We highlight Levan’s success to mark the finalists in the 2023 Star Wine List of the Year UK with The Buyer ahead of next week’s awards on February 20. See who has made it through to the shortlists in the 2023 awards at the end of the article.
Levan dedicates an entire section of its expansive list to over 60 wines from Jura. This comes in addition to a list of wines mainly from Italy, Spain, Portugal and Germany.
“Levan was the deserving winner of last year’s Special Jury Prize in the Star Wine List of the Year UK with The Buyer, for a list that places a spotlight on the wines from the Jura,” says one of the awards’ judges and Star Wine List’s London ambassador, Ruth Spivey. “Mark [Gurney] and the team sought out an impressive range of producers and styles from a region that’s frequently under presented and far from easy to source. It was refreshing, unique and showed personality; and certainly not what you might expect when walking into a neighbourhood restaurant in Peckham.”
The Levan team picking up their Special Jury prize at last year’s Star Wine List of the Year UK with The Buyer
Levan has three sites – as well as Levan, there is Larry’s, also in London, and Holm in Somerset.
“They all have different identities, styles and clientele, so we have to cater accordingly,” says Gurney. “At Levan the list has a large focus on the Jura, but we also offer a diverse yet focused range of wines from across Europe. Quality is a huge imperative, especially in the more affordable section, but also across the price spectrum. After all it’s often much easier to buy quality wine at premium prices. But what ties them all together is approachability, affordability and a USP that makes each site a wine and drinks destination.”
Love affair
Describing the wine list at Levan as a “love affair with the grape juice of France, Italy, Spain and Germany and their close neighbours”, Gurney says his strategy is to work closely with a carefully selected handful of quality, low intervention, organic and biodynamic wines from small artisanal producers, with a leaning towards the wines from Jura.
“Levan is inspired by the Parisian Bistro scene, so the list was always going to have a Francophile leaving, and I’ve always felt the Jura wines had such a unique style and profile, quite like no other,” explains Gurney. “Everything from their unique varieties, Savagnin, Ploussard and Trousseau to their Clavelin bottles and the distinctive Vin Jaune found within. And stuck out in the east of France, in the foothills of the Alps, with their artisanal industries and bucolic lifestyle just made it feel like a little tribe. That was hugely intriguing for me.”
However, he concedes the average consumer is still largely unaware of Jura wines, with price and lack of availability not helping matters.
Gurney already lists nearly every Jura producer – “if you’re a winemaker from the region, I’ll have you on the list,” he confirms, though is currently considering taking on a new producer, Jean Bourdy. “He’s got some amazing old vintages of their Chateau Chalon Vin Jaune, that we’re very excited about,” he says. “I’m also a big fan of Phillipe Chatillon, a grower who should be up there with the greats. And when we can get our hands on Overnoy-Houillon, Domaine des Miroirs and Labet then they always make an appearance.”
Championing Jura
Levan claims to list virtually all producers making wine in Jura
When Levan, an unassuming casual dining outlet in the heart of Peckham, just off Rye Lane, opened in 2018, Gurney says that Jura still felt “hugely under-appreciated” despite having poster boys in the form of Ganevat and Overnoy-Houillon, and it was an area that he wanted to champion. “So few wine lists give a single country a focus, let alone a small region in France, something I thought would be cool to do.”
The restaurant focuses on serving up what Gurney describes as “modern European dishes” inspired by favourite restaurants in Paris, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Stockholm and Berlin. Offering a seasonal and inventive menu in a relaxed, cosy setting in this deeply fashionable, gritty district of south-east London, typical dishes include sharing plates such as Burrata, lemon and putarelle; beef tartare, potato flatbread and dill; and hispi cabbage with smoked butter and hazelnut.
Open for lunch and dinner, Levan serves both an a la carte menu as well as a six-course chef’s menu, a tasting menu comprising the restaurant’s favourite dishes. This promises to include a good balance between meat and fish, alongside vegetarian and plant-based dishes.
Customers can choose from 13 wines by the glass including one sparkling, a Moscato from Piedmont, and five whites and five reds, including a Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Jura. The by the bottle list comprises eight sparkling wines, 23 whites, 27 reds, and six skin contact/natural wines.
Levan’s Mark Gurney says he is inspired by Paris’ bistro scene
There are also three beers and ciders to choose from. The main wine list is divided into wine styles, offering white wines that are fresh and easy; textured and aromatic; wild and alive; rich and rounded; savoury and salty while reds are categorised as fresh and juicy; deep and rich; wild and alive; light and bright; or savoury and smokey.
Breaking down the list
The Jura section, on the other hand, is divided by producer. Renowned for its excellent dairy produce, the Jura sits at the foothills of the Alps and neighbours Burgundy. With its unique grape varieties, Savagnin, Trousseau and Poulsard, as well as excellent examples of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and its legendary winemakers and their practices, the Jura is a particularly distinctive region of France.
Made in two styles, Jura white wines are either ‘ouillé’ or ‘sous voile’; the former are made in a conventional manner, without any oxidation, and are similar in style to those of next door Burgundy, with a depth and texture imbued from the Jura’s terroir and microclimate.
Sous Voile, meanwhile, is Jura’s signature style, which enables a layer of yeast to form over wine in barrels so that it naturally undergoes a process of controlled oxidation. This technique is similar to the technique used in southern Spain to produce some sherries.
The inviting interior of Levan, where the combination of modern European cooking and natural wines have proved a winning formula
Vin Jaune is another speciality of Jura comprising 100% Savagnin grapes that are aged sous voile in barrel for a minimum of six years and bottled in their unique 620ml clavelin bottle. The oxidation process turns the wine into a deep golden colour, hence the name. The resulting wines are deep, rich and powerful, and make a great match with a good cheeseboard.
