Tell us about the moment you first became interested in wine
Professionally speaking, I was fairly late to wine, having focused initially on cocktail development. But I truly found a love for it in my early twenties, after a particularly delicious Beaujolais one Christmas.
Describe your wine list at Pip
Our wine list at Pip focuses on small boutique producers and is big on organic and minimal-intervention wines. We offer most of our list by the glass, giving accessibility and enabling us to rotate pairings alongside our seasonal food menu.
Over the course of your career, have you had any wine-related disasters?
I worked at a place with six taps of draught wine during Covid. When the first lockdown closures were announced, we had to waste litres and litres of tapped kegs. I managed to rescue what I could and took home all the pét-nat I could carry, but it was heartbreaking seeing so much wine go undrunk.
What’s the most interesting wine you’ve come across recently?
Narassa 2022, Côtes Catalanes, Lafage (a wine from Languedoc-Roussillon). Pure sour-cherry deliciousness.
What are the three most overused tasting notes?
Jammy, velvety and smooth — all completely vague and not helpful when offering recommendations to a guest.
What’s the best-value wine on your list at the moment?
Mayela Rioja, Bideona. A wine that punches well above its weight, from an up-and-coming region.
What is your ultimate food and drink match?
I love Thai food, so a classic pad Thai with an ice-cold Thai red tea.
Old World or New World?
New World. I think we are in a golden age of experimentation and playfulness in wine, and the average consumer is considering new-world terroirs they wouldn’t have given a chance even 10 years ago.
What is your pet hate when it comes to wine service in other restaurants?
Stemless wine glasses.
Who is your favourite producer right now?
I am loving Viña Echeverria (a Chilean producer) at the moment, and we have just partnered with them for the first of our wine dinner series at Pip. They have taken an established winery in a new direction, making low-intervention wines that pair beautifully with our food and blend tradition with playfulness.
As a beverage manager, what question do you most get asked by customers?
Given the concept of our restaurant, it’s usually about pairings, which we are always changing up as our menu is so seasonally driven.
Which wine-producing region or country is underrated at the moment?
Greece — distinctive varietals grown in a diverse terroir. Greece had a bad rep for a while, but it has caught up with the rest of the Mediterranean to produce stand-out wines at prices much more affordable than their French or Italian equivalents.
It’s your last meal and you can have a bottle of any wine in the world. What is it and why?
Pheasant’s Tears Rkatsiteli 2020. An unfiltered Georgian orange aged in qvevri. Floral, funky and delicious, but more importantly, it would transport me right back to a very happy time in life — which is the best tasting note of all.