Wines

Hollyhocks wine list

House white	125 ml	Bottle
Crusan Columbard Sauvignon	2.75	14.75
A soft Sauvignon nose, this is crisp with a citrus lift, but the Columbard keeps it friendly.
Crisp, dry and refreshing
Marchesini Pinot Grigio del Veneto, Italy	2.90	15.95
Classic Pinot Grigio with a touch of almond make this a veritable quaff-meister.
Tierra Sauvignon Blanc, Maule Valley, Chile	2.90	15.95
This is herbaceous in style with a distinct nettley aroma: a fine demonstration of Sauvignon's varietal characteristics.
Sancerre Les Collinettes, Joseph Mellot, France		29.95
Crisp, clean, refreshing: an elegant and lean wine that avoids any harshness or austerity: this is just as God decreed.
Armidale Estate Hill Grove Unoaked Chardonnay, Australia	3.10	16.95
Good Chardonnnay flavours which remain fresh throughout as a result of the absence of the old oak tree.
Fruity and aromatic
Riverstone Ridge Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand	3.45	18.95
Classic Kiwi kit - gooseberries and asparagus, with lots of elegant tropical fruit that just keeps going and going.
Etchart Privado Torrontes, Argentina	3.30	17.95
Juicy and fragrant lychees, melon and elderflower. If I had but twenty pounds left in the world, this is what I would do with it. Then I'd put the change on an accumulator at Lingfield so I could buy some more later.
Josef Brader Piesporter Michelsberg, Germany	2.75	14.95
From the cool heart of the Mosel valley comes this succulent mouthful of ripe nectarines and juicy pears.
Kleine Zalze Bush Vines Chenin Blanc, South Africa		15.95
Really rounded, silky, weighty and oaky but with a touch of lemon. Bags of yellow tropical fruit leap out like gazelles from the bush. One step up from dry, but it never cloys.
Clean but rounded
Pouilly-Fumeé Cuvée du Tronsec, Joseph Mellot, France		29.95
Massive gunflint on the nose, with a slightly citrus edge to the Sauvignon that keeps it fresh but rounded: an aristocrat.
Gavi di Gavi la Toledana Dom Villa Lanatra, Italy		25.95
Delicate floral bouquet with green gooseberry and great texture -this is unoaked, fresh and minerally.
La Campagne Viognier VdP d'Oc, France	3.10	16.95
This is clean and crisp, but rendered succulent with some delicious apricot overtones.
Chablis Reserve Croix St Joseph, J.Moreau, France		34.95
Traditional old-school Chablis - it's as French as Gérard Depardieu in a beret with a string of onions round his neck, pedaling his bicyclette home from the rugby having lost to Les Rosbifs.
Rich and full
Macon-Villages Dom de la Grange Magnien, Burgundy, France		24.95
Bang on the money. Some less expensive white Burgundy can get a bit ponderous, but not this little number with its figure-hugging cloak of oak.
Rosé
Pinot Grigio Rosato del Veneto, Marchesini, Italy	2.90	15.95
A classic picnic wine, this has juicy raspberry overtones and is most agreeable. Great on a sunny day.
Vendage White Zinfandel, USA	3.20	17.45
Strawberries and cream in a glass.
Pudding wine
Concha y Toro late Harvest Sauvignon Blanc, Chile		14.95
Papaya, peach, apricot and mango combine well with honey and spice on the nose. Rich but not cloying, this shows a nice touch of orange blossom. What a great way to end a meal.
House red
Montepulciano d'Abruzzo Collezione Marchesini	2.80	15.00
A beautiful little Italian quaffer.
Light and fruity
Chinon Les Morinieres, Joseph Mellot, France		21.50
This is 100% Cabernet Franc which gives a leafy, bosky character and restrained fruit. The balanced tannins leave the mouth feeling clean: this will shine as a food wine.
Chianti Rosso, Ruffino, Italy		19.95
Very drinkable. This is Chianti as it used to be, before they started stuffing it with Merlot to sell to jam-loving Americans. With its easy going nature, this is a quaff-meister.
Cote de Beaune Villages, Reserve des Jacobins Jadot, France		34.95
The earthy nose of cherry and liquorice tells you this is proper kit - the subtlety of this fine Burgundy is a welcome relief from those interminable New World fruit-bombs. '...a sniper's rifle amongst a sea of howitzers and mortars' (JC).
Warm and spicy
Etchart Privado Malbec, Valle de Cafayate, Argentina		17.95
A very soft and juicy wine, with ripe damson and vanilla on the nose. Almost opulent in style.
Solstice Shiraz, Sicily		15.95
Good farmyard nose. Shirazy but not jammy, with a herbaceous quality, this blends power with finesse.
Rare vineyards Pinot Noir, Vin de France		17.95
Excellent Pinot character which remains vibrant and alive in the mouth.
The Pavillion Shiraz Viognier, Boschendal, South Africa	3.30	17.95
This is the blend made famous by Cote Roti in the Rhone, and the boys in Boschendhal make the wine sing in the glass. A gorgeous drop.
Salice Salentino 35 Parallelo, Puglia, Italy		16.95
A herby, stalky nose introduces a complex, hot wine that's not at all overbearing. Interesting stuff.
Smooth and earthy
Cotes du Rhone La Denteliere Caves St Pierre, France	3.10	16.95
Very palatable - compared to all those shouty Australian reds jumping up and down and waving their arms about, this is a harmonious male voice choir.
Faustino V Rioja Reserva, Spain		29.95
This is classic old school Rioja, and is correct in every detail: black cherry and brown spice aromas abound with a wiff of oaky vanillins, with plenty of crisp, spicy black fruit in the mouth.
Chateau Lamothe-Cissac, Cru Bourgeois Haut Medoc, France		26.30
Finely made, with an earthy, ferny character softened with vanilla oak.
Don Jacobo Crianza Rioja Tinto, Spain	4.00	21.95
Velvety vanilla, but balanced with a fresh kick of fruit.
Chateau Lyonnat, Lussac, St Emilion, France		29.95
Cracking wine - old fashioned, traditional St Emilion. St Emilion proudly flies the Merlot flag, as copied throughout the New World, and this is absolutely on the button.
Rich and plummy
Outback Chase Shiraz Cabernet	2.90	15.95
A rich and full blend: this is quintessentially Australian, but it avoids any cloying jamminess.
Tintara Shiraz,Australia		18.95
Look for a smokey, crunchy, Eucalyptus nose with blackcurrant fruit, overlaid with marzipan.
Errazuriz 1870 Teno Block, Chile	3.50	18.95
Medium-bodied, juicy Merlot. Rich and plummy aromas with a subtle hint of chocolate. Give this a nice warm home in your tummy.
Valpolicella Classico Ripasso Le Poiane, Bolla, Italy		29.95
Full bodied and richly flavoured, this is one of Italy's big, ripe numbers that fills the senses.
Sparkling wine and Champagne
Louis Dornier et Fils Brut	7.50	39.95
This is full and rounded, with flavours to savour. A real find for us.
Prosecco Sant Orsola		19.95
Good Prosecco nose with a salty tang, and good flavours with gentle overtones of stone fruit.
Sparkling rose: Pinot Grigio Cuvee Rose Brut, Italy		19.95
This lovable Italian thoroughbred has the mereist lick of red grape that gives it a light blush. Dry, fresh and fruity, an all round well-balanced specimen.
Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label, France		49.95
Well known for its full-bodied, biscuity style and fine finish.