The Nurse's Cottage Wine List

[main page photo] - Collection of Nurse's Cottage wines

The Wine List is revised annually each October and this year the selection marks the centenary of the original Nurse’s Cottage building with a record-breaking 100 wines. As ever, the List is dominated by France, our closest wine-producing neighbour, but 17 other countries also feature. Altogether 65 grapes – from Aglianico del Vulture to Zinfandel – are listed, another record for our List!

Every wine has its own tasting notes – plus the odd aside – which hopefully will encourage an occasional adventurous streak. A Baker’s Dozen are served by the glass (125ml and 250ml for still wines, 125ml for dessert wine and 175ml for Champagne) and a further 26 wines are available in half bottles.

We will try to advise whenever possible but passionately believe that, like food, wine is very much a matter of personal taste and no one wine can please everyone nor match every menu choice. I believe that the secret is to know what you like but experiment from time to time: that in itself can be highly enjoyable.

Grape of the Year has previously featured Tannat, Riesling, Zinfandel, Gewürztraminer, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Gamay and Shiraz. This year, one of the most popular grapes of all comes into the spotlight – Chardonnay. We list varietal Chardonnays from the United States of America, Chile and Australia, not to mention the Burgundy region of France, where Chablis is perhaps the best known alongside a Montagny and Pouilly-Vinzelles. Still in France, one of our Collection wines, Cheverny, is a blend of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and naturally all four of our Champagnes have Chardonnay as an essential element.

Special Events during the year, invariably at lunchtime, focus on our range of grapes, wine-growing regions and many other aspects of our List. Details of these are circulated to members of our Silver Service loyalty scheme and may also be found on our website.

Hildon Water, a Hampshire company, has been associated with The Nurse’s Cottage from the very start in 1992. Both Gently Sparkling and Delightfully Still come from Hildon House at Broughton near Stockbridge. We are unusual in making no charge for this high quality mineral water, a policy acknowledged by Hotel & Restaurant magazine in a nationwide survey which also placed our Wine List in Britain’s Top 19!

Wine Shop: Guests are very welcome to purchase our wines on a retail basis, although advance notice may be required depending on the stock held here at any time.

Tony Barnfield
Chef/Proprietor
October 2009

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