{"id":8901,"date":"2014-01-16T16:56:17","date_gmt":"2014-01-16T16:56:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/?p=8901"},"modified":"2014-01-16T16:58:18","modified_gmt":"2014-01-16T16:58:18","slug":"vagabond-drakes-tabanco-and-the-draft-house-a-great-night-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wineanorak.com:\/wineblog\/sherry\/vagabond-drakes-tabanco-and-the-draft-house-a-great-night-out","title":{"rendered":"Vagabond, Drakes Tabanco and the Draft House, a great night out"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"vagabond1\"
\nLondon is an interesting place for food and drink these days. Last night I went out with buddy Daniel Primack of Around Wine to have some fun in Charlotte Street, taking in three establishments that represent the best of London’s new gastro\/booze scene.<\/p>\n

We started of at Vagabond (pictured above), which I reckon represents the future of wine retailing. The Charlotte Street branch<\/a> has only been open a few months, but it’s already pretty busy. There are over 100 wines to try from the sampling machines, and there’s space to sit down. Each of the wines on tasting has a small sheet explaining what is and where it comes from, and these are available for customers to take away. It’s a fun, social place.<\/p>\n

\"vagabond2\"<\/p>\n

How does it compare with The Sampler<\/a>? At Vagabond the wines are less high-end, and it’s less of a wine shop than a place to come and try wine – it’s less geeky and more accessible, although for a serious geek like me The Sampler has more of the sort of wines that will get me excited. Vagabond is a bit more social, and for its location and clientele they seem to have got it just right. <\/p>\n

Daniel and I spent a while tasting wines. For \u00a320 between us we tried 8 wines each, finishing with the remarkable Equipo Navazos La Bota de Palo Cortado 24, a sensational Sherry.<\/p>\n

\"drakestabanco\"<\/p>\n

This set us up nicely for the next stage of the evening: a spot of dinner at Drakes Tabanco<\/a> round the corner in Windmill Street. This is a gem of a place: simple, a bit rustic, with a sherry focus and remarkably detailed, complex, flavoursome small plates. Highlights included cured sardines and an amazing plate of smoked scallops with avocado puree. My pictures (taken in terrible light) don’t do these dishes justice. <\/p>\n

\"drakes2\"<\/p>\n

To drink we began with Fernando de Castilla’s Fino en rama and then two bottles of red: Heinrich 2010 Blaufrankish from the Burgenland and La Makerida Bobal 2012 from Utiel Requena in Spain (we’d brought these with us; they’re not on the list). Both fresh, bright, focused and rather delicious. <\/p>\n

\"drafthouse1\"<\/p>\n

Then it was off to the Draft House Charlotte Street<\/a>. This is the smallest of the Draft House’s five London locations – a compact, atmospheric bar with great staff and fabulous beers. We began with the Odell St Lupulin and Oscar Blues Dales Pale Ale – both brilliant examples of the US craft beer scene, the latter in a can (good for beer quality). Then we hit the amazing Stone Ruination, and the quirky Partizan Saison Grisette Lime. The beer scene is so exciting these days, and places like the Draft House make serious beer accessible to non beer geeks, which is important.<\/p>\n

\"drafthouse2\"<\/p>\n

My full notes:<\/p>\n

Vagabond wines<\/em><\/p>\n

Henry Pelle Menetou Salon Silex du Carrois 2011 Loire, France<\/strong>
\nFruity, textured and lively with some herbs and a hint of melon. It’s a rounded, sophisticated, rich expression of Sauvignon with nice texture. 89\/100<\/p>\n

Claude Riffault Sancerre Denisottes 2012 Loire, France
\n<\/strong>Fresh, mineral and lively with lovely citrus and herb notes. Mineral and quite linear this has lovely focus. 90\/100<\/p>\n

Pegasus Bay Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2011 Waipara, New Zealand?
\n<\/strong>Such a bright, pure wine with lovely fresh, green-tinged fruit. Great precision here. 90\/100<\/p>\n

Domaine Gayda Figure Libre 2010 Languedoc, France
\n<\/strong>An organic Macabeo. Complex, herby, pithy and dense with some waxy notes and rich fruit. Dense and rich yet still quite fresh. 88\/100<\/p>\n

Pietradolce Etna Rosso 2012 Sicily, Italy
\n<\/strong>This shows fresh, bright, vivid red cherry fruit with some spice and herbs, finishing grippy. Lively and quite fresh, but also quite angular. 89\/100<\/p>\n

Maseria Li Veli Susumaniello 2011 Salento, Italy
\n<\/strong>Rich, spicy and berryish with some reductive notes, as well as black cherry fruit and herbs. A little bit animal but it’s a lovely, complex ripe red wine. 91\/100<\/p>\n

Quinta do Seival Castas Portuguesas 2006 Campanha, Brazil
\n<\/strong>Warm, rich, dense, ripe and spicy with vanilla notes under the black fruits. Dense, ripe, oaky, and quite Spanish in style. 87\/100 <\/p>\n

Equipo Navazos La Bota de Palo Cortado 24 Sherry\/Jerez, Spain
\n<\/strong>Amazing nose: toasty, nutty, tangy and rich with some citrus freshness. Tangy, intense palate has real depth and complexity. Just fabulous. 94\/100<\/p>\n

At Drakes<\/em><\/p>\n

Fernando de Castilla Fino en Rama NV Sherry\/Jerez, Spain
\n<\/strong>Wonderfully nutty, lemony and tangy with herbal hints and fresh citrus notes, allied to richness. Very stylish. 93\/100<\/p>\n

La Malkerida Bobal 2012 Utiel Requena, Spain
\n<\/strong>12.5% alcohol. I really like this: it’s fresh, vibrant and pure with sweet fruit but also a bit of savoury grip. Juicy and focused with structured cherry and raspberry fruit the dominant theme. 92\/100<\/p>\n

Heinrich Blaufrankisch 2010 Burgenland, Austria
\n<\/strong>12.5% alcohol. Ripe, sweet and fresh with nice meatiness and a subtle green edge to the raspberry and black cherry fruit. Supple and lively with a meaty peppery streak. Very drinkable. 93\/100<\/p>\n

At the Draft House<\/em><\/p>\n

Oscar Blues Brewery (Colorado) Dales Pale Ale
\n<\/strong>6.5% alcohol, in a can. Hoppy, bitter and stylish. Fresh, tangy flavours. A lovely edgy, hoppy beer. 8.5\/10<\/p>\n

Odell Brewing Company St Lupulin Extra Pale Ale
\n<\/strong>6.5% alcohol. Warm, creamy, malty and rich but also hoppy and tangy. A lovely textured, rich style of pale ale. 9\/10<\/p>\n

Stone Ruination IPA
\n<\/strong>8.2% alcohol. Concentrated, dense, citrussy and herby with rich complexity and nice spicy bitterness, as well as some sweetness. Powerful and satisfying. 9\/10 <\/p>\n

Partizan (Bermondsey, London) Saison Grisette Lime
\n<\/strong>3.8% alcohol. Fresh, citrussy, limey and a bit like a Sauvignon Blanc with fresh aromatics and a hint of skunkiness. Really interesting lighter style of beer. 8\/10<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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