But they don’t come cheap. Levan’s Jura offering ranges in price from £75 for the 2020 Marie Pierre Chevassu-Fassenet Chardonnay, up to £220 for a 620ml bottle of the Vin Janue 2009 Savagnin.
So at those kind of prices, how many customers are choosing Jura wines? Gurney says that they always offer a white and red by the glass and carafe from Jura, making the wines accessible to everyone, and particularly those discovering and exploring the wines for the first time. “Unfortunately this is getting harder and harder to do affordably,” he says, as the prices continue to rise, thanks in no small part to Brexit, as well as the fact that Jura has had successive difficult vintages where some growers have lost everything.
By the glass
Gurney says he likes to mix up the by-the-glass wines on a frequent basis, but also offers a few stalwarts that provide a stable base for the list. “We rotate a lot of our suppliers, working in patches with them to bring in their wines, and then maybe pause and focus on another supplier, to keep things fresh but also enable us to hit minimum order and keep stock moving. We also work with Uncharted Wines and use their keg wines, both because they are great quality for a good price but also the environmental and space saving benefits of the keg system work for us as a business.
Most popular wines, says Gurney, are the “big gun” wines which “fly out to a dedicated group of regulars and Jura fans which is great.” “The whites have a distinct energy quite like nothing else, often with a defiant minerality,” he says. “The reds are often delightfully gamey and earthy, while the Vin Jaunes are perhaps the most individual – a densely complex experience best enjoyed with a hunk of the local comté cheese.”
After a tough 2022, Gurney says he’s noticing that what his customers are now looking out for are affordability and familiarity. “That organic Cotes du Rhone at £34 is going to be your go-to. But on the flip side, in these challenging times, people still want a release and are still celebrating so you get to sell a £200 bottle much more frequently than expected, which is great.”
The 2023 Finalists
Fine Wines Direct UK will be part of the online awards ceremony for the first UK Wine List of the Year awards on February 22 at 6om
Ahead of next week’s awards ceremony we announce the shortlist of the 2023 Star Wine List of the Year UK with The Buyer.
Grand Prix
The best large wine list, with more than 600 references. This category is presented by Bibendum.
Chez Bruce, London
Core by Clare Smyth, London
Hide, London
Les 110 de Taillevent, London
Noble Rot Soho, London
Pollen Street Social, London
The Clove Club, London
The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury
Best Austrian Wine List
The category is presented by Austrian Wine
Moor Hall, Aughton
Newcomer Wines, London
NoMad, London
Pollen Street Social, London
The Ledbury, London
Trivet, London
Best up-and-coming Wine List
The category is presented by Château Palmer
Bordeaux’s prestigious Château Palmer is a new supporter of the awards in 2023
Climat, Manchester
Restaurant St Barts, London
Sète, Margate
Studio Frantzén, London
The Terrace Rooms & Wine, Ventnor
Veraison Wines, London
Best New Zealand Wine List
The category is presented by New Zealand Winegrowers
Chez Bruce, London
China Tang at The Dorchester, London
Hide, London
Oxo tower restaurant, London
Pollen Street Social, London
The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury
Best Medium-Sized List
The best wine list with 200-600 listings
Chewton Glen Hotel, New Milton – New Forest
Climat, Manchester
La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels Seven Dials, London
Noizé, London
Sager + Wilde Hackney Rd, London
The 10 Cases, London
Trivet, London
Wild Corner, London
Best By-the-Glass List
A category presented by Catena Zapata
Catena Zapata is a new partner in the UK Wine List awards in 2023
Carters of Moseley, Birmingham
Corkage, Bath
Les 110 de Taillevent, London
Noble Rot Lambs Conduit, London
Noble Rot Soho, London
Pollen Street Social, London
The 10 Cases, London
Wild Corner, London
Best California Wine List
The category is presented by Louis M. Martini
Chiltern Firehouse, London
China Tang at The Dorchester, London
Core by Clare Smyth, London
Goodman City, London
Hide, London
Pollen Street Social, London
The Clove Club, London
The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury
New Generation Bordeaux Wine List
The category is presented by Bordeaux Wines
Maison Francois, London
Noble Rot Lambs Conduit, London
Noble Rot Soho, London
The Drapers Arms, London
The Terrace Rooms & Wine, Ventnor
Veraison Wines, London
Best Sparkling Wine List
A category presented by Nyetimber
Hide, London
Kitchen Table, London
La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels Seven Dials, London
Les 110 de Taillevent, London
NoMad, London
The George, London
The Ritz Restaurant, London
The Vineyard at Stockcross, Newbury
Sustainable Wine List
The category is presented by Spier Wine Farm
Spier has built its reputation on its own sustainability credentials
Apricity, London
Carters of Moseley, Birmingham
Coast Saundersfoot, Saundersfoot
Farmyard, St Leonards-on-Sea
Holm Somerset, South Petherton
Pale Hall Hotel, Llanderfell, Bala
Restaurant St Barts, London
Best Short List
The best wine list with fewer than 200 listings
A Wong, London
Carters of Moseley, Birmingham
Dinings SW3, London
Farmyard, St Leonards-on-Sea
Ikoyi, London
Levan, London
Planque, London
Restaurant St Barts, London
Special Jury Prize
Recognises a venue that has done something out of the ordinary. The winner will be announced at the event.
- To find out about the other Wine List of the Year competitions that Star Wine List runs around the world and also check out its award-winning guide to great wine bars and wine restaurants around the world go to its website here.
