London for wine lovers 2019 - Jancis Robinson

Page created by Eric Burke
 
CONTINUE READING
London for wine lovers 2019 - Jancis Robinson
●

Written by
 Team JR
3 Jun 2019

London for wine lovers 2019

What it says on the tin, updated for this summer's influx of visitors.

This article has long proved especially popular and we try to update it regularly. London
continues to offer a huge range of wine-related diversions, and an amazing array of
professional tasting opportunities, as outlined in London, capital for wine. This guide represents
many decades of accumulated insider knowledge from our team and we've also tried to add the
latest developments and newest openings, but would welcome any further suggestions. We'd
particularly welcome feedback on some of the newer names in this May 2019 listing from Time
Out.

Please let us know if you have any suggestions for further inclusions, or if you spot any mistakes,
via the contact form.
London for wine lovers 2019 - Jancis Robinson
The guide is divided into the following sections – click to jump to the relevant part.

●   Sights – the essential wine locations for the tourist
●   Wine shops – where to buy wine in the capital
●   Wine bars – a hand-picked selection of the best spots for informal wine drinking, where food
    is often simple
●   Wine-minded restaurants – where wine is of equal importance to food
●   Wine-minded clubs – the burgeoning category of members' clubs with a wine theme
●   Further afield – other wine-related places to visit within a short distance of London

SIGHTS

St James's Street remains the spiritual home of wine in London. The road itself has several
famous merchant names above its doors. Justerini & Brooks has offices here, though not a
conventional shop, whereas Berry Bros & Rudd opened a very smart new retail operation in
spring 2017, around the corner from their previous address, on Pall Mall. It contains a fantastic
range of wine and spirits from all corners of the world, and if you ask in advance you might get a
peak at the labyrinthine cellars that lie beneath the road.

On the opposite side of Pall Mall is 67 Pall Mall, a club dedicated to all things wine and which
boasts an extraordinary range of bottles at very reasonable prices. The catch is that only
members are admitted – much like the other neighbouring clubs such as Boodle's, Brooks's, The
Reform Club and dozens more. Anyone can gain access to the auction houses, however, and
there are regular wine sales at Sotheby's, Christie's and Bonhams. Nearby, go window shopping
at Hedonism (see below for a picture and more details), London's largest wine shop featuring
some of its most spectacular bottles.

If you venture south west, the urban winery London Cru is a small operation near Earl's Court
that offers guided tours by appointment. Their gimmick is to import grapes from mainland
Europe to ferment in London – and the results can be seriously impressive. Apart from Chelsea
Football Club, there is not much else in the immediate vicinity to entice the tourist. Other urban
wineries include Renegade in E2 (see below under wine bars) and Blackbook in Battersea.

Of strictly historical interest is Vintners' Hall, an ancient yet active livery company in the City of
London, the financial district. It is not normally open to the public, and this ancient part of
London has in the past catered primarily for busy commuters in finance rather than tourists, but
see The City wakes up at the weekend on how this is changing.

Foodie markets such as Maltby Street and Borough Market (both near London Bridge) have
several interesting wine stalls and are delightful for wandering and grazing. Several times a year,
London hosts large consumer wine events such as RAW WINE, The Real Wine Fair, Three Wine
Men, The Wine Gang, Wine Car Boot and Festival of Wine, which can easily take up an entire day
for the committed vinophile.

WINE SHOPS

These listings are grouped roughly by geographical region, and represent a hand-picked
selection of London's best independent wine retailers. See also the London addresses in our
Where to buy listing. The supermarket chains (Aldi, Asda, the Co-op, Lidl, M&S, Morrisons, Tesco,
Sainsbury's and Waitrose) between them have by far the biggest slice of the UK wine market
but the quality rarely matches what the indies can offer. We regularly publish reports on their
current offering by our retail specialist Andrew Howard MW.

