Our Wine List
Our wines are all carefully selected to shown the huge range produced in California.
We also have a great pricing policy - we only charge £5 above the retail price of the wine, so a £12 wine is sold at £17 compared to the usual £30 to £40. Torres Chardonnay, £27 here, is sold at £55 at a top restaurant in Chamber Street.
We also do 10 wines by the glass and 5 dessert wines by the glass including "Framboise" from Bonny Doon, all at the same great low prices.
Most of our wines are also available at Sideways Wine Store next door,, or at www.Bottleshock.co.uk or Henderson Wines, 109 Comiston Road, Edinburgh. Tel - 0131 447 8580 - one of the top independent's in the city.
The Whites
Chardonnay
| 05 De Loach Californian Series | £14 | Forward fruit aromas, now French-owned |
07 Napa Cellars, Napa Valley | £17 | Napa fruit for the price of a regular wine! |
| 06 Frei Brothers, Russian River Valley | £19 | Intense aromas of wild fruits and vanilla |
00 Clos Du Bois, Calcaire Vineyard | £23 | An elegant marriage of fruit and vanilla |
05 Baileyana, Firepeak Vineyard, Edna Valley | £25 | From California's 1st female winemaker |
| 03 Marimar Torres, Green Valley | £27 | Great clones and great site |
| 06 Newton Unfiltered, Napa Valley | £33½ | Natural fermentation and bottled without filtration |
| 05 Chateau Montelena, Napa Valley | £38 | The wine that won the 1976 Paris Tasting |
Sauvignons Blanc
| 07 Seaglass, Santa Barbara County | £14 | As clean and fresh, zingy and citrus |
| 06 Tangent, Edna Valley | £18 | Symphony of freshness and gooseberries |
| 02 Mondavi, Stag's Leap Winery, Napa Valley | £22 | Unfiltered, hints of mineral & spice add complexity |
| 06 Six Sigma, Lake County | £28 | Fresh and zesty from an expert winemaker |
| 04 Phelps, Napa Valley | £29 | Solid wines from an out-of-towner |
Rhone Ranger Whites
| 07 Viognier, Smoking Loon | £14½ | Vibrant mango, lychees, hazelnut & honeysuckle |
| 06 Marsanne, Qupe, Santa Ynez Valley | £20 | Bit of honey & orange rind, with hints of anise |
| 05 Viognier, Zaca Mesa, Santa Ynez Valley | £22 | Jim Clendenen and Bob Lindquist worked here |
| 06 Viognier, Eberle, Paso Robles | £25 | Full bodied but elegant from a single vineyard |
Cal-Itals
| 06 Pinot Grigio, Smoking Loon | £14½ | Crisp and refreshing - not run of the mill pg |
| 07 Pinot Grigio, Loredona, Monterey | £16 | Fresh and racy with great minerality |
| 04 Pinot Gris, MacMurray, Russian River Valley | £18 | Don’t let those fig aromas put you off! |
| 06 Fiano, Seghesio, Russian River Valley | £22 | Orange, honey & tropical fruits |
| 06 Arneis, Seghesio, Russian River Valley | £25 | This little rascal is light and bright |
Other Whites
| 05 Gewurztraminer, Sutter Home | £12½ | Off-dry white with aromas of peaches and lychees |
| 07 Menage-a-Trois Rose, Folie a Deux | £14 | An amazing blend that is both dry and fruity |
07 Ménage-à-Trois White, Folie à Deux | £14 | Experience honeysuckle and lime blossom |
05 Chenin Blanc, Pacific Rim, Bonny Doon | £16 | Worth it to see the bottle from the mad Mr Grahm |
07 Albarino, Dancing Coyote, Clarksburg | £17 | Spanish varietal, intensely fruity |
06 Verdelho, Dancing Coyote, Clarksburg | £17 | Zingy citrus flavours without high acidity |
06 Pinot Blanc, Tangent, Arroyo Grande Valley | £20 | Apples and pears off at a tangent |
03 Chenin Blanc, Heller Estare, Carmel Valley | £22 | Dry chenin and organic to boot |
| 05 Conundrum, Caymus | £27 | A totally new wine in which the grape varieties meld together seamlessly. Stunning |
The Fizz
nv Dom St. Michelle, Blanc de Noirs | £16 | Full and dry, as a good Noirs should be |
nv Sparkling Shiraz, Windsor, Mendocino | £17 | Most extraordinary chocolate fruit nose |
03 Carneros Brut | £23 | Great liveliness makes it a perfect match to food |
| 00 Carneros Le Rêve Blanc de Blanc, Carneros | £33 | 1996 vintage was a great classic in Carneros |
Halves
06 Sauvignon Blanc, Frogs Leap, Napa Valley | £11 | Crisp and clean from stainless steel |
| 04 Conundrum, Caymus | £14 | Created to match Californian cuisine |
| 03 Syrah "Le Pousseur", Bonny Doon | £10 | Sexy and well-proportioned |
