Our Story
In 2011, we – Clare and Iain – took over Coruisk House, a traditional croft house in the village of Elgol which boasts some of the most wonderful scenery on Skye and perhaps the whole country. Coruisk House, named after Loch Coruisk (shown above) which nestles in the middle of the brooding Cuillin mountains just behind the house, has been a boarding house since the early years of the last century, and more recently a small local restaurant.
We have continued this tradition, and in so doing, created a warm, stylish and intimate restaurant with rooms, a perfect and secluded bolthole from which to explore the mountains, moors, wild western shoreline and nearby islands.
Coruisk House now includes luxurious accommodation in the adjoining croft cottage, and our food, designed to celebrate local meats, game, fish and shellfish with elegance and simplicity, has won many plaudits, with entries in the Michelin Guide, The Good Food Guide, the Good Hotel Guide, Scotland the Best, and others, and awards from Sawdays as Newcomer of the Year, the Skye based Taste Local awards, and recommendations in the Daily Telegraph, the SundayTimes, The London Metro and others.
“Our food, designed to celebrate local meats, game, fish and shellfish with elegance and simplicity, has won many plaudits…”
At the heart of what we do there has always been our wine list. From the very beginning, we have shared a fierce commitment to ensure that every wine should be a treat, from the lowest level right up to the finest wines. As soon as possible, we began using the winter season to visit winemakers in Europe to explore and taste so as to be sure that what we offered met with our own approval.
We have tasted wines across Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Veneto and the Rhône valley. And when not travelling, we are adamant that every wine has to be tried and tested so that we can feel confident that anything we recommend to our guests is delicious and value for money.
“At the heart of what we do there has always been our wine list.”
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Wines
We admit it – Burgundies have a special place in our hearts, and in our cellar! Iain’s love affair with Burgundy began over 30 years ago; Clare’s began at around the same time as her love affair with Iain, which Iain regarded as almost too good to be true…
There is something truly beautiful about the loveliest Burgundies, whether the finest Meursault or Chambertin, or just a well made honest Bourgogne. The rich red fruit and velvety tannins of the reds, the buttery hazelnuts and peaches of the whites. But they can be tricky – it can be a complex area with the risk of spending a lot of money on reputation and not much on taste. This is why we decided to use our experience, and the opportunities that we have to taste all our restaurant wines, to make our special wines available to everyone across the Highlands under the banner of Skye Fine Wines.
“We admit it – Burgundies have a special place in our hearts, and in our cellar!”
France, Italy, Germany, the New World, and …..Sussex?
Of course, it is not just about Burgundy: our Rhône wines are wonderful, our Bordeaux tasted alongside a huge St Bernard and underneath a sleeping bat in a Mediaeval Castle; we would love you to taste what a classic Soave really tastes like, not the standard supermarket fare. And the silver lining to the cloud of climate change is that Sussex has not just the same geology as Champagne, but also now the same climate – and we have a special connection with the award winning sparkling winemakers of Southern England.
You might be anywhere in the magnificent Highlands and Islands of Scotland. You may even live on the beautiful Isle of Skye itself, or may be visiting to soak up its mountains, lochs and shores. You can taste its delicious lobster, langoustine, scallops and mussels, its wild venison, Hebridean mutton and Highland beef. But something is missing… allow us to supply the finishing touch.
“France, Italy, Germany, the New World, and …..Sussex?”
