Wine magazine Decanter has just had its annual restaurant awards and given Bermondsey spot Zucca its top accolade. Zucca picked up the Decanter/Laurent-Perrier Restaurant of the Year award because, as their writer Brian St Pierre explains; ''The food is uncluttered and comforting, cliché-free Italian, accompanied by a splendid choice of wines.'
Zucca owner Sam Harris tells the magazine that his wine list is a direct response to both his love of wine and a desire to make it more affordable to all. ‘I spent so many years going to restaurants and seeing wines I’d love to have but couldn’t afford… My theory is, as long as they’re selling well, I can afford slimmer mark-ups. So I can sell, say, four bottles of Sassicaia a week, as opposed to a couple a month at a higher mark-up, and everybody’s happy.’
"Sam Harris has lovingly crafted one of the most thrilling wine lists in London, driven by his own passion and vast knowledge of Italian wine, Piemonte and Tuscany in particular,' says Hot Dinners' resident wine expert and blogger Zeren Wilson. "The 100% Italian list has plenty of gems from some of the finest wineries in Italy, and the value is astonishing. A top chef who knows his wine, is a great combination. It is absolutely the best value wine list in London."
London restaurant, Galoupet won the Decanter/Laurent-Perrier Newcomer of the Year, particularly because of its Bring Your Own approach. 'It’s also introduced what is surely a first for a wine bar anywhere – BYO all day Monday with one proviso: you have to offer the sommelier a taste,' says St Pierre.
