Uncorked: Luke Wasserman
Tell us about the moment you first became interested in wine
I grew up in Somerset which, amongst other things, meant I drank a lot of cider in my youth. This foundation of local, often very rustic booze meant the first wines that really excited me were ones that were made in a similarly artisanal, funky style. I came to enjoy classic well-known wines and appellations via the low-volume, natural wines made off the beaten track.
Describe your wine list at Nest Farmhouse
The list is small and focussed on wines that have been made with respect to the land and to the people that made it. There is a good blend of well-known appellations amongst lesser-known varieties and producers.
Over the course of your career, have you had any wine-related disasters?
During the first few months of our first restaurant Nest, I did hand a particularly energetic bottle of bubbles to a colleague. When he went to open it the cork went flying and the bottle slipped from his hand. It crashed into the guest’s table and then he caught it in between his legs. As he looked down to regain stability and assess what the hell had just happened the now-agitated gassy liquid sprayed into the guest’s face.
Name your top three restaurant wine lists
Noble Rot and 40 Maltby Street in London and Parcelles Paris.
Who do you most respect in the wine world?
Other independent business owners in this incredibly challenging industry. Be it a winemaker who goes out on their own or a restaurateur decides to risk everything for a vision
What’s the most interesting wine you’ve come across recently?
I had a 1996 Nicolas Joly Coulee de Serrant the other day. Outrageous stuff from one of the modern day icons of terroir driven philosophy of winemaking.
What are the three most overused tasting notes?
Minerality, baking spice and ‘sweet’.
What’s the best value wine on your list at the moment?
There’s an organic Chianti Classico from Castagnoli which is a steal at only £65. We also have a delicious orange wine from Molise (in Italy) that’s listed for only £36 a bottle.
What is your ultimate food and drink match?
Fried chicken and vintage Champagne. Or oysters and Champagne. Or anything and Champagne.
Old World or New World?
Old. But I love the excitement in the vast experimentation of how certain varieties cope in places like the Western Cape, Southern Australia and the foothills of the Andes.
What is your pet hate when it comes to wine service in other restaurants?
When a sommelier starts reciting a generic boring tasting note of wine, similar to that on the back of a supermarket bottle. Instead of guiding the guest to make their own subjective conclusions. Tasting wine is about drawing on your own personal memories and experiences.
Who is your favourite producer right now?
If I had to pick my favourite at this very moment in time it might be Stephane Tissot in the Jura.
As a co-owner, what question do you most get asked by customers?
‘Do you get to visit all these wineries?’ The answer is no! Owning and running three restaurants is not as glamorous as people want to believe.
Which wine producing region or country is underrated at the moment?
Although it’s now starting to get on everyone’s radar I still think my two most underrated regions are Burgenland in Austria and the previously mentioned Jura.
It’s your last meal and you can have a bottle of any wine in the world. What is it and why?
That is a very painful question to answer. It would either be between a very old dry Mosel Riesling or it might have to be a 1990 (my birth year) DRC. Never tried the fabled wine so would probably be good time to see whether expectations can be even be close to being met.
