Hands up who’s been to Trafalgar Square? I’m guessing if you’ve ever
been to London that at some point you would have visited this tourist and
pigeon paradise. For me there are many reasons to visit this corner of London;
the galleries, easy access to Covent Garden, Leicester Square and Buckingham
Palace, nice restaurants, the list goes on and on... Now I have found one more reason – Pall Mall FineWine.
Nestled in one of London’s oldest shopping arcades, the Royal Opera
Arcade, just off Pall Mall itself, is this gem of a little wine bar. I visited her sister establishment, Shepherd Market Wine Bar, earlier this year and was
very pleased to be invited to check out this bar.
The Bar
As you walk in to the bar you are immediately struck by the pretty,
yet somewhat eclectic décor. Laid out in an unmistakably French cave du vin style, it features pretty
little ornaments, trinkets, objets d’art,
paintings, newspaper cuttings. One of my favourite features was a series of
music sheets perched on top of one of the door frames. The bar has a
long-standing relationship with notable artist Simon Key, who produces
illustrations for ‘Private Eye’ and several of his pieces are festooned around
in a pleasingly haphazard manner.
Wedged at the end of the bar is a piano, with
a promise that if one were to play a pleasing tune to amuse the clientele that
a reward would be forthcoming in a liquid form; I was very tempted, but my
(admittedly meagre) piano skills are rather rusty currently…
The layout of the bar is rather neat. There are a series of tables
outside in the arcade, that provides an almost Parisian feel (helped when I was
there by the fact that real French people were sat outside drinking wine and
smoking cigarettes!). The main bar is on the ground floor and features about 10
small tables for people to huddle around. There is an upstairs area with a
couple of rooms where tastings or private functions can take place. The bar has
a food menu to accompany its wine which predominantly focuses on charcuterie;
there are also some rather good looking dessert options.
I was greeted by Laurence, who runs the establishment and leads the
team of three who ensure its smooth operation. The wine-list falls into two
categories: they have 60 or so wines that are available by the glass or by the bottle; additionally, they have a fine wine list of wines,
which are available only by the bottle. For the fine wines, the price is the
same (bar a £9 corkage fee) whether you are buying to drink in or take home
with you. The list overall has a strong French influence to it (which is in
keeping with the French décor and the French staff), but there is some other
old-world representation from Germany and Italy, as well as some new-world
wines from USA, South Africa and New Zealand.
I tried a number of wines from their list and found them to be very
pleasant and, rather reasonably priced – especially when considering the
environs.
Whites
I started with a 2015 L’espirit
de Provence Vermentino (Côte de Provence, France; price £6.50/glass or
£24.95/bottle) which I found to be joyfully peachy, juicy and fresh on the
nose, which translated to a clean, decent taste. Next up I tried a 2014 Domaine de Janasse Viognier (Rhône,
France; price £8.00/glass or £30.95/bottle) – after all, everyone loves
Viognier; don’t they? This had a decadently heady nose, with a slightly floral
twang to it. On the palate it was fresh and fruity with stone fruits (apricots
and peach) dominating, before ending with a slightly mellow honey-flavour.
Reds
I started on the red side with a 2013
Urlar Gladstone Pinot Noir (Wairarapa, NZ; price £8.00/glass or
£32.95/bottle) which had a pleasing soft red cherry nose, accompanied by a
touch of perfumed rose. It had a nice, smooth profile to it, with typically low
tannins. Not the most complex Pinot that one will ever drink, but rather decent
at the price. After this I moved onto a 2012
Chateau des Gravières (Grave, Bordeaux, France; price £6.50/glass or
£27.95/bottle), which was a wine of considerably more presence; it featured a
strong blackcurrant nose, but on the mouth it was deeper with some tobacco
notes to add a nice secondary profile. I finished with a 2011 Chateau de Cénac (Cahors, France; price £8.50/glass or
£33.95/bottle) which had a rich, dark black cherry nose to it and a rich,
moussey chocolate taste to it. A very nice wine – and a reminder to where the
real home of Malbec is!
Conclusion
I really enjoyed my visit to Pall Mall Fine Wine; I found it relaxing and comfortable, with an excellent wine list. Given its central location it will definitely become a regular part of my planning for when I brave the crowds and the pigeons.
Many thanks to Laurence for looking after me so well. I certainly plan on returning!
The details:
Pall Mall Fine Wine
Units 6 - 8 Royal Opera Arcade
SW1Y 1UY
Website: www.pallmallfinewine.co.uk
Open: 1200 - 2030 Mon; 1100 - 2300 Tues - Fri; 1400 - 1800 Sat; closed Sundays.
Disclaimer: I attended as a guest of Pall Mall Fine Wine, nonetheless the
opinions contained within this article are my own and were not in any
way influenced by the hospitality.
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