Meet the finalists: John Smith's GBPA Best Wine pub category
Chadwicks Inn, Maltby, Yorkshire
This wine restaurant, situated on the edge of the North Yorkshire Moors, prides itself in its investment to improve its wine offer.
The bar has purchased a Verre de Vin system and has been able to increase the number of wines available by the glass or carafe while maintaining the quality of the opened bottle. The venue has enjoyed a full redecoration, including new paintwork, carpets and furniture.
New terrace furniture has been added, in addition to significant investment for the kitchen area. Monthly wine tasting evenings are very popular, with different grapes, countries, or producers highlighted at each session.
Daly’s Wine Bar, Westminster, London
This central London venue has succeeded in expanding its demographic from the legal community and has, therefore, been able to open at weekends for new customers.
Operators say this has been achieved by taking a fun and light-hearted approach to wine. One example of this is a game over the course of the fortnight of Wimbledon titled ‘The greats and the grapes’, whereby wines from different regions are matched up to tennis players from that region.
Other examples include a Bastille Day cheese and wine session and an English Wine month.
The Cross at Kenilworth, Warwickshire
This pub operates with a philosophy that champions variety. Prices range from £25 to £400, and the wine selection covers products from Burgundy in France to Trentino in Italy and from Napa Valley in California, to Clare Valley in Australia.
The wine list is divided by grape to encourage customers to taste different wines that they would not usually opt for in a classic wine list layout. Recent investments into improving the customer experience have included new garden furniture, improvements to the car park and growing a herbs garden for use in the kitchen.
A social media marketing plan has also received investment to expand covers numbers in the next year.
The Hand at Llanarmon, North Wales
Wines stocked at this pub include some from as far afield as Patagonia, Lebanon and Romania. However, the menu at this pub changes every day with the wine list adapted monthly. Each wine is handpicked rather being from a pre-formed list by one merchant to ensure product quality is the best it can be.
All staff undergo in-house wine-training in addition to WSET training for staff members in key roles. In the past two years, the pub dining room has experienced a total revamp, with a mix-and-match interior of pine and oak furniture, cosy fires and old beams.
The Red Lion & Sun, Highgate, North London
Close to Hampstead Heath, this London pub takes the attitude that staff wine knowledge is essential rather than an added bonus.
A staff test covers wine and food knowledge in addition to niche questions about the wine list. Regular wine dinners see producers from around the world discuss their wines in an informal setting to increase accessibility to even premium wines.
A recent investment has been into an Enomatic machine, allowing fine wine to be served by the glass and kept in a high-quality condition. The pub has also done well introducing cash margin sales, improving profits and the customer experience.
Three Crowns, Newton Abbot, Devon
Accessibility is key and the wine list does an excellent job in this regard. It contains features on local wines, allergen information and green wines suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
There are also 20 wines by the glass and wine flights or taster selections of white, red, rosé and sparkling wine or Champagne. Understanding its demographic has been crucial for the success of this Newton Abbot establishment, with its participation in local social media groups, sending out a popular newsletter, and keeping traditional regional media updated on the latest news.
Three Devon vineyards have still and sparkling wines stocked on the pub’s list.
This year’s awards ceremony takes place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on 6 September.
To book your tickets, contact Stevie Robinson on 01293 846508, or email her at fgrivr.ebovafba@jeoz.pbz .
