Uncorked: Julien Beltzung
Tell us about the moment you first became interested in wine
I was around 16. My grandfather produced his own wine at home. It wasn’t the best quality, but I learnt about the process. I joined the catering school in Alsace where I grew up and got to learn so much about wine. One of the six years I was there was dedicated to wine, but I knew I wanted a wine-focussed career from the very first day.
Tell us about your wine list at the restaurant
We have 500 wines on the list, from every corner of the world. Lalique is a French brand, and I am from France, so there is a big focus on French wines, especially those from Burgundy, Bordeaux and Alsace. In fact, we have 80 wines from Alsacem which is the biggest collection of Alsatian wines in Scotlan. I also wanted to include several mature vintages, showcasing wines when they’re at their best and ready to be enjoyed.
Over the course of your career, have you had any wine-related disasters?
In my first job I broke a bottle of wine in the cellar – a Tuscan red wine from 2016. It wasn’t a very expensive bottle, but I dropped it from a height of about three metres, so the cellar went from being clean and tidy, to being covered in splatters of red wine! I then spent two hours cleaning the mess – it was a disaster to tidy up.
Name your top three restaurant wine lists
Spry Wines in Edinburgh, a modern wine bar with a really interesting list. In London, Noble Rot, somewhere I love to go. For fine dinin, Cail Bruich in Glasgow.
Who do you most respect in the wine world?
Romain Iltis, the head sommelier at Villa René Lalique in France where I worked during and immediately after my studies. He was the first person to give me a job as a sommelier and taught me all the basics. He brought my knowledge from almost zero to what it is now.
What’s the most interesting wine you’ve ever come across?
Pella Assyrtiko Barrique Ktima Ligas 2018. We’re currently serving it with a lobster dish as part of our pairing. The wine is served at red wine temperature in order to open it up. It has skin contact for 14 days before being barrel aged. It’s absolutely delicious.
What are the three most overused tasting notes?
Fruity and tannins – both frequently misused. And minerality, which is often confused with acidity.
What’s the best value wine on your list at the moment?
IGP Pays d’Oc Coup de Calcaire, Domaine St. Sylvestre 2017. It’s a white wine from Languedoc, made with 90% Chardonnay and completed with Roussanne and Marsanne. It has texture, body and a touch of spice, and only one or two barrels are produced a year. I buy it directly from the producer and we have it on our list for £75 a bottle.
What is your ultimate food and drink match?
I would actually go for a sake. I used to work in Hong Kong and learnt so much about the culture of sake. I would pair Junmai Daiginjo 45, Keigetsu, Kōchi Prefecture with the langoustine, buttermilk and Daurenki Tsar Imperial caviar dish from our menu. The wine is dry, fresh and floral. Really vibrant and refreshing with umami flavours.
Old World or New World?
I’m very open-minded, but I’m French. I have to go for Old World for its diversity.
What is your pet hate when it comes to wine service in other restaurants?
I hate it when someone opens a bottle of wine and they cut the foil at the very top of the bottle. It should be cut under the finish at the top of the neck. It’s a small detail, but so important to me.
Who is your favourite producer at the moment and why?
I recently discovered Schiefer Estates, located in the Sudburgenland region of Austria. They are making very elegant, vibrant and well-aged wines. I love the older Blaufrankisch vintages they have, especially the Reihburg 2008. Perfect for sharing with friends, with a suckling pig in the middle of the table.
As a sommelier, what question do you most get asked by customers?
Quite a lot of the questions I have answered here, actually.
Which wine producing region/country is currently underrated at the moment and why?
Two come to mind. Firstly, the Savoie region of France. It’s famous for skiing and cheese, but there’s some excellent value wine of such good quality. And Greek wine – the whole country offers fantastic wine and it’s still underrated.
It’s your last meal and you can have a bottle of any wine in the world. What is it and why?
I’d go for a bottle that I’d never be able to find - La Romanée-Conti Grand Cru 1945. It’s a very old and rare bottle, produced by the women of Burgundy during the war, while the men were fighting.
