Sune, second time
A return to Sune in Hackney: thoughtful food, natural wines, and markup regret
Sometimes a great trip to a restaurant can be slightly marred afterwards. If you’re someone that spends too much time looking into where a wine came from after leaving the restaurant, and eventually noticing the retail price, this can happen often.
This is the second time we’ve been to Sune in Hackney. The food and service is fantastic, as delicious and attentive as you like. I was saddened to read (in Nick Lander’s profile: here) that their chef is moving on soon, whoever replaces him has some big shoes to fill. The pork, from nearby Hill & Szrok butchers, is some of the best in London. The use of the open flame grill is what takes the flavour to the next level.
We started with two glasses of the sparklings by the glass: the first: NV Extra Brut 'G4.2' Champagne from Lequeux-Mercier. We were told the G4.2 spent 11 years before disgorgement, I liked its heavy texture, and felt I could taste each of those 11 years, liquid bread. Some marzipan, nuttiness, and bruised apple thrown in for good measure.
Next was 2023 ‘Kaos’ Pinot Gris Col Fondo from M. Wright. This proved more divisive. My partner generally steers clear of funky wines, and to be honest, neither of us knew what Col Fondo meant at the time, I thought it was part of the name! (We later learn that: wines made as Col Fondo go through the traditional method but with no disgorgement, so the lees are present in the bottle that arrives at your table). Oh well, more wine for me as she didn’t finish it. Enjoyable, and probably more serious than you’d expect.
To go with the food-proper, we went for the 2021 Xinomavro 'Xi-Ro', Ktima Ligas. Powerful aroma here. Sour red fruits of raspberry and red cherries, with some blackcurrant. Slightly herbal too, along with dried red fruits. Despite the nose, on the palate I felt this was a bit thin and perhaps too acidic? Big on tannin without the flavour intensity to match which was a shame. Possibly needed a few more years. Disappointedly this was ~3x the retail price at £93. I had been considering the Guy Breton P’tit Max (famed Beaujolais producer) at a similar price point which I think would have been the right way to go.
Still, the restaurant is fantastic. Do go, but if you suffer from whatever I suffer from, have a sneaky Google on the wine mark-up first.