Whilst (sadly) there are few similarities in the weather, Western Australia and West Yorkshire’s Leeds can both confidently claim affinity in one major area – the quality and diversity of their respective food and drink scenes. Both are home to a tantalising range of independent eateries, world-class breweries and purveyors of very fine produce indeed.
As I kicked off my week of taste-mastery by paying a visit to the finest source of fine wine in the city, I couldn’t help but think what a lucky lot us Leeds folk are. Hidden away in the business district of Leeds, Lazy Lounge is a relaxed, welcoming wine bar offering an award-winning selection of tasty wines from around the world. Its talents stretch beyond wine also, with an exceptional and ever-growing gin list, a bounty of whiskies and a collection of rather moreish cocktails to name just a few of the many other strings to its bow. Topped off with an excellent food menu and a gorgeous interior adorned in the very finest of viticultural paraphernalia, Lazy Lounge is a very special bar indeed.
Guided by the expert skills of owner Tom Bailey, I spent the afternoon chatting wine and sampling some of Lazy Lounge’s finest Aussie tipples. Tom was keen to dispel stereotypes about Australian wine and introduced me to wines by Australian Winemaker Philip Shaw, who is renowned for taking the stereotypical qualities of a grape and changing them slightly. I tasted a 2011 Shiraz intriguingly named ‘The Idiot’, which was smooth and plumby rather than having the peppery and tannin-rich structure I normally associate with an Australian Shiraz. Tom’s pièce de résistance was ‘the Vigneron’, a Chardonnay from Grant Burge in the Barossa Valley, which Tom excitedly declared his favourite Australian Chardonnay EVER. Crisp with a long, rich finish, sipping on such an amazing array of fine Australian wines was a delicious way to spend a Friday afternoon indeed!
Tom’s passion for wine knows no bounds and he was kind enough to suffer my countless questions throughout the afternoon. Whether you’re a Lazy Lounge regular or ready to discover its delights for the first time, enjoy these five facts that Tom shared with me about himself, Lazy Lounge and the world of wine!
- At the tender age of just 31, Tom is the Owner of Lazy Lounge, having taken over ownership of the bar a couple of years ago as a 30th birthday present to himself!
- Lazy Lounge really know its wine. It won the prestigious imbibe ‘Wine Bar Wine List of the Year’ award in 2012, beating off competition from the likes of Gordon Ramsay’s Claridge’s Bar! Highly respected in the industry, Lazy Lounge has been a finalist in the awards ever since the bar opened.
- Tom’s favourite wine is Alsace Riesling, which he describes as relatively cheap but fantastic. His favourite Western Australian wine variety is the Semillon produced in the Margaret River region.
- Tom’s favourite wine fact relates to Cristal Champagne, which you’ll likely be familiar with as the tipple sipped by those with money to burn! Tom told me that Cristal was first made by Louis Roederer in the late 1800s for the Russian Tsar Alexander II, who at the time feared assassination. He was paranoid that someone would be able to hide a bomb in the curved base and dark green bottles that champagne is usually presented in, so Louis Roederer commissioned a glassmaker to create a clear glass Champagne bottle with a flat bottom. Tom revealed that the curved base (or punt) is normally essential to control the pressure of Champagne in the bottle, but the expensive crystal combatted this issue – and so Cristal was born!
- It’s all about the independents when it comes to high quality wine, so Tom advises that you should always try and buy independent if you can.
Not only does Lazy Lounge offer the chance to have a delicious sup of something decadent in stylish surroundings, it also offers regular tasting events to introduce you to the world of wine! If you haven’t already, get down to Lazy Lounge as soon as you can, meet Tom and enjoy!