THE Savoy’s famous black-and-gold Beaufort Bar has become London’s most glamorous wine address yet. Reinvented as the Beaufort Wine Bar, the iconic room, hidden in the hotel’s maze of corridors, lures wine enthusiasts with the promise of unexpected discoveries, live music and late-night gossip.
The Savoy Beaufort Bar
The list runs to more than 250 wines from 18 countries across six continents. The cellars hide both sought-after vintages, from mature Champagne to First Growth Bordeaux, and a selection of new and exciting names. Thanks to Coravin technology, around half of the list is poured by the glass, so the chances to explore new favourites are endless.
The Savoy Beaufort Bar
Guiding the way is head sommelier Romain Audrerie, who has spent more than 15 years with some of hospitality’s most prestigious names. Weaving between the tables, bottles in hand, he pours me a glass. “Try this – it’s going to blow up in a couple of years,” he says, and the excitement in his voice is infectious. I feel let in on a little secret, and I’m still scouring the internet for any mention of this up-and-coming Italian wine from the Slovenian border.
The Savoy Beaufort Bar
The cocktails haven’t disappeared entirely. They’ve simply evolved, now built on wine, cognac, grappa and pisco. To eat? The finest English cheeses and hand-carved cured meats, the definite standout being acorn-fed jamón ibérico de bellota, sliced by my table from a bespoke flywheel trolley. It’s a perfect light bite that never overpowers the wine.
The bar is open Tuesday to Saturday until midnight and it’s the perfect excuse to linger a little longer on the Strand, especially in the darker months of the year.
by Olga Petrusewicz
To book visit here
Strand, London WC2R 0EZ, United Kingdom