Jason Atherton hasn’t done things by halves at Row on Five, and his wine list is no exception. Running to more than 200 pages and weighing in excess of 2kg it has approximately 2,000 wines. Prices start at £39 - which isn’t bad for a high-reaching Mayfair fine dining spot - and top out at £18,000.
Created by Roxane Dupuy, the list kicks off with an extensive selection of by-the-glass options before moving on to what must be one of the largest selections of champagne and other sparkling wines in the capital (Row on Five has a dedicated cellar room for the selection and pouring of fizz) that includes the major houses as well as a huge selection of grower champagnes and English sparkling wine. The list is then divided up geographically leading France, Italy and Spain before moving on to the rest of Europe - finally - the New World.
There are three levels of wine pairing on offer to accompany Row on Five’s meticulously executed tasting menu: The £155 Arcane which is big on adventurous wines from all over the world); the more classically minded Heritage at £230; and finally the blow the budget Refinement of Wine that features some of the world’s most in-demand vintages including a 1979 Petrus and a 2000 Château d’Yquem,
In a move that will no doubt please the restaurant’s supplier of argon gas capsules, every wine by the glass is served using a Coravin, regardless of the fact that an opened bottle might only last a few hours when the restaurant is in full swing, to ensure drinkers get their wine at its absolute best.
For the truly committed wine buff Atherton has even donated his private collection of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, stored in a separate wine cellar with bottles ‘held’ by casts of his and his wife’s hands. Prices of these bottles are available on request, but as US financier JP Morgan once famously said, ‘if you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it’.
Created by Roxane Dupuy, the list kicks off with an extensive selection of by-the-glass options before moving on to what must be one of the largest selections of champagne and other sparkling wines in the capital (Row on Five has a dedicated cellar room for the selection and pouring of fizz) that includes the major houses as well as a huge selection of grower champagnes and English sparkling wine. The list is then divided up geographically leading France, Italy and Spain before moving on to the rest of Europe - finally - the New World.
There are three levels of wine pairing on offer to accompany Row on Five’s meticulously executed tasting menu: The £155 Arcane which is big on adventurous wines from all over the world); the more classically minded Heritage at £230; and finally the blow the budget Refinement of Wine that features some of the world’s most in-demand vintages including a 1979 Petrus and a 2000 Château d’Yquem,
In a move that will no doubt please the restaurant’s supplier of argon gas capsules, every wine by the glass is served using a Coravin, regardless of the fact that an opened bottle might only last a few hours when the restaurant is in full swing, to ensure drinkers get their wine at its absolute best.
For the truly committed wine buff Atherton has even donated his private collection of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, stored in a separate wine cellar with bottles ‘held’ by casts of his and his wife’s hands. Prices of these bottles are available on request, but as US financier JP Morgan once famously said, ‘if you have to ask how much it costs, you can’t afford it’.
