The World

Last time I was in Brussels I was approached by a red-faced Eurocrat, with an Irish accent, who spluttered – “Why did you do it? Why did you give that idiot his job back?”

I was a little taken aback by this – and asked which idiot ( in fact, “eejit”) he had in mind. “Tyler Brule”, he spluttered.

I replied that I have no influence over hiring decisions at the FT. And I pointed out that Tyler has many fans – me included. In fact, just to prove my it, I am going to devote this post to a Brule-style exercise: a list of my favourite wine stores around the world.

Of course, if it was a proper Tyler Brule article, at least one of the stores would be in Tokyo and another would be on a Swedish island. My own top five are in London, Paris, Reims, San Francisco and Brussels. And I would like to encourage people to send me their own recommendations.

1) Berry Brothers and Rudd: 3 St. James’s Street, London SW1A – For a while I was too intimidated to cross the portals of Berry Brothers on St James’s Street in London. Surrounded by London clubs and shops specialising in selling guns and cigars, Berry’s have been in the same spot since 1698. When I first got to know the shop, they didn’t actually have any wine on display. There were just a few catalogues, a barrel, a weighing-scales and some pink-faced chaps in suits, milling around. The staff were so posh and well-spoken that it seemed inconceivable that they could actually be sales-people – and downright impertinent to ask them to serve you. But – eventually – I plucked up courage, and found that if I said something like – “Could I have a bottle of Chablis”, they would actually trot down to the cellar, fetch a bottle and even sell it to me.

These days, it is slightly more obvious that Berrys is – in fact – a shop. A few years ago they took the revolutionary step of displaying wine in the window and on the shelves. This was a huge leap into the modern world – a bit like when The Times decided to put news on its front pages. In fact, Berrys are now a recognisable commercial operation, with branches in Dublin, Hong Kong and Heathrow Airport – and a superb list of wine, particularly strong on Bordeaux. And now that I am in my mid-40s, I am no longer intimidated by their staff. In fact, I’ve grown to like them.

2) LaVinia, 3 Boulevard de la Madeleine, Paris 75001: A relatively new arrival on the Paris scene, LaVinia is the largest and swishest wine store I have ever visited. It has everything. So when I wanted to find a bottle of Cloudy Bay to convince some sceptical French friends that New Zealand really can produce great wines, LaVinia was the obvious place to go. The choice of French wines is, of course, huge. And the prices are also pretty huge. Still, it’s a good place to go and ogle. There is also a branch of LaVinia in Madrid which (surprise, surprise) has a really good selection of Spanish wines. In fact, I think it may have been the original.

LaVinia is really impressive, but perhaps a little soulless. I would be very interested if somebody could refer me to a Parisian wine store with a little more history – the French equivalent of Berry Brothers.

3) La Cave Se Rebiffe - 23 Rue de Mars, Reims 51110: This little store is at the opposite extreme from the huge expanse and varied selection of LaVinia. It is just one front room – with a restaurant and bar at the back. La Cave is just around the corner from the Reims headquarters of Krug and Louis Roederer (of Cristal fame), the two grandest champagne houses in the world. But as well as the very top marques like Krug and Salon, La Cave stocks much more obscure and reasonably-priced champagnes made by small growers. You can taste some of the champagnes by the glass, in the restuarant at the back.

4) Mig’s World Wines, 43 Chausee de Charleroi, Brussels - Mig’s is also a small store, named after its owner a Belgian-Australian. It is located in Brussels, which is a city that takes a keen interest in food and wine. There are certainly grander wine-shops in the city. But Mig’s became my favourite during my years in Brussels – largely because it has a fascinating selection that reflects the personality and background of its owner.

Mig started out determined to showcase Australian wines to the Belgians. But – along the way – he has become fascinated by wines from all over the globe. It’s the only shop where I have been able to find Mexican Cabernet Sauvignon (not very nice, if truth be told.) And for the more traditional, there are some reasonably-priced old vintage Bordeauxs and Burgundies, locked up in a little cabinet.

5) Plump Jack’s - 3201, Fillmore Street, San Francisco: I must admit I haven’t been to this place for 14 years. My only visit to Plump Jack’s was during the 1994 World Cup – when I was staying in San Francisco, and going to the Brazil matches in Stanford down the road. Californian wine and Brazilian football was a pretty good combination. The thing I particularly liked about Plump Jack’s was that you could buy a bottle at shop prices and then take it next door to the restaurant – and drink it there, without any extra mark-up. A brilliant – and rare – idea. To judge by the web-site, Plump Jack’s seems to have turned into a bit of an empire over the past decade.

Anyway, that’s it – my top five. But I feel this list is lacking an entry for New York and Sydney (that’s a Tyler touch, for you). There is a good place in Sydney on the rocks, opposite the opera house – but I can’t remember its name.