Wine List Confidential Awards 2019: Profiling the winners

As we approach the publication of the second edition of the 2019 Wine List Confidential guide, we profile the winners who picked up the top gongs at this year’s awards ceremony.

Presented at this year’s London Wine Fair, the Wine List Confidential Awards shone a light on venues that excelled in a particular field, from the best list for English wine, to one which had the best offering by-the-glass.

Judging was conducted at hospitality members’ club Trade in Soho back in April, with the panel including the likes of WLC‘s author, Douglas Blyde, Alice Lascelles from the Financial Times’ How to Spend It magazine, Lucy Shaw, editor of the drinks business, and food and drink influencer Clerkenwell Boy, who was amassed almost 200,000 followers on Instagram.

This year we also recognised and rewarded two sommeliers who excelled in their field under the categories Rising Star and Sommelier of the Year, while, with the help of virtual sommelier Wine Picker, we singled out the most distributed red and white wine in London’s restaurants.

Commenting on this year’s awards, Shaw of the drinks business said: “This year the competition for spots on the list was more intense than ever, and we’ve seen sommeliers get inventive with hybrid venues, micro lists and restaurants that champion underdog grapes.

Lascelles of the FT added: “The breadth, variety, ambition and excellence of wine lists in London is astonishing. From great value by-the-glass lists to world-class Champagne verticals, orange wine and Texan Blanc du Bois, there is something for every pocket and palate in the city.”

The awards ceremony also marked the launch of this year’s guide, which singles out the 100 best wine lists in London. This year, adorned with three artichokes, a famously difficult ingredient with which to pair wine, the guide’s cover image highlighted both the increased emphasis on vegetables on menus, but also how the restaurants included within put great emphasis on their wines and offer perfect pairings for even the trickiest of foods.

Best-By-The-Glass Offering, in association with Coravin

Winner

67 Pall Mall

Shortlist 

67 Pall Mall
Oswald’s
Les 100 de Taillevent

With by-the-glass becoming an essential part of any wine list, 67 Pall Mall was described by one judge as “like a candy shop for wine lovers.” Another said: “The scope of the list leaves you breathless with excitement. It gives you an opportunity to taste those legendary wines – if you’ve always wanted to taste a First Growth, you can.”

67 Pall Mall boasts over 800 wines by the glass, including the likes of Latour 1961, Harlan Estate 1997 and Sassicaia 1985, as well as an amphora-made Sangiovese and even the odd orange wine.

With 17 full-time sommeliers and a multitude of perfectly polished Zaltos, it is the worthy winner of the Best By the Glass Award. Among those collecting the award were head sommelier Terry Kandylis, marketing manager Stephanie Westcott, wine logistics manager Paul Richards, marketing director Xavier Giamattei and founder Grant Ashton.

To read the full review, please click here. 

Best for Champagne, sponsored by Champagne Brimoncourt

Winner

The Greenhouse

Shortlist

The Greenhouse
Annabel’s
Mere
Texture

London is extremely well served for the finest in fizz, with many lists boasting a huge variety, from rare growers’ labels to the biggest bottles of the most famous names. One of the judges said of The Greenhouse’s sparkling offer: “The Champagne list is insane! Krug Grande Cuvée by the glass. There is so much of interest here – lots of single vineyard and old vintages but some great grower Champagnes too.”

Another judge commented: “Their whole approach to Champagne is extremely food-friendly – you’re unlikely to leave there without trying at least a glass with your meal.

With bottles in the cellar such as Dom Pérignon Oenothèque 1966, The Greenhouse demonstrates its breadth in the Champagne category. The restaurant boasts over 3,400 bins and is part of Lebanese restaurateur, Marlon Abuela’s portfolio, which also comprises Kyoto inspired UMU, The Square, members’ club Morton’s, Marc Patisserie and Bakery and OW Loeb Fine Wines.

Collecting the award was sommelier Andrea Zarbetto.

To read the full review, please click here.

Best Micro List 

Winner

Top Cuvée

Shortlist

10 Greek Street
Top Cuvée
Little Duck The Picklery

A wine list can be celebrated for its breadth, but also for its brevity, simplicity and lack of clutter. Top Cuvée’s approached demonstrated that less can definitely be more, with its short, punchy list.

One judge said of the winner: “Love it, such a great place, very knowledgeable team, not too expensive. Interesting, different, all the things the younger generation want to drink”.

Another said: “The food here is really good too – don’t really want anyone else to find out about it!”

With the wine list rarely running over one page, the aim is to push “people to try new things including some of the stuff I assumed would be challenging, but because the list is so small, they will try it,” Top Cuvée’s founder Brodie Meah told Wine List Confidential author Douglas Blyde.

To read the full review, please click here.

Best English Wine List 

Winner

The Coral Room

Shortlist

The Coral Room
Simpson’s in the Strand

English wine is increasingly being championed by restaurants across the capital, which shine a light on the country’s distinctive fizz. Judges said of The Coral Room’s offer: “A very well-curated list, quality first, cocktails which make it more accessible, done by region, and a great-looking list.”

