The wine list at Woods, Dulverton, Somerset
Wine-lover Paddy Groves, landlord of this award-winning pub on the southern edge of Exmoor, has built up a 450-bin list - every one of which is available by the glass. Fiona Sims paid him a visit
The folks of Dulverton, Somerset, are very lucky. If only I had Woods as my local. With its roaring fire, buzzy bar, enthusiastic cooking and stonking wine list, it ticks all my boxes. It made its mark in The Good Pub Guide, too - as this year's Wine Pub of the Year. And it's all down to owner Paddy Groves.
The part-time farmer actually gave up the hospitality business a few years back when Punch Taverns snapped up his former venture, the award-winning Blue Ball at Triscombe. But he missed the buzz. And when he saw that the old bakery in Dulverton was up for sale, he couldn't resist it - converting it into a pub-restaurant in 2005.
With his Paul Weller haircut and Status Quo-inspired wardrobe, Groves cuts a rather unlikely figure as host, but both the country gents who turn up to eat in their tweeds and the funky young things who hang out in the bar enjoy his banter - which might be commenting on the day's football or the spacing of the rows in Margaret River. Yup, Groves certainly knows his wines.
In fact, the 450-bin list is heavily weighted in favour of Australian wines - with Western Australia a particular favourite. "Try this," he says, pouring a measure of 1999 Pemberton Pinot Noir from Picardy.
The earthy, truffley, elegant Pinot is one of Groves's personal favourites, and is from a separate collection of 200 or so aged New World wines that he's been building up over the years, including a 1971 Penfold's Grange, at £250 a bottle, plus a rare 1992 Mitchelton Shiraz with a limited-edition Ralph Steadman label, which he's particularly proud of.
Chile, too, features prominently on the list, which skips the globe, but France dominates. Groves is a fan of the classics - he loves claret, and adores the Rhône, but equally gets a kick out of the more obscure French regions - especially wines from the south-west.
One wine going down particularly well at the moment is a 1999 Madiran from Plaimont (£25), which he had to push initially, but it now sells quite happily on its own. His best-selling white is from Sicily - a Grillo, from Gunther and Claus, on at £16.
And get this: every one of his wines is available by the glass. I tested it out, too - just in case it was a ruse to get my attention - arriving unannounced and asking first what I could try by the glass. "Take your pick," replied Groves, cheerily, offering me the entire list before I introduced myself.
Not that he ever gets poncey about wines. He shudders at the mention of winemaker dinners. His idea of wine communication starts and ends with an informal chat around the fireside. He opens a few bottles and imparts his knowledge to his customers, who lap up his easy-going approach, helped somewhat by his dog, Bonny Doon - named after Randall Grahm's legendary Californian winery - who nuzzles up to drinkers.
Consequently, 40% of his customers let him choose the wine for them, trading up regularly. Prices here start at £12.50 (£3.50 a glass) for a 2004 Spanish Tempranillo from Borsao to £400 (£100 a glass) for 1985 Château Mouton-Rothschild.
He buys wine from a handful of suppliers, including local outfit Exmoor Wines, but two companies supply the bulk of his list: the St Austell Brewery and Great Western Wines.
His menu, too, is sourced from local suppliers - like my plate of pig, stuffed belly with black pudding and lightly smoked loin. The chef here is Frenchman Oliver Certan, from Bandol in Provençe, who likes his punchy flavours: other dishes include seared wood pigeon with braised Gem lettuce, rösti potato and girolles à la grecque.
I leave just as another tureen of Irish stew is deposited in the bar. It's St Patrick's Day, and the stew and dumplings are complimentary for drinkers. "Won't you try a glass of this with it?" offers Groves to another interested customer.
What's on the list
- 2004 Amon Ra Shiraz, Ben Glaetzer, Barossa Valley, Australia, £48
- 2003 The Aisling Syrah, Mat Garretson, Paso Robles, California, £29
- 2002 Crozes Hermitage, Gilles Roben, Rhône, France, £20
- 2003 Blaufränkisch, Herbert Triebaumer, Austria, £18
- 1998 Almaviva, Baron Philippe Rothschild and Concha y Toro, Chile, £75
- 2005 Albariño, Pazo de Barrantes, Rias Baixas, Spain, £19.50
- 2004 Malvasia Bianco "Ca' del Solo", Bonny Doon, California, £18
- 2006 Menetou-Salon, Château de Maupas, Loire, France, £18
- 2004 Recioto della Valpolicella Classico, Buglioni, Italy, £18 (37.5cl)
- 2003 Eiswein Grüner Veltliner, Herbert Triebaumer, Austria, £19 (37.5cl)
- Pedro Ximenez, Sacristia, Sanchez Romate, Jerez, Spain, £4 (per glass)
- NV Ruinart Blanc de Blancs, Champagne, France, £35
Woods Bar & Dining Room, 4 Bank Square, Dulverton, Somerset TA22 9BU. Tel: 01398 324007
