Wine List at Comfort in Meldon

It’s time to start having fun with the wine list here at Comfort! We’ve taken a bit of a mad stance and decided to give you REAL value for money on your wine. Well, if you don’t drink the good stuff we’ll just end up having to, and our Bank Manager and Doctor don’t like the sound of that! So here we go – oh, and don’t forget to ask which wines are on tasting – there is a choice of three each week. Dig in, be brave and try something a bit different. You never know, you might enjoy it!

White Wines

Pic St Pierre Grenache Blanc, Mas de Montel, Vin de Pays du Gard 2005: £9.50/bottle and £2.95/gl; Light, easy drinking white lying on the off side of dry.

Pinot Grigio, Mezzacorona, IGT Trentino 2005: £11.50/bottle and £4.00/gl; By far the tastiest Pinot Grigio we’ve found in ages! Light, dry, floral and delicate. Great easy drinking wine.

Santa Rita Reserva Sauvignon Blanc, Chile, 2005: £12.95/bottle and £4.25/gl; Consistently excellent Sauvignon. Crisp, fruity and very quaffable

Dr. L Riesling, Qba, Mosel, Germany 2004: £13.95/bottle and £4.50/gl; Ernie Loosen is one of the most exciting and passionate winemakers in Germany, and this is benchmark stuff - crisp, fresh and tangy, with the balance of acidity and sweetness of a perfect ripe apple. Delicious.

Macon Davayé Domaine La Croix Senaillet 2004: £15.95/bottle; Having had the Talmard on the last list, we thought we would go for something more classic this time. Textbook Macon – clean, fresh and with that lovely combination of fruit and minerality that suits fish and seafood so well.

Great Southern Riesling, Plantagenet, Australia 2006: £16.50/bottle; This is a great contender for successor to the wonderful Hollick Riesling that Is sadly no longer available. There is o skin contact, no oxygen and no contact with the lees in the making of this Riesling, which results in true character.

Coriole Chenin Blanc, McLaren Vale, Australia 2006: £17.95/bottle; Normally we loathe Chenin Blanc unless it’s made in a Moelleux style in the Loire Valley. But this is like super-refined Sauvignon and we tell you now – DRINK THIS!!

Allan Scott Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough, New Zealand 2004: £18.95/bottle; New Zealand Sauvignon has rightly claimed a place in almost every wine drinker’s heart for its dry, gooseberry flavours. This is an outstanding example – Allan lives opposite Cloudy Bay. We’d rather drink this!

Menetou-Salon, Domaine Nicolas Girard, Loire 2006: £19.50/bottle; Less well-known than Sancerre, we find this region, situated next door, to have the same style and minerality, and a more approachable price tag, as well

Chablis, J. M. Brocard, Burgundy 2005: £19.95/bottle; It’s easy to forget what classic wine Chardonnay can create in the right hands. Lean citrus and mineral notes with crisp acidity that works perfectly with fish or seafood.

Red Wine

Pic St Pierre Rouge, Mas de Montel, Vin de Pays du Gard 2005: £9.50/bottle and £2.95/gl; This house wine has good colour and ripe, damsony fruit on the nose.

Matilda Plains Cabernet/Shiraz/Merlot, Langhorne Creek 2005: £11.50/bottle and £3.75/gl; The Cabernet, Shiraz and Merlot varieties combine beautifully to create a really mouth-watering red, with good ripe fruit and a decent structure. This will stand up to most dishes on the menu.

Chianti, Cantine Leonardo, Toscana 2006: £12.95/bottle and £3.95/gl; Great colour, fragrance and depth with good acidity. Early bottling has ensured that the essential character of the fruit has been retained.

Bodega Norton Finca La Colonia Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina 2006: £14.50/bottle and £4.50/gl; Norton make cracking red wines, and in Argentina, the Malbec grape (normally one of the lesser varieties in Bordeaux) really comes into its own, producing a lovely combination of velvety fruit and a chocolately structure.

Château Mahon-Laville, Bordeaux 2004: £14.95/bottle and £4.75/gl; Made by Jean-Christophe Barbe, who teaches wine-making in Bordeaux whilst running the family property. A blend of 70% Merlot and 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, this wine has a classic, plummy nose and ripe supple fruit on the palate.

‘L de Lyeth’ Merlot, Lyeth, Sonoma County 2004: £15.50/bottle and £4.95/gl; This is probably the most impressive of Lyeth’s wines, with an attractive minty aroma and soft, rounded fruit on the palate, supported by good tannins.

