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Slideshow
8 of London’s best new restaurants for wine
London’s restaurant scene is ever-changing and always evolving, but not all new restaurants put as much emphasis on their wine list as their food offer. Here we round up some of the newest restaurants to hit the capital, which have the interests of the wine lover at heart, as judged by Wine List Confidential.
Wine List Confidential is a wine list ratings website and mobile app designed to be a transparent, straightforward way to connect wine lovers with the best wine-focused restaurants.
Using a numeric rating system, Wine List Confidential allows wine lovers to quickly compare the wine offer in restaurants, whatever the food or format.
Using a simple 100-point scale, Wine List Confidential scores restaurants on the most important aspects of their wine offering – from pricing and service, to the range, size and originality of the selection. These individual ratings are then used to create an overall Wine List Confidential Score for every restaurant reviewed.
The free-to-use resource will initially focus on London’s top restaurant and wine venues, but is set to expand to cover other major cities around the world.
Here, we present some of the most recent additions to Wine List Confidential, highlighting some of London’s newest restaurants with a focus on wine – as judged by Wine Lists Confidential’s team of experts.
8. Lorne
Cursive text, soft pastel colours, a plethora of plants and simple green hue – if Lorne had an aura it would be calm and tranquil. Five minutes walk from Victoria station, which ironically is decidedly un-tranquil, it is part of a recent flurry of gastronomic ventures that have sprung up in this once culinary wasteland.
Its wine list is headed up by sommelier Katie Exton, formerly of The Square, who opened Lorne earlier this year alongside ex-The Square chef Peter Hall serving modern British dishes such as mackerel with ratte potatoes, cucumber and nasturtium.
Its wine list, much like its decor, is simple and unfussy, and all the better for it. Its by-the-glass and carafe menu is short and concise, with a good range prices, interesting whites and reds, including a £9 Chardonnay from Kumeu River and a bold Xinomavro from Naoussa in northern Greece. Notably its by the glass offer begins with a Beaujolais at £4.50 – an increasing rarity in London. Its by the bottle menu is diverse, balanced and reasonably priced.
An interesting list with plenty of choice – without being flabby – to suit all tastes.
Wine List Confidential overall position: 192
7. Elystan Street
Opened in 2016, Elystan Street is co-owned by chef Phil Howard and restaurateur Rebecca Mascarenhas, with a kitchen led by head chef Toby Burrows who worked in Howard’s previous restaurant, The Square. Howard opened Michelin-starred The Square with Nigel Platts Martin in 1991 and remained at the helm for 25 years.
Elystan Street was founded on Howard’s desire to cook “simpler food” with an emphasis on “pure, clean and lighter dishes”, ergo dishes such as Smoked mackeral velouté with Porthilly oysters, leek hearts and smoked eel toast.
Its wine list, headed up by sommelier Yann Prigent, offers a comprehensive selection of heavyweight wines, from Italy’s Sassicaia and Spain’s Vega Sicilia, as well as a plentiful bounty of Bordeaux and Burgundy, to more entry-lever offers, starting from £23 for a bottle of Vinho Verde, to more unusual offers including a Cretan Assyrtiko and a Hungarian Furmint.
Reliable and well-honed, this is a diverse and inoffensive list.
Wine List Confidential overall position: 172
6. Clarette
From wine royalty comes Clarette, which is co-owned by Alexandra Petit – the youngest daughter of Château Margaux owner Corinne Mentzelopoulos. Petit’s co-owner is famed French restaurant consultant Natsuko Perromat du Marais, who spent 10 years working for the Alain Ducasse group, with Château Margaux brand ambassador Thibault Pontallier also on board.
Situated in a former pub in Marylebone, Clarette is split into three areas, including a second-floor private dining room, a ground floor bar with communal table and first floor restaurant.
As expected, its list heaps a special emphasis on Margaux, with vintages dating back to 1983 in a range of 75ml, Magnum and Jeroboam formats listed, however expect markups to match its prestige with a bottle of 2009 Margaux at £950 (typically around £600, according to Wine Searcher).
Aside from its Margaux offering, Clarette’s wine list is diverse, wide-ranging and approachable, and not at all intimidating – in a good way. Its list is both confident and assured, without being pretentious. Yes, it carries a an £1,800 magnum of 1996 Château Margaux, but its also offers a perfectly pleasant Italian Pecorino at £4.50 a glass.
Wine List Confidential overall position: 109
5. Cabotte
Founded by Master Sommeliers Xavier Rousset and Gearoid Devaney, Cabotte is a showcase of the pair’s passion for Burgundy (several of its partners are Burgundian winemakers) and is named after the small huts that winegrowers have within their vineyards.
