Before I brazenly ordered my first bottle for the table (a Rioja in Durham, if you must know), a wine list’s by-the-glass section was my safe space. Far from being part of a well-heeled family of wine drinkers, I was constantly skint and ordering the house wine reminded me of it. Utterly overwhelmed, instead of taking a punt on my burgeoning knowledge, I’d anxiously squawk ‘red’ or ‘white’ at a well-meaning sommelier whom I’d convinced myself hated me. I couldn’t help but feel I wasn’t getting the best out of the wine list and that I was boring.
Since, however, I’ve learnt that a lot of fun can be had by the glass; that this dozen-bottle stretch of the list is a haven for discovery and experimentation. One where, mercifully, mistakes have a sub-£10 price tag. The best of London’s restaurateurs and sommeliers go to great pains to sniff out a brilliant, cheap option anyway — a more arduous a task than it sounds. Co-founder of Noble Rot, Dan Keeling went to such lengths that he ended up developing the spritzy Claptonite-favourite, Chin Chin. And you don’t need me to tell you that’s a goodie.
