We were recommended the Pouilly Fumé from Pascal Jolivet. Jolivet is a well respected producer and has been exporting their wines here for years and has worked with MMI for a long time.

This one didn’t disappoint. At AED 350 (US $95) it is a little expensive, but it has a freshness and although slightly green, a round and full style, with a back drop of sharp minerality. Great Pouilly Fumé really, so a good recommendation to be fair.

That devoured, we had to hit a red!

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Worried after my memories of the previous problems choosing a white, I again asked for a recommendation and said I wanted something Italian to go with the pasta I had ordered.

We ordered the Folonari Bardolino. Folonari do not try and complicate things, or over sell themselves. They even do bag-in-a-box wines which sell really well.

Still, at AED 150 (US $41), this Bardolino was a bit of a bargain.

Folonari describe this wine as “Pale ruby red colour, with fresh and fruity bouquet with hints of wild cherries and violets”. The wild cherries were hard to detect from the astringency of the wine, and you got a sense that a couple of months more in oak would have given it a rounder feel, but fair enough, it went well with the pasta and did what it promises on the label. For once, an honest Italian wine!

So a couple of bottles down, with a heavy tummy from the pasta, what did I make of the four-star experience?

Well, there is certainly a need here for some attention to detail.

The restaurant itself was ok, but the wine list was poor — not the wines per se, but the way it was organised, spelt, described and categorised.

If the hotel industry is going to get more people drinking wine, then they have to do a lot better than this.

Watch this space though: a trip to three-star may be in order for next month!