Planet of the Grapes - Bow Lane London

I had time to spare for lunch with a colleague in Bow lane so I popped in to Planet Of The Grapes to see what it is all about. Normally, a name such as this which apes the name of a film would put me off- pardon the pun.

I was really impressed  when I asked the waitress to recommend a real dry white wine and the answer was Domaine Vatan Pouilly-Fumé 2010. The wine was superb and I happily paid £10 for a glass. It had the distinct flavour of a Loire Valley white wine made from Sauvignon Blanc. It had green fruit and apple flavours and a gorgeous smokey, flinty aroma; this wine was typical of the area.

I bought a bottle at £16 to take home and this represented tremendous value for money for such a good wine from a good producer. I shall share it with friends over a fish dinner.

The wine was made from grapes from selected plots of land where the soil is based on silaceous clay interspersed with  flint stones. It was the perfect wine to drink on its own on a hot summer day but better with food of course.

It was a pleasant to find a wine bar where the waiting staff actually know something about wine and make a perfect recommendation. Of course, I cannot resist a rant about varietal labelling. Merlot is not a wine it is a grape.  Merlot is used to produce grapes in almost every wine producing country. The "wine" is rarely 100% Merlot as it will have been blended with other black grapes. the same reasoning applies to Chardonnay.

I was in an Italian restaurant the other day and asked the waitress to recommend a red wine, she suggested Merlot. She was Italian; why did she know nothing about wine? I settled for a Sicilian red, she new where Sicily was but why did she not know that they produced some very good wine? Why should I be treated as an ignoramus?

Is it not time for all wine bars and restaurants to follow Planet Of The Grapes lead and employ people who know something about wine.

If you settle for "Merlot Wine" you will probably get  poor quality bulk produced plonk from anywhere in the world but being sold at inflated prices. At Plane Of The Grapes I knew what I was getting and I was prepared to pay that little bit extra for the wine and the good service.

The range of wines from all over the world in Planet Of The Grapes was impressive and the wine knowledge of the manager, Fabio, was equally as impressive. A quick glance at the Bordeaux and Burgundy counters revealed that I had tasted a fair proportion of them . I could be worth a fortune now but I would not have enjoyed my life so much.

So three cheers for Fabio and his staff. I am going back.

http://www.edvwines.com/xq/asp/ID.21/qx/brands.html

http://www.planetofthegrapes.co.uk/