Hales Shiraz, Rolf Binder, Barossa Valley 2004: £16.50/bottle; Rolf is an old friend and his wines really are tremendous – Robert Parker consistently rates his top wines in the 90’s. This Shiraz is huge, but it has the structure and skill in the winemaking to support the intense fruit. Prepare yourself…

Woodthorpe Cabernet/Merlot, Te Mata, Hawkes Bay, New Zealand 2005: £17.50/bottle; John Buck, owner of Te Mata, came and astounded us last year with a great tasting of the wines of Coriole. This great Bordeaux blend has a lot of class. Hawkes Bay is increasingly admired and is stepping out of Marlborough’s shadow with regard to the wines produced there.

Crozes-Hermitage ‘Les Jalets’ Jaboulet Aine, Rhone 2003: ££18.95/bottle; A very stylish wine. Not as overtly powerful as many from the area, this has lovely concentration, as well as the classic bramble and white pepper notes.

John X Merriman Cabernet/Merlot, Rustenberg, Stellenbosch 2004: £19.95/bottle; This wine expresses everything that is good about South African winemaking. The fantastic Rustenberg estate is home to Simon Barlow, who regards himself as a custodian of the estate. His exacting standards and interest in his home are evident in this outstanding wine. Ditch the Bordeaux and go for this instead.

Chianti Classico Peppoli, Marchese Antinori, Tuscany 2003: £22.50/bottle; A really top-notch single estate Chianti – we have been waiting quite a while to find something as good as this to put on the list.

Cotes de Nuits Villages, Girardin, Burgundy 2004: £25.95/bottle; Vincent Girardin is a high-tech producer in Burgundian terms, and this is very characteristic of his style – quite bold and full-flavoured, with a long, smoky finish.

Woodthorpe Syrah/Viognier, Te Mata, Hawkes Bay 2005: £26.95/bottle; According to none other than Anthony Rose of The Independent, this wine “more closely resembles the elegant Syrahs of the Northern Rhône than the bolder Shiraz of Australia. It’s aromatic, peppery and raspberry all at once.” Spoil yourselves…

Chorey-lès-Beaune, Tollot-Beaut, Burgundy 2004: £28.95/bottle; Although it may seem strange to talk of great value at these prices, this is without doubt a lot of wine for the money. Real Pinot character and stylish flavour and length. A great favourite of ours.

Château Soussans, Margaux, Bordeaux 2003: £27.95/bottle; Characterful Bordeaux absolutely typical of the Cabernet-driven wines of the Commune. 2003 was a pretty decent year, too…

Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Arlaud, Burgundy 2002: £30.00/bottle; This is a domaine after our own heart. The vineyard are organically managed, and they even plough the vineyards by horse rather than tractor to minimise the environmental impact. The wine, needless to say, is spectacular - fat, sexy and bursting with layers of spicy fruit.

Entity Shiraz, John Duval, Barossa, Australia 2005: £30.00/bottle; In spite of its provenance, this really isn’t an over-extracted, blousy Shiraz of the types seen at the lower end of the price scale. Yes, it’s big, but it’s got so much style, elegance and depth that it’s almost irresistible.

Rosé Wine

Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé, Santa Rita, Maipo Valley, Chile 2003: £12.50/bottle and £4.25/gl; A beautifully crisp and aromatic Rosé from the great Santa Rita winery. Well balanced with plenty of strawberry fruit...

Cotes de Provence Rosé, St Roche Les Vignes, 2004: £15.95/bottle; A wine of impeccable provenance – the estate has won a truckful of awards over the last few years. Thankfully, this still remains excellent value for such an outstanding wine.

Grenache Rosé, Steven Pannell, McLaren Vale 2007: £15.95/bottle; There doesn’t seem to be a lot of great Grenache Rosé around, which is a shame given how good this is. Strawberry characters abound, making it really refreshing – the great compromise for a table having meat and fish!

Reuilly Rosé, Les Demoiselles Tatin, Loire 2006: £19.95/bottle; This is really elegant, grown-up pink ! Everything you’d expect from the Loire in terms of character – but the grape is Pinot Gris. It’s a funny old world….

