Smart Pinot and Chardonnay:
There seem to be complaints in the on-trade that it’s increasingly difficult to put Burgundy on a list at a decent price, so a simple Bourgogne Rouge is often £40-£50 a bottle and any ‘village’ wine a lot more unless it comes from somewhere less fashionable such as the Côte Chalonnaise.
Here’s an idea; in the quest to give one’s customers value for money, stick a Hemel-en-Aarde or Elgin Pinot or Chardonnay on the list for the same amount instead. Not only should a sommelier not fear that these wines don’t age (they do), but in a vintage such as 2017 they are arguably finer, more worthy wines than basic Burgundy.
