Laurene Amiet

Laurene Amiet, wine manager, One Aldwych hotel, London
www.onealdwych.com

Much has happened since joining One Aldwych in 2007. The first objective I set for myself was to completely review the wine lists in all the hotel's outlets, namely its two restaurants Axis and Indigo, as well as the Lobby Bar and room service. I created new, separate lists for Axis and Indigo with a vision to be modern, innovative and approachable.

The planning, happily, doesn't stop. I confess that my great love is the bi-monthly Wine Dinners in Axis. There's always a theme - coming up on the 18th of September is a Lebanese Wine Dinner with Kefraya, followed by a Burgundy dinner in October and then a Champagne dinner with Ruinart in late November. I prefer to keep them small because they're all about discovering new wines and socialising. Generally around 20 to 30 people come to enjoy four different wines and canapés and three courses. Previous dinners included a Brazilian dinner (with Miolo), a Canadian ice wine dinner (with Peller). Suppliers including Enotria, Alliance Wine, Coe Vintners and BVV (Mc Kinley) have been fantastic in sharing their knowledge.

The current economic climate has made us all think creatively. One of my initiatives that has been a success is the introduction of wines available by the carafe (37.5cl) in Indigo. One Aldwych is in Covent Garden in the heart of Theatre Land and our clientele in our restaurants are Londoners and out of town visitors not only hotel guests. When they're sampling the pre-theatre menu prior to catching a show, many feel a bottle of wine is too much. They don't want to fall asleep by the second act! So by offering a choice of six wines by the carafe, it's just the right amount. The Indigo success has meant that Axis now offers carafes too.

The state of the world means my challenge is to find good quality wine that is also good value, and I'm impressed lately by bottles from Italy, Portugal and Spain. So guests in Axis this autumn can expect to see lovely rosso from the Marches such as Piceno, fresh and light Vinho Verde from Portugal and a number of Spanish table wines.

Even when I'm not at work, wine is my passion. Just last Friday I was invited to a sensational Sardinian restaurant in Islington called Tengre for a Vermentino tasting. My word, what a discovery! We drank 15 different Vermentino's from Sardinia and Corsica, followed by a gorgeous dinner of fresh fish and seafood couscous made the Sardinian way with fregola. It was a perfect way to finish the week.

• Sommeliers