Location:
Hedonism, London
Memo:
Just before Christmas the lovely people at Air France invited me to a private wine tasting at Hedonism in Mayfair. It was an intimate relaxed affair and the perfect opportunity for a festive catch up with Rosie before the holidays. For those of you who haven’t visited Hedonism, it’s a must-see for wine lovers and those with an interest in history, culture, design… This fine wine and spirits boutique stocks around 5500 wines and 3000 spirits, with dedicated wine specialists, many of whom are former sommeliers from top Michelin starred restaurants with a passion for the Hedonism project, and it’s beautifully designed in light oak with installations from the likes of Riedel glassware (how stunning is that lighting feature!) and the makers of Sine Qua Non. We arrived in the early afternoon and after meeting up with Kitty, and Verane from Air France we headed downstairs to meet our wonderful sommelier who had set up the wine tasting area with glasses and a board of delicious cheese pairings. Keen to get started our lovely sommelier opened a bottle of champagne from a fabulous producer – Besserat de Bellefon – who create a beautiful, lightly sparkling champagne which is specifically designed to be enjoyed throughout any meal. Verane told us that Air France is one of the only airlines that serves a glass of champagne to all customers, regardless of seat class, on long haul flights which I thought was such a lovely touch, and the perfect way to start any special trip! Next we moved on to French white wines from the Enomatic machines – starting with Condrieu which was a firm favourite of the day – before tasting a number of red wines from the Loire, Pomerol and Saint Emilion, which all varied hugely, but the Clos de la Roche Grand Cru from Burgundy was our top pick. Having polished off the last of the cheese – it was seriously addictive and the goats cheese in particular paired fantastically with the wines that our sommelier had chosen – we set off on a wander around the shop. We checked out bottles upon bottles of Petrus and Chateau d’Yquem and we were lucky enough to be shown the prestige vault. Hidden away in the back, behind lock and key, this vault houses a number of spectacular wines including those from Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache as well as a few super special bottle of Petrus. What a heavenly pre-Christmas treat! A huge thank you to Verane, Kitty and Air France for arranging such a wonderful afternoon for us!
