It's been a long week, the pressure is on at work and all of your closest confidants seem to have better things to do, even your mom is away on holiday and isn't responding to your self-pitying messages. Or. It's Saturday and in a few hours your American family will get back from their day-trip in the Highlands and will expect dinner, one of them being your mom, who is the epitome of the food snob and possesses a formidable mental library of wines. There is only one place to go. Inverarity. Pete and Andy will sort you right out. Whether you need a bottle of something familiar, comforting and kind to the ol' bank account to ease the pain of a rough week. Or maybe 2, 4 bottles to be safe. Or if you want that bottle of just-the-right-thing to go with your asparagus and wild mushroom risotto, so much so that even your MOM doesn't have a better suggestion, this is your point of call.
Enough with the storytelling, this basement-level wine and spirits vendor carries an excellent selection of old and new world wines. That said, since I first discovered them a year or so ago, they have shown a particular bent for new world wines, particularly those from Australia. No complaints here. On my first few visits, I left with bottles from Penley Estate in Coonawarra, most recently with the 2010 Hyland Shiraz. In the past, I've left with 2013 Condor Shiraz and the 2013 Phoenix Cabernet Sauvignon, both for myself and as gifts. I love Shiraz, especially a succulent fruity Shiraz with plenty of pepperiness, so I was perhaps predisposed to love the Hyland Shiraz, a smooth, summery version of my favourite grape. I won't (usually) say no to a Cabernet Sauvignon either, but enough snootery, these wines are just ... good. I have also taken home both reds and whites from Penley Estate's western neighbour, Mount Barker, from the titillating Vinaceous! wines, most recently the Vermentino 2014. We'll just do a run-down of my most recent 'stock-up' at Inverarity, shall we:
The Reds
Right Reverend V, Benevolentia Syrrah (also from Vinaceous! wines)
Santa Ema, Merlot Reserve, Maipo Valley, Chile, 2013
Gérard Bertrand, Saint Chinian Syrah / Mourvèdre, from the 'Sud de France', 2011
The Whites
Little J Grüner Veltliner, Austria
Peter Schweiger, Grüner Veltliner, Kamptal
Just to say, this was an unusually self-indulgent visit - the coffers had been low for quite some time and I needed a good injection of vino nerdery. I can't remember the exact price per bottle, but my total came to £88 and some change, the most expensive bottles being the Peter Schweiger and Right Reverend V, if I remember correctly. I have never spent more than £30 on a bottle of wine for myself -- and that's a rare extravagance. While you may not be able to load up on bottles under a fiver, you will get value for your extra pennies. Seriously though, stop buying £3 bottles of 'Red Wine' from Sainsburys. You're worth more than that.
If you want to venture away from your standard Tesco / Sainsburys / Asda Cabernet but don't want to break the bank, you're in good hands. The waft of 18th-century European vintner that hits you as you decent the stairs to this wee wine shoppe need not deter you - using the Vivino app and my own two eyes, I have done a bit of price comparing across Glasgow. Inverarity regularly, as in always, beats Valhalla's Goat on Great Western Road for price for the same bottle. They can also do just as well as The Cave and Waitrose or even Tesco, with the added benefit of a very knowledgeable staff. Similarly, if you just made a student loan payment and you have literally no money for things that aren't rent or bills or chocolate, and you just want to spend a cultured afternoon browsing the cellar of 185 Bath Street, you'll get what you're looking for here, under the low ceiling, among the ranks of noble libations dusted with a charming petina of dust as the vintages age near the dark recesses. Happy wine-ing, friends :) read more