This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
News
Wine List Confidential: The Ritz
With 800 wines to choose from, including a surprisingly strong presence of ‘hipster’ wines thanks to the fresh thinking of head somm Giovanni Ferlito, there’s plenty to pore over in the Ritz’s famous Livre du Vin.
This year, Ferlito, who makes wine himself on Etna, added 150 new wines to the illustrious list. These include – sign of the times – five orange wines, two of which are available by the glass. Another Ferlito innovation has been to introduce English wines to the hotel’s wine list for the first time. Nine references include Nyetimber, Gusbourne and Camel Valley.
There’s also a strong emphasis on indigenous varieties, with lesser-known wines from regions including Jura, Corsica, Etna, Georgia, Slovakia and Santorini providing a nice counterpoint to the impressive verticals
of Premier Cru Classé Bordeaux and Grand Cru Burgundy.
As many as 46 wines are available by the glass, including 16 wines using the Coravin system. If you’re looking for ideas, you might tapdance your way over to the Rivoli Bar for a glass of Ritz Selection Brut Champagne (£19 a glass), a delicious, low-dosage bubbly produced exclusively for The Ritz by Barons de Rothschild.
Some ferocious pricing needs to be carefully negotiated, particularly with Champagne, but then this is The Ritz. While there’s little hope of a cheap night out, there are sufficient reasons to sup at The Ritz.
CURRENT POSITION ON WINE LIST CONFIDENTIAL: 32
CURRENT WINE LIST CONFIDENTIAL OVERALL SCORE: 91.6
Expert wine picks
• Krug, “Grande Cuvée”, NV, Brut, Champagne – France – Sparkling – £285
• Domaine Coche-Dury, 2011, Meursault, Burgundy – France – White – £340
• Rolly Gassmann, 2012, Riesling, Alsace – France – White – £69
• Etienne Sauzet, 2013, Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy – France – White – £125
• 1er Cru Classé Superieur, 1997, Château d’Yquem, Bordeaux – France – Sweet – £720
Wine List Confidential, brought to you by the drinks business, is the first platform to rank London’s restaurants on the strength of their wine list alone, providing a comprehensive guide to the best restaurants in the capital for wine lovers.
Restaurants are graded on a 100-point scale based on five criteria: size, value, service, range and originality. For a full guide to London’s best wine lists visit winelistconfidential.com