Wine bars are back. The new breed snub haughty oenophilia in favour of wines from less established regions from Sussex to Slovenia besides plenty of natural and even 'skin contact' orange wines.
This new wave of wine-centric bars have transformed London’s terroir,
from those rooting for natural wine to the emergence of specialists
stocking bottles from previously unheralded regions. Here, we round up
our favourites.
Named after an essential part of the winemaking process, Flor is a high-foodie wine bar run by James Lowe of Michelin-starred Lyle’s, acclaimed for his restrained, elegant Michelin-starred food. Lyle's is currently the highest UK entry in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
In the heart of Borough Market, Flor is a compact space dominated by a long, open kitchen/bar, with a spiral staircase leading to more seats upstairs in a bare brick room with cool lighting, just 20 seats in total. The food is less British-centric than Lyle's encompassing inventive Britisserie: Anna Higham, Flor and Lyle's head of pastry just won the Young British Foodie best baker award 2019 – her flaky raw cream pastries are divinely fudgy and the birch syrup Kouign-Amann just dazzling.
Must-order dishes at the bar, and the far more spacious and chilled small upstairs dining room, include flatbread with melted lardo and ravishing anchovies or garlicky, oozy paloude clams; the much-Instagrammed red prawns (sucking the succulent heads is de rigueur) with yuzu kosho. Unctuous lamb ribs are served with pistachio salsa verde. Wines are largely high-quality examples of low-intervention, natural wines.
It may be named after a Greek philosopher, yet there’s nothing pretentious about this 'disruptor' wine bar newcomer located close to increasingly, though not yet fully, gentrified Elephant & Castle.
Owner Sunny Hodge is charm personified and wears his immense wine knowledge lightly. He champions lesser-known producers from emerging regions including Croatia, Texas and the Czech Republic which makes for thrilling discoveries.
Diogenes the Dog is open during the day for coffee and wine and impeccable toasties, small plates and formidable cheese and charcuterie plates. Tuesday evenings, there's live blues in the downstairs bar from a duo who are regular musicians at Ronnie Scott's.
For those keen to challenge their wine knowledge, tutored tasting evenings are reasonably priced and highly sociable – and book out fast.
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A quirky, total gem of a deli/wine bar in foodcentric once-more Neal's Yard, Seven Dials, run by Cedric Casanova, a former international circus rope walker, turned Sicilian specialist food, olive oil and wine importer. Small plates of exquisite and arcane Siclian produce including their own tuna bresaola, the best anchovies ever, and sun-dried tomatoes redolent with Mediterranean warmth, all served with memorably aromatic and exquisitely intense, low-intervention Sicilian wines straight from the producers.
Certainly among the best wines and produce ever tasted in a wine bar, no wonder Alain Ducasse, the chefs at Sketch and the kitchen at Annabel's are regular customers.
It is almost impossible to leave without a whole clutch of 'Prada for the larder'.
An absolute gem for civilised quaffing in Green Park. The sophisticated wine bar downstairs in Fortnum & Mason encapsulates the best of their incredible food hall offering, from moreish cheese straws and platters of iberico bellota acorn-fed sublime ham to a generous cheese choice, including Sardinian truffle pecorino. There's even a dinky tin of Oscietra caviar at £30 a pop. More modestly, pasta of the day with a wine of the day is £17.50. Otherwise, share snacks including crab and avocado, wild mushroom frittata and daily specials.
The wine flights are served in stylish trio holders and include a producer of the week flight, a champagne flight, plus flights of Chardonnay, Rhone and other grape varieties. The impeccably knowledgeable and friendly staff are always eager to talk through the wines and suggest good pairings.
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The alluring Côtes du Rhône damson shopfront, dimly lit vintage interiors and astounding wine list and menu explain why this somewhat louche Bloomsbury wine bar is one of the trailblazers that led the way in making wine bars cool again.
Owned by Mark Andrew and Dan Keeling and a living extension of their cult wine magazine, also called Noble Rot, it is a refreshingly laidback place to get to know your way around a 700-strong wine list. There is always something special by the glass, such as a vintage Rioja or a vin jaune, Sipping here is an education.
The menu thrills too, whether Whitstable oysters and chorizo or crab on toast in the wine bar, or succumbing to a full blown meal. Paul Weaver, formerly chef at award-winning restaurant of the year The Sportsman near Whitstable serves up some life-enhancing treats. It is all highly seasonal, so come autumn there may be cep and comte tart, the signature slip sole with smoked butter, roast partridge with pearl barley and damson. Do order the burnt cheesecake inspired by San Sebastian's famed La Viña bar recipe.
