How sommeliers are creating the perfect match

A popular saying goes that if you want something done well, you have to knuckle down and do it yourself. Many people in the restaurant industry take this to heart. There are chefs who grow their own vegetables, fruits and herbs, or rear and slaughter their own animals, so that they can have full immersion in and creative involvement in the production and vision.

For some sommeliers, it’s simply not enough to have an enviable depth and breadth of knowledge of wine, they also want to be more hands on. An increasing number are going into the vineyards and cellars to develop wines for their restaurants. This way, the sommelier has the option to not only match the wine to the menu, but create it. This is also another creative extension of the business, with custom labels closely echoing brand identity (let’s not pretend that part of the success of low-intervention wine wasn’t down to the eye-grabbing, design-forward, genuinely cool labels).

Kol is a Mexican restaurant in London where flavour profiles are layered and the different spices demand mellow wines, low in acidity. They have two of their own wines they’ve developed alongside winemakers. Christian Tschida is a natural winemaker with a cult following so dedicated bottles get snapped up with zeal by sommeliers at trade tastings (quicker still by those who spot it on wine lists). But if there’s one restaurant special enough to score a collab with Tschida, it’s probably Kol. Hecatomb, meaning sacrifice, is a cabernet franc that’s as intense and iron-heavy as blood. Only 200 bottles have been made.

They’ve also got a white wine, a thinner, zippier grüner veltliner from Markus Altenburger. This is a grape variety that’s often suggested to be paired with spice, due to its distinctive “peppery” quality, but ends up being too acidic or thin to compete with big flavours. But Kol’s custom version, an old-vine example with more mellow complexity, is a mean match for the many different types of heat the restaurant delivers.

Some sommeliers have taken advantage of the proximity to the UK’s ever-improving winemakers to get some of the finest examples as their house pours. Simon Rogan’s restaurant group uses Wiston Estate wine across their venues, including the highly lauded L’Enclume. Here, sparkling wine is acknowledged as the brilliant pairing wine it is, and their head sommelier Charles Carron Brown was instrumental in recognising that. Wiston X Simon Rogan Rosé Sparkling, a firm, textured sparkling rosé, can stand up to meats, cut through fats and lift anything deep-fried. This is something to order by the glass at any point in the meal – there isn’t a time of the day when I wouldn’t neck a sparkling rosé.

Amy Poon launched Eight Bunches earlier this year with Chinese-American winemaker Jade Gross. From La Rioja, the wine is 50% tempranillo and 50% graciano. The former variety is typically associated with the region but also with deep, complex wines. The graciano brings freshness, allowing the wine to meet the lighter dishes on Poon’s menu than you’d perhaps expect: halibut with TianJian preserved vegetables, steamed chicken with wind-dried sausage and cordyceps. It’s the kind of versatility you expect (and love) from sparkling rosé. Red wines are often relegated to pairing with red meat and mushrooms – but with more restaurant involvement, perhaps people start to think a little more creatively.

Prop styling by Alexander Breeze; drink styling by Tara Garnell