IN THE early 1980s my brother and I would, once a week, rush upstairs to watch the latest edition of Tomorrow's World. The slightly creepy, electronic theme tune, and sober, studio-based educational delivery of the presenters made for a perfect antidote to Top of the Pops, which preceded it.
Even then, barely ten years old, my brother and I would laugh heartily at the inventions as some sincere-sounding host would attempt to explain how, in the future, kitchen knives would be electronic. I'm not sure if wine ever made it on to the scient
ific prime-time show, if it did I certainly can't remember it. Imagine the fun they could have had in 1982...?
"In the future people will no longer go to the pub and ask for a pint of beer. Instead they will be offered a glass of Argentinian wine from a nitrogen-filled, temperature-controlled machine that prevents oxidisation. These establishments will be known as wine bars."
Boy, how Tom and I would have laughed at that one.
I was transported back to Tomorrow's World and Thursday-night television when I stumbled across the website Winechap (www.winechap.com), which reviews restaurant wine lists. The brainchild of wine consultants Tom Harrow and Boo Murphy, the premise is simple: to help the battalion of businessmen and high-net-worth individuals navigate their way around the wine list without making complete fools of themselves. As you may well know, ordering wine in a restaurant, particularly in the company of colleagues or, more frighteningly, your boss, can be a terrifying and fraught affair.
"I remember finding one of my clients standing by the rest rooms of a well-known London restaurant, wine list in hand, poring through it nervously saying, 'Tom, help me out here, I have no idea what to order and I need to impress these guys,'" says Harrow. "This is a not uncommon phenomenon."
We really are living the future. Not sure which vintage to choose? Pretty soon you will be able to download to your mobile phone vintage reviews, winemaker profiles, wine scores – hell, you might pull up a review from me. It could even be this one: "If it's Bordeaux, go for the 2004 – much underrated and drinking beautifully now."
Of course, there will be those who balk at the idea of Winechap, and others who will not be able to prevent themselves scrolling through its recommendations. For my own part, I envisage an explosion of similar applications and technology over the next decade, all of which will either find a niche or disappear. I notice The Good Pub Guide can now be downloaded on to sat-navs – a very welcome development.
Actually navigating your way around a wine list is measurably easier armed with the following information: house wines are often worth a punt, as any establishment worth its salt will set the tone with a good house selection. Red Bordeaux and increasingly red Burgundy are expensive. Italy is producing some stunning, complex wines that really compete in value; ditto Chile and South Africa, but be warned: the hotter the country the riper and more alcoholic the wine. Another tip is to look for the unfashionable, it can only be there for its quality. Of course, you can always ask the sommelier, even if doing so appears a little old fashioned.
2002, Waitrose Brut Special Reserve Vintage, 12 per cent, Champagne, France, £26.99 This really stood out amid its peers at a recent tasting. Only £5 more than the non-vintage, it has an added weight and maturity. The nose is rich and biscuity, with a similar sensation on the palate, and a long, tasty length.
2008 Good Ordinary Claret, 12 per cent, Bordeaux, France, £3.99Price-wise this does exactly what it says on the label, and for my wallet I would recommend this any day. Sure, it may not send the taste buds into raptures but it will not offend either.
2008 Chapel Down Flint Dry, 11.5 per cent, Kent, England, £7.49Look at the blend on this: huxelrebe, schönburger, bacchus and reichensteiner. They may not be household names but this has a wonderful, dry, herbaceous character. A wonderful example of what the English can do.
Stockist Waitrose (
www.waitrose.com)
This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday on 25 October 2009