Viranel Tasting Dinner at Pint Shop

Viranel tasting and dinner at Pint Shop with Cambridge Wine Merchants

 

Cambridge Wine Merchants have championed Languedoc wines for many years and supply a number of the city's restaurants, including Pint Shop.

 

One of two wine-making brothers, Arnaud Bergasse took us through a tasting of his wines along with a few plates of food.

 

Less than a year since it opened, Pint Shop has been a phenomenal success - on a dark Thursday night there was standing room only and two fully-booked sittings for dinner.

 

The food is "English revival" - traditional, slightly peasanty and utterly delicious - whilst the vibe is unpretentiously cool.

 

This matches perfectly with the effortless sophistication of Viranel's wines; they are all ripe yet fresh with precision, balance and minerality.

 

Based in Cessenon-sur-Orb in St Chinian, Viranel is a family business dating back to 1551 with 40ha and three distinct terroirs - low-lying alluvial for the everyday drinking and limestone and sandstone schist going up to 400m for the more structured wines.

 

The Wines

 

Trilogie Rosé Syrah, Cab, Cinsault; pale, easy drinking, fresh and balanced

Tradition Rosé Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault; darker, more structured and food-friendly

Tradition Blanc Grenache blanc, Vermentino, Roussanne, Bourboulenc; fresh, floral, mineral with some sweet spice

Tradition Rouge GSM+C, some oak; ripe dark fruits and freshness

V Rouge Syrah and Grenache, old vines, some oak; more texture and complexity

 

All the wines were very enjoyable, but the V Rouge was the most impressive.

Viranel wines are available from Cambridge Wine Merchants and Berry Brothers & Rudd.

 

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