Welcome to The Vineyard, aka ‘food heaven’ to those in the know, and a wine connoisseur’s paradise. The Vineyard at Stockcross near Newbury in Berkshire is the creation of Sir Peter Michael, who virtually single-handedly introduced Californian Wines to the UK, and this was the foundation upon which he built this wine lovers and foodies paradise. You only have to look at their website or their brochure to see what is most important thing here and, and that is WINE.
Because of the nature of The Vintage Magazine, we tend to review restaurants in the West End of London, and in Mayfair, St.James’s, Belgravia, Chelsea & Kensington, but we seldom venture south of the River, so it was with some trepidation that I was tempted down, south of the river, to Roast, which is an extraordinary restaurant located in an architectural gem called the Floral Hall, which is built on the site of the old flower market of Borough Market.
Located in the northern part of Portugal, Douro valley is most famous for its production of the sweet and strong fortified wine, Port. But for the last decade or so, its table wine is making a come back in the wine world.
The Vintage Magazine wrote about the Hotel du Vin Group and Robin Hutson in a previous article, called ‘The Revolutionary of the British Hotel Industry’, click here, and this article is about his partner, Gérard Basset, OBE and the hotel which he built, called ‘Hotel TerraVina, but first ‘a brief history’.
One of the joys of shopping in a cathedral city like Winchester is the abundance of independent shops, restaurants, cafes and bars run mostly by the owners, so that you develop a close relationship with them and in many cases you become friends as well as customers. I also have huge sympathy for the independent retailer battling against all the problems which confront them, such as avaricious landlords, unpredictable bankers, VAT inspections,the cost of staff, and the problems of physically getting customers to your shop despite the difficulties of ‘one-way’ systems, restrictions on parking, and the vicissitudes of the English climate.
Sardinian cuisine for international customers in one of the most expensive residential areas on the planet; that is the recipe for success enjoyed by the owners of OLIVO.
However, before I embark on this restaurant review, let me share with you some history about the area in which this group of restaurants is situated, namely Belgravia.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit a few biodynamic wine producers in the Mosel region in Germany and later on also had the privilege to taste biodynamic wines from some top producers while I was in France. The same word that I heard over and over again from these producers was “vitality”. They believe that their vineyards are full of life and their wines show abundant vitality. This is a very intriguing concept, and as I now understand, is in fact the essence of biodynamic viticulture.
In 40 years of expeditioning I’ve slept on camp beds in the bush, jungle hammocks, foam rubber mats on glacier rocks, upturned inflatable boats and ‘bivvy’ bags in Tibetan snow.
As a solider I’ve made my bed in muddy trenches and even on a pile of dead goats in an Iranian helicopter carrying supplies to a beleaguered garrison in Oman.
I reckon I can sleep anywhere at anytime and I often do …. even on the back of an elephant whilst tracking giant jumbos in the remote forests of Nepal. Although a snake and a rat once chased each other repeatedly across my sleeping bag in a front line bunker it is not those who share my bed that usually bother me. However on an expedition on a South American river I did have a strange experience. My bunk was beneath the chart table in a crude wooden shack that served as our ‘Operations Room’ on the deck of a noisy Brazilian freighter. Escorting a fleet of traditional reed boats from Bolivia to Buenos Aires we were studying the ancient trade routes. In order to gather archaeological information we gave medical aid to the Indians and one grateful group presented us with a hairy, ginger, Paraguayan piglet whom we named Rocket. Thriving rapidly on leftover food from a bucket labelled “Rocket fuel” he soon became a lively pet …. especially at night.
The Patagonian wind was bitterly cold at 3am when the sound of deep breathing woke me. Wondering if the adjutant who shared the wooden hut was getting fruity, I lay still and listened carefully. Then to my horror someone began to lick my feet. “Such affection will not enhance your promotion prospects,” I growled disentangling myself from the blankets. A shrill squeal resulted and our piglet emerged. Heaving the protesting porker out I tried to sleep but he’d been gathered up by a member of the crew and popped into the bed of another. Pandemonium broke out when the occupant returned from a late night party and a tirade of curses woke me once again.
I enjoyed a much more comfortable bed in the Senate House of a university where I had gone to lecture. After an exhausting day I longed for sleep as I was ushered to my quarters in the 16th Century wing. A single table lamp cast a dull light on the enormous bed and a coal fire bathed the panelled room in a faint glow. Sinking into the deep feather mattress I only glanced at one feature of my lodging. Over the mantelpiece hung the portrait of a severe-looking old man whose eyes stared directly at me.
The fire was out and the room cold when an especially vivid unpleasant nightmare had me sitting bolt upright. Convinced I was not alone I flicked on the light. Nothing was amiss but the old man’s eyes still gazed straight at me. “A bad dream” I thought returning to my slumbers. Departing at dawn I asked the Hall Porter whose portrait it was. “Ah that be Judge Jeffreys” he said shaking his head, “you know, Sir, the hanging judge”. “Yes” I murmured, “I do know what you mean – he was my ancestor”.
Colonel John Nicholas Blashford-Snell OBE is a former British Army officer, explorer and author. He was educated at Victoria College, Jersey and at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, then commissioned into the Royal Engineers.
He found fame in 1968 when as a Captain in the Royal Engineers he led the first descent of the infamous Blue Nile. He has been making headlines ever since with intrepid expeditions and is a founder-member of the Scientific Exploration Society, the parent body for many world-wide ventures. Inspired by the spirit of Sir Francis Drake’s voyage 400 years ago, Colonel Blashford-Snell was also the driving force behind Operations Drake and Raleigh which saw thousands of young men and women from 50 nations take part in challenges and worthwhile expeditions all over the world.
I have always been a great fan of Beach restaurants all over Europe and the Mediterranean where I have eaten at some of the most basic Tavernas in Greece, to the ultimate beach restaurants on Pampellone Beach at St Tropez and at the zenith of luxurious dining, Eden Roc, Hotel du Cap at Cap D’Antibes. Also having spent a year living between Perth and Freemantle in Western Australia, I know a thing or two about what makes a good beach restaurant, so try this description for a start:-
Just over a year ago, we published a review of Novikov, called ‘The Russians are Coming’, about the Russian-owned complex of two restaurants (Asian and Italian), and a large Bar and Lounge at a lower mezzanine level at 50, Berkeley Street in the heart of Mayfair, because it was already establishing itself as ‘the’ place to see and be seen, and on our recent visit it was evident that this remains the case.
