Where to find the best wine lists in London

We asked the capital's most celebrated wine merchants, Berry Bros & Rudd, for their expert picks

Few things can make an excellent meal better than a fine glass of wine. Be it a glass of Aged Chianti with a Filet Mignon, a White Burgundy with Lobster Thermidor, or a Cabernet rosé with a full-bodied curry.

"Few things can make an excellent meal better than a fine glass of wine..."

But, despite these whites and reds playing a major part in eating out, they always play second fiddle to the menu itself when recommendations are made. You often hear people raving about the food at a place, but the wine list is rarely trumpeted in the same way.

No more. To right this wrong, we’ve asked famed London wine merchants Berry Bros & Rudd to give us the info on the vino — and identify where to find the best wine lists in London.

Hide restaurant, 85 Piccadilly

The biggest new opening of 2018, Hide may owe the majority of its success to star chef Ollie Dabbous — putting plates such as barbecued lamb, aubergine and smoked kelp, and burnt liquorice root marshmallow on the table — but the wine list is just as impressive.

Rumoured to be worth somewhere in the region of £20 million, this is one of the largest lists in London. There are too many good bottles to mention, with the iPad-presented list running to some 6,500 lines. Berry Bros, however, particularly recommend the Ridge Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains, California.

10 Trinity Square at the Four Seasons Hotel

Perched by Tower Hill, Ten Trinity Square is Grade II listed and contains everything from a Four Seasons hotel to in-house Residences. But, most importantly, the building contains one of London’s finest wine lists.

High in the Bruno Moinard-designed Club, members have the opportunity to enjoy wines from the principle Estates of Artémis Domaines including Château Grillet, Domaine D’Eugénie, Clos de Tart and the Eisele Vineyard in Napa Valley, as well as the Berry Bros. recommended 2016 Old Vine Series Skerpioen, Eben Sadie; 2016 Wild Boy Chardonnay, Au Bon Climat and 2014 Esprit de Chevalier Blanc.

Noble Rot at 51 Lamb’s Conduit Street

Named for the beneficial fungus that affects grapes, Noble Rot has also done the world of good for wine. With a great wine list, this Parisian-style wine bar puts more of the onus on drink than food, serving only a concise, seasonal British menu.

But it’s not really the food you come for. It’s the bottled good stuff. This atmospheric townhouse is stuffed to its gunnels with great bottle upon great bottle, including — as highlighted by Berry Bros. — a Ridge Estate Cabernet Sauvignon from California.

The Connaught Hotel

The Connaught Hotel has held a special place in the collective heart of Gentleman’s Journal since Bill Nighy danced on the hotel’s roof for a past issue. But, if that wasn’t reason enough to love the establishment, its wine list should do the job.

Berry Bros. recommend many wines from the long, long list — including highlights such as a 2004 Vina Tondonia, Lopez de Heredia; 2013 Bodegas Alion; Champagne Jacquesson Cuvee 741 and 2016 Arbois Trousseau Singulier, Tissot.

Xu, 30 Rupert St

This taste of Taiwan in the centre of London has everything from teas to full meals on offer. Decorated to look like the wood-panelled eateries of 1930s Taipei, this restaurant transports you in space as well as time — and the wine list, while not as overtly impressive as others on this list, still has it’s gems.

Berry Bros. would recommend the own-label Riesling by Eva Fricke and, unless you’re easily seduced by a good whisky (in which case, Xu boast an impressive range of Kavalan bottles), we’d be inclined to agree.

Bubbledogs, Bloomsbury

Who didn’t want a restaurant perfectly pairing pork, beef and vegetarian hot dogs with various champagnes in Bloomsbury? We know we did. And, even though the bare-brick bar makes this look reasonably rustic, and the small dining room doesn’t scream fine dining — neither does the hot dog menu — the wine list offers sophistication salvation.

Berry Bros. favourite bottle is the Jacquesson Cuvée No. 740 Extra Brut, but that’s not the only bottle to catch our eye. The Emmanuel Brochet, Les Hauts Meuniers, 2010 and Cédric Bouchard, Roses de Jeanne, Les Ursules, 2013 will also put a spring in your step.

Want to see behind-the-scenes? Step inside the Jay-Z owned cellars of Armand de Brignac…

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