The Stag in Adelaide’s East End has been one of the staples of the area for as long as I can remember. Their reputation seems to fluctuate, but they bill themselves as a friendly bar for meat eaters. Their menu is called ‘Serious About Meat‘, so this is already somewhere to avoid for the vegetarians among us. However, it also has a bar, it’s in a great position on Rundle Street and they recently followed us on Twitter. Chuck in my own joy in receiving a substantial tip at work, and it was a recipe for House Wine Wednesday success! Off I popped to give them a try and see if the bar’s ‘Serious About Wine’ claims were true.
Ok, so it turns out they are indeed serious about wine. They have a huge wine list by both the glass and the bottle and their website even boasts a fairly comprehensive list of the different varietals of wine and what to expect. It turns out though that in their seriousness, they have decided not to have a house wine, despite the lady in their picture holding what looks like fish-bowls of wine. I feel like a bar that also turns into a club upstairs on some nights should have some sort of house option, but apparently not. Now, house wine to me is the easy choice when I don’t want to search through pages of wine list and if it’s somewhere I go often, it’s the comfort blanket choice. I especially like the idea of a bar pairing up with a winery to say “this is our house wine. We trust them and they trust us. It’s a beautiful relationship”. I guess that’s not everyone’s opinion, because when I asked which the bartender would recommend as the house wine, I was told that he “would recommend reading the wine list”. Do not, I repeat, do not ask The Stag for the house wine. They don’t like it.
In any case, I ended up with one of their cheaper Sauvignon Blancs that isn’t on the menu any more. It was a Squealing Pig Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, New Zealand. We all know that New Zealand can do a blisteringly crisp and satisfying Savvy so I was understandably excited. The smell was bad. Recoil bad. Excitement dimmed, I went in for the taste and was pleasantly surprised. It was still the crisp, citrusy, almost tart flavours you want from a Sauvignon Blanc, and to my great joy left me with no hint of white wine shudder. By the end of the glass, I would definitely have another one if it wasn’t the exactly wrong weather to enjoy it outside. It’s a shame it’s no longer on the menu, but there are three other Marlborough selections by the glass to whet your appetite if you so desire, just not at house wine prices.
I’m sure it’s not this sickly green without a big neon light in front of it.
Moving on to more winter-appropriate delights, I also tried their not-house George’s ‘Exile’ Shiraz as the next best option. It was on the cheaper end of the scale and I did manage to get the bartender to half heartedly recommend it as a possibility. It’s from the Clare Valley (yay, local) and was a delight. It was smooth, soft tannins and not too heavy with just the right amount of spice and black fruit flavours. My friend had a more expensive glass and we both decided that mine was far superior. I’d go back to the Stag specifically for this wine if I’m honest. That said, we think it was relatively strong as we both were a little wobbly and prone to deep conversation after we shared another glass. Probably will need to try it again on a sober brain. Yes, that’s a good enough excuse.
Does not show how pretty it was at all. Only a few months until shiny new camera, stay tuned.
All in all, I like the Stag’s wine selection. The cheaper ones I tried were great and the choice is huge. I also think their social media person is in top form (which is basically why I went) and their website is far better than many of the other pubs around town in terms of information, ease of use and usefulness. I’d just like to see somewhere that acts so casual and friendly be a little less snobby at the prospect of a wine drinker with only a few coins in their purse. Recommending a wine isn’t hard when the only requirement is a low price. Other than that, I’d almost certainly pop in for a glass when I get a little extra in my pocket.
Hungry Canary 