Central London and West End

●   10 Cases in Endell St, Covent Garden, has a Cave à Vin just next door to their popular bistro,
    offering a great selection of wines to take home, to taste from their Enomatic machines, or to
    enjoy by the glass, carafe and bottle with charcuterie and cheese in the shop.
●   Albion Wines in Lamb's Conduit Street, near Russell Square tube station, has been going
    strong for over 30 years supplying the trade and private customers with an interesting
    selection. Enomatic machines in-store for tasting wine.
●   Fortnum & Mason has, like Selfridges, a wine shop on the premises.
●   Hedonism, 3-7 Davies Street, London W1, is by far the most luxurious central London wine
    store. Owned by a Russian tax exile, it is an extraordinary treasure trove of bottles of interest
    to anyone seriously interested in wine with, for instance, Yquems and Sine Qua Nons coming
    out of its ears. Prices are not as sky-high as one might expect and there are usually some tip-
    top wines on taste by the glass. Many a wine lover could spend hours in here. Under the same
    ownership is Hide, a sprawling restaurant on Piccadilly that offers Hedonism's entire wine list –
    at a suitable mark-up, of course.
●   Jeroboams, fine-wine stores dotted around central London, and Muswell Hill, with a pretty good
    selection and good service. The retail side of Laytons.
●   Lady of the Grapes in Covent Garden stocks wine from small organic, biodynamic or low-input
    vineyards, and more than 70% of the wines on the list are made by women. They have a little
    wine bar/brasserie in the shop.
●   Philglas & Swiggot specialise in hand-picked wines, notably but not exclusively Australian.
    Now owned by Irish retailer O'Briens, but managed by Justin Knock MW and his business
    partner Damien Jackman. They have a branch in Marylebone and another in Battersea.
●   Planet of the Grapes occupies a very handsome shop on Sicilian Avenue in Holborn, where
    you can drink and eat on the premises. They also operate shop-bar hybrids in the City.
●   Selfridges' wine shop doubles as a comfortable wine bar in the basement with a particularly
    wide range.
●   Vagabond Wines have five branches in total, two of which are in central London, on Charlotte
    Street and near Victoria station. All of them have Enomatics allowing a wide range of wines to
    be tasted. A sixth branch is due to open near Paddington station in the summer of 2019.
●   The Winemakers Club opened in 2014 under the vaulted arches of Holborn Viaduct as an
    outlet for the independent importer of the same name, and offers an eclectic selection of wine
    to take away as well as a bijou wine-bar area. They recently added a wine bar and restaurant
    in Deptford, south London.