Pudding Wines

Noble Taminga, Trentham Estate, Murray River Valley, Australia 2001: £9.50/half bottle and £4.00/gl; One of the best sweet wines we've found from the New World. Noble Taminga is a hybrid grape found only at Trentham. Definitely worth a glass with some pud, and will go great with the cheeses too.

Dindarello Moscato, Maculan, Breganze Italy 2005 (1/2 bottle): £14.50/half bottle and £5.00/gl; Luscious, stylish and quite decadent. The tangy citrus notes will go beautifully with fruit based desserts

Elysium Black Muscat, Andrew Quady, California (1/2 bottle): £14.95/half bottle and £5.00/gl; Ever wondered what would go with a chocolate pudding? Well, this is it! Full of ripe berry fruit and, unusually, a red pudding wine. Fantastic stuff

Sparkling Wine and Champagnes

Lindauer Special Reserve, New Zealand: £10.95/bottle and £5.00/gl; Consistently one of the most sought-after sparkling wines in the world. Almost Rosé in colour and with slight sweetness. A good aperitif.

Gobillard Brut, Champagne: £19.50/bottle and £7.50/gl; Fine fizz from a house that traditionally did own-label wines for others, until they decided to fly their own flag. And we're so glad they did this is very good, dry, champagne.

Gobillard Rosé, Champagne: £19.50/bottle and £7.50/gl; As you'd expect from this house (especially if you've tried the Brut), this is quality fizz with lovely Pinot Noir flavours, but still nicely dry on the finish.

Laurent Perrier Brut, Champagne: £28.50/bottle; Another classic, really. More full bodied than the Roederer and Ruinart.

Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV, Champagne: £35.00/bottle; You probably don’t need me to tell you anything about this…

Ruinart Brut/Rosé: £40.00/bottle; Ruinart is a relatively little-known house that makes seriously delicious fizz. We can’t recommend these enough!

Sherry

We usually have a selection of Fino, Amontillado and Manzanilla: £3.50 gl; Banish all thoughts of Bristol Cream, this is proper sherry!

Port and Digestifs

Late Bottle Vintage Port: £5.00/gl

Vintage Port: £7.50/gl

Cognac VSOP: £5.00/gl

Armagnac 10yr old: £5.00/gl

Calvados 10yr old: £5.00/gl

We have an ever-changing array of Port and Digestifs, so please ask what we currently have in stock!

Malt Whisky

We have a regularly changing list of Malts – please ask for the current range £5.00 gl

Other Spirits & Liqueurs

Gin, Vodka, Whisky, Rum, Pastis, Vermouth, Campari, Pimm’s: £3.50/gl

Baileys, Amaretto, Cointreau, Tia Maria, Drambuie: £4.50/gl

All spirits and digestifs are served in measures of 35cl or multiples there of

Beer and Lager

Bohemia Pilsener, Wylam Brewery 50cl 5.0%: £3.50/gl; This is a great lager, made in the same style as Budvar, but with more character and taste! Good colour and hoppy taste.

Leighton Brau, Wylam Brewery 50cl 5.0%: £3.50/gl; A more classic German lager style. Smooth and fruity

Rocket Best Bitter, Wylam Brewery 50cl 5.0%: £3.50/gl; In honour of Wylam’s most (only?) famous son, George Stephenson, a clean, fresh, malty bitter.

Perry’s Somerset Dabinett Cider 50cl 6%: £3.50/gl; I know – not exactly local, but it is delicious and refreshing, and until someone starts to make cider up here, it will have to do!

Soft Drinks

Fever Tree Tonic, Soda, Ginger Ale, Lemonade: £1.75

Fresh Orange Juice, Cranberry Juice, Bensons Apple Juice: £2.00

Cordials: Pink Ginger, Wild Nettle, Autumn Rosehip: £2.00; Best served with still or sparkling water, but you could also use Soda or Lemonade…

Fentimans Ginger Beer, Victorian Lemonade, Seville Orange Jigger, Curiosity Cola, Dandelion & Burdock, Shand: £1.75; If you aren’t familiar with Fentimans, I strongly suggest you give them a go! These are locally brewed (head office on Grey Street, Newcastle). All non-alcoholic, with great botanicals. Delicious stuff.

Water – Abbey Well, Still or Sparkling 75cl: £3.00; Abbey Well is natural mineral water from Morpeth. It is suggested that the water is 3,000 years old, and has taken this long to filter through white sandstone. Knocks waiting for Grolsch into a cocked hat, then...

Wines served by the glass are served in 175ml measures.