New on Wine List Confidential: The Frog

The Frog – Wine List Confidential Score: 87.4

Adam Handling the pressure well

The Frog is quite a new restaurant, opened in mid-2016 by ambitious young chef and MasterChef: The Professionals finalist Adam Handling. On the wine front, it’s a hit-and-miss selection that’s on the pricey side but which will repay a careful search through. There’s also a very appealing and varied beer list (tasting menus are available with both wine and beer pairings) if you need a break from wine, which, once every blue moon, we do.

When my friend and I dined here, we had just been talking about our most ‘meh’ brands of Champagne – only to find two of them listed by the glass at The Frog. A not unfunny coincidence. If I were you I’d probably avoid these. There are some fine Champagnes on the main fizz list (DP vintage, Krug Grand Cuvée), though they ain’t cheap. Even the basic Moët is £90 a bottle. For something more unusual, you could try the saignée-method Geoffroy Rosé Brut 1er Cru (£115).

The by the glass list has a nice spread of regions and styles and it’s very nice to see a Tavel as the rosé by the glass.

Margins can be fairly steep. The cheapest still wine on the list is £30, while the excellent Tahbilk Museum Release Marsanne is £51 (the same wine was on the list at 10 Cases a while back for just £30). Given the prices, you don’t want to be picking a dud bottle. The staff seem stronger on food than on wine so best to be prepared.

Good quality bottles at or under £50 might include, among the white the rich, aromatic Tahbilk Viognier (£39) Domaine Perraud Mâcon-Villages (£50 – not cheap, but nice Chardonnay) or the natural Mother Rock Chenin Blanc blend from Johann Meyer in Swartland (there’s a touch of volatile acidity on the latter, but it’s still a really lovely wine).

For the reds, the rich, silky Salice Salentino Riserva from Puglia (£39) would warm the cockles, while the Paper Road Pinot Noir from New Zealand (£45) has some interesting savoury spice and a bit of structure. If you have a bit more money to spend, the Grand-Puy-Lacoste second wine, Lacoste-Borie (£95), is a good wine – though bear in mind it’s only about £20-£25 in the shops!