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| Fine and rare – by the glass |
| Team vino india |
| Vins Extraordinaires, a London based purveyor of fine wines by the glass, was founded in 2016 by Stuart George, whose career in wine goes back 20 years. Stuart wanted his customers to be able to enjoy fine and rare wines by the glass. For the summer of 2017, Stuart rolled out a six-week residency of Vins Extraordinaires at Maison Assouline, London’s landmark cultural concept store, on Piccadilly. |
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Maison Assouline on Piccadilly, London |
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| Maison Assouline was established by Prosper and Martine Assouline with a view to create “the first luxury brand on culture”. Among many accolades, it was elected one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores by Town & Country earlier this year. “We love and believe in books more than everything else”, say Prosper and Martine. |
| According to Stuart, “the Assouline’s say that books are a matter of intellect and emotion, of heritage and innovation. The same is true of fine wine. A fine wine should offer intellectual and sensual rewards: it is a wine that is not only pleasurable to drink but also worth talking about and thinking about.” |
| Visitors to the Lutyens designed building that was once a bank (which explains why no windows open onto London’s most famous street) could peruse rare works of art picked up by the Assoulines’ in the course of travels or enjoy a light lunch at Swans Bar with the Vins Extraordinaires list of special wines by the glass. |
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Vins Extraordinaires at Maison Assouline |
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| The list impresses with 16 options, classified by Great Whites, Champagne, Anniversary Collection, and Impossible Collection. Prices start at £13 for a 2006 Louis Michel Chablis 1er cru Montée de Tonnerre and go to £63 for 1989 Chateau Pichon Lalande. |
| The list includes a selection of wine producers featured in the Best Sommelier of the World in 2004, Enrico Bernardo’s stunning addition to the “Assouline Ultimate Collection” – The Impossible Collection of Wine – in which he imagines the perfect cellar filled with the most exceptional wines of the twentieth century. For example, the 1987 Sassicaia at £63 for a glass. Or the 2000 Klein Constantia’s famed Vin de Constance, made in what is now a Cape Town suburb, since 1709 at £56. |
| You could try the 2007 Chateau Pape Clément Grand Cru Classé Graves for £35. Or M Chapoutier Ermitage Le Pavillion for £41. Or just a flute of the 2006 Pol Roger – Sir Winston Churchill’s favourite champagne – from magnum for £25. |
| Stuart adds, “Our wines are much older and rarer than the norm and offer an amazing wine experience. We take fine wine out of its traditional, stuffy environments and make it accessible, presenting it in a relaxed and engaging format. We believe that great wines are meant to be drunk and enjoyed, not worshipped and pontificated about.” |
| For those of you travelling to London, the Vins Extraordinaires selection of fine wines at Maison Assouline is not-to-miss. Whether its pre-dinner or post-work drinks, the charming ambience is matched by the charming wines. |
| Team vino india chanced upon this unique program in London. Good value for money, even if the tab was re-imbursed by vino india. |
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