Tell us about the moment you first became interested in wine
I was working in a pub in Cornwall and a guest wanted to order a nice bottle of red. I suggested a Grenache, Syrah and ‘cardigan’ blend. At that moment I knew things had to change.
Describe your wine list at 64 Goodge Street
A nice mix of affordable, classic and rare Burgundy with some rainbow sprinkles in between.
Over the course of your career, have you had any wine-related disasters?
Miscalculating the markup and ordering two 12 bottle cases of old Lafarge (a famous Burgundy domaine) thinking it was a great deal. We’re still moving it now.
Name your top three restaurant wine lists
Maison François for the classics, Ducksoup for the weird and wonderful and Noble Rot; we are simply not worthy.
Who do you most respect in the wine world?
All of our wonderful guests who bring corkage and leave a splash in the bottle for the somm. I’ve learnt the most from you.
What’s the most interesting wine you’ve come across recently?
Jacky Blot, Triple Zero under Domaine de la Taille Aux Loups. An old vine Chenin from the Loire with zero capitalisation, zero liqueur de tirage and zero dosage aged in old oak barrels. It gives me everything I want from a white Jura crossed with classic Champagne.
What are some overused tasting notes?
‘Fresh’ is the world’s most overused term for a white wine. We can do better than that, guys.
What’s the best value wine on your list at the moment?
Definitely the older Burgundies. We often have a few pre-2000s for less than £100.
What is your ultimate food and drink match?
Off-dry Riesling with a beautiful piece of chalk-stream trout.
Old World or New World?
A little bit of this, a little bit of that.
What is your pet hate when it comes to wine service in other restaurants?
When people leave me with an empty glass.
Who is your favourite producer right now? (and why?)
Mullineux (in Swartland) are doing some really cool things. Different cuvees of the same varietals, made the same way but isolated to different soil types. This helps to identify and understand terroir.
As head of beverages, what question do you most get asked by customers?
More often than not, it’s what they don’t ask me that’s most important. So many guests don’t ask questions and therefore are not opening themselves up to new and delicious wines. Please, please ask us questions!
Which wine producing region or country is underrated at the moment?
The Okanagan Valley in Canada is producing some outstanding wines but I can barely find it anywhere here.
It’s your last meal and you can have a bottle of any wine in the world. What is it and why?
A jeroboam of Vincent Dancer Chassagne Grand Cru. Go big or go home.
