Uncorked: Maria Viviani
Tell us about the moment you first became interested in wine
Spending my childhood in Argentina, I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to travel across my country. My father is a true wine lover and never missed the chance to organise winery tours whenever we visited Mendoza, Salta or other interesting regions. From a young age, I was picking things up about how the wine was made, although I didn’t begin to fully appreciate good wine itself until culinary school. I should have realised that a career in wine was the way forward when the only class I was looking forward to was oenology, but it’s never too late to start.
Tell us about your wine list at Eline
We only stock low-intervention wines at the restaurant. Most come from the Old World because we try to be as conscious as possible about our carbon footprint. That said, I’d love to be able to give space to Latin American producers. I think I owe it to the amazingly talented people back in Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. They deserve to show the world the incredible things they do.
Over the course of your career, have you had any wine-related disasters?
Fortunately not but you never know, fingers crossed they can be avoided!
Name your top three restaurant wine lists
Noble Rot’s list is my favourite. I also love Bar Crispin and Bistro Paul Bert (in Paris).
Who do you most respect in the wine world?
I’ve been very inspired by the female winemakers I’ve met these past years. Lara and Luisa from Lalù, and Camille Thiriet from Maison Thiriet are just a couple of examples. Their wines are fantastic and they have lots of exciting projects on the go.
What’s the most interesting wine you’ve ever come across?
When I first started getting into natural wines Frank Cornelissen’s Susucaru and Ernesto Cattel’s last vintage of his Costadilà made a big impression.
What are the three most overused tasting notes?
Mineral, sharp and saline.
What’s the best value wine on your list at the moment
Maison des Ardoisieres Silice. It’s very complex and evocative of the Savoie region. It goes well with almost everything on our menu and has been well-priced for several years.
What is your ultimate food and drink match?
A slice of 24 month Comté, Alex’s (Reynolds, Viviani's husband and chef and co-owner of Eline) pear and grape chutney and buttery biscuits, paired with a Macvin du Jura. For me, it’s the perfect ending to a meal.
Old World or New World?
French wines are definitely my favourites, especially if they come from the central-eastern area (Beaujolais, Burgundy & Jura). So I could say Old World, but the New World always strikes a chord with me, and there’s something about a Bonarda or Criolla (two red grapes associated with Argentina) that makes me feel at home.
What is your pet hate when it comes to wine service in other restaurants?
Probably when the wine selection is good, and I haven’t heard of some bottles or producers but no one can tell me anything about them. I’m someone that loves a good recommendation and it feels disappointing when a sense of enthusiasm about interesting pours isn’t conveyed by the staff.
Who is your favourite producer at the moment and why?
Offbeat Wines from Dan and Nicola Ham - an English winery based in Wiltshire that makes incredibly exciting still wines. They source different grape varieties from farmers in their area and blend them to create very glou-glou bottles. Their Cascade is a dry, cloudy and mineral-y wonder, and their 369 is my go-to easy-drinking chilled red. I can’t wait to see what they release next.
As Eline’s ‘resident wine enthusiast’, what question do you most get asked by customers?
”We’re having all the mains, could you recommend a bottle that goes well with all three?”
Which wine producing region or country is currently underrated at the moment?
Corsica. We’ve recently tasted a couple of exciting wines, which I felt had to be added to our list. They include Domaine Giudicelli’s Rouge, which is a Niellucciu (Sangiovese). It’s full-bodied but easier to drink because it has a nice salinity to it, and Domaine U Stiliccionu’s Antica, made from Sciaccarello, which is medium-bodied with balanced acidity. Oliver Dibben recently joined us from Top Cuvée, helping us to curate the wine list and it’s one of his favourites.
It’s your last meal and you can have a bottle of any wine in the world. What is it and why?
An Arbois (hopefully something expensive) because I could enjoy it with pretty much anything and would definitely have the entire bottle to myself.
