A new private members club dedicated to wine opened on 7 December on Pall Mall. But if you’re an oenophile and would like to join then, sorry to say, there’s already a waiting list as membership was full some time before the place launched.
Housed within Sir Edwin Lutyens’ inimitable former Banking Hall, 67 Pall Mall’s raison d’etre is to provide a “home” for wine connoisseurs – a space in which to explore, savour and share the finest, and rarest wines from around the world, but without the unnecessary mark-up. Its mission is to make fine wines accessible both physically and financially to its members. Now if only one could acquire a membership!
Founder, and CEO Grant Ashton says he was ‘fed up of being mugged by punitive London mark-ups on fine wine’ and resolved to do something about it.
Members of 67 Pall Mall will have access to fine wines by the glass thanks to Coravin technology – an argon gas powered needle extracts the wine without disturbing the atmosphere within the bottle. The list is curated by master sommelier Ronan Sayburn (previously of Gordon Ramsay Holdings and the Dorchester Collection).
Set across three floors, 67 Pall Mall vaunts a lounge where members can peruse the wine list on iPads, loaded with critic’s scores, winemakers’ notes, and tasting notes. The Wine Library holds thousands of bottles on display in a temperature and humidity controlled environment, and the mezzanine is designed as a quiet space to enjoy a glass or two.
The Chatwood “Invicible” Strongroom, an original Hambros Bank safe, will house the finest and rarest wines from the collection. Members will have the opportunity to store an allocation of their personal collection within the cellars for consumption within the club.
67 Pall Mall’s restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch, dinner and sharing plates daily executed by head chef Marcus Verberne (formerly of Caprice Holdings among others).
Members also have access to exclusive events, talks, tastings and dinners with the world’s best chateau owners, winemakers, and industry experts. And 67 Pall Mall’s in-house merchant allows members to buy and sell wine. The Lutyens Room and the The St James’s Room are available for private hire. The St James’s Room seats 80 for formal dinners with wine flights, or 100 for standing parties, while the smaller Lutyens Room provides private dining for up to 12 people or can be used as a meeting room.
