FIONA SIMS
It may be out of the way on the Lincoln to Grimsby road, but that hasn't stopped the Farmers Arms from becoming a leading guide's top wine pub
A mind-boggling list of wines - that's how Les Routiers described the wine list at the Farmers Arms, near Lincoln, in a hamlet on the road to Grimsby. In fact, the guide book was so taken with the list that it has just awarded it Wine Pub of the Year 2006 - worth a look, I thought.
I'm glad that I did. This is one of those lists, and one of those pubs that you wish you lived near (forgetting it's proximity to Grimsby). But where to start? With the 206 wines on its list, and 38 wines by the glass? With the regular wine dinners and twice-weekly wine education classes? With the little shop out the back where you can pick up a case of the wine you liked so much with dinner?
Run by Andrew Bennett and partner Vicky Herring since 1997, they have built up the business gradually. 'We both came from unrelated industries - mine was high tech. We travelled a lot, and I've always been interested in wine,' explains Bennett.
Then he met local resident Derek Smedley - a Master of Wine who shared Bennett's enthusiasm for the grape, and who encouraged him further. 'He's not really a consultant - more a mate who guides me and helps me taste,' he explains.
The wine merchant business, called D'Vine Wines, is booming, reports Bennett, with customers browsing the shelves both before and after eating, plucking bottles to drink with their meal, or to take home. He juggles eight suppliers, with Colchester-based Seckfords and London-based Liberty taking the lion's share. 'I'm also looking at importing wines directly,' reveals Bennett.
His mark-up policy is straightforward and keeps both profits and punters happy - he just increases his retail price by 50% for drinking in the pub. 'I haven't been over zealous - people wouldn't pay anyway, Lincolnshire is a big farming community - and a bit of a culinary and wine desert,' he says.
Most of the wines he sells are from the £16 and under list - about 80 wines in all - set out alphabetically by country first, then by region. 'I think people are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about wine, and they are adventurous - especially when they trust you. If they need any help, I always recommend something, but make them feel like they have made the choice.'
It's also important to Bennett that the wines match the menu, which Herring devises, with help from her head chef, Simon Oates. Dishes range from bresaola, Parma ham and pan-fried black pudding with apricot salsa, to pan-fried sea bass fillet, fricassee of wild mushrooms, garlic courgettes and Parmesan cream.
Encouraged by the line-up, a staggering 60% of wine sales are from the wines by the glass, with customers matching each course with a different glass. And even more incredibly, Bennett's best-selling white is an off-dry Sylvaner from Franconia in Germany (Staatlicher Hofkeller Wurzburg 2004, £3.85/175ml). The current best-selling red is a Barossa Shiraz Grenache blend from Halliwell, at £4.20/175ml. 'And it's the most expensive we have by the glass - which shows that people are more than willing to trade up,' says Bennett.
Bennett can't reach every table to help out with suggestions, but no matter, Vicky is WSET-trained, as are most of the staff (and every wine carries a description). Anyway, his regulars are pretty clued up now by the sounds of it - the twice-weekly wine classes are packed, he charges £9 a session, including food.
The wine dinners are equally well attended. 'We always play to a full house,' boasts Bennett. The next one sees an appearance from legendary South African winemaker Peter Finlayson, of Bouchard Finlayson, who will be showing his top cuvee to the 50-strong crowd at £24 a head. Life near Grimsby doesn't sound bad now, does it?