What to drink at Bar Valette

When you have a menu covering dishes ranging from an elegant comtè soufflè to a rich snail stew, a varied range of wines by-the-glass is required. Louis Thomas discovers how Bar Valette has achieved exactly this from head sommelier Emer Landgraf. Landgraf, who is also head sommelier of The Clove Club, just a brisk stroll round the corner, comes from Australia, but her wine interest is really rooted in Europe: "I'm from a small town north of Brisbane, I was doing a finance degree and working in Italian restaurants on the side, so that is how I fell into wine." After co-opening a 60 seater Italian wine bar in Brisbane, the unwelcome arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic began to bite, prompting her to sell her share to her business partner. Eventually, "as the borders opened up", Landgraf moved to London and joined The Clove Club. When chef patron Isaac McHale opened Bar Valette on Kingsland Road at the beginning of this year, Landgraf's head somm responsibilities grew to encompass the new restaurant. Working alongside Willem Powell, the architect of the list, she describes her role as "overseeing the general direction and purchasing" of the selection.

From Spain to Shoreditch

As by-the-glass selections go, the range at Bar Valette is nothing if not captivating. When thinking of drinks to open dinner with, the Dry Sherry offering (referred to as 'Vino Generoso') is of particular note, with the highlight probably being the 2016 Valdespino Manzanilla La Especial (£6.50 for a 75ml glass) – showing the salted almond profile that one would hope for from an aged Manzanilla. "It's a cool offering, because you don't get Sherry very often on wine lists in London. Willem's done a great job of getting different styles by-the-glass – it's good to have it available," notes Landgraf. "That Manzanilla is super special, we're one of the only places to pour it by-the-glass in London." Sticking with the Sherry theme, the CVNE Monopole Clasico Blanco 2022 (£18 for a 125ml glass), a Viura-based white Rioja which was finished in Sherry casks, is a real highlight, and one which Landgraf sees as a good alternative to a white Burgundy: "It's cool to offer things other than the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay which people always fall back on. White Rioja offers the kind of richness that you get in an oaked Chardonnay, so it lends itself very well to a rich dish." The rich dish which is probably the best pairing from the Bar Valette menu is the fabada Asturiana bean stew, loaded with pork belly, chorizo and morcilla – effectively turning it into Northern Spain's infinitely tastier answer to an all day breakfast in a tin. My dining colleague was so smitten with this stew that she gave it the greatest accolade of all: "I'd have those beans on a jacket potato." Another rib sticker inspired by the Iberian Peninsula was a bowl of Madrid-style snails in an unctuous, collagen-rich trotter broth. Good for the skin though perhaps not the heart if consumed to excess, this is a dish as delicious as it is fiddly to eat. Fortunately, drinking a glass of the suggested pairing of Olivier Rivière Rayos Uva 2023 (£11.50) is a damn sight easier, and cleaner, than de-shelling a dozen boiled molluscs (which happen to have been sourced from Northern Ireland). "I love Olivier Rivière's more modern style of Rioja," says Landgraf, "because there is a lighter use of oak, there is less sweet vanilla and a more savoury character."

Journey to Italy

If Rioja Blanco is Bar Valette's alternative to Chardonnay, then Etna Rosso is its version of Pinot Noir. To have the luscious and leathery 2021 Palmento Costanzo Mofete Rosso (£14 for a 125ml glass) available in a single serving is indeed a real asset for Bar Valette, and, unsurprisingly given her background in Italian restaurants, Landgraf is also a big fan. "There were lots of heavier reds from Southern France and Spain on the list," she says, "but the Etna Rosso is kind of Pinot-esque. The wines from there are so special and the styles vary so much across the mountain." However, when it comes to 'heaviness', there can only be one contender. The undisputed Italian heavyweight champion when it comes to tannins, Montefalco Sagrantino. Bar Valette's inclusion of Paolo Bea's Rosso de Veo at £39 for a 125ml glass, or £115 for a 375ml carafe, certainly raised an eyebrow. It's undeniably serious, serious money for a glass of any wine, but if you're the sort of diner who is seeking Sagrantino out on a London wine list, you probably know what you are in for anyway. If you're not, it's a gamble which necessitates the correct pairing. "When we serve big steaks to share, it would go really well with those, but also with a pork chop because of the fat content – the fat helps to slightly mask Sagrantino's crazy tannins, though this one is not as tannic as other expressions of the grape," observes Landgraf. "It's slightly more approachable, though it is still a Sagrantino!"

Orange is the new rosé

Although the received wisdom in wine is to start with fizz, then move onto whites, and then build up to the big, bold reds, after a glass of Sagrantino you may be in the mood for something a little lighter. The skin contact section of Bar Valette's list is titled 'Neither white nor red', and, fittingly for East London, does feature an orange wine, La Mariota's Orange Tacsum 2022 (£17 per glass), designated as a Vin de France. "[Orange wine] is trendy, but it goes so well with food. Having orange wine available by-the-glass is really important, and it works with dishes which can otherwise be quite tricky to pair with, it can bridge that gap." With regards to Bar Valette's current food offering, Landgraf recommends orange wine as a pairing for either preserved white asparagus with capers and chervil, or a plate of duck egg, morels, green asparagus and jamón. As for personal pairing preference, she opts for an undisputed classic: "I would choose the comté soufflé and the Larmandier-Bernier Latitude, because I'm a massive fan of Champagne. I think its price point sits really well, and it also has both a richness and a freshness to balance the dish, meaning you can eat more!"