Wine list of the week: Myrtos by Asimakis
Greece is the word for Douglas Blyde as he heads to chef Asimakis Chaniotis' hellenic haven of Myrtos in South Kensington, finding a "traditional, rich and generous" moussaka to pair with a Pinot Noir-esque Limniona. The post Wine list of the week: Myrtos by Asimakis appeared first on The Drinks Business.
Greece is the word for Douglas Blyde as he heads to chef Asimakis Chaniotis' hellenic haven of Myrtos in South Kensington, finding a "traditional, rich and generous" moussaka to pair with a Pinot Noir-esque Limniona.
Asimakis Chaniotis, former executive chef at Pied à Terre (London’s longest-standing Michelin-starred restaurant), now presides over Myrtos – his own sleek Greek venture named after the Kefalonian beach of his childhood summers. Backed by Nabil Aiad Gerges Mankarious and set in his former Aubaine site, the restaurant is, as Wallpaper notes, “the perfect Greek island fantasy amid the elegance of South Kensington,” with “circular tables gather[ed] around olive trees” which are up to 150 years old, “under moon-like lamps” and contemporary landscape art.
Michelin calls it “an intriguing prospect,” and Square Meal observes it is “a restaurant for deep-pocketed locals,” albeit rewarding them with “top-level hospitality, highly skilled cooking and a seat in one of London’s most beautiful dining rooms.” As for the wine, one Google reviewer wrote; “We tried a Greek white wine, which we didn’t know much about, but it was delicious!” which may say more about the guest’s refills than their research.
Sardines came next - silvered and sharp, marinated in aged vinegar and dressed with a burst of fresh chilli wheels which caught you by surprise. Then Dolmadakia Avgolemono, the vine leaves “picked pre-flowering for their tenderness,” said Ziakos, rolled around rice scented with wild fennel. The dish arrived on a ceramic plate shaped like a vine leaf, accompanied by a glass of Assyrtiko from Santo Wines, Santorini. A wine of energy and structure, its salt-edged citrus profile matched the sharpness of the lemon-egg sauce. “The most Greek dish on the menu,” said Ziakos, adding, “Assyrtiko invigorates and completes your palate and stimulates your digestion.”
Then, Cornish squid kebab – lightly charred, served in a mirror of its own ink, topped with Greek herb salsa and a slice of confit lemon. It came with two reds. First, Thymiopoulos Young Vines Xinomavro from Naoussa, grown on limestone – bright, floral, and herbal, with notes of tomato leaf, cranberry and dried oregano. “Evocative as Nebbiolo,” said Ziakos, and it is. Second, a Rapsani blend from vineyards on the lower slopes of Mount Olympus, where Krasato and Stavroto join Xinomavro. Aged in French oak and then stainless steel, it is structured. “Like a red Corton from Burgundy,” said Ziakos.
Moussaka followed. In appearance, a shepherd’s pie crossed with lasagna. In flavour, resolutely traditional, rich and generous. “Not deconstructed,” confirmed Chaniotis, emphatically. It was paired with biodynamic Limniona from Zafeirakis in Tyrnavos - an increasingly respected grape, showing fresh red fruit, acidity, and a gently spiced finish. “A Pinot Noir in texture, but with a completely different aromatic profile,” noted Ziakos. Served in a Riedel Pinot/Nebbiolo glass, it performed with clarity and lift.
Then came the Spetsofa, a signature dish built around tomapork, the meat fatty, crisp and tender where it needed to be. It was paired with the red fruited, American oak raised Meth’ Imon L from Dougos Winery’s iron rich soils, also home to Greece's oldest viticultural nurseries.
To finish, 2017 Samos Nectar - made from late-harvested Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains – was served with Aegina pistachio cake, layered with amaretto, crème fraîche, thyme honey and pollen. The wine, aged in oak, was golden and concentrated, with flavours of apricot, dried citrus and wild herbs.
Then the cheese trolley, wheeled by Chaniotis himself, with pride. It featured Geladino from the Tossizza Foundation in Metsovo; a bold, lightly veined blue from Chrysanthos Karavias in Epirus; smoked goat’s cheese from Ragian in Ithaca; and two cheeses from Parisis in Kefalonia, including a firm, salty Kefalotyri. A Greek cheeseboard is rare in London. One like this, rarer still.
