In our latest guide to the London wine scene, we head to our own area of North London to discover the best wine bars of Islington. Stoke Newington, Finsbury Park and more...
Stable Wines
Islington - 344a Essex Rd, London N1 3PD
This subterranean wine bar comes from the same team behind nearby Goodbye Horses and ranks as one of the best-looking wine bars in London. Head underneath the ground-floor shop and you'll find various rooms hidden away under Essex Road, all with lighting that makes everyone look fantastic. The wine list here is an all-natural affair, with regularly changing bottles available by the glass and there's also a great food menu, with one of the best cheese toasties we've ever had on there.
Godet
Islington - 382 Essex Rd, London, N1 3PF
Godet is from Sylvain Bertozzi, who's also behind one of East London's best wine bars, Binch. This is a very different affair that they described as a "wine pub". They took over an Essex Road pub and made it a wine-led affair, fitting in DJ sessions too. The European-led wines change regularly by the glass and the extensive bottle list features the kinds of vintages that you're not normally going to encounter in your average boozer. On the food front, they host residencies and at the time of writing, that's the excellent Ling Ling's with her Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean-influenced menu.
Provisions
Holloway - 167 Holloway Rd, London N7 8LX
Provisions is one of the best shops in Islington for wine, cheese and charcuterie, but you can also stop by for a drink (and a little later at the weekends). The wines here are predominantly French and Italian (although they do source from the rest of Europe too). As for the food, their cheese and charcuterie plates are excellent and if the rillettes or pate en croute are available, they're also a must-have. The cars may be whizzing past on Holloway Road, but a seat on the terrace here in good weather is still a great place to be.
Top Cuvée
Highbury - 177B Blackstock Rd, London N5 2LL
There are two options available if you fancy drinking wine at Top Cuvée. Either you do it in the restaurant/wine bar, or you pop around the corner to their shop, where you'll find a couple of tables outside which are perfect for a cheeky glass post-work. Founder Brodie Meah is ex-fine dining, but here he's all about making wine more inclusive. The list is all natural, and they have a range of branded house wines that are always worth checking out. For food, check their socials to see who's currently running their rotating kitchen residency.
Yield
Highbury Corner and Newington Green
This micro-wine bar group is one of our favourite places to drink in London. For the wines, the list is all about biodynamic, minimum intervention bottles. Both bars have wines to drink in or take away (there's no corkage on a Tuesday) and they also have a decent deli selection, with the Newington Green branch offering a bigger range. On a sunny day each has a nice terrace for alfresco drinking, but it's also worth noting that they're decently air-conditioned too. They host regular tastings and the staff are super friendly and happy to offer recommendations.
Half Cut Market
King's Cross - 396 York Way, London N7 9LW
You have to give props to anyone trying to rebrand this spot just off Camden Road as the York Way Riviera, but Half Cut Market have never really been ones to go by the book. The wine offering at this shop/restaurant/wine bar is curated by co-owner Holly Wilcocks (ex-Noble Rot), whose 9-5 is heading up the wine programme at Michelin-starred Mountain in Soho. Her list is mainly, although not exclusively, natural in focus, with a list of around 80 bottles to choose from at any one time. The food offering is a seasonal one, mainly inspired by what's good in the shop. At the time of writing, that included Cantabrian anchovies with kumquat and a pea, asparagus and sunflower seed salad.
Coloure
Tottenham - 264 W Green Rd, London N15 3QR
Wine importer Mags Jango is the man behind this newish Tottenham wine bar. With almost two decades in the industry, working for everyone from Waitrose to Roberson, his importing business MJ Wine Cellars was the only black-owned wine importer in the UK when it launched. It also has the UK's largest portfolio of black-owned wines. Coloure is an intimate space with just 16 seats and was Jango's opportunity to bring his wine portfolio to a wider audience. If you're drinking here, you'll probably be served by award-winning sommelier Henny Zinzuwadia.
Hector’s
Islington - 49a Ardleigh Rd, London N1 4HS
At his previous job at Hill and Szrok, Hector's owner Jimmy Stephenson was responsible for curating a list that won the restaurant a listing by the much-coveted Star Wine List. Now in his own bottle shop and wine bar on the Islington/De Beauvoir borders he serves up a mix of classic and natural European wines, pulling in the odd local celeb too. There's also an off-list cellar of older vintages you can plunder. Food is very much of the picky bits variety - think tinned fish, jamon and crisps etc. It's a very popular no-reservation spot, so arrive early if you want to grab a seat at the weekeend.
Cadet
Stoke Newington - 57 Newington Grn, Newington Green, London N16 9PX
Two wine importers, Francis Roberts and Tom Beattie, are behind Cadet and their list, they say, represents "winemakers who, as much as possible, eschew the use of chemicals in the vineyard and the winery". There’s a lot by the glass, which goes well with the daily changing food menu, with must-haves being any of the charcuterie options by the talented George Jephson. They keep half of the bar available for bookings (as long as you have food) and the tables up by the bar are the most prized.
The Drop
King's Cross - Unit 22-24 Bagley Walk Arches Coal Drops Yard, London N1C 4DH
Set in a bustling corner of the Coal Drops Yard development in King's Cross, The Drop is a wine bar from the Hart Brothers Group (Barrafina, Parrillan, El Pastor). Here, the team has created a spacious drinking spot that features a short menu of British plates (and toasties) alongside a short but regularly changing list that champions low-intervention wines from small and offbeat producers, mainly from Europe. There are few wine bars in and around King's Cross, so this is a very handy place if you're in the area.
Oak N4
Finsbury Park - 5-7 Wells Terrace, London N4 3JU
This cosy wine bar behind Finsbury Park station has built up a strong local following since they opened in 2017. Regulars (of which we include ourselves) are often found perched chatting with staff at the counter or, if the weather allows, around wine barrels placed out front. All of the wines here are available to drink in or take away. The wine list is always evolving and while the regular favourites are never far away, they're always introducing new drops. They also run regular wine events and tastings and the charcuterie and cheese boards are huge and well-priced.
Also see...
Giacco’s - Highbury bar serving up an Italian list of low-intervention wines and Italian dishes.
Porte Noire (King's Cross) - The Idris Elba co-owned wine bar saw the actor teaming up with the founder of Connaught Wine Cellars, David Farber. The duo's own label wines are particularly good and there's a tasting area for private bookings.
More wine bars
Additional reporting by Louis Fernando
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