Hamish Anderson, Head Sommelier and Wine Buyer for Tate, has been working with us for over nine years. Hamish started his career in wine at Bibendum, the original Conran restaurant in the Michelin building, and then combined this with a more formal education from the Wine and Spirits Education Trust giving him the ideal grounding for his later success. Hamish's first book VINO: GREAT WINE FOR EVERYDAY LIFE was published in October 2003, selling over 15,000 copies. The book's down to earth approach to food and wine has won critical acclaim from the amateur and expert alike.
At Tate Britain Hamish has created one of the most legendary wine lists in London. Renowned for being extensive, the list includes keenly priced wines from all over the globe. Since Hamish's arrival the restaurant has won four of the most highly acclaimed awards of the UK restaurant scene - Best Wine List at the Moët & Chandon Carlton Restaurant Awards, Best Wine List at the Restaurateurs' Restaurant Awards, Best UK Wine list from Les Routiers Guide and Best Wine List in London in Neville Blech's Top 100 UK Wine Lists.
To accompany seasonal dishes Hamish recommends the following fine wines from the Tate cellar:
"As party season starts I always dread being given cheap champagne or pretentious sparkling wines, I would rather have a lovely glass of a great wine - our 2002 Pouilly-Vinzelles 'Les Quarts', Bret Brothers, Burgundy, France (£33 bottle) is wonderful and goes really well with nibbles and smoked salmon. The region is not well known and so this "up and coming" wine is a great find at the moment. With nights drawing in and seasonal ingredients becoming more earthy we tend to stay in and eat more comfort foods with rich casseroles and stews. Our 2003 Gigondas, Domaine Raspail-Ay, Rhône Valley, France (£28 bottle) is fantastic - it really is rustic, rich and hearty with great flavours making it perfect for this time of year. My final recommendation for the season has to be 1998 Vinsanto from the Hatzidakis Winery, Santorini, Greece (£16.50 half bottle). This is exquisite and really is like drinking liquid Christmas Pudding - it is a sublime way to end a meal. Enjoy!"
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