City and east
●   Bottle Apostle has branches in Victoria Park and Stratford's East Village offering sampling via
    Enomatic machines. They also operate in Clapham in south London, and Primrose Hill and
    Crouch End in north London.
●   Borough Wines, has operations in Borough Market, Hackney, Clerkenwell and Columbia Road
    as well as several others elsewhere. Strong on off-piste wines from France, Italy, Spain and
    Portugal, Borough Wines is well known for offering its customers wine straight from the barrel,
    sfuso style.
●   Burgess & Hall – see below under wine bars.
●   Dynamic Vines 'To capitalise on the increasing popularity of Maltby Street (and the
    surrounding area), this importer of (predominantly) biodynamic wines now opens on Saturdays
    to sell directly to the public' (Purple Pager Dave Stenton).
●   Newcomer Wines offers up to 250 wines in its range, the vast majority from Austria. Previously
    based in Shoreditch's pop-up Boxpark, they now have a permanent premises on Dalston Lane,
    E8.
●   New Street Wine is close to Liverpool Street and belongs to the D&D group, who operate
    several wine-friendly restaurants across London. They have an eclectic range of wines that can
    be taken away or enjoyed on site at a very reasonable corkage charge. Their small but
    frequently refreshed wine list offers an interesting selection, generally a little off the beaten
    track (in tasting-size pours or full glasses), along with small bites. Relaxed atmosphere and
    good service.
●   Noble Fine Liquor, a newish shop on Broadway Market run by two young Kiwis. Natural wines
    from the Loire rub shoulders with rare burgundy and New Zealand's Pyramid Valley. They also
    work closely with the small Italian importer Tutto Wines so are one of the few UK stockists of
    the excellent Ar Pe Pe Nebbiolos.
●   P Franco 'Sister shop to Noble Fine Liquor, has opened on Lower Clapton Road (which is
    unrecognisable compared with when I lived just off it up until two years ago: I counted at least
    a dozen new businesses as I walked along it on Saturday evening). It's a wine shop but they're
    also licensed to sell wines by the glass, so morphs into a bar in the evenings.' (Purple Pager
    Dave Stenton).
●   Pont de la Tour is the very well-stocked wine store attached to the restaurant of the same
    name on the south side of Tower Bridge. Excellent and unpredictable selection but fairly
    robust pricing. (See the D&D website for details of all their operations.)
●   Quality Wines opened in 2018 as the retail and wine bar hybrid offshoot of The Quality Chop
    House. Run by Gus Gluck, it boasts an interesting hand-picked range of wines covering every
    conceivable style, and is particularly good value for drinking on the premises.
●   Theatre of Wine's most recent location is Leytonstone, where their interesting range goes
    beyond the obvious. Rather off the beaten track, but worth a visit if you are nearby. Their
    other branches are in Greenwich and Tufnell Park.
●   Uncorked is small but strong on classic regions and with a very knowledgeable team. City
    prices, but you get what you pay for.
●   The Wine Library, an independent wine shop which has been going since 1988, sells great
    wine and was also a pioneer of the onsite wine bar. They charge an incredibly reasonable
    £8.50 corkage to drink their wines with French cheeses and English hams as a buffet lunch, or
    aperitifs between 6 pm and 8 pm.

West

●   Huntsworth Wine Co is next to the Kensington Church Street branch of Lea & Sandeman (see
    below). Strong burgundy and bordeaux focus but there's a smattering of hand-picked wines
    from further afield.
●   Lea & Sandeman have four branches across west London, in Kensington, Chelsea, Barnes and
    Chiswick. These bright, modern shops offer a wide range of individually chosen wines. The
    selection is particularly strong on Tuscany, Rhône, burgundy and south-west France.
●   Vindinista, 74 Churchfield Road, Acton. Strong focus on biodynamic, organic and minimal-
    intervention wines.
●   The Winery in Clifton Road, London W9. Excellent hand-picked, actually foot-driven, selection
    from anywhere that owner David Motion has recently visited. Dry Germans are a speciality.

North

●   Bottle Apostle (see City and east) has branches in Primrose Hill and Crouch End.
    Borough Wines (see City and east) has branches in Islington, Stoke Newington and Kensal Rise.
●   Highbury Vintners – fantastic selection of wine but also a wide range of microbrewery beers.
●   The Sampler is a very useful shop in Upper Street, Islington, which offers a rotating range of
    very fine wines indeed by the 25 ml pour and also has one of the UK's most wide-ranging
    selections of fine wines available anywhere retail. Their South Kensington branch has
    relocated to Wimbledon and they have a third in Putney.
●   Theatre of Wine have a shop full of surprises in Tufnell Park, N19.
●   Yield brings natural wine (and beer, charcuterie and cheese) to Newington Green in their
    shop/bar hybrid.
●   Zelas is a wine shop and grocer in Highbury with the best selection of Bulgarian wines in the
    country, we are reliably informed, as well as natural wines from elsewhere in the world.

