By : Alistair Morrell

Hide is one of London’s newest and smartest additions to its vibrant Restaurant scene. In its short 6 month existence, it has gained a reputation that has been described as ‘ridiculous, but I like ridiculous’ ‘London’s trendiest’ and ‘Ollie Dabbous achieves polished perfection’. Ollie Dabbous has merely increased his already enormous reputation for excellence.

Hans Wejnefalk Larsson is Head Sommelier of ‘Above’ the first floor of three.

They have an extraordinary 18 sommeliers in the restaurant across the three floors.

What is the role of a sommelier in your opinion?

The most important role of the sommelier for me ultimately is to make sure the guest has an amazing wine to drink in regardless of taste and money. A sommelier is someone who guides the guest through the world of wine to find a bottle for them. At Hide we have 7000+ references spread out on two wine-lists so for us it is crucial to show the guest that we are confident in our knowledge and that we are there to help them. The role of the sommelier is also to add an extra sparkle to the evening of the guest by being charming and social if that’s what the guest wants. This is all that’s needed during service but behind the scene, the sommeliers roll is to create and curate a wine-list. Here it’s incredibly important to take into consideration what type of guest you have and what kind of food that is being served. To many sommeliers only go after personal taste.

Tell us about the role Hide? Are there any quirks, differences points of interest?  

The sommelier's role at Hide is as mention before is to guide the guest through our large wine list. Some guest finds it daunting or intimidating to deal with so many wines. That’s why we have focused so much on making sure that our sommeliers show the guest that we are here for them. Our role is not that different than many other places. Maybe we have a greater deal of demand in terms of knowledge on our sommeliers concerning the sheer size of our wine program than others.

What personal qualities do you require to be a sommelier?

At Hide we have been very clear from the start that our sommeliers personality should shine during their service. But if we look at overall attributes required it would say a sommelier needs to be able to show confidence in their knowledge, making the guest feel confident in their knowledge as well as be a good salesman. I do believe that if you are passionate about wine it should be correlated with being a good salesman, not always of course. One important quality as well as the ability to change according to the guest. Some want a chatty and happy sommelier while others just want to be served and the left alone.

Where did you start with wine education?

My story started with that my father opened a wine-import company and he brought me with him around Europe to different wine regions. I was about 16 when I got interested. Obviously, I couldn’t drink but I tasted wines in France and other places. I was hooked. When I turned 18 I received a sommelier education as a gift from my parents and here I am 11 years later.

Is the role of sommelier confined to just wine?

Many people seem to think so but for me, the answer is no. The sommeliers job is to be informed about all beverages- tea, coffee, spirits, wine, cigars, water and alcohol-free beverages. Of course, we all have our own areas in which we specialize in but the goal as a sommelier should be to become a renaissance man/woman. To know a little bit about everything pretty much. I think more people should embrace this way of thinking.

Is there a career path beyond sommelier?

Absolutely! If you are looking beyond hospitality you can go into import businesses, winemaking, wine writing, arrange wine travelling etc. As a sommelier these days you have a lot of options beyond hospitality. Even in hospitality, there are so many options also today as a sommelier. And on top of this if you become known you can work where ever you want in the world.

Is wine still basically all about Shiraz, Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Merlot or has it moved on?

To some extent, I believe that we still rely on the classic grapes, but their market share is shrinking day by day. It’s my impression that the market is getting more and more curious to explore wines beyond the classics. The world is getting smaller and smaller, so it is just natural that the same happens to the wine world. Winemakers notice this as well and some is returning to old grape varieties or old techniques. For me, this is a welcoming change because for example why should be drunk Cab Sav from Italy when they have an ocean of native grape varieties with the unforeseen potential to drink. I mean of course, if you like your Italian Cab Sav drink as much as you want but acknowledge that there is a world of other grapes or styles waiting on you just in Italy alone.

Tell us about the latest trends – English Wines, Prosecco, Australian Italian varieties?

Well, there are so many different trends going around that it is hard to keep up.

If we put Jura, Savoie, Etna and Orange wine behind us for a second and look to more recent trends I would argue that wines from Slovenia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Switzerland, Greece as well as wines from Balkan is getting trendier. These countries have long traditions of winemaking and they also use native grapes, not all of them but the majority. I think it’s a very interesting development. These wines also cost a fraction of French, Spanish and Italian wines. The overall trend I would say is that people are looking to lesser know regions to find something unique. Here in England as well we do find more and more interest for English Sparkling which I think its very fun. More places should offer English sparkling. I mean if you are in a restaurant in France they won’t offer you cava, that would be treasonous, they will give you cremant or champagne. We offer English sparkling by the glass for example.

Will Alexa ever replace sommeliers?

Hahaha NEVER. I do believe that it is the human factor that makes the sommelier profession. However, the technique in collaboration with sommeliers could give something extraordinary I think. But only time will tell.

What tips can you give for the aspiring or new sommelier?

Never stop learning, tasting or travelling. Even if you don’t like something keep tasting it. As an example, I personally never got impressed by Dolcetto as a grape or style, but I always kept tasting it over and over again just to see if I one day would find one I like. And I did it was an aged Dolcetto from Dogliani made by Gillardi which was amazing but of course, he had like 5 bottles available. Last but not least, never become overconfident, stay humble. You never know who the guest in front of you are.

About the Author

The article is contributed by Alistair Morrell, Wine Inspector, wine industry consultant, journalist and, commentator. Over 30 years as a wine business professional, Alistair shares his global knowledge, network, and experience of growers, importers, distributors and buyers.