Wine Journey under the streets of St. James

Posted by winesleuth in All | 0 comments

It’s possible to take a vinous journey around the world underneath the streets of St. James, Central London. I was recently invited to join one of these journeys that the Stafford Hotel has now begun hosting in it’s 380 year old wine cellars.

The Stafford Hotel is a gorgeous 17th century townhouse that has now been converted into a luxury hotel. Over the centuries, it had a variety of illustrious owners but in 1912 is was sold and turned into a hotel. During WWII, the hotel was used to billet American and Canadian soldiers. There is even a small corner of WWII memorabilia deep in the recesses of the wine cellar.

The Stafford has now decided to show off it’s cellars and wine collection by hosting a series of tastings there. Twice a month, the Master Sommelier, Gino Nardella, who has been with the hotel since the 1980’s, will lead visitors on a unique wine tasting experience below the streets of St James. The cellars have always been open to the public, all you have to do is ask, but here is the opportunity to spend a few hours amongst those aged bottles of wine, enjoying a selection as well as learning a bit and doing some food and wine matching.

Gino has created a variety of bespoke evenings for wine lovers of all levels. He’ll take you on a journey through the vineyards, via the wine glass. The evening I attended we had a tasting of  wines from around the world. We tried emblematic wines from England, South Africa, Burgundy, Italy, Chile, Australia and Spain. Let me tell you, they don’t skimp on the wines, they were all from excellent  vintages, most from the mid to late 2000’s. Gino was also a great host, charming and informative.

The hotel is offering a series of these Wine Journeys starting on 24th April with a Chardonnay Wine Journey. The price is £69 per person and includes food and wine tasting in the cellar with Gino. For more information,visit their website.