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Perfectly paired pours

Harry Brooks on curating the wine list for The Farmers Arms

Curating a wine list to complement our menu and excite the eclectic mix of guests who dine at The Farmers Arms is no easy task, but it’s been a delicious challenge

Our menus at The Farmers Arms change frequently throughout the season, so we’re always on our toes. With a good number of wines available by the glass at any time, guests can pair dishes from the menus with wines that’ll complement each course, without having to order a bottle each time.

We like to keep things casual – The Farmers Arms is still a pub after all so, instead of printing pairing suggestions on the menu, we encourage diners to chat to the front of house staff, who always have a recommendation or two up their sleeves.

When curating the collection, we looked for a couple of knockout house wines which would remain on the list throughout the year. They needed to be the sort of sips that guests would want to return to time and again, and delight everyone – from locals calling in for a post-walk drink to diners visiting for a special occasion. The brief was to find interesting and noteworthy wines that would be both accessible and well priced.   

The pub currently keeps around 50 bins
The pub currently keeps around 50 bins

The house fizz is a great example: you don’t find many good Champagnes by the glass for under £10 so, instead, we sourced a lovely Crémant from Burgundy.

A Le Verre de Vin wine preservation system enables the team to offer a great choice of wines by the glass, and we’ve also sourced our favourite ports, sherries and dessert wines to help guests round off their dining experience in style.

Visitors can explore a list of around 50 bins which features a clutch of the best of English wine (including sparklers from Knightor in Cornwall and Langham in Dorset) and a good showing of organic and biodynamic finds.

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