Le Di-Vin: sharing food and drink with friends

Le Di-Vin wine bar sits next to and behind La P’tite Folie in Tudor House and is part of the same family. With its double-height ceiling and muted colour scheme, it’s an elegant space. I celebrated a birthday there a couple of years ago, on the mezzanine in the back. It was a great place to be as it was private enough for a party, but inherits the buzz of the wine bar. Last week, C. and I went to Le Di-Vin to try their new sharing plates.

Charcuterie planchette and bread at Le Di-Vin, Edbinrguh.

Jesus de Pays Basque and Italian ham with herbs.

I’ve mentioned before that I like a good sharing plate. I also like a good bottle of wine. Le Di-Vin gives you both. We ordered a bottle of Yalumba Riesling, which turned out to be a favourite of our server who has spent some time at the Yalumba vineyard. Furnished with cool glasses of flavoursome, straw-coloured wine, we had a few pieces of bread, and chatter while we waited for the first platter.

On a Wednesday night, colleagues and couples out to share a bottle or to relax over a glass of wine sit at tables or lounge at the Le Di-Vin bar. Wine is why people go here. There’s a varied and interesting wine list with a good selection of wines by the glass. The clientèle is mixed with a good blend of business people and more casual drinkers. I was really impressed with the range of flavours and textures that the sharing platters offered.

The first platter or planchette as it is on the menu, we had was a delicious mix of charcuteries. C. stuck to the olives and bread while I indulged in a very good rillette on a crunchy crouton, Italian ham with herbs, Jésus de Pays Basque, Parma ham, saucisson de Pyrénées and chorizo. It was all delicious – the Italian ham moist and flavoursome, sweet in comparison to the rich chorizo and melting Parma ham. I hadn’t had Jésus de Basque before. ‘Jésus’ refers to the way the meat is swaddled in the skins like ‘a baby Jesus’ and you get them from all over France. The saucisson was also very good. The thin slices had a clear white rind, like a salami, and a robust scent and flavour that I really enjoyed.

A feast of wonderful cheese. The washed rind cheese is Livarot, a delicious new friend.

C. joined me when the cheese was brought out. Le Di-Vin serve cheese that is good and ready so what’s on the board will differ from week to week. We shared Tomme de Savoie – a favourite of mine – goats cheese, Livarot, Brie de Meaux, Cheddar and Morbier. Grapes, apricot chutney from Bute, and oatcakes accompanied the cheese. After Herve Mons talk at  the Talking Chefs event, I spend more time feeling and sniffing cheese before eating it. Good cheese, like chocolate, melts in the mouth and I particularly like one that wraps itself around your back teeth.

The cheeseboard was relatively mild, but had an interesting range of flavours: Livarot is a washed rind cows-milk cheese that has a whiff of the barnyard if you sniff it hard. It melts in the mouth and has a nice rind. The brie was wonderful. Completely ripe, with snap in the rind and strong, clean mushroom flavours. The Morbier had a firm rind, a delicate streak of ash in the middle and a soothing mild taste. The goats cheese was fresh and citrussy in flavour and wonderfully creamy and smooth.

Perfect Brie de meaux with plump, dark grapes.

Le Di-Vin is a good place to meet a friend for wine and cheese of an evening. You can decide how much you want. The sharing planchettes start from tapas size for £5.50 and goes up through medium at £15.00 and large at £26.00. There are also mixed cheese and charcuterie platters and fish platters, if you want to mix it up a little.

Le Di-Vin

9 Randolph Pl, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh EH3 7TE
Phone: 0131 538 1815
Book a table online.

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Last updated by Caroline von Schmalensee at October 8, 2016.