South

●   Artisan & Vine in Putney sells boutique wine, craft beer and artisan coffee.
●   Bottle Apostle (see City and east) has a branch in Clapham.
●   Borough Wines (see City and east) has a branch on Battersea Park Road.
●   City Wine Collection in Richmond sells mainly fine wine from France, Italy and Spain.
●   D Vine Cellars, North Clapham, always have 16 wines on Enomatic machines for tasting, along
    with charcuterie and cheese to nibble on while assessing the relative merits of their 'niche,
    ethical and artisan' wine selection.
●   Eagle's Wines in Clapham Junction looks like a bog standard off-licence but has an
    unexpectendly interesting selection, especially of Australian wine.
●   The Good Wine Shop has two shops in Kew and Chiswick selling wines from small producers.
●   Handford Wines, on Old Brompton Road, SW7. Small, very personal shop whose stock is driven
    by passion and interest – especially good at burgundy, southern French, South African and
    Portuguese table wines.
●   Haynes Hanson & Clark in Elystan Street, just off Chelsea Green, SW3. Master of Wine Anthony
    Hanson is buying consultant. Burgundy a speciality but good-value Bordeaux and much else
    besides.
●   New Zealand Wine Cellar opened at Pop Brixton in May 2015 thanks to a successful
    Kickstarter campaign that showed how much support there was for Mel Brown's project – in
    London and back in New Zealand. Winner of the Decanter 2015 award for Specialist New
    Zealand retailer.
●   Philglas & Swiggot specialise in hand-picked wines, notably but not exclusively Australian. Now
    owned by Justin Knock MW and his business partner Damien Jackman. They have branches in
    Battersea and Marylebone.
    The Sampler has moved its Kensington store to Wimbledon. They also have a branch in Putney.
●   Theatre of Wine started in Greenwich but also has branches in north and east London. It has
    an eclectic range of wine and is run with great passion. The shops are far better than the
website!
●   Unwined is a wine bar, shop and kitchen in Tooting market that comes recommended by
    several members. They have another wine bar in Waterloo.
●   Vagabond Wines has three branches in south London, located in Fulham, Battersea and
    Clapham. All of them have Enomatics allowing a wide range of wines to be tasted.
●   The Wine Place in South Kensington was London's first wine shop dedicated entirely to Italy,
    and they have a suitably broad range in a modern shop with friendly staff. They now have a
    wine bar in Covent Garden market too.
●   The Wine Tasting Shop in Balham is run by Julia Michael, 'the very engaging owner' – a
    recommendation from Purple Pager and winemaker Jonathan Hesford. They have 400 wines
    available to take home as well as 20+ available by the glass, as well as cheese, charcuterie
    and other snacks. Themed tastings take place every Thursday, and they have live music at the
    weekends.

WINE BARS

The difference between a wine bar, a wine shop and a wine restaurant is not always easy to
discern these days, but this category is devoted to establishments which primarily provide
informal wine drinking with some food available, and where you might be also be able to take
bottles away, retail-style.

Central London and West End

●   Antidote, just off Carnaby Street, is a wine bar that has been around for a while but seemed to
    escape people's attention. However, Mikael Jonnson – he of renowned Chiswick restaurant
    Hedone – gave the menu a shot in the arm during his two-year consultancy there. Wines are
    organic and biodynamic, mainly French.
●   Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels is a wine bar in Neal's Yard, Covent Garden, with a nice little
    courtyard. It's good but a little bit pricey and although it does focus on natural wines, as its
    name suggests, it has plenty of more conventional choices.
    Cork & Bottle is one of several of the old guard of wine bars, in the tourist epicentre of London,
    Leicester Square. They now have branches in Hampstead and Paddington.
●   Ducksoup in Soho has a focus on natural wine (and it pays to ask for a taste before committing
    to a glass). Their offspring Little Duck ('a fermenting kitchen and wine bar') and Rawduck in
    Dalston and London Fields respectively.
●   Fortnum & Mason has, like Selfridges, a wine bar as well as a wine shop on the premises.
●   Gordon's is the oldest wine bar in London, a popular cave-style haunt that is nearly always
    crowded and has recently expanded to sprawl over the path that runs alongside it.
●   Lady of the Grapes in Covent Garden serves organic, biodynamic and natural wine (most of it
    made by women) in their cosy brasserie-style wine bar/wine shop with small plates of well-
    sourced food. They also do takeaway food.
●   Noble Rot, the Lamb's Conduit Street wine bar and restaurant that grew out of the mould-
    breaking eponymous publication. Great meeting place for oenophiles and a wine list put
    together by real wine obsessives. Reviewed by Nick here. A second branch in Soho was in the
    works in summer 2019.
●   The Remedy is 'a small wine bar in Fitzrovia that has been open for a while now but seems to
    operate slightly under the radar. It's run by Terroirs alumni' (Purple Pager Dave Stenton). The
    wine list changes frequently and has a very good selection of madeira, including some pretty
    old bottles, and orange wines, along with lots of other interesting picks from smaller producers.
●   Selfridge's recently refurbished wine bar is definitely worth checking out when on Oxford
    Street.
●   Shampers is, with Gordon's and Cork & Bottle, one of London's old-fashioned stalwart wine
    bars, much beloved and conveniently situated on the western edge of Soho.
●   Terroirs - see under restaurants.
●   Vini Italiani is a wine bar in Covent Garden market, serving Italian food and wine in a casual
    bar setting all day.

