The archive sale will feature rare wines from Raveneau, Roulot, and Sassicaia.
Then now’s your chance – because fashion-style ‘archive’ or ‘sample’ sales are increasingly being hosted by top restaurants from Los Angeles to London.
On May 24, one of the UK’s top restaurants, The Clove Club in east London, will be delving into its cellars for a special, one-off sale of rare wines and bespoke tableware from its 13-year archive. Vinous highlights at the one-day pop-up in its dining room will include older vintages and hard-to-find releases from the likes of Domaine François Raveneau, Prieuré Roch, Domaine Roulot, Kongsgaard, and Sassicaia, as well as cult champagnes including Jérôme Prévost, Guillaume Selosse, and Pierre Péters. These are the sort of wines which, in many cases, can only be acquired through long-standing relationships. And they’ll be priced at market value, rather than with a restaurant mark-up.
“Over the last 13 years, we’ve amassed so much beautiful wine – it’s nice to give people the chance to enjoy some of them at home,” says chef Isaac McHale. “It’s also an opportunity to engage with guests in a different way and see old faces we haven’t seen in a while.”
See also: A Guide to All Three-Michelin-Star Restaurants in the UK
The restaurant will also be selling off bespoke tableware including willow baskets handmade on Eigg island in Scotland, lacquerware from Japan, and drinking vessels from John Jenkins, a company which usually only supplies its lovely cocktail glasses to the trade. Among the more unusual lots will be hand-blown Massimo Lunardon glass ‘bowls’ – complete with dimples for fingertips – specially designed for the famous orange wines of Gravner in Friuli.
Head sommelier Emer Landgraf will be on hand throughout the day, pouring champagne by the glass. They’ll also be selling ice cream, plus an array of pantry items including homemade truffle puree, hot sauce made from their own chillies, elderflower vinegar, and bottled cocktails including a Cherry Negroni. The event is free entry and there’s no booking required.
I don’t know about you, but I think this Michelin-starred car boot sale sounds like a total ball. And I suspect, given these tough times for hospitality, we’ll be seeing more innovative events like this in the future.
One restaurant that’s already made them a regular thing is the Michelin-starred Kato in Los Angeles.
See also: The Best Fine Dining Restaurants in London
“The idea started when a guest loved our wine pairings but couldn’t find them at retail anywhere, as many were rare, allocated, or sold out from distributor,” says co-owner and wine director Ryan Bailey. “To help them out, I decided to turn Kato into a one-day wine shop the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving. We pulled over 300 bottles from our cellar, ranging from $20 selections to highly allocated auction finds. Alongside the wine, our chefs baked pies to go, and we sold vintage plates and cocktail glasses we no longer used in service. It was a massive success with our regulars and is now a biannual tradition.
“The vibe is very communal,” he says, “like a Michelin-starred restaurant meets a wine shop and a sample sale. Each event features a ton of great wine – everything from small grower Champagnes to Keller GG Rieslings – special to-go dishes from the kitchen, batched bottled cocktails from the bar, and retired tableware.”
Good news for UK readers. If all goes to plan on the May 24, says McHale, The Clove Club will host another sale at Christmas. “Ultimately it’s all a prelude to launching an online shop.” And more and more fine dining restaurants are now going into retail – see Eleven Madison in New York or Quince in San Francisco. There’s something, though, about an IRL pop-up like this that feels particularly convivial – worth heading out for whether you’re in the market for a £500 (approx. $675) bottle of Prieuré Roch or just some window shopping.
Bottles will range from £75 to £500 (approx. $101 to $675), with limited quantities available, while crockery items will start from £10 (approx. $13). The archive sale will take place on May 24, from 11am — 3pm. Free entry, no tickets or bookings required.
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