Best of the breed

Fiona Sims sings the praises of those enthusiastic sommeliers whose

passion for new and exciting wine infects those around them

Paddy Groves really got to me. If you caught my last wine column you will have read about Groves and his wine list at Woods pub and restaurant in Dulverton, Somerset.

Wherever Paddy has set up shop, his wine lists have won awards. I keep thinking of him sitting by the fire with customers, chatting amiably about wine. He doesn't do "poncy winemaker dinners" - he prefers to mug up on the subject himself (though he knows a lot already) then imparts new-found knowledge in an engaging way to wine-hungry customers.

That kind of passion is priceless - and infectious. You can't help developing an interest in wine when you're touched by that level of enthusiasm.

Many more like Groves are working in the hospitality industry, doing their bit to boost wine sales. I've come across a couple recently - and when you're next in their area I urge you to go, if only to soak up some of that passion.

Phil Crozier positively sparkles when he talks about wine. The one-time sound engineer switched careers to work with the eight-strong Gaucho Grill restaurant chain six years ago and hasn't looked back. He's in charge of the wine list for the whole group, but you'll find him at its flagship venue in Piccadilly, which reopened last May after a major refit, including a smart new wine shop.

Wines on Crozier's restaurant list are available in the shop, accessible both from the street and through double doors into the bar. Customers are Gaucho Grill regulars and workers from nearby offices who have become hooked on Crozier's 156-bin, all-Argentinian wine list - the best line-up you'll see outside the country.

Attention to detail

He even puts the altitude of the vines on each entry - all hand-written in Crozier's spidery scrawl on a small card which customers can take home if they want to. "It's a simple but effective marketing tool," he grins.

A big table in the middle of the shop encourages visitors to sit and try one of the open bottles available for tasting (it also doubles up as a great wine-focused private dining room), and the walls are lined with smart wooden bins, made to Crozier's specifications.

There's some serious stuff here. His most expensive wine is Weinert's Star Malbec 1997 at £89 a bottle (£175 in the restaurant on the separate Fine & Rare list). "I think people are beginning to wake up to fine New World stuff."

So what does he like to drink?

"I love the Colomé Torrontés - in fact, I love the Torrontés grape in general. Along with Malbec, it's Argentina's USP, and I reckon I have the four best in the world. I'm also loving Roberto de la Mota's Mendel Malbec 2004 - the vines are 80 years old," he enthuses.

In fact, many wines that Crozier lists are imported especially for him. He travels there at least once a year to keep up with what's going on, and oversee production of Gaucho Grill's seven-strong house wine range, Terruño.

Which region is he most excited about? "Salta - it's so unique. I have 15 wines already from there," boasts Crozier. I'll have some of that - see what I mean?

Rich knowledge

Philippe Messy is another one. His list at the new-ish Chelsea restaurant Papillon, where he buys the wine and manages, has 580 bins, with wines from Chamonix to Corsica. Best-sellers are not wines from Bordeaux or Burgundy, but from south-west France, because we Brits like to travel there a lot, Messy modestly reckons.

Average spend here is higher than most at a whopping £45-£50 a bottle. OK, maybe that's down to Papillon's Chelsea location, but Messy also believes it's because the list is better value than most.

He may apply the London standard 70% GP to wines under £30, but it's cash margins for wines above that - and the higher up the list you go, the less the mark-up.

"Our customers seem to know how much things cost - when they flash their cash, they're flashing a fair amount of wine knowledge, too," says Messy.

Choosing wine, he plunders the lists of a staggering 42 merchants, citing favourites Howard Ripley, Les Caves de Pyrene and OW Loeb. He's not suggesting that the rest of you follow suit: wine is Messy's passion. He does reckon, though, that a wine buyer who limits himself to just three suppliers is lazy.

"Obviously it depends on the size of your list, but for 75-100 bins you have to use a minimum of seven suppliers. It's all about finding something exciting for your customers to drink - it's our job to help them discover new wines and find alternatives."

Don't you just love these people?