Real Wine Month at the Scarlet

Monday, 02 May 2012

Real Wine Month is a national promotion highlighting organic, biodynamic and natural wines made by artisan growers and winemakers, which will be poured by glass or featured on wine lists and catalogues in over 200 restaurants and independent retailers.

From Cheshire to Cornwall and the Hebrides to Hampshire natural wines will be promoted throughout the UK in over 200 restaurants, independent merchants and wholesalers. Wines featured at The Fair will be poured by the glass in pubs, bars, bistros and Michelin starred establishments whilst wine shops, retailers and wine clubs will be holding focused natural wine tastings and events for their customers
 
About Natural Wines

Not all wines are strictly ‘natural’.  Many are produced in bulk, using pesticides and other chemicals in the vineyard, mechanical harvesting, cultivated yeasts and the addition of acids or sugar.

Some smaller, artisan producers are turning away from these processes, believing that the end product is too standardized and doesn’t achieve that ultimate goal of winemaking – to express a sense of place. 

Working more sensitively with the soil and the vines using organic or biodynamic methods means that the vines are naturally healthy without the use of synthetic chemicals in the vineyard.  Grapes are manually harvested, natural yeasts supply the fermentation, levels of acid and sugar remain at natural levels, minimal filtration takes place and little or no sulphur is added.
 
Natural White
Château Tour des Gendres ‘Cuvée des Conti’ Sec 2009/10 (Bergerac, France) 12.5cl - £5.50 17.5cl - £9.00 50cl 23.00 bottle - £31.00
 
A creamy, Sauvignon Blanc-dominated effort, spending eight months on the lees and a month in barriques for the Semillon. Imagine waxy peaches and
sweet cashews. Why not try a glass with a chunk of brie & French baguette, or perhaps a Greek salad with cucumber and sundried tomatoes. The vineyard is based 5 minutes away from Bergerac airport.
 
Natural Red
Cotes du Rhone 2010, Terre de Mistral (Rhone, France) £5.00. 17.5cl £7.00, 50cl £18.50, bottle £26.00
 
Approachable style with hints of pepper and green herbs. This is a great induction to a red wine for those that don’t drink wine much. A trusty cotes du Rhone, you can’t go wrong, not a bad word to be said about this wine. It’s the perfect match to any good chicken dish, or perhaps a Sunday roast.
 
Natural Sparkling
Mas de Daumas Gassac Rose Frizant (Languedoc, France) 12.5cl £7.00 bottle £39.50
A pretty, sparkling and uplifting pink made from Cabernet Sauvignon, the less intense fruit from young vines. Cabernet Roses too often taste like lollipops but these grapes are picked early to keep the wine fresh.

 

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Angel sighted at the Scarlet

Sunday, 22 August 2011

An angel has graced The Scarlet with her beatific presence.

The celestial being appeared in the light relax area of our spa earlier this month. Her name is the Arch Angel Gabriella and she is the work of Devon sculptor Jilly Sutton.

Gabriella – an otherworldly presence wrought in wood and leather – stands protectively over our spa guests as they relax before or after their treatments, her attitude one of calm and repose.

Hotel guests and day spa visitors are welcome to an audience with Gabriella. Her divine and gentle presence is truly uplifting.

If you come for lunch with us, you can visit The Architect, a cold cast verdigris bronze, also by Jilly Sutton, which stands in our Cloister Garden.

 

The Architect, pictured here receiving a kiss from his/her maker, is with us until October when he moves to London Bridge for a year, so don’t miss him/her.

Jilly Sutton sculptures are mostly wooden and figurative; many of her pieces are cast in bronze. She has work in private collections and public galleries including The National Portrait Gallery, The Museum of Liverpool Life, The Prudential Collection and The National Trust.

She trained as a sculptor at Exeter College of Art, writing her thesis on the history of the foliated head as depicted in art. Her father and grandfather were both nurserymen and her husband is Peter Sutton of architectural partnership Harrison Sutton, which designed the Scarlet.

Jilly Sutton uses felled trees and driftwood to carve her large wood heads and figures, sometimes sandblasting them at the local boatyard to give a grainy texture, and using lime wash pigments to finish them.

For many years, she lived in Nigeria and drew inspiration from the art forms that flourished there, both carvings and textiles. She researched and worked with indigo dye both in Africa and England. Now her inspiration comes from an area closer to home - the ancient trees and woodland that surround her riverside home in Devon.

Her portrait of poet Andrew Motion is part of the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection. She has exhibited and sold her sculptures around the world.

Her work is startling, but to me the overriding feeling is of serenity.
    
She says the driving force behind her work is the tranquility of her surroundings. Her wooden house and studio are on the banks of the Dart Estuary where the calmness and order of the river, continually influence the peacefulness of her sculptures.

For more information on Jilly Sutton, click the links below:

Jilly Sutton's website
About Jilly Sutton
Exhibition

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Scarlet Salutes The Loose Salute

Sunday, 22 August 2011

We are very proud of our local musical talent. The Loose Salute, a band from just up the road in Newquay, were on Dermot O'Leary's Radio 2 show this weekend.

Listen here from about 13:40.

 

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