Negotiating the lanes of the Roseland peninsula on the stormiest night of the year is not at all enticing. With a tasting supper booked at the Kings Head, Ruan Lanihorne at 7pm I boldly set off on a bleak Penryn evening and duly arrived safely at this quaintest of Cornish pubs in plenty of time. Sausage and mash followed by mince pies and cheese was the order of the day and my job was to find affordable wines to match the mood of the evening with Christmas in mind. A glass of the grapey Cipriano Prosecco welcomed the guests and then it was straight down to tasting a couple of whites. As usual Quinta Hinojal Verdejo (not that one again I hear you say) blew everyone away for its sheer cheeky good value while the grassy, herb-infused Domaine Michaud Touraine Sauvignon please the traditionalists.
Two red wines were served next, first the bright, punchy elderberry delights of Epicuro Aglianico and then the more rounded, smokey, vanilla-packed Gravedad Toro with its haunting mature aromas. Everybody was impressed at the quality available at such a modest price point.
Finally we wowed and surprised them with the Mas de Mas Maury with the mince pies. This sweet, slightly unctuous and edgy Grenache from the Languedoc is a sort of cross between Port and Beaumes de Venise and it went down a storm (no pun intended!). It put the seal on a rollicking good evening and I slunk away into the windswept night and headed west into the eye of the storm filling my head with Radiohead’s Ok Computer album playing very, very loud.
Thanks to Nikki and Andrew for great food and their superb hospitality – it’s a great little pub!
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