Top 5: Hidden Wine Bars in LondonBy Rosie Crossman
A few years ago, I visited my sister in London. She was newly interning for some flashy company, who were sending her for dinner at restaurants with the type of glasses that caught your out of place blush in their reflection.
Before one such visit we popped into Gordon’s Wine bar, a place where George, Sophie and Harry loosen their ties and quaffed wine by the bottle. I have always loved that wine bar vibe, the comfortable flush of your cheeks, come rain or shine.
A few years on I am still digging, attempting to search out new wine bar haunts, and here are a few you should try:
1. For Market Style: Unwined at Tooting Broadway Market
The Lowdown: The brain child of Laura and Kiki who opened Unwined amongst the pungent smells and bright colours of Tooting Market. This is the permanent residence of their travelling wine tastings and dinners. This tiny, cosy spot is the perfect place for a lunchtime tipple, or a lazy weekend evening. Watch out they have always got a wine tasting to get stuck into and a guest chef stirring something in their minute kitchen.
Where: 21-23, Tooting High Street, SW17 OSN
2. For Original Wines: Humble Grape, Battersea
The Lowdown: If you crave excellent value and wines that you wont find stewing on your local pub’s back bar, pop to Humble Grape. This cork-clad space serves wines that the team directly sources from their sustainable producers. This is the type of spot where even your mum might change her mind about German Riesling. Watch out for their monthly tastings, or host your own in their events space. Oh and on Monday’s they sell wine for retail prices in the bar – boom.
Where: 2 Battersea Rise, SW11 1ED
3. For a Touch of Spain: The Remedy, Fitzrovia
The Lowdown: If you need a little refreshment centrally pop to The Remedy, a neighbourhood bar bringing the enotecas of Spain and Italy to London. This place is run by three great pals, who wanted their guests to enjoy great wine and simple sharing plates. The bar’s name is a tongue-in-cheek nod to the doctors of yesteryear, who prescribed a nip of wine as a cure for ailments – cheers to that!
Where: 124 Cleveland Street, W1T 6PG
4. For a Date Spot: Sager + Wilde
The Lowdown: I’ve said it before and I will say it again, there is just something about Sager + Wilde. Don’t be intimidated by it’s edgy east London postcode, where bohemian middle-class lads and lasses imitate the great unwashed look, sipping cold pressed coffee through their facial hair.
Sager + Wilde is an excellent date spot, where charcuterie and toasties can be enjoyed with a She&T followed by an excellent selection of wine. If it is pay day, splash out and enjoy one of their special bottles of grape juice, which can be enjoyed by the glass.
Where: 193 Hackney Road, E2 8JL
5. For a New Opening: The New Zealand Cellar
The Lowdown: The New Zealand Cellar are set to take on Brixton later this month. They are opening their very first wine bar in Pop Brixton. This is one for lovers of New Zealand Sauvignons and Pinot Noirs, as it exclusively sells kiwi made wine. The tiny wine bar will seat 20 people and wine can be quaffed by the glass or bottle. What’s more, food from neighbouring vendors can be scoffed at the bar.
Where: Pop Brixton, 49 Brixton Station Road, SW9 8PQ
Bar opens on the 22nd October
