Albarino. Teras Lantano. Galicia. Spain. 2006. (12.5%, n/a, n/a, 22.50)

• Absolute Galician class, very stylish fashionable and flavoursome.

Sancerre. Vincent Pinard. Loire. 2007. (13.0%, n/a, n/a, 24.95)

• Proper flinty mountain stream refreshment, gun smoke finish, great young producer.

ripe and rich

Cataratto. Benede. Alessandro di Camporeale. Sicily. 2006. (13.0%, n/a, n/a, 18.75)

• This is such a brimful glass of voluptuous Sicilian sunshine, great producer.

Sauvignon Blanc. Trinity Hill. Hawkes Bay. N. Zealand. 2008. (12.0%, n/a, n/a, 22.75)

• Stunningly ripe Sauvignon, that manages to be opulent and tropical but also balanced.

Chablis. Domaine de Pis-Loup. Burgundy. 2007. (12.5%, n/a, n/a, 23.95)

• None of the tired old school stuff, fantastic balance, fruit yes, but so elegant.

Sauvignon Blanc. Cloudy Bay. Marlborough, N. Zealand. 2009. (13.5%, n/a, n/a, 34.95)

• If you’ve tasted it you’ll know what all the fuss is about, if not you’ve a treat of super-powered ripe gooseberry flavours with a rasping refreshingly cox’s apple finish to look forward to.

very rich and unctuous

Pinot Gris. Reserve. Trimbach. Alsace. France. 2005. (13.0%, n/a, n/a, 26.25)

• "A full, heady, rich and lush wine. It is technically dry, but the style is fruity and full." That's what our merchant says, but we say, "Dear Lord, now that really is delicious".

REDS (ABV, 175ml, 250ml, Bottle)

fresh and fruity

Sangiovese. Colle del Gelso. Emilia Romagna. Italy. 2008. (12.0%, 3.20, 4.20, 12.50)

• Ripe berry fruit to the fore, delicious relaxing tackle.

Montepulciano d'Abruzzo. Moncaro. Italy. 2007/8 (12.5%, 3.50, 4.70, 12.95)

• From the classiest co op in the Abruzzo, ripe purple berry flavours.

Rioja Tinto Joven. Solaguen. Spain. 2008. (13.5%, 4.00, 5.50, 15.50)

• Fruit bomb, so ripe and young and fresh and full of damsons and Victoria plums, lip smacking, fun loving, nice looking, ever giving, where are we going? For another glass! Lovely stuff.

Wildflower Valdigue. J. Lohr. California. 2007. (12.5%, n/a, n/a, 23.75)

• A real favourite for the summer, stacked full of strawberry fruit.

Fleurie. La Bonne Dame. Beaujolais. 2007. (13.0%, n/a, n/a, 23.75)

• How did we ever forget what a consummate summer Red Fleurie could be, lovely lovely wine?

fuller and firmer

Cabernet Sauvignon. Ochagavia. Chile. 2008. (13.0%, 3.75, 4.95, 14.25)

• Has the blackcurrant flavours but also that rather ascetic pencil shaving nose.

Marzemino. Vivallis. Trentino. Italy. 2006. (12.5%, n/a, n/a, 14.95)

• What a shame so little of this tasty fruity curranty red gets out of the foothills of the Alps, it’s because the locals drink it all up, really different and really luscious.

Merlot. Soleus Organic. Chile. 2008. (14.0%, 4.30, 6.10, 17.95)

• Good quality punchily vibrant Merlot, lots of blackcurrant fruit.

Sugano Cabernet Franc. San Simon. Itlay. 2006. (13.0%, n/a, n/a, 22.50)

• Top notch Cab Franc from North East Italy, has all the guile and poise in the world.

Chianti Classico Riserva. Il Vescovino. 2006. (13.5%, n/a, n/a, 30.50)

• Tiny vineyards, low yields and stacks of ripe cherries and cedar scents, Tuscany in a glass.

a little more robust, rich

Shiraz. Stormy Cape. South Africa. 2008. (14.0%, 3.80, 5.00, 14.50)

• What with the Rand in step with Sterling great value thick red damson Shiraz.

