If the best version of you is the one sitting in a hip new London wine bar, about to try something fresh and exciting (or cool and classic), then we have a lot to talk about. London’s wine scene never stands still, which makes keeping up with the new openings tricky. That’s why we’ve done it for you. From low-intervention indie wine bars in East London to more mainstream spots in the West End, here’s our guide to all the new wine bars to get excited about.
Table 464
Dalston - 464 Kingsland Rd, London E8 4AE
Ernesto Gabriel is the man behind this new Dalston wine bar. Having spent the last decade or so living the Below Decks life as a private chef on yachts (but with a restaurant background at Royal Hospital Road and Locatelli), he's returned to London to open his own place. And it's fully a hands-on affair with everything from the wine list to the furniture made by Ernesto himself. The wine list leans to classic and organic and there's a good range of small plates to go with it.
Dynamic Vines
East Dulwich - 149 Lordship Lane, London SE22 8HX
It seems like a natural next step for a wine supplier to open their own wine bar. And that's exactly what Dynamic Vines have done in East Dulwich. As suppliers to some of London's best restaurants, their list here reflects the independent, biodynamic winemakers they've long had relationships with. The best bit is that their long history in the business means they have an unusually impressive back catalogue of vintages. Food-wise, it's all about cheese and charcuterie boards in a space that also boasts a decent-sized terrace for warm days.
Blinds
Hackney - 279 Hackney Road, London E2 8NA
Self-styled 'groovy new wine bar' Blinds has a very interesting trio of partners behind it. In particular, it's Arthur Gomez who has the key wine experience having been sommelier at Terroirs and most recently worked for Hedonism Wine's The White Horse pub in Mayfair. As you might imagine, the list is all-natural and they're hoping to be somewhere that introduces wine lovers to their new favourite winemakers. We're also big fans of the fact that they have pies and pate en croute to go with the great wines.
Bastardo
Hackney - 201 Richmond Road, London E8 3NJ
Lardo's new wine bar isn't hard to find - it's right next door to the restaurant, but with its own entrance and terrace. Expect to find a space lined with wine bottles (and interesting tinned goods). The list here is low intervention but, they say, "high fun". There's a strong showing of sparkling wines too with everything from English fizz to Pet Nats and Lambrusco on offer. The food options are also more elevated than other wine bars from finger snacks to pizza fritti and sharing platters of pasta - great for stomach-lining.
Book Bar
Chelsea - 3B Chelsea Manor Street, London SW3 5RP
If your idea of heaven is a real page turner and a good glass of wine, than the arrival of BookBar in Chelsea will have been the very best of news. Following on from the success of their Finsbury Park store, this book shop is all about the social experience of reading. So this is somewhere you can buy a book and then read it, or discuss it with others over some wine. As founder Chrissy Ryan explains, their wine offering follows their book selection "offering the opportunity of the comfort that comes with familiarity alongside interesting selections that might introduce our community to something new." Look out for wine and book pairings too.
Bianca’s
Stoke Newington - 175 Stoke Newington Rd, London N16 8BP
Chef Adolfo De Cecco already has a Michelin-starred restaurant in East London. Now he's added a wine bar and restaurant in North London to his collection. Bianca's features a list of around 100 wines with a focus on low-intervention and natural bottles. There's a great list, but you also want to look out for the bottles from Adolfo's personal collection, which he's spent years amassing. It's a no-bookings affair if you want to just sit with a good bottle. But a great menu of small plates and more may entice you to turn a wine drinking night into a full-blown meal out.
Marjorie's
Soho - 26 Foubert's Place, London W1F 7PP
This wine bar is just off Carnaby Street and is a great way to get away from the hordes of shoppers, particularly at weekends. Set up by people who are new to hospitality, there's a decidedly French focus to Marjorie's, showcasing wines from across the country while also focusing on some contemporary, small-batch producers. The food also leans French but with a Soho small plates approach, featuring their own takes on tartare, millefeuille and the like.
Le Regret
Leytonstone - 289 High Rd Leytonstone, London E11 4HH
Le Regret has taken over the space previously occupied by Dina in South Leytonstone. The food menu is Francophile in nature with a London twist, so you'll find oeufs mayonnaise with anchovy alongside crispy broccoli buns with sauce gribiche on there. The folks behind it are chef Katy Severson, who counts Coombeshead Farm in her CV, and her business partner Jean-Martin Low and their list here is natural, organic and dynamic, leaning towards French and German winemakers.
Courtyard Wine Cellars
Covent Garden - 17B and 18B The Marketplace, London WC2E 8RB
Once a shoe shop, Courtyard Wine Cellars manages to look like it's been here for years, instead of weeks, tucked inside seven arched cellars in the heart of Covent Garden. With more of a classic wine offering, the size of this huge bar allows them to boast a list that extends to more than 1000 wines. It's owned by the same team that runs a group which includes the old school Shepherd Market Wine House and newer wine bars like Angeliques. Various grazing platters are on the evening menu alongside pizza and 'nibbles'.
Swirl
Leyton - Arch 148 Tilbury Rd, London E10 6RE
With two of Swirl's three owners also running Czech and Slovak wine importer Pandemonium Wines, you can expect something very different from their wine list in comparison to a lot of new London wine bars. Wines are primarily small-batch and low-intervention. Co-owner Michaela Zelenaska is the woman behind local favourite Arch Deli, which means the snackage here is uncommonly good. Look out for guest chefs and kitchen takeovers too; recent collabs have included oyster shucking nights and a pop-up with an ex-Bambi chef.
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