London restaurant launches wine auction

L’Etranger restaurant in London will launch its own wine auction series tomorrow, offering customers the chance to pick up some potential bargain lots from its cellars.

Due to take place at 11am on the last Friday of every month, the auctions offer guests the chance to enjoy their purchase immediately afterwards over lunch, with no corkage fee charged.

Each auction will be open to a limited audience of up to 30 guests, who will be able to bid without the additional cost of the usual buyer’s premium.

The 103 lots for tomorrow’s auction, led by Richard Harvey MW, European head of wine at Bonhams, include a bottle of Cristal rosé 1988 in its original wooden case with a reserve of £400, a bottle of Château Mouton Rothschild 1968 with a reserve of just £200 and a bottle of Château d’Yquem 1924 with a reserve of £1,000.

Ibi Issolah, owner of L’Etranger and its sister venues Opal nightclub and Beauberry House restaurant in the upmarket London suburb of West Dulwich, explained the aim of the exercise, saying: “In the evenings we are very busy, but we wanted to build more awareness of L’Etranger for the lunch trade.”

Next month’s auction will be held on Friday 25 February.

Gabriel Savage, 27.01.2011