FOOD & DRINK W H AT ’ S M A K I N G T H E G O U R M E T N E W S I N B R I S T O L
TAKE FIVE
Meet Nick Burton, store manager of Avery’s – the city’s most distinguished wine merchant, with a history that stretches back over 200 years. And if that sounds bit off-puttingly oenophilic, think again…
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verys can trace its history as a wine merchant back to 1793, with a shop on Park Street just around the corner from the present site on Culver Street. But don’t feel you need to commit to a big spend here - they sell by the bottle as well as the crate. And then, of course, there’s the ‘cage’ . . . What can we get from Avery’s that we can’t get at a corner wine shop? You get to explore our unique vaulted historic cellars and choose from a range of over 1000 wines. If you aren’t sure what to buy, you can sample some wines at our wellstocked tasting table. We also run events from our cellars, and this year have had everything from pop-up restaurants to jazz bands and movie screenings in tandem with the Bristol Film Festival.
Is it OK to just pop in to buy just a few bottles at a time? You can buy as much or as little as you like – we sell wines by the bottle as well as by the case, enabling customers to pick and choose and create their own selection. Customers can also make use of our free car park, or we can deliver for free in BS1 to BS9. Give us an idea of the range of the stock We stock wines from all over the world from as a little as £7.99 per bottle, and are particularly strong in France, where we have historic ties to the wines of Bordeaux and Burgundy. If you are after something special we also have our ‘cage’, where we store our fine and rare wines. What does having a ‘personal wine advisor’ entail? All of our wine advisors are fully trained, hugely knowledgeable and above all love wine. We love the challenge of finding the perfect wine to match a dish you may be cooking. Give us some recommendations for some late summer wines – do you have any special offers? We have many offers in the shop, but we do love a drop of fizz, and would recommend the excellent Aimery Cremant de Limoux Rosé. Made using the same method as Champagne, this is delicate, fresh and refined, with hints of strawberries and cream and a long, mouthfilling finish. It’s normally £13.99, but on offer exclusively in the shop for £10.99 a bottle. www.averys.com
50 I BRISTOL LIFE I www.mediaclash.co.uk
TASTY BITES What, no wine fest? Someone, somewhere, has decreed that September shall be Bristol. Hangover Month. Let’s take a quick shufti at the drinks calendar. 8-10 September is Factoberfest, a weekend of beer and cider at Tobacco Factory – not to be confused with the Bristol Craft Beer Festival at Motion between 15-17 September (turn the page). Not into beer? You don’t get off that easy. There’s Bristol Whisky Underground on 9 September at the Loco Club, and at the same date the Bristol Rum Fest pops up at Paintworks. Prefer cocktails? No problem at all. Sixteen bars in pop-up form will offer unique drinking experiences at Cocktails in the City at Passenger Shed on 15 September (a lethal 15 Sept bar crawl is starting to present itself as a real opportunity here). And Bristol Cocktail Week is back for its 7th year between 25 September-1 October. September still looking a bit too dry and tame for your liking? You can always opt for cocktails 100ft in the air, courtesy of Events in the Sky . . .
HAPPY BIRTHDAY . . . . . . Papadeli, 15 years old this month. The business began as a shop selling the finest British, Italian, French and Spanish foods and takeaway meals; over the years, they’ve added a cookery school and an outside catering service. To celebrate, on the 15th of each month for a year, they’ll surprise a random customer with a gift, ranging from an artisan cheeseboard to a cookery school voucher. www.papadeli.co.uk