Housed within the walls of the Bloomsbury Hotel with the decor masterminded by Martin Brudnizki, The Coral Room owes its wine list to the world of Anne McHale MW (pictured above left). Focusing on homegrown wines in a rotating by-the-glass selection of six sparklers from small vineyards, the wine list is supplemented by a further six pages of English wines by the bottle.

To read the full review, please click here.

Best Looking List

Winner

Hide

Shortlist

Pied à Terre
Hide
Mãos
London Shell Co.

Last year’s Best Newcomer award recipient, Hide, once again impressed the judges in 2019. While the quality of wines listed is important, often the look and feel is just as important to the casual wine lover. A good looking wine list entices customers in, making them want to explore the list and discover some hidden gems. It should also reflect the restaurant itself, both its ethos the personality of the people who work there.

Judge’s described Hide’s winning tome as “quite different, with lovely attention to detail. It’s well laid out and not cluttered.”

Accessed via leather-wrapped tablets, the list devised by head sommelier, Dmytro Goncharuk, opens with the words, “a corkscrew, a glass, a memory”. The interactive format allows the list to be updated in real-time according to what is in stock in wine store Hedonism, to which the restaurant is connected.

To read the full review, please click here. 

Best Hybrid Wine Bar / Merchant

Winner

Authentique

Shortlist

Bottles
Authentique
Quality Wines

With some well-established and also plenty of new faces appearing in this category, hybrid venues are really making their mark on the capital as venues adapt to the current market. Feedback shows that customers respond and engage with this informal way of learning about and tasting wines.

Judges plumped for Authentique’s list which they described as “really well done and beautifully curated,” with a wide-ranging Champagne selection from magnums.

Authentique, which doubles as both a wine bar and shop, aims to take guests on a “journey of Franco-fun,” through France and French-speaking countries including Algeria, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Morocco and Switzerland.

The team comprises Alexandre Bal, former head of marketing for Nicolas UK and senior sales executive and buyer for Yapp Brothers, Amaury Levisalles, formerly of La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels, Mathieu Sevagen, formerly of Nicolas UK and Majestic, and Thomas Guidez.

To read the full review, please click here. 

Best Sustainable List  

Winner

Levan

Shortlist

Leroy
Levan
Fare

In another hotly contested category, Levan impressed the judges with its list that is ‘full of interesting information, well described, really makes you want to go there.”

Another judge added: “You need to tell stories to communicate sustainability and this list does it; tasting notes included.”

Levan imports many of the wines it lists itself, including a large selection of Jura wines, or “Jura varieties from around the world”.

Co-creator of Levan, Mark Gurney, told Wine List Confidential author Douglas Blyde: “I’m just as excited about discovering new young winemakers as I am about drinking old vintages of dusty Burgundy.”

To read the full review, please click here.

Best Iberian Wine List

Winner

Bar Douro

Shortlist

Bar Douro
Ametsa with Arzak Instruction

This year the judges decided to assess the lists featuring Spain and Portugal as one category. Bar Douro was commended for the “exceptional depth” of its list, as well as the use of maps to help people understand the regional flavour profiles.

One judge commented: “Portuguese wine which isn’t port is still quite a new thing to many restaurant goers, and with these reasonable prices and wealth of information, this is a great introduction.”

Adorned with pretty blue and white Portuguese tiles, Bar Douro in Flat Iron Square is the brainchild of Max Graham (picture above left) whose father Johnnie founded Churchill’s Port in 1981. The list features the likes of Churchill’s Reserve,14 LBV, 10-Year-Old and vintage ‘97 – all available by the glass – as well as an exclusively Portuguese table wine list.

Graham says of the list: “We endeavour to show the very best the country has to offer, from less accessible reserves through to natural wines and more experimental projects at the vanguard of Portugal’s wine scene.”

To read the full review, please click here. 

Best Italian Wine List, in association with the Consorzio de tutela vini DOC Venezie

Winner

The River Café

Shortlist

Margot
The River Café
Caractère
Locanda Locatelli
Bocca di Luppo

London is extremely well-served with both Italian food and wine, making the competition in this category particularly strong. Italian stalwart The River Café’s list was described by the judges as “hard to beat.”

“The top names are there but also smaller producers and places; done by region, and priced reasonably. There’s a real understanding of where the wines are coming from and their winemaker stories,” the judges added.

With over three decades of being based on the banks of the Thames, The River Café and its founders Ruth Rogers and Rose Gray have helped launch the careers of chef alumni, Jamie Oliver, Theo Randall and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. The Italy-dominant list includes the likes of an Etna Rosso (Ciauria, Pietro Caciorgna) and Ben Rye Passito di Pantelleria (Donnafugata).

Collecting the award was sommelier Milena di Francisco.

To read the full review, please click here. 

Rising Star, sponsored by Amorim

Winner

Melody Wong (Yopo)

Shortlist

Melody Wong (Yopo)
Lorenzo Abussi (Rüya)
Emma Underwood (Darby’s)
Lucy Ward (Gridiron)

The Rising Star award recognises the brightest and freshest talent working the floors of London’s top restaurants, bringing their fresh outlook to wine lists and their personal touch to the customers they serve. This year’s winner, Melody Wong, has been credited with revamping the list at Yopo to include standout wines from the southern hemisphere, with South American and South Africa getting equal billing.