City and east

●   Under the rumbling railway arches of London Bridge you'll find 40 Maltby Street – more wine-
    bar-serving-food than restaurant. The small plates cooked to order in their postage-stamp
    kitchen are delicious and the wine list is full of unusual gems featuring a lot of natural and
    biodynamic producers. You can take a bottle home at retail price, and the mark-ups are
    transparently low.
●   Burgess & Hall comes highly recommended by our own Julia Harding, who says 'Brilliant and
    eclectic selection of wines by the glass – which you can taste before you choose – and by the
    bottle with modest corkage (£8). Mostly from small importers. Very good value. No food yet
    but you can order in pizza or from other local takeaways. They also do jazz nights once a
    month.'
●   Planet of the Grapes has four wine bars: in the city at Bow Lane (with restaurant); Leadenhall
    Market (this and Bow Lane are shops as well where you can buy to take away or drink in with a
    simple flat corkage rate of £10 on top of the retail price); Moorgate, where the famous Fox
    umbrella shop has become Fox Fine Wines (with restaurant and private dining room); and now
    back in Holborn, where they started out.
●   Quality Wines just round the corner from Exmouth Market in Farringdon, EC1 is under the
    same ownership at The Quality Chop House next door but is run autonomously with great flair
    by Gus Gluck and chef Nick Bramagh who have managed to create something of a salon
    atmosphere. Eclectic collection of wines is also offered for sale to take away.
●   Rawduck is the east London outpost of Ducksoup (see above), also with a natural wine bent.
    Little Duck in Dalston is a 'fermenting kitchen and wine bar', their workshop that includes a
    small restaurant space.
●   Renegade in Bethnal Green is an urban winery making wine from grapes brought in from all
    over the world. They're open Wednesday to Sunday as a wine bar and you can bring your own
    food.
●   Sager & Wilde in Hackney Road is one of the most interesting and buzziest wine bars with a
    particularly famous selection of great-value fine wines. They also have a restaurant in Paradise
    Row, Bethnal Green (see below).
●   The Wine Library on Trinity Square has a popular wine bar serving good cheese as well as a
    wine shop.

West

●   Bar Boulud is in smart Knightsbridge, in the basement of the Mandarin Oriental hotel, with a
    fine, mainly French, wine list and always something superior available by the glass.
●   Capote y Toros provides reliable tapas and over 100 different sherries.
●   The Kensington Wine Rooms, Fulham Wine Rooms and Brackenbury Wine Rooms were early
    adopters of Enomatic machines and have a wide selection available, including several more-
    expensive options. There is also a full menu available, and wine can be bought to take home.

