The Savoy turns the Beaufort Bar into a 250-wine bar
London's grand hotel retires cocktails from the Beaufort Bar's daily menu this month, replacing them with 250 wines, Coravin pours by the glass and a tableside charcuterie trolley.
The Savoy is swapping cocktails for Coravin this month, turning its Beaufort Bar into a dedicated wine bar with more than 250 bottles from 18 countries.
The hotel has confirmed the relaunch for October, replacing the room's decade-old cocktail format with a wine-first list spanning six continents. About half the selection pours by the glass through Coravin, the needle system that lets staff serve from a bottle without pulling the cork, so a 1975 Bordeaux can stay open for weeks rather than a single night.
Vintages run from 1975 to 2025. The list leans on First Growth Bordeaux and Grand Cru Burgundy, alongside mature Champagne and bottles from regions the Savoy's older wine menus skipped over. The spread lets a guest order a single glass of something that would otherwise mean buying the whole bottle.
A dedicated wine room gives the hotel a lower-key option between the grill's set menus and the all-day cafés.
A sommelier built for the wine bar
Romain Audrerie leads the new wine programme as head sommelier. He spent more than 15 years in international hospitality, starting on the opening team at Chiltern Firehouse before becoming global wine director for André Balazs Properties, the group behind Chiltern Firehouse and the Sunset Tower Hotel. The Savoy is betting that his buying relationships, not just the bottle count, will keep the list moving.
Food follows the same logic: fewer dishes, more theatre. A custom flywheel slicer trolley does tableside work on cured meats and Jamón Ibérico, wheeled between tables rather than plated in the kitchen. Other dishes include Hampshire trout with Dorset wasabi and Buddha's hand, a black truffle cheese fondue, a caviar selection and British cheeses.
Cocktails survive, just fewer of them
The relaunch doesn't drop cocktails entirely. Grape-based spirits remain on the list, and a handful of wine cocktails built on cognac, grappa and pisco carry over through the changeover. Live music continues through the evening, keeping a thread to the Beaufort Bar's cabaret-era reputation.
The wine bar joins a Savoy portfolio that already runs Gallery for all-day dining and afternoon tea, the scone shop Scoff, the Savoy Grill, the River Restaurant and Restaurant 1890, which holds the hotel's Michelin star. A dedicated wine room gives the hotel a lower-key option between the grill's set menus and the all-day cafés, aimed at guests who want a glass rather than a seating.
No opening-night date or by-the-glass pricing has been published yet. The hotel has given only the month, which puts the relaunch somewhere in the next three weeks, not far behind Merano's own push to professionalise how the wine trade reads a vintage.