True to its unswerving theme, Cabotte’s wine list is made up almost exclusively of Burgundian classics, alongside interesting rarities, and is divided by region and then classification – offering helpful guidance for the uninitiated as well as those well versed in Burgundy. Its 24-page list covers every inch of the region, sweeping from Chablis to the Mâconnaise, offering a good range of vintages – albeit only a handful from the 20th century – from villages to grand cru vineyards.
On the sparkling side, its Champagne list offers a diverse array of grand marques and grower Champagnes, from Dom Pérignon and Bollinger to A.R Lenoble and De Sousa, along with one English sparkling wine from Gusbourne, a nice touch in an otherwise wholly French list.
The rest of the world is not totally ignored, with a few pages dedicated to wines from regions in France other than Burgundy, Spain and Italy, with sparse listings from New World producers.
This is an unashamedly Francophile wine list, and it works.
Expert Picks
• Albert Bichot, Pure, Crémant de Bourgogne – France – Sparkling – £39
• Domaine Michel Lafarge, Les Aigrots, 2010 1er Cru, Beaune – France – White – £115
• McHenry Hohnen, 2012, Burnside Vineyard, Margaret River – Australia – White – £49
• Domaine Taupenot-Merme, 1998, Charmes Chambertin, Côte de Beaune – France – Red – £300
• Ridge Vineyards, Monte Bello, 1992, Santa Cruz Mountains – USA – Red – £400
• Terrantez ‘Frasqueira’, 1977, D’Oliveiras, Madeira – Portugal – Fortified – £160
4. Mere
Mere in Fitzrovia is the debut solo venture of Monica Galetti, a chef who has worked alongside Michel Roux Jr. at Le Gavroche in Mayfair since 1999, most recently as senior sous-chef at the two star restaurant. Named after her Samoan mother, Mere is a joint venture between Galetti, who many will recognise from her stints as a judge on MasterChef: The Professionals, and her French sommelier husband David, who she met while working at Le Gavroche.
Curated by David, Mere’s wine list boasts a rich selection of wines grouped by variety rather than region, with a strong selection from New Zealand via the likes of a zippy, lime-laced Wild Earth Riesling 2016 from Central Otago and a Chenin Blanc from Gisborne’s Millton Vineyards, and a Malbec from Argentina heavyweight Catena to name a few of the more off-piste offers. These sit comfortably alongside old world heavyweights from Burgundy and Bordeaux, and Mere’s own-label “Mere” grand cru Champagne, from Duval Leroy. Its by-the-glass selection makes use of the wine gadget Coravin, while a selection of half bottle size wines are also available.
This is a wine list that, much like Galetti and her approach to classic French cuisine, has thrown out the rulebook as to what’s expected of a fine, albeit it casual, dining experience.
Expert Picks
• Brut Reserve, 2013, Gusbourne Estate, Kent – England – Sparkling – £74
• Bien Nacido Hillside, 2011, Qupé, California – USA – White – £103
• Bodega Catena, Mendoza – Argentina – Red – £39
• Bodegas Pintia, 2006, Toro – Spain – Red – £100
• Château Suduiraut, 1989, Sauternes – France – Sweet – £129
Wine List Confidential overall position: 21
3. La Dame de Pic London
Anne-Sophie Pic’s debut London venture at the Four Seasons opened earlier this year, offering classic French fine dining with a twist, and, as you would imagine, a wine list brimming with French pride, specifically of the Rhône.
Anne-Sophie Pic is one of the most highly decorated chefs in France. With six Michelin stars to her name, including three at her flagship restaurant Maison Pic in Valance on the left bank of the Rhône, in 2011 she was voted the World’s 50 Best female chef of the year. Hailing from a family of culinary whizzes, Pic is the third generation of her clan to have earned three stars, and did so with no formal training.
La Dame de Pic (a play on the French for ‘the queen of spades’) is a London spin-off of her more casual restaurant in Paris.
Its wine list is curated by German-born head sommelier Jan Konetski – a former Moët UK Sommelier of the Year – who was plucked by The Four Seasons from the three Michelin-starred Gordon Ramsay Royal Hospital Road. The gargantuan list is spread over 43 pages with a focus on the Rhône, but not exclusively so, showcasing regional classics and lesser-known whites alike. French classics are at home at Le Dame Pic, but hunt carefully and you will find some esoteric gems.
