IN BRIEF

Wellington’s newest oldest wine bar builds a food menu around top-shelf Beaujolais.

WHY CHOOSE THIS WINE BAR?

Back in the ‘80s, the French Embassy would stage an annual Beaujolais Nouveau event for Wellington’s wine cognoscenti, which placed them in a quandary. Quizzed by their hosts about the purple-pink fluid in their glass, the learned guests were heard to evasively umm and aahh, then politely murmur, “Very straightforward” or, “Easy drinking”, when privately they all agreed it smelled oddly of banana lollies and tasted like diluted raspberry vinegar. Most of the wine world has moved on since then, but thankfully for Beaujolais Nouveau and France’s export trade, the Japanese salaryman still adores his after-work bottle of ‘banana wine’. At least the name Beaujolais never rasps the tongue – indeed it rolls off so effortlessly, so romantically, that for well over 10 years it served Deb Britten (daughter of Sir Des) very nicely for her Beaujolais Wine Bar at 11 Woodward Street.

Recently Yu Group relaunched Deb’s old basement hideaway and named it 11 Woodward Street, wittily branding it Wellington’s newest oldest wine bar. (Actually Baxter’s Wine Bar in Brandon Street was the first, but we mustn’t let the facts get in the way of a clever slogan). The centrepiece of Yu’s elegant refurb is a grand three-sided bar, with Belle Époque café furniture, button-back banquettes and fringed brothel lamps dotted around the periphery. With 60-odd Beaujolais wines on his list, head sommelier Gary Pluck aims to overcome the stereotypical image of the region by eschewing industrial Beaujolais Nouveau and instead championing the 10 Beaujolais Crus (great growths) to the north. Often involving traditional low-cropping and natural winemaking methods, including the use of wild yeasts, these high-quality Crus have lately erupted from the ocean of bubblegum-scented Beaujolais Nouveau to bask in vinous high fashion.

ABOUT THE MENU

Given Woodward’s tiny prep kitchen, its output of sophisticated French bar food is impressive. All parts of the pig go into a tasty, textbook-perfect Gratton Bordelais terrine with apple chutney. The superb chicken liver parfait capped with a sweet Pedro Ximénez gel seems to be a signature recipe all over the Yu Group’s empire, having previously been on the menu at both Cinderella and Plonk. Crayfish comes in nice and fresh from Wellington’s south coast for the popular crayfish club sandwich, with an accompanying bisque frothed up like a flat white in its tulip cup. However, a delicious haricot bean dip is lost beneath its fiery chilli sauce, which seems all the more the intruder in this context of fine wine.

ABOUT THE CHEF

Hailing from north-east China near the border with chilli-loving Korea, chef Yuying trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Wellington and has since cooked at the well- reviewed Plonk. Yuying is justifiably proud of her raw blue fin tuna with its wintry take on sauce vierge, featuring coriander both in seed form and leaf, which you eat and then mop up the marinade with pieces of baguette.

ABOUT THE TEAM

Yu Group runs a tight ship here. When Gary Pluck is not looking after the wine cellar (which is shared with Plonk), he is acting as the maitre d’. Similarly, the manager Matthias Beker doubles as bartender, polishing glasses and freely dispensing charm along with the wine. You may even receive a congratulatory pat on the back if you order the $28 glass of Jean Foillard Cuvée Corcelette.

OF NOTE

The wine list encompasses all 10 Beaujolais Crus by the bottle, but offerings by the glass are limited. Joseph Drouhin, the only permanent fixture on the by-the-glass list, is often dismissed as entry level but in fact is beautifully dense, rich and fruity, making it outstanding value at $15. Other Crus are either opened as nightly specials (such as En Voiture Simone) or served under Coravin (for example Jean Foillard Cuvée Corcelette). Both offer Premier Cru Burgundy style and quality at around half the price.

ADDRESS: 11 Woodward St, Wellington
Check website for opening hours
MAINS: $12 – $45
WEBSITE:  11woodward.co.nz