Persia 2005, Domaine de Fondrèche
30th August 2008
Alistair Darling is the minister responsible for Britain’s finances. Lately Britain’s finances have not been doing well. However unfairly, many people are holding Mr Darling to blame. In an interview with the Guardian, he revealed how these people are expressing their displeasure. He and his wife recently ate in a restaurant with another couple. When they tried to order a second bottle of wine,
“The waiter came over and said ‘too much wine’ in a loud voice. So we stuck to one bottle for the entire meal.”
If you have ever wondered why British food and British restaurants are so awful, this story tells you all you need to know.
The reaction of any sane Frenchman or Italian to such impertinence would be to howl with rage, summon the owner and demand an immediate apology. My own response, I suspect, would be to call for several bottles of vintage Champagne, a DRC Echézeaux and a glass or two of VSOP Armagnac, and to leave no tip. But the Darling party, being typical Brits, submitted humbly and contented themselves with the miserable single bottle their loutish waiter permitted them.
All parties in this sorry tale were observing a national tradition. In most other countries, waiters, barmen, hoteliers and the like feel under some obligation to keep their patrons happy. But the British service sector has long been a sado-masochistic affair, in which customers are insulted, served garbage, charged outrageous sums, then smile with gratitude for all that has been done to them.
In recent years the British restaurant industry has struggled to persuade the world that everything has changed. British food has improved beyond recognition, we are told. London’s restaurants are as good as those in Paris. The British middle classes eat ciabatta and sun-dried tomatoes. In the matter of food and drink, Britain is now sophisticated and European.
But on the rare occasions I go back to the UK I find the same people and the same attitudes that drove me away to sunnier climes almost twenty years ago. And Mr Darling’s little tale confirms that no improvement may be expected soon.
Speaking of sunnier climes, this week’s wine is from Côtes du Ventoux, a less fashionable part of the Rhône. Its makers, Domaine de Fondrèche, have produced a first-rate, beefy red made up of 90% Syrah and 10% Mourvèdre. It is inky-purple and strong (14.5%), with a spicy nose and flavours of plums, cloves and pencil lead. Excellent value at $20 in the US, £11 in the UK.
