Review: Amelie’s Wine House
The golden light from the window of Amelie’s Wine House spills out onto the pavement, just as the sky turns to dusk in Bloomsbury. To us, as we climb out of our cab, it shines like a beacon, promising warmth and wine.
Amelie’s opened to the thirsty London public in July this year. Whatever the current global climate is right now, there’s only one climate in Amelie’s and that’s Mediterranean, specifically southern French. It’s cute, it’s colourful, it’s quaint and it feels like home. Wine “house”, rather than wine “bar”, is exactly right.
We are welcomed by Simona, who tells us we can sit wherever we fancy. Daphne and I fancy the window seat, where we can sit on high stools and watch passers-by as we drink and chat the evening away. Simona offers us a glass of Champagne (Canard Duchene Cuvée Leonie Brut) as our eyes feast on the wine list and the food menu.
I love a food menu like this in a wine bar: the focus is cheese and charcuterie, with some nuts, olives, tomatoes and bread. That is literally all I ever want with wine. We choose the king size platter of meats and cheeses (way too much for us, in hindsight!), and start with fresh burratina and cherry tomatoes.
The Champagne is friendly and delicious: it is all red apples and buttery brioche, lifted by tart, fresh strawberries and bruised apple on the finish. We search for the ideal wines to go with our feast and we decide to have a by-the-glass adventure, starting with two whites: Montes Alpha Chardonnay 2018 and, Simona’s recommendation, the Rabl Gruner Veltliner 2020.
The king-size cheese and charcuterie platter
These youthful, vibrant whites are both great matches for the soft and creamy burratina. The Rabl has a light, clean palate, with notes of green apples, white pepper spice and wild honey on the finish. The Chardonnay, my personal favourite of the two, has a softer, rounder texture. It is a little sulphuric on the nose, but, mingled with the stewed apples, is the decadent note of cream cheese.
With our groaning cheese and charcuterie platter, we choose two reds: the 2019 Fog Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon from California and the 2020 Morgon ‘Les Charmes’ from Domaine de Bel-Air. I know - it is such a good list!!
Dorgo Late Harvest Tokaji
With lush fruit, soft tannins, structure and acidity, the Fog Mountain is a gorgeous glass; I will quite happily order a bottle of this next time. The Morgon is lighter, zippier, with bright, ripe red and black fruits – a great palate cleanser for our cheese.
For any wine nerd, Amelie’s is a joy. The food menu is simple and perfect, and the wine list is nothing less than a treasure chest! These are good bottles, interesting bottles – not off-the-wall bottles – but you’ve got some great examples of the classics. It’s just the right size; it’s not overwhelming, but there’s choice and it’s well-priced. I also love that they do half bottles and magnums! The only thing missing? Perhaps a couple of good vermouths. But they do have a Late Harvest Tokaji, which provided a delightful ending to the evening.
Here’s to Amelie’s – wishing you a long and happy life on Store Street.