How would you describe the Panoramic 34 wine list and who does
it cater for?
At the Panoramic we welcome a huge cross section of diners, all with
different wine budgets and tastes. We aim to cater for them all. We have
a quality listing of wines at all price levels and serve a large, varied,
selection of wines by the glass too. This provides a great opportunity for
diners to try something new and to experiment. We have a wide variety
of wines from around the world and currently have some 100 bins on
our list, which we aim to change quarterly. We also have interesting
wines from the UK (we list an excellent Pinot Noir from Devon) and
from developing wine regions like Slovenia and Romania. All our wines,
at all levels, offer great value in terms of both quality and cost.
What are the qualities that you believe make a good sommelier?
I think you need to be open, you need to possess an easy manner and
have a clear understanding that you are pouring wines for the diners
at your restaurant, not for yourself. At the end of the day our priority
at Panoramic 34 is to be of service, and to be hospitable, whether it
be pouring water, beer or 2009 Dom Perignon! A good sommelier also
needs to be a story teller. Besides knowing a wines profile it helps if
you can talk about a wines DNA. To this end travel is one of the most
valuable ways for any budding sommelier to truly learn about wine.
Books are great, but to get a real sense of the wine, where it comes from
and its DNA, go and drink it in its birthplace or, even better, with its
producer. You learn so much from this sort of experience.
What is the biggest faux pas you’ve ever when it comes to wine?
A while back I purchased a magnum of ‘1982’ Chateau Musar (for those
of you who don’t know, this is a very famous wine from Lebanon and
one of my favourites). I had it for a number of years and kept meaning
to drink it when ‘the’ special occasion came along. I finally took it to a
friend’s 50th birthday dinner and decided to treat him and the other 12
guests to a glass of Musar. Sadly I had kept it too long. When I opened
and tasted the wine, my heart sank. It was past its prime and should
have been consumed earlier. It was an expensive lesson learnt. We still
drank the wine and enjoyed it for what it was (it wasn’t bad) but the
other guests never really experienced the true magic of Musar. The
moral of the story - don’t wait for an occasion, drinking great wine is
the occasion!
Have you ever served anyone famous and, if so, who and what?
I have served many famous people, and many amazing people that
are not so famous too. I suppose the person that stands out is Omar
Sharif. A true gentleman. The hotel that I was working at was hosting
the World Bridge Tournament and, unbeknown to me, Mr Sharif was
an avid Bridge player. That evening he came to dine at our restaurant
along with a colleague. He ordered Crystal Champagne to start with.
After noticing two ladies on the opposite table he sent two glasses of
Crystal over, along with an invite to join him and his colleague for
dinner. The invitation was accepted. A second bottle of champagne
soon accompanied the Beluga Caviar. Once consumed Château Figeac
was served with the Chateaubriand, Château D’Yquem with the Crepes
Suzette, and the coffee and chocolate truffles with Louis XIII Grande
Champagne Cognac. The man, the gentleman, certainly knew how to
‘fine dine’. The ladies were in awe of him, although I’m sure the wines
made some impression too.
What would you say to anyone struggling to match a food with wine?
There aren’t many foods that I can think of that wouldn’t match with
something. The key is to experiment and to find out what you like; what
you enjoy. I personally would never have thought red burgundy and
sushi would pair, until I attended a tasting. Sometimes you have to think
outside the box. If not wine, then perhaps try sherry, port, madeira or
vermouth. Your own taste buds will know when there’s a match.
What is the most annoying customer habit when it comes to wine?
When a guest throws a load of ice cubes into their perfectly chilled
glass of white wine. This not only dilutes the wine but also reduces the
temperature and you lose many of the flavours and aromas of the wine.
In and around the Mediterranean they sometimes do this, but only on
a sun kissed terrace in 30+ degree heat! I lived in Dubai for many years
and I can assure you that when it’s that hot an ice-cold beer is as good as
a Chablis Grand Cru if the need arises!
What is the best wine you have ever drunk? And why?
This is a really tough one as I have been fortunate enough to have tried
many great wines over the years. For me it’s not just the wine, it’s about
the occasion too. Two wines that fit into this category are the 2014
vintages of Château Léoville Barton and Château Langoa Barton in
Bordeaux. They were tasted recently, with my girlfriend, on a tour of the
Châteaus by Lilian Barton herself. Special wines, and an equally special
experience. The other wine I would pick is probably Château Palmer,
also from Bordeuax. I was fortunate enough to try this phenomenal 3rd
Growth Margaux in Dubai whilst working for a Saudi businessman. He
was very partial to Bordeaux and Palmer was his all-time favourite. It is
rich but at the same time has all the great elegance Margaux is famous
for. Strangely enough Palmer’s part owners, the famous Bordeaux
négociant family of Sichel, also owned Blue Nun at a time. Now that’s
my wine story coming full circle!
What are you buying for your own personal consumption at the
moment?
My girlfriend is a very good cook, the two of us often cook together, and
wine is an important part of both our lives. Buying the right wines for
our own personal consumption is, therefore, important. I am a member
of the Wine Society and often buy from them. I mainly go for their own
label wines. Their French Syrah is fantastic value for money, has lovely
deep jammy black fruit and a moreish peppery finish. It is exceptional
value at under £10.00 a bottle. Another favourite of mine is Château d’
Angludet (as you may have guessed left bank Bordeaux are some of my
favourites). If you know what you are looking for in a supermarket, you
can also find some great bargains too. For example I found one store
selling Schloss Riesling at £7.00 - so I bought 6 bottles. The Brancott
Estate Sauvignon Blanc is also great value, is a decent quality weekday
wine and pairs well with most light seafood dishes.
How easy is it to detect if a bottle of wine is corked or has a wine
fault?
We usually know about a wine that is corked, or which has a fault
with it, before a guest tastes the wine. I know there are people that say
it’s pointless to smell the cork from a bottle of wine. I disagree. In a
defective wine you can pick up the smell from the cork immediately, as
it smells like damp cardboard or wet dog!
What is the best tip you can give us when it comes to drinking wine?
Two things. Choose the right wine for the occasion and perhaps keep
a diary on the wines you’ve tried. At the end of the day drinking wine
is an experience. Great experiences are always cherished and, therefore,
should be repeated.
It is often, rightly, said that great wine lists should make wine feel fun.
The wine list at Panoramic 34 is fun. It is fun because, behind it, is
a man who knows what he is doing. A man who is creative. A man
who is knowledgeable in his field. As I found out, during my meetings
and conversations with him, he is a most interesting person to talk to
about wine; so if you visit and want to know more about the wine list at
Panoramic 34 – ask to speak to him and fire away!
David himself would say he is a wine enthusiast. He is that, and more.
Somebody once said: “I am a wine enthusiast. The more wine I drink,
the more enthusiastic I become”. This quote could be read in a number
of different ways I guess and could be open to interpretation. For David,
and the rest of us who love wine, though it probably holds true in the
sense that our love of, and enthusiasm about, wine has largely grown out
of our love of drinking it.
To cap it all he is Wirral born and bred, and still lives on the peninsula.
The ‘Wine Man’ is one of our own!
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