Speaking to Wine List Confidential author Douglas Blyde about her aims, Wong said: “I want to offer amazing value and bring energy into modern dining.”

During her tenure, she has been busy amassing a selection of 250 bins with South American favourites including the “fantastic, approachable” Intipalka Syrah from a Peruvian oasis (Vinas Queirolo) which she likens to a St. Joseph, “but more fruity”.

To read the full review and interview with Wong, please click here. 

Sommelier of the Year, sponsored by Quinta do Noval

Winner

Kelvin McCabe (Frog by Adam Handling)

Shortlist

Xavier Rousset MS (Cabotte)
Giovanni Ferlito MCA (The Ritz)
Kelvin McCabe (Frog by Adam Handling)
Stefan Neumann MS (Dinner by Heston)
Katie Exton (Lorne)
Oliver Christie (The Clove Club)

In what was possibly the most hotly contested category, judging proved that London has no shortage of sommeliers providing both great wine but also great service with their own signature style. This year, McCabe impressed with his sheer force of personality, with one judge describing him as “a very cool character. It was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had in a restaurant.”

Another added: “McCabe dispenses nuggets of wine knowledge with such enthusiasm, it feels like he is intimately acquainted with each and every grower.”

McCabe was inspired to apply for the role at Frog by Adam Handling after seeing the menu. “I thought ‘this is scary, outside my comfort zone, and what I need’,” he told Wine List Confidential author Douglas Blyde.

Before joining the Frog group, McCabe had chalked up stints at Roka, Zuma and Gilgamesh. Collecting the award on his behalf was Kevin Dupont (below).

To read the full interview, please click here. 

Kevin Dupont from The Frog team picked up the award on Kelvin’s behalf.

Most distributed red wine, in association with Wine Picker

Winner

Sassicaia

Shortlist

Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia
Bodega Norton Porteno Malbec
Cloof Wine Estate The Very Sexy Shiraz

A new category this year, this award, and the one below it, were the only ones to be determined not by judges but by a computer. Presented by Josselin Guibert of virtual sommelier Wine Picker, the award analysed wine lists from over 500 restaurants and pubs in the capital to find those with the strongest foothold in the London trade.

The winner here, Tenuta San Guido’s acclaimed Sassicaia, is distributed in over three times more London establishments than its nearest competitor and is listed by almost a quarter of restaurants analysed.

Collecting the award was Nicolas Clerc MS of Armit Wines.

Most distributed white wine, in association with Wine Picker

Winner

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc

Shortlist

Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
Quercus Pinot Bianco
Viña Morandé Reserva Coleccion Privada Sauvignon Blanc

With the wine wine category witnessing severe competition, with pubs proving key drivers, it was New Zealand and LVMH’s Cloudy Bay that came out on top.

Best Value List

Winner 

Rex Whistler

Moving onto the awards based on the scores determined by this year’s Wine List Confidential guide, we have the first category of best value. ‘Value’ is a very important aspect to the Wine List Confidential ratings systems that focuses on the pricing of drinks. It doesn’t mean that the wines have to be cheap, but they must offer a fair price relative to the quality of the dining environment, and the outlet’s competitors.

Rex Whistler was praised for showcasing wine producers at the top of their game at arrestingly good prices. Indeed, such is the appeal of its brilliant range, which includes an unrivalled selection of half bottles, it basically says ‘Drink Me’.

To read the full review, please click here. 

Most original 

Winner

Diogenes The Dog

Shortlist

Diogenes the Dog,
Mãos
The London Shell Company

Diogenes The Dog stood out this year for a list that is both brilliant and different, championing lesser-known varieties and producers, and assembled in an innovative and creative way. A wine bar in Elephant & Castle named after the Greek philosopher who championed the idea of living a simple life, free from possessions, judges described it as “the very definition of original”.

To read the full review, please click here. 

Wine List of the Year

Winner

Frog by Adam Handling

And finally, we come to the Wine List of the Year. Knocking 67 Pall Mall off its perch was Adam Handling’s Frog in Covent Garden, the top-rated restaurant overall with an average of 98.4/100 on the guide’s key measures of value, service, range and originality.

Author of the guide, Douglas Blyde (pictured above left), described Frog’s list as “an exhilarating, democratic, innovatively compiled offering.” Divided into categories including ‘esoteric – unusual and lesser-known varietals and regions’, ‘celestial – wines of organic and biodynamic principles’, ‘reflections – a homage to classic varietals and regions in newer places’, ‘mavericks – producers who made a difference and dare to be different’ and ‘no skool like the old skool – fine, rare and vintage’, Blyde was charmed by what he referred to as an “impeccable, non-discriminating list” “with massive personality, celebrating huge swathes of the globe”.

The work of Kelvin McCabe, who also picked up this year’s award for Sommelier of the Year, the list is carefully curated to pair with dishes by Masterchef: The professionals finalist Adam Handling, with ingredients often hailing from the restaurant’s West Sussex farm.

To read the full review, please click here.