Bible bashing

In 2015, Christopher Cooper, former head sommelier of the Soho House Group, told a captive audience at the London Wine Fair that “the standard wine list is dead – boring lists and wine bibles are crap and don’t fly”.  At the time, his rhetoric won the approval of the trendsetters in the trade; having witnessed the meteoric rise of casual dining across the UK, wine bibles seemed not only anachronistic but wildly inappropriate for all but a handful of the most traditional venues. Meanwhile, many predicted the slow death of pre-chosen wine pairings, as the rigid formality associated with matching Meursault to poulet au vinaigre was surely becoming utterly passé.

But they were wrong. After more than nine years, both leather-bound tomes and beautifully orchestrated  pairings still play an important role in luxury dining, despite an (overall) cultural shift towards a more relaxed approach demanded by consumers and delivered by operators.  So why have they endured?

“I think they are an important part of our dining culture and can really help pivot a restaurant and its offering. You get such a different kind of attention when you have a wine flight and I think this still resonates with customers,” says wine consultant Elly Owen.

“This kind of service or offering is part of a really curated and interesting part of our ability to dine out and have something extra special. What would be a unique way of exploring food and wine if it weren’t for this?”

Such a fusion of gastronomic and viticultural theatre, Owen argues, is a vital part of the industry's cachet with consumers, helping to maintain profitability in spite of corrosive inflation.

“I met a lovely lady at one of my tastings recently who was avidly interested in wine and we were speaking about Fifteen,” she reveals.

“The individual said that when she had the wine tasting there it changed her whole outlook on wine and her enjoyment of it increased exponentially. Not that it had to be Fifteen, but that introduction to wine in a different way, the relationship between food and wine can be so encompassing and life-affirming.”

Evolution not revolution

Of course, there is also a pragmatic element to keeping wine pairings at the heart of the guest experience: with top-end flights often exceeding £180 a head, turnover can surpass that of individual bottle sales.

According to Stuart Skea, group head sommelier at Aizle Restaurant in Edinburgh: “Wine pairings play a massive part in the structure, service and income of the restaurant. It fluctuates but they hover around 40% uptake at Aizle. In short, a massive part of the overall operation - a huge driver of revenue for us.”

The only major drawback that Skea identifies is the need for “more staff, greater storage space, more glasses, and more work for us”. Nevertheless, he is passionately committed to keeping wine flights at the heart of Aizle's offer, believing that “matching food and wine is one of the simple, essential pleasures of life - when done well it leaves you with a smile on your face”.  But how, exactly, does one achieve that perfect pairing?

Skea outlines a methodology that juxtaposes scientific precision with a certain amount of baseline intuition. He says: “I think of the structure and weight of the wine first and foremost - do you need to cut through the richness of a dish or match it? Is there a particular flavour note in the dish you wish to enhance? In short, taste, taste and taste again - be honest with yourself and work closely with your suppliers as well as the kitchen team.

“Equally,  I would say you know intuitively what sort of wine will and won't work as soon as you taste a dish:  spending time working with any chef, you get a 'feel' for their cooking.”

He also believes that “sommeliers can be guilty at times of trying to shoehorn wines into pairings - a wine that you might personally love and be a great bottle in its own right, but never the twain shall meet with the specific dish, or you do see a lot of esoteric wines which are chosen purely for the 'coolness' factor”.

Championing inclusivity

Yet, while a demographic of older, wealthier diners may balk at Slovenian orange wine,  it’s undeniable that (some) of the best wine lists in the UK now sparkle with renewed creativity, with less favouritism shown to trade clichés.  Showcasing an all-inclusive drinks list, meanwhile, is becoming de rigueur in certain quarters. Indeed, the capital is awash with single-dish restaurants specialising in everything from cheese toasties to fried chicken. With such a variety of choice, there’s room for both traditional and innovative wine philosophies in our ever-evolving restaurant scene.

Roketsu, a leading Japanese venue in Marylebone, falls into the latter category.  Sommelier Ryosuke Mashio has curated a dynamic list that mixes old favourites with more esoteric drops, in addition to plenty of non-wine options.

“Around 20% of the guests who have kaiseki menu now go for a pairing,” explains Mashio.

“The flight is composed of both wine and sake. However, a lot of guests have been asking for the sake-only pairing lately. But non-alcoholic flights that showcase teas, juices and mocktails are popular as well.  The key element is to establish what the guests are looking for – do they want to learn more about the drink or are they looking for something new, and so on?”

Mashio, like many sommeliers, emphasises a subtle approach to food and wine matching, eschewing big, extracted wines in favour of lighter, fruitier styles.

“I generally look for wines with a sense of place and transparency that are not overly manipulated as these are the most inspiring and interesting wine and food matches to me,” says Skea. The intrepid oenophile, however, does occasionally use beer and/or cider as components in a pairing, albeit he reports that one guest reacted with “visceral hatred before they had even smelled or tasted it”.

Consumer engagement

Meanwhile, savvy restaurateurs and sommeliers continue to fine-tune their vinous offer. The old guard remain passionately committed to lengthy tomes, while The 10 Cases in Covent Garden, for example, champions shorter, more focused lists that take in lesser-known regions and, crucially, prioritise consumer choice over pre-chosen wine flights. There is much to recommend in this approach: shorter menus draw attention to more interesting options and simplify the selection process for the vast majority of consumers who want to order quickly, discretely and painlessly.

But such a minimalist philosophy cuts no ice in the (still profitable) world of fine dining. The challenge facing owners today is to square the circle: diners want an 'authentic' experience, which is tricky to get right, as the whole package needs to be simultaneously polished, educational and relaxed.

Fortunately, a provocative and eclectic wine flight, curated with professionalism and panache, delivers exactly that.