Our Wine Ethos

At FJB, we take our wine very seriously. Those that make the grade need to tick three boxes: they must be well-balanced, good value and a true representation of their origin.

But the wines that make it onto our lists are by no means there to stay. To maintain the very best quality, I taste every wine at least twice a year, checking for vintage variations to ensure each wine tastes as good as when we first selected it. So if a particular producer has a bad vintage, the wine will not be continued. Simple!

We also like to ensure our wines do justice to our food, which is why our lists evolve with the seasonal variations to our chefs’ menus. Matching our wines with our dishes is all part of the FJB dining experience, after all!

Of course we pay homage to the classics, but true to FJB’s quest for the best, we have some quirky numbers, too. You’re likely to stumble across varieties that are rarely seen outside their own local markets, let alone the South Coast of England! And because we’re also lovers of local, as of this year we’ll be stocking eight different English wines across the FJB Group, with three of them Dorset born and bred. What better way to compliment our locally sourced seafood and meat?

We’re also fortunate enough to be able to buy a range of fine wines ‘en primier’ (direct) every year, storing them for years until they’ve reached their peak drinking age. All our fine wines are carefully selected either by myself or by FJB’s Managing Director, Mr Butterworth. By sourcing these wines directly we’re able to cut out the middleman, giving us a unique opportunity to offer guests some of the best wines in the world, without the price tag.

New and exciting wine regions are popping up all the time. Unsurprisingly, these also make it onto our lists. For instance, Argentina, South Africa and Languedoc-Roussillon are three of our favourite upcoming regions, with all of them producing exciting wines that are good value. I’d definitely recommend trying one when you next visit.

Feel free to pop by one of our hotels to peruse our range of whites, reds and sparkles – I’d be happy to talk you through them!

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