Shortlist for the 2019 Wine List Confidential Awards announced

We bring you the shortlist for this year’s Wine List Confidential Awards, recognising London’s top 100 restaurants for wine, which are set to be presented at the London Wine Fair on 20 May.

L ondon’s top sommeliers and restaurateurs will join judges and press for the announcement of the top awards from London’s leading wine list review service, Wine List Confidential, on Monday 20 May at the London Wine Fair.

The occasion marks the launch of the Wine List Confidential 2019 guide, which comprehensively reviews the capital’s top 100 restaurants and wine bars for wine lovers, each rated for value, service, range and originality.

A top panel of judges including FT drinks correspondent Alice Lascelles, Evening Standard drinks writer Douglas Blyde, the drinks business editor Lucy Shaw, ex-Som Saa Sommelier Christina Schneider and famed food instagrammer Clerkenwell Boy deliberated over a wide selection of London’s wine lists for the WLC Awards.

A range of awards including Best By the Glass selection, Best list for Champagne, Best Sustainable Wine list and Most Original Offering will be presented at the show. Wine List Confidential will also recognise the talent behind the lists, with two awards for sommeliers, Rising Star and Sommelier of the Year.

Lucy Shaw, editor of the drinks business, who chaired the judges, said: “This year the competition for spots on the list was more intense than ever, and we’ve also seen some great variety with hybrid wine bar / merchants, micro lists, sustainable wines and many new and original offerings.

“London is one of the world’s great cities for wine lovers, and we hope the 2019 guide will encourage people to explore some of these excellent wine lists.”

The Wine List Confidential Awards will take place at 12.30pm on Monday 20 May at stand E54 at the London Wine Fair at Olympia.

Click to view the shortlist for this year’s awards. 

WLC Awards shortlist

Last year’s winner of best wine list in London: 67 Pall Mall.

Best by-the-glass 

• 67 Pall Mall
• Oswald’s
• Les 100 de Taillevent

Best for Champagne

• The Greenhouse
• Annabel’s
• Mere
• Texture

Best Sustainable Wine

• Leroy
• Levan
• Fare

Best Italian List

• Margot
• The River Café
• Caractère
• Locanda Locatelli
• Bocca di Luppo

Best Iberian List

• Bar Douro
• Ametsa with Arzak Instruction

Best for English Wine

• The Coral Room
• Simpson’s in the Strand

Best Micro List

• 10 Greek Street
• Top Cuvée
• Little Duck The Picklery

Best Hybrid Restaurant / Shop

• Bottles
• Authentique
• Quality Wines

Best Looking List

• Pied à Terre
• Hide
• Mãos
• London Shell Co.

Best for Originality

• Mãos
• London Shell Co.
• Diogenes The Dog

Rising Star Sommelier

• Melody Wong (Yopo)
• Lorenzo Abussi (Rüya)
• Emma Underwood (Darby’s)
• Lucy Ward (Gridiron)

Sommelier of the Year

• Xavier Rousset MS (Cabotte)
• Giovanni Ferlito MCA (The Ritz)
• Kelvin McCabe (Frog by Adam Handling)
• Stefan Neumann MS (Dinner by Heston)
• Katie Exton (Lorne)
• Oliver Christie (The Clove Club)

London’s most widely distributed white wine

• Cloudy Bay, Sauvignon Blanc, Marlborough,
New Zealand
• Quercus, Pinot Bianco, Goriška Brda, Slovenia
• Viña Morandé, Reserva Coleccion Privada, Sauvignon Blanc, Central Valley, Chile
• Viña Torcida, Viura, Rioja, Spain

London’s most widely distributed red wine

• Bodega Norton, Porteno, Malbec, Mendoza, Argentina
• Bodegas Valdemar, Valdemoreda, Tempranillo, Rioja, Spain
• Cloof Wine Estate, The Very Sexy Shiraz, Darling, South Africa
• Sassicaia, Tenuta San Guido, Cabernet Sauvignon/Cabernet Franc, Bolgheri, Italy

Awards will additionally be announced for Value, Service, Range and overall Best Wine List, according to the final scores in the 2019 Wine List Confidential Guide.