Uncorked: Josh Castle
Tell us about your wine list at Noble Rot
The list is about 1,000 wines long. We’re unashamedly francophile in our preferences for Burgundy, Champagne, Jura and mature Bordeaux. Finding old bottles from venerable vintages with minimal markup is important for us. But it’s not all classics: bottles from emerging Greek winemakers, new-wave Spanish outfits and Portuguese producers have a home on our list.
Over the course of your career, have you had any wine-related disasters?
We love to have mature wines on our list but this comes with a risk. Luckily our chefs have developed a velouté made oxidised wine. Turbot braised in oxidised Chablis Grand Cru is a fixture on our menu.
Name your top three restaurant wine lists
Villa Mas in Spain has a star studded wine list without the price tag. In London the Drapers Arms is never short of a few gems. Although I’ve never dined there, I often check out the list at The Modern in New York City as it’s a benchmark long list.
What’s the most interesting wine you’ve ever come across?
Colares has to be one of the most obscure regions and wine styles that I’ve tried. Sprawling un-trellised Ramisco vines lay planted in the sands of the Portuguese coast. Only a handful of producers still make wine from this near-forgotten region. I’ll never forget tasting a bottle of 1934 from Viuva Gomes.
What are the three most overused tasting notes?
Reductive, oxidative and ‘funky’.
What’s the best value wine on your list at the moment
Lisbon-based Quinta do Montalto make a great value white blend that we list at Noble Rot for £36. It’s made with light skin contact, and is a great introduction to skin macerated styles. It’s imported by Roman Gonitel at Portuguese Wine Story, which has a treasure trove of affordable wines. Another category that consumers overlook is aged NV Champagne. Pol Roger, Bollinger and Mumm with base vintages from the 70s and 80s are a fraction of the price of single vintage wines and, when aged correctly, are incredibly satisfying.
What is your ultimate food and drink match?
Vin Jaune and oysters.
Old World or New World?
I moved from Australia, worked in a winery in South Africa, and now live in the UK so I’m going to have to say both.
What is your pet hate when it comes to wine service in other restaurants?
Narrow Champagne flutes are a bit of a drag, but that’s a first world problem if I’ve ever heard one.
Who is your favourite producer at the moment and why?
Tommy Grimshaw, from Dorset based winery Langham. Tommy is one of the UK’s youngest winemakers, and draws his winemaking approach from the top names in grower Champagne. I believe that his unique, oxidatively-handled wines are some of the best in the UK. Watch this space.
Which wine producing region or country is currently underrated at the moment?
Consumers and the trade have started to wake up to the quality of Greek wine. As a country it celebrates its indigenous grape varieties and regions, notably Xinomavro from Naoussa and Robola from Kefalonia. The best examples of these wines are rarely expensive, and transmit place in a compelling way.
It’s your last meal and you can have a bottle of any wine in the world. What is it and why?
My guilty pleasure wine is Bordeaux blanc. Despite being very off-trend I adore this hedonistic, unashamedly oaky style of Sauvignon Blanc. With some bottle age the wine turns into an amorphous blend of all herbal, spicy, tropical and toasty flavours. It would be a fitting accompaniment to a last meal.
Noble Rot Soho won Wine List of the Year - sponsored by Bibendum - at the Estrella Damm National Restaurant Awards last month.
