Isn’t it amazing how some wine experts can not only pinpoint the vintage of the wine they are drinking, but sometimes even pinpoint the corner of the vineyard from whence have come the grapes that have gone into the wine they are drinking.
I cannot even tell the difference between a cabernet sauvignon and a pinot noir, although I think I can recognise a rioja and I can easily differentiate between Tropicana and supermarket own-brand fresh orange juice. My one rule with red wine has been passed down to me from Sideways: anything except merlot.
My wine tastes are very simple and it was a joy to be offered the choice of red or white at Cloak & Dinner last month. Just that, red or white, not a wine list as long as your arm. My choice of wine is usually the second least expensive on the list, so as not to spend a fortune and not look like a cheapskate. If I am eating red meat, I choose red. If I am eating white meat, I choose white.
Flinty Red on Cotham Hill is owned by the team behind independent wine merchants Corks of Cotham just up the street, so it is no surprise that their wine list is substantial. My dining partner Joanna and I decided to share a number of their dishes in starter size, so it was sadly not a simple choice of red with red meat and white with white meat as we were running a gamut of different foods. Our very knowledgeable waitress pointed us in the direction of the red Dos Roques (2007, £25). It was a perfect choice, delightfully complementing our pallet. Okay, okay. It tasted wonderful but whether it complemented anything I really couldn’t tell.
The dinner menu at Flinty Red – which takes its name from a short story by Roald Dahl, himself a wine connoisseur - is divided up into various sections: raw/pickled/salad, cured/smoked/preserved, fried/pan-fried, pasta/rice/dumplings, slow cooked/braised and grilled. This makes it easier for a simpleton like me to choose dishes, but I left the decisions to Joanna.
Our dishes were brought to our table as they came out of the kitchen. First, the tapenade and toast (£2.50). It then became a bit of a blur as more plates arrived and our table began to yawn under the weight of salchichon Iberico and nutmeg (£4), chestnut and pumpkin ravioli with Oloroso butter (£7.50), grilled quail and pomegranate (£7) and grilled onglet, swede and hispi cabbage (£12.50).
I certainly needed help with much of Flinty Red’s menu but once the dishes arrived, it didn’t matter what they were called because they were sensational. The tapernade (minced olives), were strong and gutsy. The salchichon Iberico (Spanish salami) was cut fine and flavoured beautifully with the nutmeg. And the onglet, which I found out is the internal muscle supporting a cow’s diaphragm, was served red raw, a surprise but a great one.
We made our bottle of Dos Roques last until the desserts, tonka bean crème brûlée (£4.50) for Joanna and forced rhubarb, meringue and Seville orange curd (£6) for me. Both were mighty fine, as could only be expected.
Regular tasting evenings are held in Flinty Red for rum, sherry, sake and whisky. And, of course, wine. You don’t have to be a wine buff to enjoy this delightful little eatery, but I think even I might become one if I visit often enough.
Flinty Red, 34 Cotham Hill. 0117 9238 755.
