Tunbridge tipple

Chanced across an establishment called 'The Secret Cellar' yesterday afternoon, in Church Road of Tunbridge Wells, one of the dying breed of independent off-licenses. While the church for which the street was named had been converted into what looked like a thriving theatre operation. Sadly, access to the nave, now the auditorium, was denied, so we were not able to see what had been done to it.

The off-license was well stocked, with the stock still including some respectable cigars, although the current rules say that there have to be sheets of brown paper hiding the actual cigars from sensitive eyes. Run by a youngish man who either knew his wine or could think on his feet as he knew all about the Sylvaner (as at reference 1) once being a common choice in Luxembourg cafés. Didn't have any in just presently, but I settled for a Riesling from one Louis Guntrum. An operation which reference 2 tells me is now at the 11th generation of Guntrums.

And at the back a couple of bottles of a new-to-me Greco di Tufo from Vesevo, apparently Italian for Vesuvio. Google did not turn up a website but, once it had corrected my spelling, it turned up plenty of people who could sell me the stuff. I also learn that 'this is a lovely appealing summer wine that is refreshing yet complex. Lemon-gold in colour with an intense, aromatic ...'. We shall see.

The shop was just shutting at 1800 and when I queried not going for the evening carry-out trade, the youngish man explained that he once done an evening wine bar trade, but not just presently, six days a week being enough for him, never mind any nights. He also explained that the huge bottles of red wine for sale in Hedonism (in Davies Street) would probably be moved about the dining (or drinking) room on a special, hydraulically enabled trolley, something like the sort of jack they use for cars in garages. I suppose that if you can both afford and have a use for a bottle of wine of that size from that sort of shop, you can probably afford the jack too.

Reference 1: http://psmv3.blogspot.co.uk/2018/02/cheese.html.

Reference 2: http://www.guntrum.de/english/home/welcome/.

Reference 3: http://www.trinitytheatre.net/.

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