With its sophisticated Parisian chic blue and white decor including plenty of highly covetable sofas and armchairs, this feels more like a beautiful private home. Upstairs is even more secluded and salon like. In the heart of Seven Dials, it is a perfect central rendezvous for discovering some interesting, predominantly French, often natural wines, served by warm, stylish, immensely knowledgeable and mostly French staff.
The food is outstanding too, drawing on Casanova & Daughter ingredients for a dreamy burrata and anchovy salad served on a beautiful plate, gently spiced lamb koftas and much more besides, including carefully chosen French cheeses and charcuterie. If the name sounds familiar, they also have wine bars in Paris and New York.
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Hurrah for Stuart Gillies, former chef and MD of Gordon Ramsay Holdings who has brought southeast London/Kent borders the wine bar/restaurant it has been longing for. Bank House is a cosy, informal iteration of a New York-inspired bar and already buzzing after being open less than a month.
Superb house wines including a blackberry-rich Rhône at £6 per glass are cleverly available on keg, reasonably priced, and chosen by Angelika Oparczyk who worked alongside Stuart as wine director for Gordon Ramsay Holdings. House fizz is local Kent sparkler Chapel Down. Sharing dishes punch high with exemplary finesse and there are almost too many tempting dishes: hake with mussel velouté would happily grace a Michelin-starred menu as would a perfect flourless chocolate cake.
The Hart Brothers, of Barrafina and El Pastor renown, have opened a wine bar too. The Drop is adjacent to El Pastor with a distinctive oyster stall outside. It is an appealing, cosy place with three small rooms, two offering mainly bar seats, one better for settling in for a long evening of gossp.
Besides a fantastic, fair-priced wine list available by the carafe as well as glass and bottle pours, the food is superb. Aside from a mix of British and Spanish charcuterie and cheese, there is splendid homemade pork pie served in gigantic portions. Pies rule as there is usually a house special too. Chicken and girolles was a very fine manifestation of pie-based craftsmanship.
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This elevated Hackney wine bar with the atmosphere of a Parisian cave, won a Michelin star within seven months of opening. Make a day of it with a set lunch at £19 for two courses of outstanding produce with no standing on ceremony, often mackerel tartare followed by steak haché with crisp fried potatoes and a spicy peppercorn sauce crying out for a punchy Merlot or pinot noir. Vegetarians do very well at Leroy too: the beetroot salad crammed with hazelnuts is superb and if the spiced broccoli is on, do order it as a side dish, as it is memorably delish. Finish with Muscat creme caramel partnered with luscious Pedro Ximenez. What's not to like?
Peckham's answer to wine bars is Forza Wine on the rooftop, (where else?) of Market House, a co-working space, which also houses a tonkatsu eaterie.
While the view will be a big draw and the massive wine selection, Italian small plates including a pecorino toastie, lamb and rosemary spiedini besides soft-serve ice cream with salted caramel biscotti all serve to ensure that Forza Wine is very busy indeed.
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If further proof were needed that wine bars are enjoying a renaissance, the news that St James's venerable restaurant Wilton's is opening a new wine bar/café in the restyled listed Smithson Plaza (formerly the Economist plaza) seals the new direction for London's restaurants.
Locket's, named after James Hambro's daughter (is this a thing? Allegra at The Stratford is named after property developer Harry Handelsman's daughter too) opens late October. During the day, there will be coffee, breakfast, posh sandwiches and salads. Come the evening it will turn into a wine bar.
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Just opened in Crouch End is Lyon's, a new family-run seafood-centric wine bar/restaurant from front-of-house expert Anthony Lyon (Hix, Wolseley, Colbert) and head chef Talia Prince, who cites Le Gavroche and the Fat Duck among her previous kitchens. Oysters (supplied by Wright Brothers) are a major feature plus highly appealing and inventive ideas using every part of the fish including fish skin crisps with taramasalata, Carlingford oysters, melon and cucumber, cod cheeks with rouille and miso hake collar. There's an interesting selection of uncommon bottles, with more familiar favourites thrown in for good measure.
Before the official opening, there is 50% off food during the soft opening, 8-9 October.
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Run by chefs Lucy Pedder and Natasha Cooke, Lupin's has had a little facelift and expansion and although still bijou, there's a lot more room to relax and enjoy the thoughtfully curated wine list and similarly considered food options from burratta and dattarini tomato bruschetta to crab gratin.
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Within Tooting's thriving food market, oenophile friends Laura and Kiko met at Jamie Oliver's Fifteen and eventually decided to set up shop together to make wine tasting as approachable and fun as possible. Their wine list is constantly evolving and very reasonably priced, with guest chefs cooking up incredibly appetising menus. Current dishes include on-trend burnt hispi cabbage with truffles, spiced lamb flatbread with garlic yoghurt and a proper Francophile beef bourgignon besides damson Bakewell tart.
There's also a second Unwined in Waterloo now.
Photo: Nic Crilly Hargrave
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