Tell us about the moment you first became interested in wine
I come from a family in Italy where wine is a tradition and quality wine is a must, especially when welcoming friends. When I moved to London, I discovered a much bigger picture of the wine world and that’s when I fell in love with it fully and professionally.
Describe your wine list at La Petite Maison
It’s a classically curated French wine list and we are proud of our focus on Provence, especially when it comes to rosé wines. That’s why our first page on the wine list displays the best when it comes to this category, something that is very unique and routed to our Provençale origins and lifestyle. Something interesting is that in every country we have a restaurant we list their local wines, so in La Petite Maison Limassol for example we have a selection of their best and rare wines.
Over the course of your career, have you had any wine-related disasters?
When I was starting out as a sommelier I opened a bottle of red wine and the cork exploded creating a vacuum effect spraying all the red wine all over my shirt, the perfect christening for a sommelier.
Name your top three restaurant wine lists
In London we are really spoilt by choice but my top picks would be Noble Rot Lamb’s Conduit Street and 67 Pall Mall. In Hong Kong, Mato wine bar has a fantastic by-the-glass selection and very knowledgeable staff.
Who do you most respect in the wine world?
I have many people to say thank you for where I am these days. Alessandro Marchesan (the former wine director at Zuma) who gave me the opportunity to work at La Petite Maison; Robert Rolls who helped me discover Burgundy and Bordeaux; and Richard Lashbrook MW.
What’s the most interesting wine you’ve come across recently?
Thanks to Konstatinos Lazarakis MW I discovered the beauty of Greek wines, especially the Assyrtiko grape variety, an indigenous terroir driven varietal of Greece.
What are the three most overused tasting notes?
Mineral, fruity and complex. I prefer to enhance my tasting notes with other notes to make it easier for the customer to understand the wine.
What’s the best value wine on your list at the moment?
Our Premier 2021 from Figuiere winery, 100% Vermentino or Rolle as they call it in Provence. It has elegance, purity, focus and complexity.
What is your ultimate food and drink match?
Napa Valley Carneros Chardonnay with a cheeseburger.
Old World or New World?
This is difficult, but Old World is my preference most of the time.
What is your pet hate when it comes to wine service in other restaurants?
Serving Champagne in flute glasses.
Who is your favourite producer right now?
T-Oinos winery from Tinos Island in the Cyclades, Greece. The white wines from Assyrtiko and the red Mavrotragano shows such a marked sense of terroir by this powdery sapidity, fragrant, purity from the granite/shist soil and the influence of the sea.
As a sommelier, what question do you most get asked by customers?
What’s your favourite grape variety or wine?
Which wine producing region or country is underrated at the moment?
Greece has produced wine for centuries but has really stepped up the quality over the past 10 years or so. The results are incredible.
It’s your last meal and you can have a bottle of any wine in the world. What is it and why?
I’m obsessed with perfection so it would have to be a top white burgundy like a Chevalier Montrachet 2010 from Michel Niellon.