North

●   The Drop is the Hart brothers of Barrafina fame's wine bar in Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross. It
serves good-quality, simple food and offers wines with a natural bent.
●   Pepito is one of the earliest of London's many thriving sherry bars, a small but atmospheric
    space serving top tapas in informal surroundings near King's Cross.
●   'Happily for me, Primeur has opened very close to where I live in Highbury. It's a really
    beautiful space (formerly a '70s car-repair shop, and retains some of the original features). I've
    eaten there three times in as many weeks; standing room only on my most recent visit. Short-
    ish wine list (but I think it's expanding) with emphasis on Italy and Alsace (one of the co-
    owners is from Alsace)' (Purple Pager Dave Stenton).
●   Trangallán, 'a short walk from Primeur on Newington Green, is another local favourite of mine (
    although it's not new; it's been open a couple of years). The owners are Galician and the wine
    list has lots of great wine from NW Spain as well as the odd bottle from Italy and the Jura;
    great sherries too' (Purple Pager Dave Stenton).
●   Vermuteria is a 'vermouth-inspired' all-day bar and café, also in Coal Drops Yard, King's Cross.

South

●   Bar Douro is, as its name suggests, a Portuguese wine bar. It's in a railway arch in Flat Iron
    Square, with excellent and authentic local dishes and a good range of Portuguese wines by the
    glass and bottle, including some they import directly. Mostly bar seating but with a private
    room upstairs. A second branch is due to open in Finsbury Square in August 2019.
●   Soif in south London is another Terroirs relative.
●   Streatham Wine House has been recommended by several readers of this site as a good local
    wine bar with plenty of fine wines available by the glass.

WINE-MINDED RESTAURANTS

This selection is primarily for dining, at various levels of formality, although some of them may
have a small wine-bar element.

Central London and West End

●   10 Greek Street in the heart of Soho is very wine-minded with mark-ups significantly below the
    London norm and has an interesting selection of one-off bottles in a little hand-written
    notebook.
●   28-50 has shrunk to one location, in Marylebone Lane, under new ownership.
●   Les 110 de Taillevent started in Paris, and the London restaurant opened in 2015. Its name
    refers to the fact that there are 110 wines available by the glass.
●   Andrew Edmunds in Soho is a long-standing haunt for wine lovers also recommended by Dave
    Stenton: 'I ate there last weekend and was struck by the number of rare burgundies and
    bordeaux they were selling for not much more (and in some cases less) than retail.' Very
    modest mark-ups throughout the list.
●   Barrafina is a group of four superior tapas restaurants with a good sherry selection. The food is
    not cheap, but it is very good quality.
●   Blandford Comptoir comes from Xavier Rousset, previously of 28-50 and Texture. There is a
    compact but pretty dining room, and a well-chosen wine list organised by price. The Mayfair
    site, which is a little more casual and also has an excellent shop downstairs, is called Comptoir
    Café and Wine.
●   Clarette, a French restaurant established in Marylebone by Alexandra, the daughter of Ch
    Margaux chatelaine Corinne Mentzelopoulos. Extensive selection of wines by the glass (not
    exclusively French) and a wide-ranging and smart wine list.
●   Clipstone, the casual version of Michelin-starred Portland (see below) round the corner from it.
Interesting selection of house wines on tap as well as a more formal list. You can eat outside
    and dishes are particularly visually attractive (chef is ex art school).
●   Dehesa in Soho belongs to the Salt Yard group, who specialise mainly in Spanish cuisine, with
    a smattering of Italian. The wine list does likewise.
●   Emilia is the newest of Will Lander's establishments, on the site of the old Bonhams restaurant
    on a quiet courtyard off Brook Street. The accent is central Italian for food and on the wine list
    are some fine and rare bottles ex saleroom. There's a wine bar/café on the ground floor, and in
    the courtyard when it's fine.
●   The Greenhouse in Mayfair's Hay's Mews, another Marlon Abela restaurant (see The Square,
    below), has a very good wine list but is not cheap.
●   Gymkhana is one of London's best Indian restaurants, with prices to match its Mayfair location.
    The sommelier team there do great work finding matches for their spicy dishes.
●   Hakkasan is now a global network of restaurants, wine bars and even a Las Vegas nightclub –
    but it started in London, where there are now two restaurants. Expect fashionable people,
    supreme Chinese food and plenty of premium wine to choose from.
●   Hawksmoor is a chain of upmarket steak restaurants with six venues around London, all of
    which have a great wine proposition as well as a good deal on cheap corkage every Monday
    evening. Their central London locations are in Covent Garden and Air Street. Now also in
    Manchester and Edinburgh and scheduled to take on New York.
●   Hide – see above under Wines shops, Hedonism.
●   Hunan – the Chinese restaurant famous not having a menu (diners are served whatever is
    being cooked that day) also has a well-respected wine list – which you can choose from.
●   Meson Don Felipe near Waterloo station is a long-established Spanish tapas joint with a cheap
    and cheerful atmosphere and some decent sherry to choose from.
●   Drakes Tabanco specialise in sherry and tapas at the Fitzrovia restaurant.
●   El Pirata in Mayfair is proud of their Spanish wine selection, including sherry and cava as well
    as some top Spanish whites and reds.
●   The Opera Tavern is another outlet of the Salt Yard group, convenient for West End theatres,
    with reliable Spanish and Italian wine and food.
●   Portland in Great Portland Street just north of Oxford Circus is the second venture of Will
    Lander, son of Jancis and Nick. The food here is a little lighter than at The Quality Chop House
    and has been described by the guides as 'modern European'. It won a Michelin star after its
    first nine months. Other sister establishments are Clipstone, Emilia and Quality Wines.
●   Salt Yard is a Spanish- and Italian-inspired restaurant close to Oxford Circus that has a good
    selection of sherry. In addition to the Opera Tavern and Dehesa (see above), the group also
    own Ember Yard in Soho's Berwick St.
●   The Square was part of the Platts-Martin group of restaurants until it was sold to wine-loving
    millionaire Marlon Abela, who also owns The Greenhouse and Umu.
●   The restaurant at Tate Britain in Pimlico has an award-winning wine list with a strong selection
    by the glass. The more recently opened restaurant in the new Tate Modern offers wines
    chosen by the accomplished Hamish Anderson.
●   Terroirs, between Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross with its offshoot Soif (see above under
    Wine bars) is closely associated with wine importers Caves de Pyrène and the natural wine
    movement. There is a small wine bar area but it is more like a restaurant, with a full menu and
    tables that can (and should) be booked in advance. They also have a branch in East Dulwich.
●   Texture have a particular penchant for champagne alongside their Michelin-starred food.
●   Vinoteca is a thriving wine and food destination with branches in Marylebone and King's Cross,
    as well as Chiswick, Farringdon and the Bloomberg building in the City.