Drinks
Although not involved from the outset, the list at Myrtos is now in the capable hands of Elvis Ziakos, who will be fine-tuning it in the coming weeks. Already, it strikes a graceful balance of heritage, flair, and focus. Ziakos, who previously built the cellar at The Cocochine before leaving the building, brings a formidable CV: The Greenhouse (RIP), Amazonico, Mark’s Club, and The Beaumont. A deeply erudite philosopher of the grape, he peppers lunch with lines like “hospitality is like the vine.” By the glass (125ml), the cheapest pour is a £7 NV Kokotos “Agrimi” Savatiano-Roditis from Attica - brisk and honest. The estate’s 2022 ‘Three Hills’ Agiorgitiko also lands at £7, positioning Kokotos as something of a house signature. At the top end, two glasses hit £18: the 2023 Manousakis “Nostos” Roussanne from Crete - generous, Rhône-adjacent, yet staunchly Mediterranean - and the 2020 Zafeirakis Limniona from Thessaly, a rising-star grape. Bottle prices span from the affordable to the aspirational. The Kokotos wines reappear at £34, while the top white is international: 2022 Meursault ‘Les Vireuils’ from Chavy-Chouet at £225. Among the Greek whites, Santorini dominates the upper tier: 2020 Hatzidakis ‘Nykteri’ (£150), 2020 Argyros ‘Cuvée Evdemon’ (£155), and 2021 Oeno Π ‘Tria Ampelia’ (£165) - all volcanic, structured, and uncompromisingly terroir-led. One bottle carries special emotional weight: the 2022 Mavrodafni-led Ktima Vallianatos, “méthode traditionnelle piégeage,” made by chef Asimakis Chaniotis himself and, at time of writing, still en route to Kensington via the sea - evocative, says Ziakos, of a “Poulsard from Savoie.” Greece is the beating heart of the cellar, with standout names like Lyrarakis, Sclavos, Rouvalis, Manousakis, and Zafeirakis providing depth. But it’s no monoculture. Champagnes include Marie-Courtin 2016 ‘Efflorescence’ (£195), while Italy weighs in with COS “Pithos Rosso” 2022 (£82), and even Georgia gets a cultured nod with Orgo’s 2023 Rkatsiteli (£74), while Austria, Germany, and Portugal all get airtime, too. An English wine is on the way – from Hundred Hills, the Oxfordshire estate which Chaniotis claims to have visited “more than a hundred times,” sometimes wielding his own secateurs. Cocktails are pre-batched weekly on-site by a roving member of Line - the Athenian bar perched at No.6 on the World’s 50 Best list. Highlights include the thick-textured Mediterranean Martini, handsomely infused with black olive oil. Beers include Septem Microbrewery’s Mylos lager from Avalon, brewed with hops from Germany, Slovenia, and the USA.Dishes
Chef Asimakis Chaniotis calls himself “a forager, fisherman, hunter and winemaker” – a succinct summary of the skills required to produce a menu like this. At Myrtos, lunch begins with a box of brilliant breads - warm pita, sourdough loaf, and the oil-rich Cretan ladopsomo – served with gently smoked taramosalata, topped with gleaming trout roe and a ring of dill oil. A Greek salad follows, though not as you know it: the ingredients, including carob rusk crumb, are neatly hidden beneath piped feta mousse, the presentation careful, the flavours clean. It came with Tetramythos Winery’s Amphore Nature Retsina - Roditis grapes fermented in clay amphorae shaped from the very earth they grow in, using wild yeasts and only a hint of pine resin. Left on its fine lees and bottled without filtration or sulphur, this is a subtle, savoury wine of texture and restraint. Poured into a Riesling Riedel, it turned unexpectedly graceful - more so than its brutalist label suggests.
Sardines came next - silvered and sharp, marinated in aged vinegar and dressed with a burst of fresh chilli wheels which caught you by surprise. Then Dolmadakia Avgolemono, the vine leaves “picked pre-flowering for their tenderness,” said Ziakos, rolled around rice scented with wild fennel. The dish arrived on a ceramic plate shaped like a vine leaf, accompanied by a glass of Assyrtiko from Santo Wines, Santorini. A wine of energy and structure, its salt-edged citrus profile matched the sharpness of the lemon-egg sauce. “The most Greek dish on the menu,” said Ziakos, adding, “Assyrtiko invigorates and completes your palate and stimulates your digestion.”
Then, Cornish squid kebab – lightly charred, served in a mirror of its own ink, topped with Greek herb salsa and a slice of confit lemon. It came with two reds. First, Thymiopoulos Young Vines Xinomavro from Naoussa, grown on limestone – bright, floral, and herbal, with notes of tomato leaf, cranberry and dried oregano. “Evocative as Nebbiolo,” said Ziakos, and it is. Second, a Rapsani blend from vineyards on the lower slopes of Mount Olympus, where Krasato and Stavroto join Xinomavro. Aged in French oak and then stainless steel, it is structured. “Like a red Corton from Burgundy,” said Ziakos.
Moussaka followed. In appearance, a shepherd’s pie crossed with lasagna. In flavour, resolutely traditional, rich and generous. “Not deconstructed,” confirmed Chaniotis, emphatically. It was paired with biodynamic Limniona from Zafeirakis in Tyrnavos - an increasingly respected grape, showing fresh red fruit, acidity, and a gently spiced finish. “A Pinot Noir in texture, but with a completely different aromatic profile,” noted Ziakos. Served in a Riedel Pinot/Nebbiolo glass, it performed with clarity and lift.
Then came the Spetsofa, a signature dish built around tomapork, the meat fatty, crisp and tender where it needed to be. It was paired with the red fruited, American oak raised Meth’ Imon L from Dougos Winery’s iron rich soils, also home to Greece's oldest viticultural nurseries.
To finish, 2017 Samos Nectar - made from late-harvested Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains – was served with Aegina pistachio cake, layered with amaretto, crème fraîche, thyme honey and pollen. The wine, aged in oak, was golden and concentrated, with flavours of apricot, dried citrus and wild herbs.
Then the cheese trolley, wheeled by Chaniotis himself, with pride. It featured Geladino from the Tossizza Foundation in Metsovo; a bold, lightly veined blue from Chrysanthos Karavias in Epirus; smoked goat’s cheese from Ragian in Ithaca; and two cheeses from Parisis in Kefalonia, including a firm, salty Kefalotyri. A Greek cheeseboard is rare in London. One like this, rarer still.
Last sip
Set to a soundtrack of Panos Mouzourakis, lunch at Myrtos reveals a confident, polished debut. Chaniotis doesn’t hide in the kitchen. He arrives at the table to carve whole seabass from its pastry shell, to finish sauces, and to serve the cheeses himself. He was, too, involved in the design – airy, clean, and contemporary, including canvases by Christos Raptis painted in situ, which he says was intended to “avoid references to Acropolis and bacchanalia.” Four weeks in, it appears to be working. “Some guests,” a server noted, “have already been back twelve times.”Best for
- Art encapsulating actual sand from Myrtos
- Xinomavro, fortified wines
- Greek-accented cocktails
