Trailing the Vine
Taking Flight With Wine at Mateer's
By N. Vighten Injoymint
A friend called me last week to report a new wine experience at Mateer’s Restaurant in Fairhope, so I agreed to meet her there on my way to the summer place. Upon entering Mateer’s, the initial impression is that of a country pub, with its dark walls, low ceilings, and dart board. The only thing missing from its Scottish origins are terriers sleeping at their masters’ feet.
Upon closer scrutiny, Mateer’s is definitely in tune with the 21st Century. A large acrylic bowl holds about fifteen specialty vodkas, chilling in ice and the lengthy martini menu changes with the seasons. Most of the beers on tap are trendy imports. However, the particular item that instigated my friend’s call is the wine list, specifically the “wine flights.”
I had seen this marketing effort before, with the mini-mugs of several different beers at microbreweries to encourage the patrons to try new brews. So why not for wine?
Lisa, the proprietress, explained that there are four different flights available each evening. The night I visited, the offerings included a Chardonnay flight, an alternative white flight, a Cabernet flight and an alternative red flight. My friend chose the Chardonnay flight and I selected the alternative reds.
The description of the wine flights called for two ounces of three different wines, but upon delivery, it was apparent that five ounces each was a more accurate assessment. That is an extremely generous amount of wine for a tasting. My friend enjoyed each and every drop of all three of her Chardonnays and could not have been more pleased. However, to paraphrase the Knight guarding the Holy Grail in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, I chose poorly.
My first try was a Valle Freo Cabernet/Merlot blend from Chile. I did not like it at all. It was not tart — it was just plain sour, followed by a too smooth, too minerally finish. No, not to my liking at all. I wouldn’t drink an entire glass of this unless a Cat 3 or better hurricane were within striking distance. During anything constituting a less serious natural disaster, I would drive to a nice wine shop for something better.
Moving on to the second selection, I tried the “Bin 3” Merlot/Cabernet from South Africa. It was better then the Valle Freo, just tart enough, not to the level of being sour, but still too heavy of a mineral finish. Lastly, the Shooting Star from California was by far my favorite and was nicely balanced.
Even though two of the wines I tried will not be repeat selections for me, I liked this concept immensely. Lisa said that the wines selected for the flights change on a regular basis, so please don’t let my isolated disappointment cause you to shy away from trying the alternative reds. And, at $7 for an entire flight, even if one or two of the offerings are not to your liking, it is still a nice wine experience and well worth the money.
