Tell us about the moment you first became interested in wine
After university I took time travelling and fell in love with the people and stories around wine and food. It is an amazing history in a glass.
Describe your wine list at Rayuela
I do not buy to get a particular grape or region, I want to cover a range of styles at various prices and taste to find the best value wine in that style, usually from a less famous grape or region. Within this I operate a Spanish-first policy, if it is a tie between a Spanish wine and one from another country, the Spanish wine will find a place in our list. This also keeps the range fresh as bin ends make a strong showing, offering great value to our guests.
Over the course of your career, have you had any wine-related disasters?
When I decided wine was going to be my career, I joined Oddbins for the excellent training they provided at the time. In the store I was working in, the manager had stacked wooden wine boxes on their sides, in the office floor to ceiling, as an ingenious storage solution for loose bottles, one day while having a well-earned cup of tea after scrubbing shelves, we heard an almighty rumble and bottles came streaming through the door from the office, leaping like salmon as they hit each other. It would appear one too many bottles had been added to the makeshift shelves.
Name your top three restaurant wine lists
Firstly Vagabond Wines. Bias alert, I was buyer there for several years and more than a few of the wines I sourced are still on the shelves - look out for wines from Basile and Chateau de Saint Martin. Second is Otto’s on Gray’s Inn Road, which has a great selection of wines by the bottle with some older vintages that don’t seem to have gone up in price since [otto] laid them down. And last but not least The River Café for its great selection of wines by the glass with some interesting gems from northern Italy.
Who do you most respect in the wine world?
Susana Balbo (a winemaker in Argentina), not just for the amazing wines she produces but also for the road she had to travel to get there. She is fearless and determined and clearly driven by a passion for what she does.
What’s the most interesting wine you’ve come across recently?
Fuentes del Silencio, Cillanuevo, Prieto Picudo. A beautiful wine from Castilla Leon that’s big, dark and velvety smooth.
What are the three most overused tasting notes?
Crisp, fresh acidity; elegant and smooth; and lashings of fruit. And yes, I have used all three many times myself.
What’s the best value wine on your list at the moment?
Farina Lagrima Toro. It’s a good Toro, lots of concentrated fruit but in balance. I just love it, and so does almost everyone else
What is your ultimate food and drink match?
In season English asparagus with a dry Alsace Gewürztraminer.
Old World or New World?
Definitely Old World.
What is your pet hate when it comes to wine service in other restaurants?
Sommeliers who sell based on what they want to sell not what you will enjoy, usually easy to spot because they zone out when you tell them what you like.
Who is your favourite producer right now?
Cillar de Silos (in Ribera del Duero). I love the philosophy of the winery and have a lot of happy memories associated with them and their wines. The crianza is the first wine I really championed in retail and was at the head table at my wedding many years later.
As a wine expert, what question do you most get asked by customers?
Are any wines really worth paying over £50 pounds? Are they really that much better?
Which wine producing region or country is underrated at the moment?
Portugal. I haven’t a clue why we are still undervaluing wines from there.
It’s your last meal and you can have a bottle of any wine in the world. What is it and why?
Gonzalez Byass Del Duque (an amontillado sherry.). I fell in love with wines because of the link to the history and the people and there is over 300 years of history in the glass. Also it is just so damn good.