Rioja Reserva. Vina Olagosa. Spain. 2003. (13.0%, n/a, n/a, 24.25)

• What a good Rioja Reserva should be, lots of oak and smoke, but balanced, harmonious.

Crozes Hermitage. Domaine Combier. 2006. (12.5%, n/a, n/a, 28.75)

• One to watch from Robert Parker. Northern Rhone Syrah, really immense and elegant wine.

Côtes de Nuit Villages. Emilie Gentet. 2006. (13.0%, n/a, n/a, 46.75)

• Emilie Gentet is only 27 and already making a serious name for herself in top class Pinot Noir.

Château Talbot. St Julien. Bordeaux. 2003. (13.0%, n/a, n/a, 100.00)

• Just ready to drink, some good flavourful meat with this and the tannins explode into an array of blackcurrants and oak.

full on fat, ripe and thick

Shiraz. Capell's Court. South Africa. 2003. (15.5%, n/a, n/a, 16.75)

• Could this be the last huzzah of the full throttle jam butty tastic smooth as you like Aussie Shiraz? We hope not, but get it down you whilst you can.

Syrah di Sicilia. Tre Feudi. Sicily. Italy. 2009. (13.5%, n/a, n/a, 20.50)

• Doing that full-on ripe warm vibrant Shiraz nonsense the Aussies have been at for a while now. But the Sicilians have a bit more class, maybe a little more spice and let’s not forget a lot of old school muscle. Capice?

Primitivo di Manduria Lizzano. Macchia. Puglia. Italy. 2007. (14.0%, n/a, n/a, 22.25)

• Oh my Lord, what have we here, as if purple was a flavour, it surely is the colour, it so makes you want to get on into the thick warm layers of mulberry and chocolate. From the remote dry-lands of the heel of Italy comes delight.

ROSÉ (ABV, 175cl, 250ml, Bottle)

Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé. Ochagavia. Chile. 2008. (13.5%, 3.75, 4.95, 14.25)

• Easy drinking of course, but with oodles of raspberry scents and flavours.

Pinot Grigio Blush. Ardesia. Veneto. Italy. 2008. (12.0%, 3.80, 5.00, 14.50)

• Wonderful thing Rosé, it looks like Pop, it tastes like Pop and if you drink enough you go pop. Wonderful wine too, strawberries and the smell of terraces by the Med.

Argiolas Sera Lori Rosato. Italy. 2008. (13.0%, n/a, n/a, 20.25)

• Sardinian speciality, full of the warm Med sun, but elegant and raspingly refreshing.

SPARKLING AND CHAMPAGNE (ABV, Bottle)

Prosecco Valdobbiadene. San Simon. Spumante. NV. (11.0%, 22.75)

• Here's why Prosecco has become the fizz of choice, lots of apricot and peach flavours.

Prosecco Rosato. Villa Domiziano Rosato. Frizzante. NV. (11.0%, 18.95)

• Like concentrated joy, oh how we sparkle when we sip to our hearts delight, full on raspberry-sherbert flavours from the warm hills above Venice.

Champagne Andre Bergère. Brut NV (12.0%, 35.95)

• Classic well aged Champagne, very classy stuff from small family producers, grow all their own grapes.

Champagne Andre Bergère. Rosé. NV. (12.0%, 38.95)

• The Bergère Rosé is such a delicate summer scented special, suppose we said ravishing?

Veuve Cliquot Non Vintage. (12.0%, 46.25)

• Bit of an old favourite, but sometimes you need a bit of old world poise, dignified, really rather nice, what.

DESSERT WINES (ABV, 125ml, half bottle)

Moscatel di Valencia. Spain. 2007. (15.0%, 4.20, n/a)

• The most delicious dessert bargain in the world of wine.

Muscat de St Jean de Miner. Dom de Barrubio. 2008. (15.5%, n/a, 14.75)

• Cracking Southern French refreshment, all the sweet apricot scents but cut with a balanced cleansing finish.

Recioto della Valpolicella. Begali. 2004. (13.5%, n/a, 40.95)

• Woah Daddy, Begali is a master of the dried grape Recioto, the most extraordinary depth of plums and damsons but bless us all there is tobacco, chocolate, eucalyptus, serious.

tasting notes courtesy of Nick Telfer, written in his own inimitable style!