The Cross

Only 40 minutes away from Inverness airport, the Cross restaurant with rooms, at Kingussie in the Spey valley, has an unusually international clientele. Swedes are the most evident, thanks to budget airline Snowflake, but the Cross plays host to visitors from all over Europe.
The converted tweed mill was snapped up by owners David and Katie Young in March 2003, after they upped sticks from Hampshire, where they had lived for 15 years. David had spent much of that time as the AA's chief hotel inspector but had always dreamed of opening his own place. "And it was time to get back to the mountains," he says.
Young also looked after the wine awards in the AA guide, dishing out the trophies to those who had impressed with their well-chosen lists. Well, now it's his turn - the Cross was shortlisted for an AA wine list award in the current guide and, with the launch of his new list this spring, is sure to gain greater recognition in years to come.
He has always had a passion for wine, but he inherited a rather large cellar when he took over at the Cross. For a 24-seat restaurant with eight bedrooms, 400 bins were more than merely adequate. And the former owner's anti-French stance meant there were no French wines on the list at all. "The first thing our customers said was, ‘Thank God you're listing French wines again.' Some had even stayed away because there were no French wines on the list," says Young.
Having sold off the inherited list as bin ends and off-trade sales, Young set about putting together a more concise list of 180 bins. Organised by price, with special sections on France - he's a great Francophile - port, spirits and pudding wines, it's a trawl through some of his favourite wines. "We wanted to have and reflect our own taste with it, balancing that with what works commercially," he explains. "The key objective was to make sure everything on the list is available. There's nothing worse than getting excited about a wine, only to find that the restaurant has run out."
The Cross juggles nine suppliers, which all get credited on the list, with the 30 most popular wines - those priced from £18 to £27 - getting front-page billing. "I've made sure to include a range of different styles, regions and countries," Young says.
Best sellers include a Chilean Sauvignon Blanc (Haras de Pirque, £20), and an Argentinean Malbec (La Rareza, £22), but the majority of sales come via France. "I've tried to do something interesting with the classic French regions," Young says. "With Bordeaux, instead of listing all the big names, I've got a selection of second wines from famous producers."
Some wines come with a short tasting note. "Not every wine," he says, "just where I need to nudge people in that direction." Alsace is an example which needs some pushing, as is Germany, which Young says is still "a difficult sell". Surprisingly, Spanish wines, apart from Rioja, also fall into the hard-to-sell category. "I've given up selling Spain," he admits. "We just list wines from Rioja now - that's all our customers want."
For a man who, in his AA days, used to regularly bang on about the importance of offering a good selection of wines by the glass, it's rather disappointing to find out that the Cross offers only two. "There's just no call for it around here, and there's too much wastage," he admits, ruefully. Instead, the Cross offers 36 different half-bottles - which are going down extremely well, he reports.
Any other surprises? "Yes, pudding wine - they love it here," he replies. The restaurant has 25 dessert wines ranging from a late-harvest Tokaji Furmint to a Malaga from Telmo Rodriguez, and including a selection from cult Austrian producer Willi Opitz.
Desserts are head chef Becca Henderson's thing, and diners devour her chocolate fondant with chilli ice-cream, which Young likes to pair with a PX or Quinto do Crasto's LBV.
The Cross, Tweed Mill Brae, Ardbroilach Road, Kingussie, Inverness-shire. Tel: 01540 661166. Website: www.thecross.co.uk

BOXHEAD: what's on the list

BOXTEXT: Michel Arnoud Champagne NV, £37
Willi Opitz CuvŽe Viktoria, Brut RosŽ NV, £38
2002 Hugel Les Fleurs d'Alsace, France, £21
2002 Belgravia Chardonnay, Orange, Australia, £26
2001 Forrester Meinert Icon Chenin Blanc, South Africa, £37
2002 Martinborough Vineyards Pinot Gris, New Zealand, £35
1996 L'Esprit de Chevalier Pessac-LŽognan, France, £38
2003 Domaine de Milhomme Perrin Beaujolais, France, £20
2001 Tenute San Marco Primitivo del Salento, Italy, £19
2003 Bodegas Campillo Rioja Rosado, Spain, £25
2000 Villa Pillo Syrah IGT, Italy, £32

CAPTION: The Cross at Kingussie: international clientele