The Harris Arms is a gastro-pub located near the A30, not far from Lewdown in Devon. It’s about 20 miles from my house and we go there as it provides some of the best food available in the area.
Recently we heard that Andy and Rowena Whiteman (Harris Arms proprietors) were holding a wine tasting evening, with food. It was billed as a California Dreaming Homage to Alice Waters of Chez Panisse and was held at the Harris Arms on 25th November. Russell and I attended.
The Harris Arms, Portgate, Devon
I’m not sure what I was expecting – I guess the usual table for two where we’d be served a set meal and some wine with each course. On arrival it was a pleasant surprise to discover that we were seated at a long table alongside others who had come to the same event. It was a great opportunity to meet new people, chat and frankly, get a little tipsy. It’s a regular event and we hope to go to the next one in February.
Andy, owner of the Harris Arms, sat amongst us and described each wine in turn, why he liked it, why he’d chosen it for us and what we could find in it, (if only we knew where to look). I learned a bunch of new wine related phrases that night; my fellow table companions were an inventive lot. Their verbal representations of taste and bouquet left nothing to the imagination.
That said, by the third or fourth glass, I was too drunk to tell the difference. All wines were extremely nice – so don’t take any notice of the marks out of 10. These were the result of my asking around the table for feedback. And despite some of the less impressive scores we found all wines somewhere between delicious and provocative.
I took a few notes.
| Napa Brut Prestige | Lemonade with grapefruit notes and citrus peppermint | 5/10 |
|---|---|---|
| Qupé Marsanne | Minerality – there’s fruitiness on the nose alongside the minerality. Spring flowers, honeysuckle and a hint of ameythyst. A Rhone lookalike. | 5/10 |
| Mourvedre “Old Telegram” 2004, Bonny Doon Vineyard | A challenging taste – “more of the cemetary, less of the vineyard” (that was from Jim). Lacks the power and intensity of a Spanish Mouvedre | 7/10 |
| Qupé Syrah Bien Nacido Vineyard, 2003 | Hint of chloroform (from Steve), uric undertones (from me). A man’s wine. Moth balls, heavy, dogged, brazen and fat. | 7/10 |
| Pinot Noir, Ryan Vineyard | A replacement red – beautifully smooth, “very sexy”, like a putting on or taking off, of silk stockings, a beggar’s bouquet wine. | 9/10 |
| Framboise Bonny Doon Vineyard | Rather cordial-like – bit sickly said Edith – not my scene she concluded. | 5/10 |
