Good Food hat 15 / 20 How we score European $$ $$ One of the pretentious – but true – things wine people like to say is that it’s difficult to understand good wine until you’ve tasted great wine. Unfortunately, for most of us, that possibility is beyond reach or not particularly high up on our list of financial priorities. Truly great wine is, almost always, truly expensive.
Historically, there’s also been a fair amount of snobbery and gatekeeping by wine collectors and professionals. On the professional front, at least, that is thankfully changing – more and more often, good sommeliers are doing their best to welcome as many different kinds of wine lovers, with all budgets and constraints, into the fold. But still, that doesn’t solve the problem: If you don’t have a tonne of money, how do you get your hands (or lips) on the good stuff? Enter Xavier Vigier.
Following a formula I’ve only ever seen a handful of times around the world, the former Ten Minutes by Tractor sommelier has opened Circl , a wine bar and restaurant that aims to significantly lower that financial barrier by offering a huge selection of rare wines by the glass or the taste. This means you might arrive at the Punch Lane restaurant, formerly Bar Saracen , and be presented with a bottle of Meursault Blanc 2020 from Domaine Roulot – one of the rarest and most in-demand wines in the world – and be offered a 75ml pour for $87. Almost $90 for a few sips might sound like no bargain at all, bu.
