Chateau d'Yquem by the glass in London

Chateau d'Yquem lovers will soon be able to buy it by the glass at Bob Bob Ricard restaurant in Upper James Street.The London restaurant claims to be the only restaurant in the UK offering Chateau d’Yquem 1996 by the glass, charging £29 for 100ml or £14.50 for 50ml.

672 bottles of Yquem 1996 have been bought direct from the Château, which they expect to sell within nine months to a year – the equivalent of three to four half-bottles a day. The chateau chooses a small number of restaurants in several countries which are then able to serve their wine by the glass.

The move follows a similar exercise undertaken by Yquem in select restaurants in Paris, Monaco and the French Alps, with the Castel Paris nightclub, for example, offering Yquem at €50 a glass. Yquem director Pierre Lurton has likened the idea to the similar tactic pursued by Champagne houses to increase consumption of their prestige cuvées.