Soif - a thirst for wine

Opened up not so long ago on the old site of Giraffe on Battersea Rise is Soif - a very French feeling wine bar from the Terroirs and Brawn group. The philisophy being the same as that for Terroirs - 'Great food and great wine sourced with an eager eye for provenance'. In reality though, food doesn't just com from France - there are both Italian and Spanish origin dishes and ingredients, to be combined together with wine as you please.


With relaxed seating - a sofa and coffee table, barrel tables with high stools as well as standard tables and chairs or banquettes, it is quirky and homely looking - like a real French local with paraphenalia littering the bar. There's a small terrace in much the same style for the smokers or the spill over when it gets full inside at the weekends. But the decor I liked best was the light with glasses dangling from it, catching the light.


As aforementioned - the dishes are mixed origin but the idea is to pick a few dishes to share tapas style from prawns, to a meat board with rillettes, salami - Toscano and pate with lighter dishes like broad beans with fresh gooey mozarella, tasty peppers filled with tomatoes and garlic, And for those that don't like to share - there was a special of a pan-fried steak whilst we were these to supplement the usual mains of Lamb, Quail and a fish option. I tried the tapas style approach which were all very tasty and satisfying.


Even if you don't want to make a night of it but fancy a nibble - you can order a snack like juicy young olives and pork scratchings to soak up a little of the delicious wine if you need it. And the much of the wine comes in a carafe (500ml) sizes which is nice if you just want to pop in for a quick drink.


Well anytime apart from a Sunday evening. I would advise to go during the off-peak times to avoid things like having to have warm glasses and sitting down to eat straight away. There was something about the Verdicchio the second time around that just wasn't as good...maybe it just lacked the olives as an accompaniment. But that's my only fault as the staff are really friendly and full of initiative. This is one place where I'm happy to pay the 12.5% service.

http://terroirswinebar.com/

www.trisori.com

Most Swallow, few spit

In leafy Putney, the Star & Garter along the river organises sporadic tastings during the week to better your knowledge of worldwide wines. Having been done up not too long ago in the archetypal refurb complete with patterned wallpaper, the pub is spacious yet cosy, boasting a special private room befitting for wine tasting as well a resplendent cheese room, providing the snack half way through.

Run by the very knowledgeable Assistant Manager and Sommelier Michael Monte, sessions are interactive yet informative as well as relevant to the time of year. Starting off by introducing you to the palate and the tastes we are capable of, he guides you through the theme of the tasting organising each one in a different way so you will never tire of attending!

Summer wines commenced with a brainstorm of what summer means – barbeques, rosé, picnics, sun (well hopefully it is England after all!) etc and so wines were matched to these. Each one was a blind tasting where we all commented on colour, nose and taste – comprising body, acidity, alcohol and tannin levels before coming to flavour. Finally you had to guess the grape, the wine and the country region – no mean feat! My friend Hannah became known as ‘alcohol girl’ pretty much guessing the correct level each time.

Personally I think the session gets harder as you get through unless you’re a spitter and retain your full palate and don’t pig out on the plethora of cheeses! It’s very good value at £15 for most and for suggestions fill in the questionnaire at the end. If you fancy something else to eat, the menu has now been extended to main courses and there is a great array of sharing platters.

http://www.thestarandgarter.com/index.asp 020 8788 0345