Gastropub - Gastropods

Quinta do Crasto '04 [£6.95, Wine Society]

I HARBOUR A slight fondness for this pleasant (albeit very basic) wine which is Portugese in patronage, but Australian in accent. Vivid cherry in colour with a tinge of spicy salt beef on the nose and dark, dusky tannins, this is nonetheless relatively generic.

I first met this wine at Midsummer House restaurant, Cambridge, priced around £26, shortly before the staff staged a walkout due to "some kind of electrical fault in the kitchen".

I found it again yesterday for £18 at 'The Plough' gastropub (sometimes serving gastropods) in Shepreth, Cambs. This hybrid establishment is rather good, although it features lime green plastic tubby chairs which inappropriately resemble potties. Click here to see a roving picture.