City and east
●   Brawn in Columbia Road, specialising in natural wine, was originally an offshoot of Terroirs but
    is now wholly owned by chef Ed Wilson.
●   Cabotte is yet another offspring of Xavier Rousset, this time in partnership with another Master
    Sommelier Gearoid Daveney of Flint Wines, specialising in burgundy.
●   If you're interested in eating typical French cuisine, you might try the Club Gascon, 57 West
    Smithfield, for lots of little portions of foie gras, local sausages, etc, and interesting wines from
    south-west France. Anyone for Marcillac?
●   When Ellory closed down in 2018, its owners opened Leroy in Shoreditch and were rewarded
    with a Michelin star for their sharing plates and compact but intriguing selection of wine.
●   The Guildhall outpost of Hawksmoor is very popular with hungry city workers tucking into
    steak and fine wine. The Borough branch is well situated near London Bridge and Borough
    market, while the Spitalfields address is close to trendy East London. They all offer cheap
    corkage on Monday evenings.
●   The Laughing Heart on Hackney Road is a bar/restaurant/wine shop hybrid that is open very
    late and has attracted enviable reviews for its extensive wine list.
●   Morito is on Exmouth Market, a small paved street lined with many independent restaurants,
    and also has a second branch on Hackney Road. Their Spanish menu is accompanied by a
    good sherry list. Their original restaurant Moro, opened in 1997 but perhaps less wine-focused,
    is also on Exmouth Market.
●   Will Lander, son of Jancis and Nick, reopened the listed Victorian working-men's dining room
    that is The Quality Chop House in Farringdon Road in 2012, specialising in interesting wine at
    good prices and British, produce-driven food in a restaurant and next-door wine bar. For
    obvious reasons, we strongly recommend it and it has garnered some rave reviews from highly
    respected third parties. (It won The World of Fine Wine's first-ever Best Short Wine List in
    Europe award.) See also Emilia, Portland and Clipstone under central London West End above.
●   Sager & Wilde's second opening, in Paradise Row, Bethnal Green, originally known as Mission (
    they had to change the name because of a legal challenge), is a bigger and more formal
    restaurant than their Hackney Road space, albeit with the same much-vaunted wine selection,
    including a strong emphasis on Californian wine.
●   St John, 26 St John Street, London EC1, has a wine importer attached. It's world-famous, very
    minimal, very meaty, very English, near the old Smithfield meat market, where there are now
    lots of bars and restaurants. 'Nose to tail eating' is what they claim to offer. Some, especially
    vegetarians, find it a little stark. Quite interesting French wine list but not great glassware.
    Also in the St John empire is the more basic St John Bread & Wine in Spitalfields, near Liverpool
    Street station.
●   Vinoteca (see above) is a thriving wine and food destination with a branch in Farringdon and
    another in the Bloomberg building in the City.

