Meet Alessandro...

Our resident wine guru, Alessandro, did not become the connoisseur that he is overnight; in fact, wine and the making of it is in his blood.

 

Born and raised in Frosinone, 60km outside of Rome, one of his first memories was tasting wine with his grandfather, a passionate winemaker and Allesandro’s biggest inspiration. The unfamiliar taste of wine at the age of 5 may have made him pull a sour face; fast forward to now, however, and that has somewhat changed, lucky for all of us wine enthusiasts of Bermondsey and beyond.

 

Having spent a season in France twenty years ago, Alessandro visited his cousin in London and has been there ever since. Initially helping out at the family restaurant in the city, he began working as a wine broker before opening his first shop in 2011.

 

In 2017, he opened Bon Vino Dockhead in Bermondsey and 2019, the thriving location at Maltby Street Market. His passion for the sea bought him to Hythe, where he fell in love with the charming town, however he didn't have anywhere to buy his wine. Later that year, in November of 2021, he opened Hythe Cellar.

 

In Alessandro’s words, wine is “life and enjoyment; wine represents human passion apparent in the most inspirational winemakers who invest patience and time in growing and producing the finest wines. There is no rushing, no shortcuts, and always an eye on nature's preservation and the loving treatment that goes into making a great wine. Wine has always been “a tool used to improve things.”

 

Asked what wine he would pick if he could only drink that one for the rest of his life, Alessandro says the only way to do this would be to walk into his warehouse and randomly select one from the shelves blindfolded. There are simply too many fantastic wines in this world to limit oneself.

 

We want to inspire and share as many of these brilliant wines as possible.

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