Hello, my name is Jean-Christophe but I ’m best known as JC.  I have a very extensive knowledge of wine but most of it by default, I always say.  40 years of drinking and tasting wine probably has a lot to do with it. I would add that if I had £1 for every bottle of champagne I have opened I would be rich – and if I had £1 for every bottle I had drunk, I would be twice as rich.

I spent many years working in a Michelin starred restaurant; in fact, I trained as a sommelier in a 3 starred Michelin restaurant “La Pyramide” in Vienne in 1984/85. In 1987 I joined the Manoir aux quatre saisons as a sommelier and worked there until September 1987 when I got a job again as a sommelier for a chef who was going to be one of greatest British chef…Marco Pierre White, but after a month the manager left and he ask me to take over as manager, I was not 21 yet, couldn’t speak much English but already had Michelin stars experience, I worked there with the like of Gordon Ramsay, Stephen Terry, Phil Howard to name a few, I left in 1991 and till 1998, I ran a hotel/restaurant in the Maconnais area and this website will shortly be showcasing some wonderful wines from that area.

I came back to work for Marco in 1998 and until 2007, I worked at the Mirabelle, the Oak room, help with many opening: Quo Vadis, The Belvedere, The Parisienne chophouse, frankie’s, training many staff and doing many wine-list and wine buying for the group, even help Alex Polizi with the wine-list and wine training at some of Rocco forte’s hotel (the Balmoral, the St David’s, the Lowry).

I owned and ran L’Absinthe, a restaurant based in Primrose Hill from 2007 to 2018, where we had a fantastic wine list.  Now you will be able to experience all my knowledge in this small and very personal wine company, so, if you have any questions or need any help regarding choosing, pairing or even drinking wine, I’m your man, so don’t hesitate to contact me.

Thank you for reading this far and – remember – always drink with moderation!