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We visit the wonderland of wine & spirits that is Hedonism Wines, located in the heart of Mayfair.
If you have not been to Hedonism Wines I will do my best to describe the wine & spirits emporium on Davies Street, Mayfair. To be honest, it is not that easy to pigeonhole as it is very much a one-off in the world of retail wines & spirits
It’s like nothing I’ve ever experienced in buying wine, but luckily I have General Manager Julien Le Doare with me to explain a little more about what makes Hedonism wine such a special place to visit.
Julien has worked at Hedonism for 10 years and describes Hedonism as a fun place to work, I can certainly see why.
1 History
Hedonism wine is the brainchild of Evgeny Chichvarkin, who was born in Russia and made his fortune in the Mobile phone industry before selling his company.
Evgeny moved to the UK in 2009
Evgeny was a keen fine wine buff & found it frustrating that he could not buy fine wines “off the shelf” but had to wait several weeks to receive the wine he ordered. Like many fellow successful entrepreneurs, Evgeny thought he had found a gap in the market & so from that moment, Hedonism was born.
After major renovations, which included adding a basement floor to the Davies Street site Hedonism opened in 2012, and within its short history, has established itself as a leader in the supply of fine wine & spirits in the UK.
The attention to detail in the design of the building & the sheer volume of wines & spirits on display won Hedonism worldwide acclaim & many awards over the years. It’s fair to say there is nothing like it and after 11 years in the store looks fresh and new.
2 The Store
Julien explained to me that the Ethos of Hedonism is a brick-and-mortar business and customer service is paramount to how they retain & attract customers. Amazingly, Hedonism has never been advertised & word of mouth is how they grow their business.
When you enter the store, you immediately feel that the atmosphere is friendly & informal. I like the way that there is always music playing (best of Queen was playing when we were last in)
To me, the key to the success & reputation for good customer service is the number of wine experts there are available to assist you. I refrained from calling them sales assistants as their knowledge & love of wines & spirits isso evident. Also, you never feel pressured & if you want to browse, you are left alone to do so.
At this stage, I should mention that there are some seriously expensive bottles on display, but I do need to also report that their wines start from under £20. I have always felt comfortable asking for help and even though my budget is modest, I have always experienced a fantastic level of service.
Gift Buying
A little time-saving tip, I have often used the team at Hedonism to help in choosing a gift for a difficult to buy for friend or relative. I would speak to one of the staff and mention my friend’s favourite tipple, and the budget I have & armed with that information, they will come up with something that fits the bill perfectly. Trust me when I say it makes you look like you have put loads of effort into finding the perfect gift.
Although the focus is retail they do have most of their products available online & ship to many countries. Considering they stock around 6,000 wines & 3,000 spirits, this is some achievement as the website shows “live” stock.
3 Wines & Spirits
The sheer scale of wines available is enormous; however, all wines are clearly labelled & priced in sections by country & region, I like the way a £20 bottle of wine sits next to a £300 bottle; there is no price segregation.
I’m not going to talk about individual wines; I will leave that to the experts in the shop, but I did ask Julien about best sellers & trends.
Unsurprisingly, the best seller is Bordeaux, followed by Burgundy. French wines & champagnes feature heavily.
Next up are Tuscan & Piedmont wines from Italy that are becoming increasingly popular
Wines from the US are also popular and so is the impressive display of Whisky with over 1500 different references from Scotland to the USA, as well as India, Austria and many more countries. Customers fly in from all corners of the world to purchase rare whiskies
Julien’s tip for up & coming wines was from Tenerife and Mallorca in Spain
4 Wine tasting & events
Hedonism has a full calendar of wine-tasting events, which are available to attend; tickets can be purchased on the website.
Also, Private and corporate tasting is available in-store. There are various tasting areas available in the store also downstairs at the Equus Bar in the recently opened Hedonism-owned White Horse pub.
Hedonism Sommeliers are available for private tastings.
Finally, feel free to pop in as they have over 50 wines available for tasting using their 5 Enomativc machines. You can purchase a tasting card in-store & have fun with your very own tasting.
Events@hedonism.co.uk
5 Restaurants
In addition to Hedonism, the group has expanded to include the Michelin Starred restaurant Hide, set over three floors, with stunning views over Green Park. The Executive Chef is Ollie Dabbous.
Hideaway is a cafe-style restaurant on Mount Street, and finally, the newly opened The White Horse pub on White Horse Street (between Shepherd Market & Piccadilly). The first wine-led pub with tasting rooms in the basement.
We are excited to bring you reviews of the three restaurants soon.
6 Final thoughts …
Many thanks to Julien for taking the time to explain the history & ethos of Hedonism. I’m in awe of how anybody can design such a fantastic modern space that is welcoming & interesting whilst being functional and comfortable.
The best praise I can give Hedonism & the team is that it’s so inclusive & like a good wine, it is there to be enjoyed.
I urge you to visit Hedonism when you are in town.
To catch up with our “Wines of the Month” page click here
Hedonism Wines
3/5 Davies Street
London
W1K 3LD
orders@hedonism.co.uk
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