The Best Wine List in London
STOP the press! I have found it! The golden fleece of gastronomy. This is the best wine list in London. Now, admittedly, I have not tried every single wine list in our sprawling capital but given my proclivities, I have tried a great many – and rarely, if ever, have I found one as beguiling, entertaining and delicious as that of Akira Back.
Akira Back is housed in the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair, a hotel so tucked back from the street, and (sadly) currently surrounded by scaffolding, you could easily miss it. Once inside, however, the restaurant is a high-ceilinged atrium of light with a grand swirling staircase descending down. The design represents the four elements (I was seated below a swirling wood structure signifying wind) and this is echoed in the presentation of the wine list.
Themed lists can be hit or miss. Sometimes helpful, sometimes confusing, often indulging the poetic licences of the team – in general I can take or leave them. Here ‘wind’ represents quirky wines, ‘water’ are wines of fresh, light, fruit and floral flavours, ‘earth’ means rustic, autumnal wines and ‘fire’ wines are full-bodied and powerful. What most impressed me was the sheer variety. It was exciting. It was a journey. It opened with a range of Sake from sparkling to Koshu, which is fitting given the Japanese and Korean influences on the cuisine, and was followed by a neat selection of wines by the glass. These were not scrimped on.
No side-eye judgement for those only buying one drink here. Sparkling wines aside, there are three for each element in both red and white – handy for those popping in for a quick glass with lunch. Then the list opens to a smorgasbord of joy. Bottles of the 1997 vintage Cristal Champagne share the page with a Welsh Pet-Nat. Premium Burgundies vie for attention alongside exquisite Assyrtikos from Santorini. In the experimental ‘wind’ section there is the newly released Changyu Moser XV Blanc de Noirs, an incredibly good Chinese wine by iconic winemaker Lenz Moser and the first white wine to be made from Cabernet Sauvignon. There is also Loxwood, an English mead, and wines from Slovenia, Croatia and Georgia. Not that this list is in any way intimidating.
Too often new wine lists try to be edgy and cool but instead of being interesting come across as confusingly pretentious – and that isn’t the point of wine at all. Here, wine traditionalists are catered for and comforted by plenty of recognisable regions and grapes from New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc to Tuscan reds. It is rare to find a list where there really is a wine for whichever dish you choose or season and mood you find yourself in. I grabbed head sommelier Andres Ituarte to compliment him on his achievement and ask his trick for curating so perfect a list.
“I put the list together over the course of a year,” he said. “I wanted to get away from the typical Mayfair lists of just Burgundy and Bordeaux and showcase all the other wonderful wines of the world. I am slowly amassing wines from Asian winemakers and the list is becoming more and more
adventurous”. And his advice to others? “Follow your own passion, not a template.
There are so many lists in London and the culture of wine drinkers is diverse. Christine Parkinson opened my eyes one day with Amarone and dim sum. The most impressive wine and food combinations come from the people that think outside the box. Be confident in yourself and push the envelope”.
This week’s best wine – LACAZE SIMETRICO CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2019 – NAKED WINES, £30.99
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Another secret win from Naked, this wine is made by the same winemaker as the world-famous Domus Aurea, one of Chile’s most iconic wines. An absolutely sensational Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile’s Maipo Valley, aged in French Oak to create a powerful, complex wine of rich dark fruits and spice, this could age for years to come. A total find at this price.
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