In short - why do these pubs put so much effort into their food offering, yet show virtually no imagination or passion for quality with their wine lists? Surely I am not alone in loving both good food and good wine.
The lists I come across time and again are stuck in a massive rut. My heart sinks when I drift down the list of bland, mass produced nonsense that has been thrown together by a big commercial supplier. Clearly the only criteria is to include a stock number of reds, whites and a couple of token rosé and sparkling wines - all at prices that magically increase by a couple of quid at a time.
Why do pub owners think this is what we want? If we embrace shorter food menus with a limited number of dishes that are cooked to order with seasonal local ingredients why would we want laminated wine lists with over 30 rubbish wines that never change?
I frequently offer to supply my wines to pubs and restaurants, and some accept. But more often I hear the same two excuses:
1) We want to buy all our wines from one supplier because it's easier (that's just lazy)
2) Your trade prices are just too expensive (not if you want to serve decent wine to your customers)
It might be easy to order a complete list from one big trade supplier, and it might save a few quid, but that is simply not in keeping with attracting customers who are interested in the dining experience. I understand the concept of wine as a beverage. Sometimes you just want a glass of wine in the same way you might want a beer or a gin and tonic, and it's fine to have house wines that serve this purpose. But when customers are paying £20 a head for lunch or dinner they don't expect to wash it down with a bottle of plonk that in reality costs about £4.
The public's expectation for good food is now firmly established, so pub owners should realise that we also want to drink good quality wines at sensible prices with our meals. I personally think they are missing a commercial trick. If more gastro-pubs offered high quality wines at a fair mark-up this would simply give customers another good reason to eat there.
In the meantime, I'll have a pint of ale with my sausage and mash.
