Natural Wine

Tuesday, 03 September 2010

Pimpernel is pleased as punch to report that the Scarlet now stocks natural wines.

What, I hear you ask, is a natural wine? And how does it differ from the organic stuff?

If you are a grape connoisseur, forgive me, as I am now going to indulge in a little lesson on natural libation.

Natural wines are lovingly produced by small, committed artisan growers lovingly produce natural wines working sustainably, organically or biodynamically – exactly the sort of thing the Scarlet loves.

These uncompromising purists insist on making their wines with wild yeast, without added sugar or sulphur, unfiltered and unclarified. The result is a wine that most naturally represents its "terroir", or sense of place.

How does a natural wine differ from an organic one? Organic wine uses organically grown grapes, but may be subject to technical manipulation in the winemaking process.

Sulphur dioxide, also known as sulphites, is used by more than 99 per cent of winemakers as a preservative and disinfectant. It's often added to freshly picked grapes and during the winemaking process to kill off bacteria or wild yeasts.

The con to this is that sulphur dioxide can sometimes have a strong odour and – rightly or wrongly, Pimpernel does not know – is blamed for causing many a hangover headache. This is possibly because the sulphites destroy thiamine (vitamin B1) and are thought to destroy folic acid. It can, claim some, even trigger an asthma attack.

Pimpernel looks forward to reclining languidly on the relaxation terrace with a fine glass of natural red and researching whether natural wines really do eliminate the hangover headache.

I leave you with a vino vignette from Mr W B Yeats:

A Drinking Song

Wine comes in at the mouth


And love comes in at the eye;


That's all we shall know for truth


Before we grow old and die.


I lift the glass to my mouth,


Ilook at you, and I sigh.

Comments:  add new

Scarlet recognised for sustainability

Wednesday, 11 August 2010

A pleased-as-punch Pimpernel was all blushes this week on hearing that the Scarlet has been shortlisted for the European Hotel Design Awards 2010.

A discerning panel of judges had the difficult task of sifting through countless entries. In the end, they decided that the Scarlet was worthy of shortlisting in the new build and sustainability categories.

As Pimpernel never tires of telling you, the people that own the hotel and the people that work here really do care very much about reducing our negative impact on the environment without compromising the experience or service guests receive.

Indeed, we set out to build a new hotel because we wanted to show that sumptuous need not mean unsustainable, and that luxury isn't necessarily a guilty pleasure.

The ‘Cherish our World’ ethos, carried by all of the Scarlet team, is not simply something that we feel is right; it is a necessity and our way of life.

We recognise that as a relatively large hospitality organisation, we have a responsibility to reduce our negative impacts on the environment and our local community; we…

…manage our waste

Reduce
We work closely with our suppliers and sub-contractors to ensure that the amount of waste that we produce is minimised from the outset.
Reuse
We reuse all items that we can, for example if guests decide not to take their handmade, organic soap home with them we reuse it in our laundry as a stain remover.
Recycle
We recycle everything that we can; paper, cardboard, tins, cans, plastics, glass – even our candle wax is sent back to back to our local candle company to be used again!
 
…reduce our carbon footprint

- We have solar panels to heat the indoor swimming pool
- We have a biomass boiler, run on sustainable wood chips, to heat the hotel
- We have installed a natural ventilation system rather than use air conditioning units
- The hotel has high levels of  insulation throughout reducing heat loss
- Our electricity is supplied by Ecotricity ensuring it comes from a renewable energy source
- We encourage our staff to car share
…support our local community     
- We have a buy local, buy responsible policy which applies to all produce, products & services             
- We are corporate sponsors of, and support a number of local charities
- We actively support social and environmental projects within our local area
- We help to organise and run beach cleans at Mawgan Porth beach
- We work with local schools and colleges
- We provide advice and information for other businesses

We are committed to decreasing any negative impacts we have on our stunning surroundings, continually improving upon our positive environmental and social efforts, ensuring that we deliver a high quality, environmentally sensitive hotel.

For more information on the awards, please click here.

Comments:  add new

just come home from a long weekend break at The Scarlett and we'er planning our next visit already!! we loved everything about this beautiful hotel. The Spa was delightful,the food was amazing,the beach took our breath away and the staff made our wknd so special. long may you reign supreeme hotel of our year !! Jon & Rosemary

, 29/08/2010 14:25:29

Pimpernel welcomes a new friend

Monday, 30 July 2010

 

Comments:  add new