2019 profile
Director of wine – Ten Trinity Square Private Club
One of the nattiest dressers in the drinks trade, Jan Konetzki (Wine List Confidential’s 2018 Sommelier of the Year) is rarely seen without a tailored blazer, pocket square and signature round specs in a variety of shades.
Born in Lüneberg in northern Germany in 1980, before oenology crossed his mind Konetzki began training as a baker, bartender and waiter, then became lured into the world of wine. He got his big break when he was appointed head sommelier at the three-Michelin-starred Restaurant Gordon Ramsay on Royal Hospital Road in London’s affluent Chelsea district.
Known for his impeccable manners and irreverent sense of humour, Konetzki has worked his way up to become one of the most revered and celebrated sommeliers in London. Balancing the zeitgeist with tradition, his distinguished wine selection at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay was recognised as one of London’s finest, earning him the title of Moët UK Sommelier of the Year in 2012. Having served everyone from Amazon’s Jeff Bezos to The Rolling Stones, before he left, he initiated a radical redesign of the wine list to make it more interactive for diners, incorporating features such as an aroma wheel, wine maps and a bottle size guide. The ambitious project took Konetzki six months to develop.
Today you’ll find him working the floor at Michelin-starred French restaurant La Dame de Pic, overseen by acclaimed French chef Anne-Sophie Pic, and Asian fusion spot Mei Ume at The Four Seasons Hotel at Ten Trinity Square in Tower Hill. In 2016 Konetzki was made director of wine at The Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square and Ten Trinity Square Private Club, where he is also a Château Latour and Artemis Domaines ambassador.
Supervising the work of several highly skilled sommelier teams, his list at Ten Trinity Square Private Club features no fewer than six pages dedicated to Château Latour, including a dazzling array of magnums, double magnums, Jeroboams and imperials dating back to the 1930s, including his beloved 1959. His list also includes several rare white Rhônes from Château Grillet, Grands Echézeaux from Domaine d’Eugenie, ‘cult’ Californian wines from Eisle Vineyards, majestic bottles from Clos du Tart, and Champagnes from top names including Salon, Selosse and Krug Clos du Mesnil.
“The list is young and composed of some great bottles from our treasure chest. The club is a place to marvel at the past and future while enjoying what drinks well at present,” he says.
