1. 202 Asia-Pacific Boating May/June 2016
— Food & Wine —FINE LIVING
AMIDST THE TENSION between
fluttering sails racing for the finish line,
adrenaline from all the muscled sailors
and flamboyance inherent in any place
brimming exorbitant boats, a humble bar
has been mooring at the bow of the Monaco
Yacht Club since late last year.
Home to one of the best wine cellars in
Europe housing 2,300 bottles displayed on
the ground floor alone with grands crus
concealed away, The Wine Palace opens to
a menu of delicacies like premium cheeses
from Auvergne, a salmon and an eel smoke
or fragrant meats – perfect marriages for its
in-house tipples and for sailors after a long
day at sea. Real connoisseurs, meanwhile,
are taken to the top deck to sample its best
wines overlooking the fabulous views of
the yachts and Prince’s Palace. Yet, the true
magic of the wine bar lies on the walls:
an amalgamation of timeless luxury and
maritime influences – as evident in its
interiors reminiscent of ferries’ low-key
luxuries back in the ’30s – The Wine Palace
is a design legend, one made possible by
architects Emil Humbert and Christophe
Poyet, who “search to create an emotion
which is then translated by lines, volumes,
materials and a general aesthetic”.
Sharing an interest in art and a penchant
for mid-century furniture and lighting, the
two design talents co-founded Humbert
& Poyet in 2008, one year after Humbert
set up his architectural firm and Poyet’s
graduation from college. Despite their
different educational backgrounds, the
two are almost telepathic when it comes to
design directions. “It’s amazing sometimes
how we have the same vision for a project,”
says Humbert, highlighting the surprise
he still gets now that the two have almost
worked together for a decade.
Perhaps most indicative of their
unspoken chemistry, The Wine Palace
is designed with a “low-key luxury”,
a signature that catapulted the duo to
global stardom. “We enjoy dramatising
the idea of luxury so that it becomes less
austere and more fun and accessible,”
said Poytner, pointing to the contrasting
materials used at the venue: oak and
marble against bronze.
The designers’ work can be found across
the world in Cannes, Hong Kong, Mexico
and Paris. “All of these cities where we
have been lucky enough to develop these
projects were incredibly enriching in the
evolution of our work,” says Humbert.
Their upcoming projects include a hotel in
Paris for the Hoxton Group and a 20-storey
building in the Golden Square of Monaco.
www.winepalacemontecarlo.com
THOUGH SURROUNDED BY ALL-THINGS LUXURY, THE WINE PALACE AT THE
MONACO YACHT CLUB AND THE ARCHITECT DUO BEHIND THE PROJECT ARE
ANYTHING BUT PRIMA DONNAS.
By Gabriel Yiu
DOUBLE TROUBLE
— Food & Wine —FINE LIVING