Living in Brighton has many plus points and at the same time a few areas that I’m not too happy about, some of which relate to the finer things in life such as food and wine. When it comes to eating out in Brighton is true to say there is much choice but sadly not that much that achieves the level where I can honestly recommend them. I’m talking not just about top quality food and a carefully selected and well thought out wine list but a place that is remembered for being a great experience. The things that help achieve this are the attention to detail that does not go unnoticed. The type of service and who provides it is an example but also the design of the place, the cutlery, the wine glasses, the cleanliness of the toilets. All things that are in the control of the owners and managers and should help to make you feel like a king, or queen, when you go out for dinner. US based restaurateur Danny Meyer who owns Union Square Cafe, Tabla, and the Modern in New York is famous for building a business based on hospitality, not just great food. His take is that good/great food is an expectation when a customer pays top wack for a meal, it’s the duty of the Businessmen and Businesswomen to achieve greatness in hospitality in order to stand out.

The reason that I got onto this subject is that for me last weekend was my Birthday, one of those birthdays where the actual number is irrelevant and not really worth celebrating that much. But I am more than happy to use a birthday as an excuse to eat out and use this excuse to its full extent, this year I did very well. My wife Katie came up with the first great idea, a trip to the Chimney House on Friday night. I’ve been looking forward to eating here for a while and rightly so.  The Chimney House is a warm relaxed place and although you can’t book a table we were in luck, well we got there early to make sure. The food is traditional and very good. You can tell the ingredients are top quality and are well taken care of by the chef. The wine list is a big plus with loads of wines by the glass at reasonable prices. This is a good find. - http://www.chimneyhouse.co.uk/ or 01273 556 708.

The next day I was lucky enough to meet up with some friends and go to Sam’s. Sam’s is at Paston place where the restaurant of the same name used to be. Sam’s represents all the things I love about going out for food. The design of the place is really welcoming and attractive, the staff are excellent and make you feel well looked after and not intrusive, which I can’t stand. The menu is backed up by a specials board and doesn’t fail to deliver. The wine list is a massive plus point. I usually get annoyed about restaurant wine lists, they are lazy at best and a complete rip off at worst. I’ve seen some Brighton restaurants doing a 10x mark up on wines before. I also hate it when I can’t get a decent range of wines by the glass which happened to me a while back at the Gingerman at Norfolk Sq. I only wanted a glass of red and was offered a choice of one wine, a Merlot - great. At Sam’s you get a fantastic range of wines by the glass all at good value for money and even the bottles are very well priced, certainly the best range and value I’ve seen anywhere in Brighton, and most other places I’ve been to. The food is also the best I’ve had in Brighton, no doubt about it. If there is one place in Brighton that I can wholly recommend this is it.

http://www.samsofbrighton.co.uk/ or 01273 676 222.

Clos Triguedina wines have been wining awards from all around the world for years now. All of the wines receive great reviews and it’s no surprise given the tradition and experience involved. The vineyards are very carefully managed under the expert control of Jean-Luc Baldes who brings his own experience and matches it with the tradition passed down since 1830.

Clos Triguedina Vines on the banks of the Lot river

I visited Clos Tiguedina in September 2006 and you get a real sense of history and tradition all around. The vineyards are set in the most beautiful countryside next to the river Lot and although the original house and walls are still in place just as they were 200 years ago.

Clos Triguedina winemaker Jean-Luc Baldes

The more modern winery is filled with all the awards and trophies won over the years, a perfect balance of modern technologies working for traditional ways of winemaking and the results are not just one good wine but a range of great wines ready to drink now or to be kept and aged.

Set in the beautiful Voges mountains, 6 kilometers from Colmar lies the wine making village of Husseren Les Chateaux, and the winery of Gerard Schueller and his son Bruno. Together they work a 7 hectare vineyard using biodynamic principles together with a free spirited and independent outlook that allows them to concentrate on producing the best wines possible each year.

Alsace is one of the driest places is France, just not on the day that I was there.

When it comes to the viticulture they are extremely, for example they don’t use topping, a process where selected leaves and canes are cut with the aim of limiting competition between grapes. Instead they prune during the winter as a way on controlling the amount of foliage on the vines.

Domaine Schueller vineyards

The way that these wines are made, in very small amounts but with enormous care and attention to detail means that there will never be that many to buy. Schueller has a massive reputation in France as a natural winemaker, the Domaine Schueller Riesling Bildstoecklé is a perfect example of a great Alsace wine, bone dry with complex minerality.

Husseren Les Chateaux, home of Domaine Schueller & Fils

The wines are made from biodynamically grown grapes plus no added sugar, no filtration, and no fining.

The subject of wine tasting used to seem to me to be a posh way to describe having some mates round with a few bottles of the good stuff, and if this was the case then most of us have done a fair amount of “tasting”. It was during these tastings that I started to get more interested in the flavours that I was detecting which in turn led to me taking up wine courses at Plumpton College. Once I started on the wine courses I soon found out that a little knowledge can go a long way in when it comes to tasting. I realised that sense could be made of wine when put in the context of grape type, the country and place the grapes are grown and winemaking techniques.

Having been through these wine courses I can honestly say that a short amount of time spent learning about wine and, very importantly how to taste wine will bring you great rewards. It will make your wine drinking a much more meaningful and pleasurable experience and you will be able to make sense of Restaurant wine lists.

Being in the trade has meant that I’ve been to a number of tastings and also joined many wine courses, most have been good, they get the info across but to me the range of wines has been a let down. One course that I have hooked up with recently is the Brighton based GrapeTrain - www.grapetrain.co.uk. Having joined a class for an evening I can highly recommend this wine tasting course run by Lisa McNulty & Paula Gregory. Lisa is a WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) recommended tutor and Paula has completed the WSET Advanced course. The courses are very well structured and the teaching style relaxed, the range and style of wines are impressive, they cross into organic and biodynamic too. The next exciting thing about the course is that once you have got to grips with the basics you have the chance to go and learn more with the GrapeTrain in Provence.

If you are looking for a wine tasting course in Brighton I can highly recommend this course if you want a taster of how to get to know wine a bit more in a informal atmosphere with folk that are just as into learning as you are. The class sizes are fairly small which makes it easier to get to know each other and have a laugh.

If you want more info just give Lisa or Paula a call - 01273 557589/01273 701475.

David Coston & Jean-Marc are very well known across France for their approach to organic viticulture and the care and attention to detail that goes into their winemaking. They do not use additives such as Industrial yeasts, fining agents, added sugar, the only addition to this wine is a small amount of Sulphites ( 20mg/l ) to make sure that the wine reaches you in perfect condition.

Me (in green top) and Jean-Marc on a tour of the Domaine Coston vinyards

Lavender, poppies, & herbs including mint grow wild amogst the vines help to support the natural balance between plant, soil, & insect.

I made the trip to visit Jean-Marc and David Coston in May 2007 and I was really glad I made the effort to go, not only are they really nice genuine guys but the set up is all about respecting the tradition of their family winemaking. The winery is the original building with crumbling walls and 40+ year old barrels and production is casrefully controlled and managed. They don’t make that much wine instead they focus on makeing the best wine they can from selected parcels of land.

Rows of very happy & healthy looking vines

Jean-Marc is so passionate about his vines and it shows 

When I tried this wine I was really impressed by how much wine you get for the money. It has such a refreshing finish that as soon as I finished the glass I wanted a re-fill. And that’s really all you can ask for a wine. For the price it’s the type of wine you can happily take to friends for dinner and feel quite pleased that you’ve introduced a very easy drinking wine that will be enjoyed but you’ve not paid the earth at the same time.