Whites, reds and floating beds
This converted police station with designer flourishes serves wines to rival London’s best, says Sherelle Jacobs The theatrical jet-black wine library is lined with hundreds of bottles of lovingly curated wines
‘Iam sorry to inform you, Sherelle, but you have expensive tastes in wine,” said Daniel. With satirical flamboyance, I sniffed then sipped my schioppettino red from the Friuli-Venezia Giulia wine region on the border with Slovenia, which – under Daniel’s direction – we had analysed as robust, complex, rustic and zinging with fresh berries and herbs.
We moved on to a Puglian offering, Moros Salice Salentino Riserva.
“What can you smell? What can you taste?” Daniel probed.
“Jammy? But spicy?” I ventured, relieved to be met with his approval.
“But do you like it?” he pressed. I thought for a second about being polite but decided to be honest.
“All froth, no substance. Not keen.” Daniel reacted with inscrutable professionalism, though I could tell the cogs in his mind were whirring as he silently assessed my taste profile. I sensed that my rejection of this popular £35-a-bottle red had confirmed his suspicions about my love of wines priced at the higher end.
I was at a wine-tasting experience as part of a stay at the Vices, York’s hippest new three-suite, “private house” hotel, run by the Italian duo Daniel Curro and Moreno Carbone. Set in a converted Victorian police station with vaulted ceilings, arched windows and red brick, it prickles with history. But it also radiates designer cool, from modish rocking chairs to light installations that resemble burning dynamite and gothic-fairytale modern art.
The most impressive public space is the wine library, a theatrical jet-black room peppered with spotlights and lined with hundreds of bottles of lovingly curated wines. They are all Italian, with the hotel committed to carving out a niche for itself by celebrating the country’s underappreciated vintages.
“British people often stick to French or New World wines when ordering in a restaurant because they don’t recognise the names of Italian grape varieties,” Daniel explained. “We hope sessions here can give people more confidence.”
I certainly came away with a more solid grasp of Italian regions and their wines, from peachy Sicilian whites to peppy Tuscan reds. Daniel’s enthusiasm was infectious. He spoke of his excitement at pairing a wine with a new dish being planned by the chef – a fish mousse with cocoa butter: “It was so beautiful when I tasted it, I cried.”
Dinner is such a movingly spectacular occasion that one might well shed a tear. An aperitivo can be shared in the cocktail bar (not yet open when I visited) or the Instagrammable lounge with purple orchids and a caramel leather sofa strewn with throws.
The dining room is almost a chef’s table experience, with a massive window looking straight into the kitchen run by Yorkshire chef Luke Sanderson. The seven-course tasting experience is playful, almost to the point of being zany. Amuse-bouches included a miniature apple ice-cream cone whipped with Leeds blue cheese (pungently indulgent, but also evoking sunny memories of seaside strolls) and a squirrel fritter with beetroot purée that was moreish and gamey.
There were mouthwatering courses of venison steak and halibut tartare, but what stole the show was a postmodern creation based around a single onion in whey broth with lemon thyme – as lusciously punchy and surprisingly complex as it was eccentric. But leave room for the finale: the hand-made petits fours were the best I have ever experienced, especially the Japanese whiskey fudge.
There are just three suites at the Vices, all special in their own way. I stayed in the First Suite, a blinding white sanctuary with sweeping curves and jutting light installations. Most attention-grabbing here are the superking-sized “floating” bed suspended on glass legs, and the crystal bath tub – perfect for a predinner soak while leafing through an illustrated copy of
Every room has its quirks: the Second has a gem-encrusted tub and the Third is a gold chamber with a chain chandelier and a brass four-poster bed.
Breakfast is quirky and indulgent, with sticky bacon and maple croissants, rhubarb and pistachio pastries, and bread with home-made butters. I checked out with a full stomach, a mild hangover and a yearning to stay another night. My challenge now is to find Italian wines at London restaurants that live up to those at the Vices.
Rooms from £350 including breakfast