Uncorked: Elliott Ashton-Konig
When did you first became interested in wine?
It was after tasting Au Bon Climats entry level pinot noir, I became a fan immediately. It made me want to try more of Jim Clendenen’s wines but also to understand why it tasted the way it did and pushed me to explore different styles of wine I hadn’t tried before.
Tell us about your wine list at The Fordwich Arms
The list at Fordwich is just over 300 bins and is an eclectic mix of New and Old World wines, with Armenian, Georgian and Lebanese wines all making an appearance. Our New World selection is something I feel is particularly strong. It's grown organically over the years, most likely due to the fact these are the wines we find ourselves drinking a lot more of. We pride ourselves on having ‘something for everyone’; I aim for the list to be approachable, but also want the focus to be on offering interesting wines from small producers which you’ll struggle to find elsewhere in Kent or even London.
Over the course of your career, have you had any wine-related disasters?
Not so much a disaster, but ordering 12 bottles of Ancre Hills orange albarino was definitely optimistic on my part. Even with orange/natural wine having its time, it’s an esoteric wine which required hand selling. It’s fair to say they hung around in the cellar for a while.
Name your top three restaurant wine lists
Noble Rot - I’m always envious of its by the glass selections - The Clove Club & Hunan.
Who do you most respect in the wine world?
It would most likely be Rajat Parr. It sounds cliche, but watching the Somm series definitely pushed me further into the wine world and inspired me to take CMS [Court of Master Sommeliers] courses. Then, after tasting his wines, it sparked an interest and made me delve deeper into Californian wines.
What’s the most interesting wine you’ve ever come across?
Visiting Viuva Gomes in Colares was a very interesting experience, it's a unique place. Being the most westerly wine region in Europe, with sandy soils, they had not been affected by phylloxera. The wines are made from Ramisco and Malvazia of Colares. They are wines with a real sense of place.
What are the three most overused tasting notes?
Mineral, racy and funky.
What’s the best value wine on your list at the moment?
We try to keep pricing approachable, so I'd like to think there’s lots of value to be had. However, a few of my favourites would be the white and rose from R.Lopez de Heredia. So called ‘unicorn’ wines, these are outstanding wines, the white is oxidative and nutty, while the rose is serious and surprisingly age worthy.
What is your ultimate food and drink match?
Fizz and fish & chips. Go for a Blanc de blanc champagne (such as Pierre Peters) or a really fresh style of English sparkling such as Westwell Pelegrim.
Old World or New World?
New World.
What is your pet hate when it comes to wine service in other restaurants?
Warm red wine.
Who is your favourite producer at the moment and why?
It has to be Timo Mayer, his wines are some I always have to have on the list. Timo specialises in whole bunch fermentation, which gives all of his wines an amazing purity - they are fresh and extremely drinkable. He’s mainly known for his single vineyard pinot noirs but his cabernet sauvignon is definitely worth searching for. I’m yet to serve someone Timo’s wines who doesn’t love them!
As a sommelier, what question do you most get asked by customers?
What is your favourite wine?
Which wine producing region/country is currently underrated at the moment?
German wines still don’t get the recognition they deserve. While their rieslings are loved by sommeliers, there is still a misconception that the majority of them are overly sweet. Eva Fricke is one of my favourite producers, I love using her rieslings on our wine pairing to challenge our guests' preconceptions and hopefully change their mind. Some of the spatburgunders I've tasted are excellent too, especially from producers such as Bernard Huber and Meyer-Nakel.
It’s your last meal and you can have a bottle of any wine in the world. What is it?
It would most likely be a bottle of Krug which has some age. I’d pick a very good vintage such as 1996. There are of course many other wines you could pick, but as it’s your last bottle, I think champagne is a fitting way to go out.