North

●   Vinoteca opened their most recent branch in the newly redeveloped King's Cross area. It also
    has a well-maintained wine-shop section.

South

●   Chez Bruce is one of the stars of south London dining, with its unassuming but elegant dining
    room and comprehensive wine selection.
●   The Glasshouse is, like Chez Bruce, one of Nigel Platts-Martin's restaurants, and therefore
    comes with guarantees of very good service and wine nous, as well as Michelin-starred food.
●   Medlar in Chelsea has hundreds of wines on their list, and is a popular destination for wine-
    trade lunches.
●   RSJ is a most individual restaurant near Waterloo station which has a famous list of Loire
    Valley wines and which recently changed to Asian-style cooking.

West

●   The Ledbury, a Platts-Martin restaurant, boasts two Michelin stars and an extensive wine list
    including some attractive older vintages.
●   Vinoteca is a thriving wine and food destination with a branch in Chiswick, opposite destination
    restaurant La Trompette.
●   La Trompette, Platts-Martin does Chiswick.

WINE-MINDED CLUBS

These have been proliferating, perhaps encouraged by the success of 67 Pall Mall. There is now
a very upmarket version with ridiculously low prices, Oswald's (membership by invitation only)
in Albemarle Street, and a hospitality and wine-trade version, Trade, in Frith Street. The
concierge service Quintessentially are planning one on Dean Street. And Ten Trinity Square in
the Four Seasons hotel near Tower Bridge seems to be setting its cap at particularly well-heeled
Asians.

FURTHER AFIELD

For anyone visiting London but looking for day trips outside the city, there are many options –
but a few of the most famous are listed below. For a really comprehensive list, see Nick's
restaurant reviews.

●   The Fat Duck, Heston Blumenthal's famous restaurant in Bray, can be reached from London in
    just under an hour.
●   The Harrow at Little Bedwyn, owned and run by chef Roger Jones and maître d' Sue Jones,
    draws people from London and beyond for its extraordinarily extensive wine list and excellent
    food. They have a good selection of wines by the glass and an impressive range of Australian,
    NZ and South African wines as well as older vintages of Viña Tondonia.
    Hotel du Vin is a chain of hotels, several of which are within striking distance of central London,
    with restaurants that are heavily wine-centric.
●   The Old Bridge in Huntingdon is a charming country-house hotel with a wine list overseen by
    Master of Wine John Hoskins, which is suitably expansive without being unsuitably expensive.
●   The Vineyard at Stockcross is a five-star hotel with a wine cellar containing 30,000 wines,
    notably from California as the owner is Sir Peter Michael of eponymous winery fame. (For more
    on Peter Michael wines, see Three top-drawer Californians.)
You can also read