Wine tips from a real Michelin star at Trivet
When I first meet Isa Bal, impressive winner of the Michelin Sommelier Award, he is smiling as he tells me a brick was thrown through his restaurant’s window last night. The would-be thief was knocked over by a car shortly afterwards and arrested. “I would not normally be happy about someone being hit by a car,” he shrugs, “but in this case…”
One can see why Bal is protective over Trivet, his joint venture with fellow Fat Duck alumni Jonny Lake, which opened just before lockdown. The pair had to fight tooth and nail just to survive before achieving a coveted Michelin star this year. The love and care that has gone into this beautiful restaurant is palpable and Bal is known for being one of the warmest, most talented professionals on the wine scene.
“I didn’t drink wine until I was 21,” says Bal. “In a strange way, it puts me at an advantage. I have no bias. I can approach any wine with open-mindedness”. Initially intrigued by the history and geography of wine, the love of the liquid followed but “it is the culture of wine that interests me the most. I find it fascinating”.
This is clearly shown by their tome of a wine list, which is full of interesting facts and asides, and is set out chronologically, beginning with the areas of the world where wine originated in 700BC and ending with an amusing hypothesis about 3000AD.
“History of wine is parallel to the fortunes and misfortunes of humanity” says Bal. “You never find wine flourishing where humans are suffering”. Refusing to “just make a list of names and prices,” it took him eight months to come up with the wine list concept. “It’s not my place to lecture anyone. People come here to eat, maybe drink. You can give nuggets of information without bothering people”.
Though a lover of Italian wines, Bal lists Turkey, Greece, Georgia and Armenia as regions that have much to offer. His advice is to taste as much as possible in order to keep discovering. For Bal, wine is part of the human experience and his respect for his customers and the profession is clear. “Anyone can say they’re a ‘somm’ but if you desire to do it you must strive to succeed and be interested in all aspects of eating, drinking and humans. If you don’t understand humans, it doesn’t really work”.
Diners at Trivet are there to enjoy themselves, and Bal is happy to facilitate. “You must never judge the wine someone is drinking,” he says, again linking wine to emotion and history. “It could be the last drink they had with their parents or the first at the start of their love affair”.
For Bal, there is no wrong answer when dealing with a sommelier. “London is full of different cultures and languages. Indicate what you like in terms of price and style, and we can find something for you… it will even help me to know if you take your coffee with milk and sugar”. Any awkward wine snobbery can be left at the door: at Trivet the emphasis is on pleasure.