A place on the river - The Depot Riverside Bar & Restaurant

Wednesday 15th May - the tiniest streams of sunlight penetrate the squeaky clean windows of The Depot in Barnes, which is where I was providing a training session for the staff there.  The premise of this session was to talk through and of course taste through several new wines that have been added to their list as we really set into the warmer (he says with hesitance) season. 
I live 15 minutes walk down the towpath so this place quite literally is my 'local' place to come for a plate and a glass.  I have spent a couple of excellent afternoons here soaking up the atmosphere watching The Boatrace in years gone by and the place was packed and brimming with euphoric and highly contagious excitement.  It is no wonder you need to book a river view table here a years in advance of each race.  Can you imagine having a nice long lunch withy friends and family followed by the global spectacle that is The Boatrace?
So as you read on, hopefully even if you get a snippet of how this place evokes these kinds of memories and images, you can see how eating and drinking here will be more experiential than a lot of other restaurants.

So as you read on, hopefully even if you get a snippet of how this place evokes these kinds of memories and images, you can see how eating and drinking here will be more experiential than a lot of other restaurants.

Around 12 staff primed and ready for a couple of hours worth of ‘engagement’ sit down at the table in one of their lovely open rooms where you can still see the river...

The new wines that have been selected and what we tasted were an eclectic mix of styles each with a story attached to them, or a point of interest more than just things like how long it has spent in oak barrels and whether its screw-cap or not.  These wines have their own unique points; if these wines were walking down the catwalk, you would be scribbling away in your notebook and taking photos, put it that way!

So, the wines we tasted were -

ERA Falanghina from Italy
Tulbagh Chenin Blanc from South Africa
Las Boleras Pinot Gris from Argentina
Quinta de Gomariz Loureiro (Vinho Verde) from Portugal
Chablis 'Vacoupin' Domaine Gautheron from France
Le Poussin Rose from France
La Playa Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile
Salice Salentino from Italy
Crozes Hermitage from France
Chateau Sauman from Bordeaux, France

Old, new, fruity, savoury, oaked and un-oaked, altitude, latitude, foody wines, glugging wines - I could go on and use lots of superlatives!  Each of the wines above are real 'Depot' wines in that people come in looking to spend some quality time with whomever they are with, with some great food, and a great glass to go with it, all whilst being right on the river and being very well looked after - oh and if the sun should make the odd appearance it would be most welcome. 

What made this session what it was, was the fact that it quickly transformed from formal into informal which is where Ellis come from and so made for a much more informative session when the hair is let done, the pre-conceptions (if any) are left at the door and the lid is off.  The guys and gals at The Depot made this a real pleasure to come and talk to them for a while and I do hope in time we can work more with them to ensure the best possible wines get the best possible treatment and in turn give the customer an even better experience.

 

Till the next post...better get cracking eh!!

The Depot Riverside Bar & Restaurant