Rebirth of the bars

A man dressed in Paul Smith sinks into a rich brown mohair sofa and orders a glass of Champagne and a plate of sushi from a Lycra T-shirted waiter. This is not some style-sick pre-club hangout, it's the shape of wine bars to come. Corney & Barrow opened the doors of its West End flagship in St Martin's Lane in the summer to a chorus of approval from London's design-friendly wine-drinkers. At last, they said, a serious wine bar, with serious food, in a seriously central location - that's seriously cool.

Take a granite-topped, stainless steel bar, English limestone flooring, deep blue walls, chrome and leather stools, a glass of Albari¤o, Jamiroquai on the sound system, Adam Robinson in the kitchen - and you have the blueprint for a wine bar for the next millennium.

There's a ground-floor wine bar, a basement Champagne bar and a 50-cover brasserie on the mezzanine with views (just) over Trafalgar Square - presided over by Robinson. He made a name for himself at the Brackenbury in west London, then he opened the Chiswick. A year ago, he took up managing director Sarah Heward's offer to reshape Corney & Barrow's food operation. Couple that with designer Claire Nelson - she of the Square in Bruton Street - and her vision for the three-tiered West End interior, and it was just what Heward was looking for.

With her operations director Katherine Felgate, thirty-something Heward heads the now 10-strong Corney & Barrow Wine Bars, which was established in 1983. It represents some £8.5m of the overall group turnover of £22m.

The merchant side of the business has been around for a bit longer, of course - since 1780, in fact, when it began life in the City as a small shop in Old Broad Street where Edward Corney and Robert Barrow sold port, old sack and claret. Corney & Barrow now holds three royal warrants, and has exclusive importation of some of the world's most expensive wines, like Pétrus and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

Corney & Barrow Wine Bars was originally established to provide "high-class" lunches to its customers in the City. But things changed. The recession hit and the City lunch came under pressure. People now waited until after work before heading to their favourite watering hole. Corney & Barrow prides itself on being one of the first catering companies to identify these trends and to capitalise on them with its wine bars - many located in the "new City" - in Broadgate, Canary Wharf, Ludgate and others.

In a fit of exuberance, it also flirted with a pizza chain under the Coates brand, but sold it last year to concentrate on what it does best - sell decent wine with approachable food.

Not silver service, mind. This is simple food eaten in a relaxed atmosphere - something to nibble on while you concentrate on the 47 wines to hand, hopefully trading up in all the excitement. "Food is the future for wine bars," says Heward. "And as the public become more knowledgeable about wine, the future is secured for wine bars."

She regards Robinson's involvement as something of a coup. "I thought I'd have problems convincing a well-respected chef to work in a wine bar," she admits, "but Adam wanted to make a difference. And I think we've achieved that."

The food is based on "western European bourgeois" with more than a nod to the Med. There are a few Far Eastern touches on the menu, but no fusion, says Robinson. "It must be fresh, uncomplicated, seasonal and good value," he says.

It is. And, more importantly, it's extremely wine-friendly. Deep-fried salt cod cakes (£4.50) sits with roast quail, potato pancake and onion marmalade (£4.75) and rabbit and foie gras terrine, toasted brioche and salad (£5.75). More substantial dishes include a confit of duck, fried potatoes, oyster mushrooms and rocket (£12.50) and fillet of red mullet, puttanesca, lemon and parsley (£12.75). You can round things off with a homely pecan pie and vanilla ice-cream (£3.75) or blackberry and port jelly (£4.25).

Robinson says he didn't deliberately set out to create a "wine-friendly" menu - this is just how he likes to eat. "I love Spain," he says, "what they eat, and the way they eat while they drink. That food is very much an adjunct to drinking in the evening is something that appeals to me massively."

Robinson floats between all the kitchen-led outlets. He's overseeing the installation of "kitchenettes" where there are limited catering facilities, in response to Heward's food-filled vision.

St Martin's Lane, with its brasserie and five chefs, is Corney & Barrow's largest food operation to date - but this is as big as it will get. "I don't want to make this operation complicated," explains Heward. "If there's an economic downturn then we haven't got a huge kitchen with rafts of expensive chefs. I'm looking at an expected turnover for food revenue of £500,000."

This vision extends to a projected two or three new openings a year for the next three years - all with full kitchens. Two more openings are imminent: Old Broad Street, EC2 ("a return to our spiritual home," she says) and Jewry Street, EC3.

Heward is planning more outlets for the West End, but she's waiting to see how St Martin's Lane goes first. It took her 18 months to find a suitable site in this part of the capital. "There are 12,500 office workers in a 500m radius of here, not to mention the ENO, the theatres, and the proximity to public transport," she beams.

But Corney & Barrow wouldn't be what it is without its passionate selection of wines compiled with the help of Master of Wine Nicola Arcedeckne-Butler. The list offers 47 wines, 14 Champagnes, with 38 available by the glass. There's also a fine wine list, on request for the wine-savvy, featuring DRC, Dominus, Masseto and a sprinkling of classed-growth clarets.

But it's the main list that will get most going. There's a Fumé Blanc from Washington State's Staton Hills (£15.75) - one of the biggest sellers - and an Albari¤o from Lagar de Cervara (£19.95) also sells well. Felgate reports that they get through cases of Italian Pinot Grigio - from Cecilia Beretta in the Veneto (£14.25) and they do a huge trade in Aussie Chardonnay (Cranswick Smith Bin 12, £12.95). Whites are still more popular than reds, but customers are choosing from the whole gamut of varieties and producers on offer.

Customer confidence

The reason for this customer confidence? The large number of wines available by the glass, says Felgate, which encourages customers to experiment and trade up. "We've increased our overall sales by 25% since last year. Ten per cent of all beverage sales are wines by the glass."

However, warns Heward: "It's not as straightforward as loading up your fridge and taking the corks out." The keys to successful wines-by-the-glass sales, she says, are educating your staff properly, good management and providing a sizeable selection. Staff date each opened bottle with a sticker and use the Le Verre de Vin preservation system to keep the wine fresh.

All staff - there are 142 - choose to attend the 10 three-hour, afternoon sessions on wine (covering regions, varieties and producers) led by Arcedeckne-Butler. "I'm a firm believer that if they have the knowledge, they'll sell it," says Heward. As Champagne is one of Corney & Barrow's main products, Heward and Felgate organise a yearly beano to the region for staff.

One of Heward's many marketing brainwaves is "birthday celebrations". If a customer declares their birthday, their age will be discounted off any bottle of Champagne. Apparently one City trader wheeled in his 101-year-old grandmother. "Proof of identity may be required," she laughs. n