Another great evening with the Manchester Yelp Community; this time at hidden gem BistroVin, situated on busy Deansgate opposite the likes of La Tasca, Prezzo, and Las Iguanas.
Walking past, one would think it was just a normal store specialising in wine, and spirits. However, once one is inside and takes a stroll upstairs, one is greeted by a lofty atmospheric dark woodened decor and furniture, which seems quite cosy for an establishment situated on Deansgate. With (more or less) floor to ceiling windows looking out over the street. The upstairs divided into two sections, with one side hosting a full cabinet full of splendid spirits, and a counter full of cheese.
After the normal meet and greet (with Champagne or Prosecco), and catchup between the Yelpers (from veterans, elite, and newbies), and then a brief intro from Lewis (joint Manager) we were ready to begin. BistroVin had set up three stalls, splitting the group up into the same number, the present a selection of their stock. This was a variety of red an white wines split between two tables, and a gin, a whiskey, and a rum set up at the third table.
My group started off with a selection of three good wines: French white wine Touraine Sauvignon; Chilean white wine Secret de Viu Manent; and French red wine Lauran Cabaret Minervois. With a quick demonstration on how to fully enjoy a wine tasting, we went through and tasted each wine. The sauvignon was quite fruity, full of flavour, and seemed to be a favourite amongst the group. The Chilean white was described as having a muddy texture, but I proposed it was more an earthly taste and quite sharp, but this was a bit hit-and-miss amongst the group, However, the red was a big hit with everyone: this had an old woody texture, very flavourful.
Moving on to the spirits presented my Jonathan, we had: Pinkster (gin), The Ben Riach aged 10 years (whiskey), and The Duppy Share (rum). Don't let the name or colour deceive you with the gin. The pinkness comes from raspberry, and it had a nice sharp taste to it, and one can quite easily drink this without a mixer. I know some gin fans, who I would recommend this to. One for the list! Apparently retails around £40. The rum was Caribbean and was quite sweet and had a warm taste, which is made from sugar canes. Finally, the whiskey! The smell was beautiful! Such a powerful aroma, and tasted great! Again, it had a very smooth taste and can easily be drunk without a mixer, which is what I would recommend.
The final table presented by manager Lewis had three more wines (one white, and two red). The first was white wine Saint Clair from New Zealand, which has quite an oceanic taste to it, and I would recommend this for a perfect evening on a beach front when all you have to do is relax. The second wine was red Bourgogne, which was quite nice, but my favourite wine from the evening was red wine Vibo Punta del Vienta; a flavourful fruity wine, with a bit of a savoury pinch to it.
After all the tastings, the Yelpers were able to mingle once again and going back and trying their favourites as the evening came to an end.
A super evening, and a fantastic establishment, and I look forward to returning, especially to attend one of their whiskey tastings. check out their Facebook page to see what tastings they have on offer, occurring every Thursday.
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