Excellent meal@Sweet Melindas, Edinburgh

Sherries from Gutiérrez Colosía on the opening page of the wine list at Sweet Melindas

Almost the moment we received an email telling us that we would be eating at Sweet Melindas, a restaurant specialising in fish, during our short stop-over in Edinburgh, we got a text from friends who were enjoying a meal at the restaurant and recommending it to us. 

So when we sat down at our table on Saturday night we had high expectations. Any concerns I might I have had were immediately still when I opened the wine list to find that the first page was devoted to three Sherries from Bodegas Gutiérrez Colosía (http://www.gutierrez-colosia.com/). Gutiérrez Colosía, which was established in 1838, is not a bodega I have come across before, so I was delighted to be able to try the wines and even more to see a restaurant that has the cojones to lead with wines from Jerez, even if they are more fashionable than they were. 

Three Sherries were listed: a fino, an amontillado and a Pedro Ximenez. They are offered either by the glass (125ml) or by the carafe (250 ml). The carafe is a really good idea not only is it proportionally slightly cheaper (Fino: £4.20 a glass/ carafe £8.20/ Amontillado: £5.80 a glass/ carafe £11.30). As there were four of us we choose a carafe of fino and one of amontillado. The amontillado was particularly good and complex. 

2011 Grüner Veltliner Terrassen Federspiel, Domaine Wachau

The food lived up to this bright start, especially my perfectly cooked scallops, crab pasta dish. After the two Sherries we drank quite a floral but crisp 2011 Grüner Veltliner from Domaine Wachau that matched our fish dishes very well. 

When, at the end of the meal, I said how good it was to see a restaurant promoting Sherry, we were told that they were looking to add an Oloroso but they didn't think the one from Gutiérrez Colosía was good enough, so they were looking elsewhere. Clearly at Sweet Melindas they do take great care with our wine list.