The Princess Victoria, Shepherds Bush, London – the wine list

03 July 2008 by
The Princess Victoria, Shepherds Bush, London – the wine list

Matt Wilkin has survived an arson attack and time as a wine salesman to come up with the Princess Victoria in Shepherd's Bush, west London. Fiona Sims reports on the ex-Capital sommelier's first dip into gastropub ownership

Most people could do with having the Princess Victoria as their local. You can sit at the bar with a plate of potted crab and a bottle of JJ Prüm Riesling - in fact, that's just what top London chef Rowley Leigh ordered when he dropped by the pub for supper recently.

Or there's plump herring roes on toast, washed down with a half bottle of chilled manzanilla, followed by a 28-day matured 10oz steak with something from the Rhône, of which at the Princess Victoria there are many examples. The pub opened on 20 June on the Uxbridge Road in west London, and it's the first go-it-alone venture from Matt Wilkin, a man who knows a lot about wine.

Last seen on the other side of the fence selling wines through Genesis Wines, and before that winning awards for his list at the two-Michelin-starred Capital hotel, Wilkin is now serving punters in his own pub - though he wouldn't have attempted it if he hadn't got a builder for a business partner and a chef such as James MacLean.

Bizarrely, the new pub was subject to an arson attack a month before it was due to open. An oak staircase didn't make it, neither did part of the roof.

It was a cruel twist on what was planned as a pre-summer opening, but Wilkin has spirit, and a vision that will not be swayed. His wine list is huge, at 400 bins, including a second list for fine wines, but he's tried to make it as accessible as possible, and no doubt it will win him a few awards.

The whole place isn't set on fine dining, however. "It's about rolling up your sleeves, kicking back, no pretence," explains Australian-born Wilkin. So not Michelin stars, in other words. "I always thought that Michelin was what I wanted to do. But then decided, ‘You know what - it's not me.'"

Wilkin sent flyers out to drum up local business which singled out his love of Riesling, of which he has 30 on his list, and his passion for Pinot Noir, of which there are 80. "People have come in clutching those leaflets. I've already flogged cases of 2007 Dönnhoff dry Riesling," he says - at £30 a bottle.

The Rieslings skip the globe, starting in Germany. "There's so much value for money there," he enthuses. The Pinots focus on Burgundy, but also cherry-pick from around the world, too, from New Zealand to Italy.

Wilkin uses six suppliers in all, including Genesis, OW Loeb and Les Caves de Pyrene, and his experience as a supplier has made him want to treat these merchants well. "If there's one thing I've learnt from being on the other side, it's to be a good payer," he says.

Wilkin is trying hard for the customer, too, when offering a different-shaped glass for his Rhône reds and one for Pinot Noir, Riesling, Chardonnay, Champagne, Cabernet blends and whisky - different glasses for beers, too. Well, you didn't expect a former top sommelier to serve you wine in a Paris goblet now, did you?

He offers 35 wines by the 175ml glass, with all the reds, whites and rosés also available in 25cl or 50cl carafes.

It's too early to tell what the average spend will be yet. In the first week it was £30 a head, including wine, with mark-ups kept pretty modest. Wilkin slaps £30 on a bottle of top wine, so if it costs him £100, then he'll charge £130. And he's also licensed to sell off-premise. About 300 of the wines are available to take away, some displayed on a huge wine wall ready for browsing. For wines under £44 on the pub list, he knocks off 50% for take-away customers over £45, and it's a cash margin. "The corner shop is my nearest competition," he laughs.

But it's the winemaker bedrooms that reveal his true devotion to the cause. For £90 a night, including breakfast, Wilkin will also promote their wines in his pub, and they will be encouraged to chat to customers and staff, even host wine dinners.

"Winemakers can finally stay somewhere where they are understood," declares Wilkin. But judging by his new place, he knows the customer pretty well, too.

What's on the list

  • Manzanilla San Leon Pasada Sherry, Spain, £13.65
  • Dehours Extra Brut Champagne, France, £39
  • 2005 Alvarinho-Trajadura, Auratus, Vinho Verde, Portugal, £17.90
  • 2005 Verdejo, Palaccio de Bornos, Rueda, Spain, £21
  • 2007 Scheurebe, Wittmann, Rheinhessen, Germany, £31
  • 2006 Grüner Veltliner, Steinleithn, Geyerhof, Kremstal, Austria, £39.90
  • 2005 Shiraz, Wildman, Victoria, Australia, £15.90
  • 2004 Weeping Sands, Obsidian, Waiheke Island, New Zealand, £29.50
  • 2005 Chinon, Philippe Alliet, Loire, France, £32.50

The Princess Victoria, 217 Uxbridge Road, Shepherd's Bush, London W12 9DH. Tel: 020 8749 5886

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