Hidden between the racks of designer couture, in Harrods department store a golden art-deco door gleams calling wine enthusiasts to their own version of Narnia. Enter and you will find Harrods' fine wine and spirits room.
In good taste: Harrods opens fine wine & spirits rooms
Words by
Jane Madden
7th June 2018
This summer, Harrods opens its doors to its fine wine and spirits rooms, the newest addition to a series of transformations happening within the department store
After a lengthy two-year renovation, Harrods has unveiled its shiny new, multi-million pound investment: a selection of rooms made to revolutionise the wine and spirit industry. Designed in an art-deco style by Martin Brudnizki Studio the rooms feature marble patterned floors and limed-oak timber wall panelling.
Focusing on exploration, the rooms combine an expansive selection of rare and vintage wines and spirits with interactive, olfactory stations. "Aroma tables" featuring trumpet-like devices deliver the scents and flavour profiles of noble grape varieties and spirits in a fun way, making wine tasting more accessible. Wines are categorised by flavour rather than region, offering a new educational angle to the typical wine tasting experience, while one of the rooms even features a 24-hour live stream to a selection of vineyards – a nice juxtapose of the attractive sleekness of the décor with the rural origination of the wines.
“The new rooms will break down barriers and change perceptions on the world of wines and spirits by focusing more on the flavour profile of the product, rather than the specific categories and brands." - Alex Dower, director of food and restaurants at Harrods
Though those wishing to sample a glass or two while there won't be disappointed. Customers have the option to settle in and drink any wine or spirit purchased in the rooms at no extra corkage charge, while all wines bought in the shop can be drunk in any of Harrods restaurants for £30. And the shop also includes two private tasting areas, one devoted to wine education in partnership with the WSET, the other a consulting area for clients looking for specialist advice.
Taking wine education a step further, the Champagne Room, which prominently features Moët & Chandon, Joseph Perrier and Dom Pérignon, is complete with an adjoining Education Room, offering everything from bottle personalisation with its in-house engraving station, personal wine consultations and bespoke cellar plans.
The adjacent room showcases the world of fine spirits, once again categorised by flavour profile rather than region. Whisky aficionados will rejoice at the spaces displaying the international leaders in whisky, from Glenfiddich to Glenmorangie. This then leads into a special area devoted entirely to the retailing of Louis XIII Cognac by Rémy Martin, stocking more than 1,200 prestige eaux de vies.
Designed by RDAI, the Louis XIII Boutique combines digital technology and elegance, offering guests an experience appealing to all senses, which is showcased by the boutiques' centrepiece – The Century Wheel – a ring of digital light, that when approached digitally showcases the brand’s history.
The Harrods Fine Wine & Spirits Rooms are now open, harrods.com
