Hedonism looking for somms to manage London’s biggest wine list

A fine dining project from Mayfair’s Hedonism Wines is looking to recruit as many as 15 sommeliers to curate what will be London’s biggest restaurant wine offering when the new concept at 85 Piccadilly opens in the spring.

85 Piccadilly. Picture source: Ian Scott

Speaking to the drinks business yesterday, Hedonism Wines CEO Tatiana Fokina said that she was putting together a team of staff for 85 Piccadilly, which as previously reported by db, is a 170-seater food and drink project over three floors in partnership with Ollie Dabbous, funded by Yevgeny Chichvarkin, the Russian entrepreneur behind Hedonism.

Fokina told db that the new concept was “aiming at the Michelin-starred level”, and that the fine dining project would not be run as a private members’ club, although it would contain private dining rooms.

She also said that when the new facility opens in the spring it will become the home of London’s largest wine list – a position currently occupied by nearby private members’ club 67 Pall Mall.

“Currently we stock 6,800 wines at Hedonism and any of these will be available to purchase in the restaurant with the meal… so it will be London’s largest list.”

However, the restaurant won’t actually house all these wines, although Fokina said that they could be delivered to the restaurant from Hedonism Wines on Mayfair’s Davies Street within 12 minutes of ordering.

Although she told db that 85 Piccadilly would not be serving wines using the Coravin Wine Access System, nor Enomatic sampling machines, she promised that the new dining concept would have a “substantial offering by the glass”.

The premises are arranged over a basement – formerly Vendome Nightclub – ground and mezzanine levels, comprising 12,845 square feet in total.

Although the new concept will be located at 85 Piccadilly, its official name has yet to be revealed.

For more information email Info@85restaurant.co.uk