01 Seghesio “Old Vines” Zinfandel, Sonoma | £14 | Classic Zin from master producers |
| 02 Pinot Noir Les Bauge, Au Bon Climat | £13½ | From a Pinot genius in the Santa Maria Valley |
| 04 Dare Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley | £17½ | Only place for tobacco aromas in “Calistoga” |
The Reds
Cabernet and Cabernet-blends
06 Smoking Loon Cabernet Sauvignon | £14½ | From the other half of the Sebastiani family |
03 Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Francis, Sonoma | £17 | Flavors of cherry, chocolate, coffee, and plum |
04 Tango, Dancing Coyote, El Dorado | £19 | Fruity blend with 25% Tempranillo |
01 Lyeth Reserve, Alexander Valley | £25 | Hearty wine with subtle flavours |
03 Mountain Cuvee, Chappellet, Napa Valley | £28 | Rich supple fruit with a long dry finish |
02 Petit Verdot, Clendenen Family, Santa Maria | £30 | Unusual grape from the unusual wine maker |
06 Frog's Leap Cabernet, Napa Valley | £32 | Apparently for princes as well as frogs! |
02 Oakville Ranch Cabernet, Napa Valley | £40 | Classic rich and smooth Californian Cabernet |
02 Puzzle, Newton, Spring Mountain Estate | £50 | Assembled like the different pieces of a puzzle |
03 Estate Cabernet, Chateau Montelena, Napa Valley | £70 | The top eine from this famous estate |
03 Rubicon, Rubicon Estate, Napa Valley | £75 | Rich & complex with smooth & silky texture |
98 Ridge Montebello, Santa Cruz Mountains | £95 | Sensuous wine, with great depth and length |
Merlot
| 04 L de Lyeth, Sonoma County | £14½ | Lush soft fruit but with strong backbone |
| 06 Napa Cellars, Napa Valley | £17 | Good quality cherry & earth tones |
| 05 Frei Brothers, Dry Creek Valley | £19 | Intense aromas of wild blueberries & raspberries |
| 05 Monticello Estate, Oak Knoll District | £24 | Silky, but full texture and finishes long |
| 03 Heller Estate, Carmel Valley | £27 | Flavours of cherry and plums |
03 Chappellet, Napa Valley | £30 | Founded in 1967 & still producing top wines |
| 02 Grgich Hills, Napa Valley | £35 | Subtle w/ cherries & strawberries, big structure |
Pinot Noir
07 Smoking Loon | £14½ | From the other half of the Sebastiani family |
| 06 Loredona, Monterey £17½ 13½ | £17½ | The lightest of our pinots w/ great racy acidity |
| 06 MacMurray Ranch, Sonoma County | £18 | Full bodied & earthy from “absentminded prof.” |
| 05 Monticello Estate, Oak Knoll District | £29 | Silky but full texture |
| 03 Marimar, Torres, Russian River Valley | £33 | From the daughter of the famous Catalan |
| 06 Patz and Hall, Sonoma Coast | £39 | Deservably given great accolades |
| 01 Famous Gate, Domaine Carneros, Carneros | £44 | Probably the top Pinot from the Carneros region |
| 02 Au Bon Climat, "Isabelle Morgan" | £47 | The best of his best |
Zinfandel
| 06 Pepperwood Grove, Old Vines | £14 | Robust w/ good fruit & eminently glugable |
| 05 Blackstone Winery | £15½ | Rich and sexy - what more can you ask for! |
| 05 Ravenswood Old Vine, Sonoma County | £19 | Big red from the non-wimpy winery |
| 06 Eberle, Steinbeck Bush Vyards, Paso Robles | £25 | Don’t be a wine bore, order the small boar |
| 06 La Capilla Old Vines, Lodi | £29½ | This wine has plenty of Big Fruit to go around |
| 04 Edizione Pennino, Rubicon, Rutherford | £31 | A rich and dry zin from the famous estate |
| 05 Home Ranch, Seghesio, Alexander Valley | £35 | Great depth and length on the palate |
Rhone Ranger Reds
| 04 Avila Syrah, Santa Barbara County | £14½ | Robust w/ good fruit |
| 06 Grenache, Clos de Gilroy | £16 | Smooth and silky w/ beautiful perfumed nose |
| 04 St Francis Syrah, Sonoma County | £17 | Hearty wine w/ subtle flavours |
| 04 Petite Syrah Reserve, EOS, Paso Robles | £19 | Robust and fruity, anything but petite |
| 04 Z Cuvee, Zaca Mesa, Santa Ynez Valley | £23 | A smooth blend that packs a punch |
| 02 Esprit de Beaucastel, Tablas Creek Vineyard | £35 | By the great family from Chateuneuf du Pape |
Cal-Itals
| 03 Sangiovese, Pepi | £19 | Soft wet cherry flavours |
| 01 Barbera, Easton, Shenandoah Valley | £22 | Rich, smooth and excellent |
| 05 Sangiovese, Seghesio, Alexander Valley | £27 | Black cherries and cocoa |
| 06 Barbera, Seghesio, Alexander Valley | £27 | Rich and smooth |