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p34
Zo, you zought you could ezcape from Stokitz, jah? Zought you'd go up Vest,
maybe? Fancied perching on some tubular steel in Zoho, perhaps, or nibbling some nice
tapaz vizz a glazz of Albariño? Well forget it, my friend for you, Tommy, ze war is
over. (Zat's enough'z's' Ed.)
Standing guard over the Southern perimeter fence is newlyopened Cava
and if your sense of direction is really, really bad you might go in and think that your
short hop on the roof of the 73 had indeed taken you over the border into Switzerland (or,
at least, Izlington) and not just to the bottom of Albion Road. Owners Ian Frost and
Roberto Cioccari have clearly spent a lot of time and money on the place and the same goes
for the wines. There's a healthy 18 available by the glass so there's a fair chance of
finding something you like. Living up to their name, they have six bubblies of various
kinds, kicking off with Cristalino Cava, which is a nicely rounded, spritzy, clean-cut
glass of basic fizz at a reasonable £3.95/175ml. More interesting is the Italian Prosecco
dei Colli Trevigiani (£4.35/175ml), which is all tingly and peachy - it's a very classy
glass of wine with some bubbles in it. To jolt the most jaded of palates into life, you
need look no further than the superfresh-cut nettles and gooseberries and, yes, that
darned cat's pee of the Montemar Sauvignon Blanc from Chile's Curico Valley
(£4.50/250ml). Witt's End Chardonnay 2001 (for 10p more) comes from South-East Australia
apparently via bottling in Italy, which is a new one on me. Very pale and
uncompromisingly dry, it has good tropical fruit notes - guavas spring to mind - and a
sprightly citrus nose.
Fresh Fish From
Around The World
There's no need to travel the world
when the widest range of fish & shellfish can be found in Stoke Newington.
From traditional cod, salmon &
trout through to the more exotic such as swordfish & shark from the Caribbean.
All freshly stocked every day.
Find us on the High Street next to
the "Cookery Butchers", No:111
Telephone:
020 7923 9471
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Of the reds, Barocco's Rosso del Salento from Italy's Puglia region
(£3.90/250ml.) is made from Negroamaro and Malvasia and is quite a big wine with raisin
and cherry flavours and strapping, solid tannins. The Vin de Pays d'Oc Cabernet Sauvignon
Les Chapeliers (£4.30) is a low-maintenance affair, soft and fruity and certainly nothing
to offend. Montemar Merlot 2001 from Chile (£4.60/250ml) is a more serious thing
altogether with a minty nose and nice plummy, minerally flavours balanced with a touch of
oak.
Preventing escape to the South-East is another new arrival, this time the much revamped
but, in name alone, slightly truncated Amhurst - just my little joke, all
perfectly 'armless. With a name like Eduardo Paris Rios, the Galician owner's impeccable
Cockney accent comes as something of a surprise, but he was born and raised to do this job
- his mother runs the popular Laxeiro tapas bar in Columbia Road.
All the wines come from Spain and the'house white', Amapola 2001 from Penedès, is good
value at £2.50/175ml - a clean, crisp glugger with a nice, sherbetty nose. Flying the
flag for Eduardo's home province is a Ribeiro 2001 from Viña Mein (£14.50 the bottle)
which, I now know, is made principally from the rather delightfully-named Treixadura
grape. Light gold in colour and with a candied, floral nose it has good body and length
and enigmatic flavours which seem to be of peaches and pears. Our illustrious publisher,
the MacGomez, was interested to hear that the Gallegos are as likely to don the kilt and
strike up the bagpipes as he is himself. They are also v ery partial to a drop of
Albariño, which is traditionally drunk from shallow, saucer-like ceramic bowls which I
think are best left to tribes more temperate than our own. Martín Códax 2001
(£14.95/bottle) is a good example, oily in body and with a delicate, creamy nose and
fabulously crisp, Sancerre-like flavours of apples and hinojo (ask Eduardo).
Cheap at £2.50/175ml, Castelar Tempranillo 2001 from the newish D.O. of Ribera del
Guadiana on the Portuguese border is a big, smooth New World style gob-filler full of
Summer Pudding fruits. Orvalaiz Cabernet Sauvignon from Navarra is the same price and is
cast from a similar mould but the flavours in this glycerol-laden mouthful are of big
bunches of blackcurrants, leaves and all. Torres in Penedès seem to produce Sangre de
Toro (£14.50/bottle) in Titanic quantities but without compromising too much on quality.
There's some herby Grenache blended with the blackberryish Cariñena here, with some firm
tannins to stand it all up very nice with some of Eduardo's excellent Chorizo and a
side of patatas bravas.
Cava, 11 Albion Rd N16 (020 7923 9227);
Amhurst, 240 Amhurst Rd E8 (020 7254 6410)
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