Industry experts to launch speakeasy-themed Brighton bootleg bar

Located in the North Laine area, L’Atelier du Vin is the brainchild of Steve Pineau and master sommelier Dimitri Mesnard, formerly of Raymond Banc’s two Michelin-starred hotel restaurant Belmond Le Manior Aux Quat’Saisons.

Opening on 16 March, the prohibition era-themed bar will offer over 500 wines and 300 spirits, sourced by Pineau, Mesnard, and sommelier Stefano Angeloni.

The team haven apparently spent the last two years amassing the collection. Prices will start at £4 per glass, but will go into the hundreds for the most exclusive vintages.

Pinau and Dimitri’s mentor, Gerrard Basset OBE, will curate a selection of six ‘prestigious’ wines, half of which will be available to order by the glass.

The owners say that these wines would usually only be available by the bottle, rendering them out of the budget for most, but L’Atelier du Vin is able to offer them by the glass due to Coravin wine sealant technology.

L’Atelier du Vin will offer a small menu including dishes such as steak sourced from nearby Trenchmore Farm and a selection of charcuterie and cheeses to complement the bar offering.  Diners can also opt to have personalised steak knives made.

Pineau will be leading a team of mixologists including bar manager, Giuseppe Mannini, who trained at London’s Opium bar

In keeping with the bar’s 1920s ‘bootlegger’ theme, the space is accessed through a secret door in Kensington Gardens, and features mismatched furniture, low lighting and jazz music. The site is above Pineau’s contemporary French restaurant Grow40.

“We wanted to create a space that we could have fun with, where people can discover great wines and rare vintages, stepping back into the prohibition era where real cocktails were created,” says Pineau.

“We’ve put it together with our own hands and want people to come and enjoy the space, feeling at home.”