Trendy, stylish, luxurious, these words have been lavished endlessly at the Andaz hotel in Liverpool Street. If you are wondering why the beautiful red-brick Victorian building looks familiar, it is from the same designers who designed the Houses of Parliament. We went along to check out their 1901 Wine Lounge with the promise they offer quirky, unusual wines from less well-known wine regions and exclusive selections.
The lounge has elegant arches and stunning mosaic floors; more importantly their luscious couches are so relaxing, you might be in serious danger of spending hours there comprehensively sampling their superb wine menu.
They have an extensive list of over 160 wines and a carefully selected list of 18 wines by the glass. The line-up is particularly strong from Austria including Grüner Veltliner, a white wine grape variety which is planted in over 30% of the country and newcomer blends like Rote Kuvee, which blend red grape varieties from the renowned ‘Eisenberg’ vineyard along with international varieties like Syrah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon which gives the wine great fruity aromas and a great mineral balance.
Riesling isn’t necessarily the most grown white grape variety in the world, but in terms of quality it ranks up there with the very best, especially ones from Germany where the cooler climate is ideal for this terroir-expressive wine. The BTG Riesling we tried from Mosel had a perfumed taste with strong notes of apricot and peach.
Not many people try sparkling red wine, but it is a sheer delight when you get offered genuine lambrusco. The Solco Paltrinieri we tried is a young wine full of energy and vibrancy; it has a light frothiness and a beautiful savoury dryness to the finish which makes it ideal for pairing with food.
They also have a very special Prosecco offering in the form of Malibran Sottoriva. It is a refreshingly cloudy, almost grey-looking wine; the colour is because nothing is removed post-fermentation and is produced organically.
Their bar snacks are no afterthoughts here: the herb-crusted seared tuna is divine tasting with superb floral taste from the pea and coriander guacamole and obviously from the herbs that seasoned the fish. The charcuterie board is a must order especially if you are enjoying wines like the lambrusco. The meat is from Mantua, which is widely known as the undisputed leader of pig breeding in the Lombardy region.
The Andaz hotel is celebrating their official partnership with London restaurant festival, which runs throughout October by offering guests a 20% discount on their best room rate during the festival. All you need to do is enter the discount code: LRF16 at the point of booking.
baldwin@townfish.com