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- Chris Boiling
- 2024-10-15
World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection (WBSS), a tasting designed to get the best wines into the best restaurants, has a new initiative for its 2025 edition. It has created a ‘wine by the glass’ promotion to encourage sommeliers – including many from the World’s 50 Best Restaurants – to serve wines from the WBSS list by the glass.
The details will be discussed when the sommeliers meet in January for the second World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection, but it’s already been decided the initiative will help to raise funds to support budding sommeliers as they start their careers. The money raised from the promotion will go to the World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection Fund For Education and be distributed by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).
To find out more about how sommeliers normally select their wines to serve by the glass, Canopy contacted four from restaurants in The World’s 50 Best list…
Atomix, New York City, USA
“My choices for our wines by the glass are influenced by deliciousness, diversity, cuisine compatibility, story, availability, and price. In this order, a wine first and foremost has to simply be delicious and hopefully inspires thirst as one drinks it. Diversity in a program is also important and there are many classic and unique varieties to share with guests when we have the chance to. On top of that, making sure that the wine, in general, fits the menu and the flavours that the kitchen is working towards is key to a cohesive restaurant program.
“This is where the sum becomes greater than its parts. A wine’s story is also important, because as sommeliers we are storytellers, and we often want to share a little something about the people or the place where the wine is from, especially if we’ve been lucky enough to have been there. And lastly, wines on offer need to fit the restaurant’s business model in terms of continued supply and price. Having a diverse selection in terms of quality and price can also be a positive, profitable and sustainable program.”
Tam Chaisiri Tassanakajohn
Nusara, Bangkok, Thailand
“Selecting a wine to serve by the glass involves several considerations. For me, the first is the quality and price point. Since we are in a country that has very high taxes for wines and spirits, I tend to explore the options with a price and quality match, providing they also suit the dining experience.
“The second consideration is the variety of the wines here at Nusara. We offer a full range of wines by the glass, starting with bubbles from the famous houses, like Krug, and grower Champagnes to let guests decide what they want. And, of course, we have at least four selections in each category (bubbles, white, red, rosé and sweet) to cater for guests’ preferences.
“Next will be the popularity and some well-known grapes, or specific wine regions, that make your list comfortable for regular guests. But, yes, we always have something rare or an option that will surprise guests if they are more open-minded.
“Lastly, the selection should tend to elevate the experience of the dining, which means it should go well with the food and guest experience too.”
Matteo Bernardi
Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy
"When choosing wines to serve by the glass, we’re mindful of health considerations, as many people are more conscious of their alcohol consumption these days. With a general trend towards reduced alcohol intake, offering wines by the glass is increasingly important.
“We focus on wines that are enjoyable and easy to drink, often selecting them to complement specific dishes. Our aim is to create a personalised experience for our guests. To do this, we keep a curated list of wines by the glass while also allowing nearly all our cellar bottles to be served by the glass, providing a diverse and tailored selection."
Nobuhide Otsuka
Sézanne, Tokyo, Japan
“I think the most important factors that influence the wines served in a restaurant are the quality of the wine and how well it pairs with the food.
“I simply mentioned quality, but the condition of the bottle, damage caused during shipping, and the quality of the cork are also important. It is also important to see how well it expresses the characteristics of the region where it was produced. Once that is met, we then consider how well it will pair with the food."
These globally acclaimed sommeliers, from some of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, are part of the panel for The World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection, an exclusive tasting from William Reed, the company behind The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and World’s Best Vineyards. Invitations to wine producers are now being sent out for the second annual Sommeliers’ Selection. To apply for an invitation, click here.
The details will be discussed when the sommeliers meet in January for the second World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection, but it’s already been decided the initiative will help to raise funds to support budding sommeliers as they start their careers. The money raised from the promotion will go to the World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection Fund For Education and be distributed by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET).
To find out more about how sommeliers normally select their wines to serve by the glass, Canopy contacted four from restaurants in The World’s 50 Best list…
What influences your selection of wine to serve by the glass?
Jhonel FaelnarAtomix, New York City, USA
“My choices for our wines by the glass are influenced by deliciousness, diversity, cuisine compatibility, story, availability, and price. In this order, a wine first and foremost has to simply be delicious and hopefully inspires thirst as one drinks it. Diversity in a program is also important and there are many classic and unique varieties to share with guests when we have the chance to. On top of that, making sure that the wine, in general, fits the menu and the flavours that the kitchen is working towards is key to a cohesive restaurant program.
“This is where the sum becomes greater than its parts. A wine’s story is also important, because as sommeliers we are storytellers, and we often want to share a little something about the people or the place where the wine is from, especially if we’ve been lucky enough to have been there. And lastly, wines on offer need to fit the restaurant’s business model in terms of continued supply and price. Having a diverse selection in terms of quality and price can also be a positive, profitable and sustainable program.”
Tam Chaisiri Tassanakajohn
Nusara, Bangkok, Thailand
“Selecting a wine to serve by the glass involves several considerations. For me, the first is the quality and price point. Since we are in a country that has very high taxes for wines and spirits, I tend to explore the options with a price and quality match, providing they also suit the dining experience.
“The second consideration is the variety of the wines here at Nusara. We offer a full range of wines by the glass, starting with bubbles from the famous houses, like Krug, and grower Champagnes to let guests decide what they want. And, of course, we have at least four selections in each category (bubbles, white, red, rosé and sweet) to cater for guests’ preferences.
“Next will be the popularity and some well-known grapes, or specific wine regions, that make your list comfortable for regular guests. But, yes, we always have something rare or an option that will surprise guests if they are more open-minded.
“Lastly, the selection should tend to elevate the experience of the dining, which means it should go well with the food and guest experience too.”
'Offering wines by the glass is increasingly important'
Matteo Bernardi
Le Calandre, Rubano, Italy
"When choosing wines to serve by the glass, we’re mindful of health considerations, as many people are more conscious of their alcohol consumption these days. With a general trend towards reduced alcohol intake, offering wines by the glass is increasingly important.
“We focus on wines that are enjoyable and easy to drink, often selecting them to complement specific dishes. Our aim is to create a personalised experience for our guests. To do this, we keep a curated list of wines by the glass while also allowing nearly all our cellar bottles to be served by the glass, providing a diverse and tailored selection."
Nobuhide Otsuka
Sézanne, Tokyo, Japan
“I think the most important factors that influence the wines served in a restaurant are the quality of the wine and how well it pairs with the food.
“I simply mentioned quality, but the condition of the bottle, damage caused during shipping, and the quality of the cork are also important. It is also important to see how well it expresses the characteristics of the region where it was produced. Once that is met, we then consider how well it will pair with the food."
‘I think the most important factors that influence the wines served in a restaurant are the quality of the wine and how well it pairs with the food’
These globally acclaimed sommeliers, from some of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, are part of the panel for The World’s Best Sommeliers’ Selection, an exclusive tasting from William Reed, the company behind The World’s 50 Best Restaurants and World’s Best Vineyards. Invitations to wine producers are now being sent out for the second annual Sommeliers’ Selection. To apply for an invitation, click here.
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