For the first in a new series of wine columns with Inverarity Morton, SLTN popped into Glasgow institution The Buttery to talk wine and food pairing with director Gavin Cuthbertson and sommelier Mark Keating.
The Buttery lays claim to being the oldest restaurant in Glasgow, having first opened its doors all the way back in 1870. These days, the legendary venue offers customers a seasonally-changing menu of fresh Scottish produce paired with a range of top class wines.
The Wine
Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie
125ml: £5.50 / 175ml: £8 / 250ml: £11
Bottle: £35
The Dish
Seafood Marie Rose (crab, prawn, crayfish, lobster, hot smoked salmon, toasted brioche, mixed peppers, bloody mary dressing)
How would you describe the customer demographic at The Buttery?
Gavin Cuthbertson, director: “We get a lot of tourism from the hotels, which we’ve always had. The concierges all help us out. Plus we’ve got a good name – The Buttery has always been known as a prestigious restaurant.
“We get a lot of locals, a lot of people traveling from Edinburgh and a lot of visitors to the city. So it’s a good mix.
“We have customers that come in every week. We have some that come every month. Some come just for anniversaries and birthdays.
“It’s a special place to a lot of people.”
How do you approach changing the menu?
Gavin: “Chef normally provides a menu which we’ll discuss and tweak, and then when we’re happy with that we’ll usually give it to the wine suppliers for them to offer suggestions. Mark usually has some ideas in his head of what he wants to offer as well. We rely on Mark. He’s got an infinite wine knowledge.”
What food will you be pairing with the wine, and why?
Mark Keating, sommelier: “We have a seafood marie rose cocktail with brioche and then we have smoked salmon, prawns, langoustine, some lobster on there, and we have the traditional marie rose dressing but there’s also a bloody mary additional dressing.
“When you’ve got spice involved, or even salt, you want to go for a wine that doesn’t have too much acidity or it starts to jar. That’s why we’ve gone for the Pinot Grigio; it’s quite rounded, with peach flavours, stone fruit.
“It’s a Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie, so it’s a DOC. So it’s not your mass-produced Pinot Grigio that can often taste kind of watered down. This has a bit of body to it. A nice soft palate. Soft fruit and quite low acidity, so it can complement and handle the spice in the bloody mary dressing.”
How important is it to have a strong relationship with your wine supplier?
Mark: “It’s really important. When you’re going through your menu changes, it’s important to be fluid in the market. You don’t want to go down the route of ‘this is the wine list and it doesn’t change’.
“And to have that good relationship – to be able to go to tastings so we can see what’s new, what’s trending or what might work with a specific dish is very important.”
How important a customer is The Buttery for Inverarity Morton?
Stephen Russell, managing director, Inverarity Morton: “We’re delighted to showcase our wines in such an iconic Glasgow restaurant.
“The Buttery has long been admired – and frequented – by us.”
To find out more about how the Inverarity Morton team can work with you on your wine range visit inveraritymorton.com
