Swan Inn Little Haven

Last Sunday my wife and I visited the Swan Inn in Little Haven Pembrokeshire for Sunday lunch with family and friends. The Swan is one of my favourite pubs in my native Pembrokeshire. Little Haven is a small village situated in Saint Bride's bay and the views are spectacular especially at sunset.

Local fishermen used to land small boats in the harbour to sell freshly caught mackerel. We used to buy them and drive home to eat them  immediately  There is nothing like the taste of fresh mackerel washed down with some Chablis. The mackerel are all gone now; the Spanish have taken them all.

So, there was no mackerel on the menu at the Swan Inn. However, there was rib of Welsh beef. I washed this done with a pint of Reverend James bitter and  as I was driving I could drink no more. The bitter went down really well with some of the best rib of beef I have ever tasted. The meat was cooked to perfection in a red wine source. The ample supply of roast potatoes and green vegetables were also cooked to perfection.

The rest of our party ate sea bream except for one of our American friends who also had the good taste to go for the beef. The bream was excellent as well.

The waiting staff and bar staff could not have been more friendly or efficient and I was greatly amused when we were at the bar to order a glass of wine. When I asked the the bar man what red wines he had, he recited the usual list of Merlot, Shiraz, Carbernet etc. I then heard the other waiter cry out from the side "is Merlot a red wine?"

This was no daft question, in fact it was one of the most intelligent questions that I have heard in a bar for a long time. "Merlot" is not a wine; it is a black grape variety. You can make white wine from black grapes, the Champenois do it all the time. We ordered the "Merlot" without even asking where it was from. Probably it was from Chile.

Château Haut Veyrac 2005 St Emilion Grand Cru is on the menu: now that is is a real name for a real wine but guess what?  It is made primarily from Merlot black grapes. What a pity the Swan only sells  it by the bottle.

So, three cheers for the young man who asked " is "Merlot a red wine?" Send him on a wine course, the wine industry needs an enquiring mind. Better still, send him on a wine marketing course, perhaps he will be able to think up a better naming convention. One that means something.

Three cheers, too, for the Swan Inn as it was perfect dining in magnificent surroundings. The beer was identifiable and given a proper name; three cheers for Brains brewery as well.

http://www.theswanlittlehaven.co.uk/

http://www.chateau-haut-veyrac.com/vignes.html

http://www.libation-unlimited.com/champagne-about/06-champagne-pinot-noir.aspx

http://www.sabrain.com/beers/draught/cask-beers/the-rev-james

                                                               Some Welsh Beef

Some Pembrokeshire Brebis

Some Little Haven waves