Jan oversees the wine lists for La Dame de Pic London and other dining outlets at Four Seasons Hotel London at Ten Trinity Square, including the Ten Trinity Square Private Club.
Expert picks
• Fleury, ‘Sonate’, Extra-Brut, 2011, Champagne – France – Sparkling – £180
• Domaine Zind Humbrecht, Grand Cru Goldert, Muscat, 2013, Alsace – France – White – £75
• Château Sainte Marguerite, 2016, Côtes de Provence – France – Rosé – £50
• Marco de Bartoli, ‘Integer’, Zibibbo, 2014, Pantelleria – Italy – Orange – £79
• Domaine René Rostaing, ‘Ampodium’, 2009, Côte-Rôtie – France – Red – £145
Wine List Confidential overall position: 16
2. The Game Bird at The Stafford
The Game Bird opened in March of this year, offering informal dining within the grand surrounds of The Stafford Hotel in London’s St James, under the eye of decorated chef James Durrant in March. Having spent 20 years in the trade, Durrant’s previous posts include stints at Royal Hospital Road, Gordon Ramsay’s three-Michelin-starred Maze, Claridge’s, again under the tutelage of Ramsay, and again at Maze, returning as head chef working alongside Jason Atherton. In 2010 James left Maze to pursue his ambition of opening his own restaurant, temporarily working as a Private Chef for the Rothschild family, and later launching The Plough Inn in Longparish, Hampshire, in 2012, which has since closed.
The Game Bird sits alongside The Stafford’s existing private dining rooms, its 380-year-old wine cellars, and American Bar, with Durrant working closely with Master Sommelier Gino Nardella to bring its wine and food offer together. The 600-strong wine list, while vast in its scope, offers a careful balance of new and old world wines with prices ranging from a comfortable £39 Chardonnay from Chile’s Aconcagua, to a wallet-busting £3,450 for a Château Mouton-Rothschild 1982, as well as a robust by the glass offer.
The historic wine cellar’s main purpose is to house back vintages of Bordeaux, Burgundy and beyond, but at its very depths is a ‘secret’ collection of WW2 memorabilia, left behind by visiting soldiers in the 1930s and 40s, which Nardella will show you if you ask nicely.
Expert Picks
• Gosset, Grand Millesime, 2006, Champagne – France – Sparkling – £158
• Frog’s Leap, 2014, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley – USA – White – £52.00
• Domaine Thibert, Saint Veran, 2014, Mâconnais – France – White – £52.50
• Armand Rousseau, 1999, Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru, Burgundy – France – Red – £765
• Cousiño Macul, Lota, 2006, Maipo Valley – Chile – Red – £98.50
Wine List Confidential overall position: 14
1. Blandford Comptoir
Blandford Comptoir is the latest opening from Master Sommelier Xavier Rousset, who is also behind Cabotte near Bank – both of which opened in 2016. Prior to this, Rousset co-founded the wine bar group, 28-50 Wine Workshop & Kitchen, which included sites on Fetter Lane, Marylebone and Maddox as of 2015.
Based in Marylebone, it offers a Mediterranean menu, with an Italian slant, alongside a continually evolving fine wine list, numbering 250 wines and 40 Champagnes.
Its most recent list, published on 25 July 2017, fits neatly across four pages, but is so well stocked with vinous treats no further pages are needed. Wines are divided by price, starting from £25-£35, and rising to £45-£70, with its Blandford Collection featuring its higher-priced wines. At its backbone is a selection of carefully constructed new and old world heavyweights and older vintages, interspersed with a number of more left field offers, which combine to create a list that cannot fail to get the tails of wine lovers wagging.
The Blandford Collection is reserved for its finest wines, with a tantalising selection of older vintages available at remarkable prices. A 1985 Vouvray Demi-Sec from the Loire for example will set you back just £75, just one of this list’s many highlights. Delving into its fortified and sweet wine lists, a 1907 Blandy’s Bual for £50 a glass and a 1976 Château Suduiraut, available for just £21.50 for 100ml, are eye poppers.
A fantastic, perfectly formed wine list offering guidance, intrigue and excitement, in equal measure.
Expert Picks
• Drappier, Pinot Noir Zero Dosage, Brut Nature, NV, Champagne – France – Sparkling – £79
• Bodegones Del Sur, 2015, Viognier – Uruguay – White – £35
• Penfolds Reserve Bin 07A, 2007, Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills – Australia – White – £75
• Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe, 1994, Châteauneuf-du-Pape – France – Red – £110
• Palliser Estate, Pinot Noir, 2015, Martinborough – New Zealand – Red – £50