London Pub Review: The Spotted Horse, Putney

Last night I went out in Putney and attempted to rely on the Internet to choose a suitable casual bar, with food options and a decent wine list. I was quite happy in finding the Web site for Lou Hannah, only to discover once I was on the High Street that it's turned into a different bar with a new name, now focusing on cocktails and very little on wine or beer. Hmf.

We walked down the street searching for an alternate venue and decided to give the Spotted Horse a try. It looked cozy and was crowded enough for a Tuesday night to be promising. Still in the mood for wine, I searched the wines by the glass list and was satisfied by the options, but not overly impressed. The Spotted Horse is a pub in the Young's chain, but it still seemed to retain a certain amount of individuality in the mixed furniture, varied seating options and raised central fireplace. The wine list had the predictable crowd-pleasers such as Pinot Grigio and Crianza Rioja by the glass, but I would say that it was overall better-than-average for a pub wine selection.

I opted to try a glass of Roussanne, a Rhone Valley white varietal because I was a. in the mood for white, and b. pleasantly surprised to see something like Roussanne on the menu even in it's Vin de Pays d'Oc (table wine) version. Unfortunately I was served the dregs of an already open (but suctioned close) bottle with a dash of a newly opened bottle to top up the glass. The scent was surprising, almost funky, maybe herbaceous. I couldn't really tell but I was already worried. It tasted pleasant though, and it was expectedly medium-bodied and dry, so I was happy.

I would definitely go back to the Spotted Horse, even for wine, as they do have a number of interesting wines by the bottle on the medium-sized drinks menu. My only complaint is that the tea lights adorning each table kept burning out and after four attempts to secure candles from other tables (that each snuffed out fairly quickly), I gave up.