Christine Parkinson of Hakkasan is one of the most creative restaurant wine buyers in the UK. Heaven knows what she’d get up to if put in a more classically wine-minded operation than this noisy, super-hip, tenebrous basement serving top quality dim sum et al. She has just launched a new wine list with an entirely new way of categorising her wines and I thought you might be interested to see the headings.
Australian sommelier Matt Wilkin (ex Capital and People’s Palace, now Genesis Wines) reports: “she showed it to me the other day, and I must say she has compiled a list which is exceptionally different from the majority of wine lists, whilst maintaining the Hakkasan fingerprint. Apart from being very well formatted to avoid confusion, she has categorised the selection of wines by titles which correctly reflect the category she has placed them in for all to understand. Each title is followed by a simple brief explanation, which acts as a catalyst to understand why those wines are chosen and placed in their bracket.”
Prestige: fine wines
Magnums: double bottles
Champagne large formats: more is more
Exploration: wine by the glass
Signature: wines of Hakkasan
Harmony: wine and food
Rosé: pale wine from red grapes
Purity: the expression of fruit
Terroir: a sense of place
Curious vines: distinctive wines, blends, the art of the winemaker
Age and grace: mature wines
Vieilles vignes: old vines
Biodynamics: spiritual wine
Last few: the end of the line
Meditation: sweet wine
Strength & beauty: fortified wine
Interesting, no?
