London's always been a wine capital

A story in The Times last week jarred. Not just because it was blatant advertorial. But because it was wrong. And the real story is much more fun.

Sometimes there’s something about a newspaper story that you just know isn’t right. Like this:

When the late Don Hewitson, the founding father of the British wine bar, arrived in London from his native New Zealand in 1972, he said he was horrified by the quality of what was being offered in British restaurants and pubs. “I’d heard that the situation in Britain was bad, but I was shocked,” Hewitson recalled in an interview in 2001.

So said the opening lines of a piece in The Times last week:

But just a minute. Was London’s wine scene really that bad before Don Hewitson came and saved Londoners from their “horrific” wine bars?

What about this that I read only a few days ago:

England is the biggest European wine importer, and restaurants have staggeringly long and varied wine lists.

So said Hunter Davies almost sixty years ago in his 1966 book “The New London Spy”. Subtitled - brilliantly - “a discreet guide to the city’s pleasures.

According to the Knight Frank advertorial that tried to pass for a proper newspaper article in The Times, the reason for London’s sudden status as a wine nirvana is “An influx of global tycoons and surge in five-star hotels”.

Really?

But as Hunter Davies pointed out, that’s hardly news. And he pointed it out far more entertainingly. If you enjoy wine, and books, and you like linguistic side-eye, go immediately to Abe Books and buy a copy. It’s one of the best purchases I’ve made in years. Not least as it’s the only city guide book I’ve ever come across that offers advice on how best to commit suicide.

We’ll come back to that later (a trigger warning if you will). But first to wine. According to the article in last week’s The Times, The Connaught has…

a 116-page wine list compiled by the director of wine Daniel Manetti¹ [that] includes a Montrachet Grand Cru 1998 for a cool £25,000 — while a vintage 1921 Chateau d’Yqeum would set you back an eye-watering £50,000. Some bottles are priced at considerably more.

Back in 1966, the Connaught is described as having the…

Atmosphere of pleasant country house, lately done up by people with more money than breeding. Excellent American/English food, good wine list, freezing cocktails. Obliging hall porter, discreet and cheerful bedroom staff. Comfy, quiet, high-ceilinged rooms. Top place for chic sex. Likely fellow guests: Prince Rainier, David Niven, Ingrid Bergman, Walt Disney, Aaron Copland.

Don’t you just hope that the likely fellow guests got together one night for a dinner together. What a night.