Wine

• Test Driving Lorne: a calm oasis in the streets around Victoria station

  

  If you're looking for a lovely place near Victoria for lunch or dinner, that's slightly away from the madding crowds, you couldn't do better than this neighbourhood spot.

• Bodega Rita’s at Coal Drops Yard will be a deli, sandwich store and cave a vin

  Fresh from their successful pop-up at Browns over the summer, Missy Flynn and Gabriel Pryce - the team behind everyone's favourite Rita's Dining - are opening a tiny deli and sandwich spot on Lower Stable Street in King's Cross.

• Andina Bakery put on an evening tapas menu with wine by Noble Rot

  

  Well, what a treat for West Londoners. We hear that Andina Bakery over on Westbourne Grove is gearing up to open in the evenings with a rather special offering.

  The Peruvian bakery has teamed up with Keeling Andrew & Co, the new wine import company set up by the founders of Noble Rot. They'll be creating a series of tapas to go along with a weekly changing wine list, with dishes like:

  • Pork steamed bun, rocoto chilli
  ...
• Elephant and Castle gets a new wine bar with Diogenes The Dog

  Lesser-known wines and regions are the focus at this new venture from Sunny Hodge.

• Quality Chop House's wine bar kicks off a small plates menu

  

  We reported on Quality Chop House opening a wine bar back in July - but now they're taking things a little further. Their former Sous Chef Nick Bramham will be putting together a new menu for the place, serving up small plates every Tuesday - Saturday night. Here's what's on the menu:

  • Focaccia
  ...
• Stockwell Continental is now selling wine in cartons. This is a good thing

  

  On tap wine is on the rise in London and many businesses are going to a lot of effort to ensure folk can all drink affordable, quality wine whilst reducing the environmental footprint caused by bottles.

  Now Stockwell Continental café, bar and pizzeria from the team behind The Canton Arms has come up with an innovative new way of selling its keg wine.

  Having just joined Uber Eats they realized they had no way of transporting their organic wines to enjoy

  ...
• Test Driving Vins in Canonbury - the neighbourhood's wine bar

  Tucked away in the heart of Canonbury, Vins is a neighbourhood wine bar with an interesting, ever-evolving menu. We pop by for a look.

• "It just seemed to say quite loudly this space needs to be about wine" - the Hart Bros tell us their plans for The Drop wine bar at Coal Drops Yard in King's Cross

  In addition to Barrafina and Casa Pastor, the Hart Bros' third venture at Coal Drops Yard will be a wine bar. We got the scoop on what you can expect when it opens.

• Darling in Dalston will be the new project from Charlotte Wilde

  This is the first solo project from Charlotte Wilde, following her departure from Sager + Wilde, which she co-founded with Michael Sager. Other than a wine list designed by Charlotte, she’s pulled in a great team including Tom Soden (Nine Lives) in charge of cocktails and Dan Wilson (Dandy) in the kitchen.

• Vins

  Wine bar hidden away in Islington's Canonbury

• Hansom Lambert on winning on the Million Pound Menu and their upcoming restaurant Epoch

  Episode one of the BBC's new business series Million Pound Menu - think Dragons' Den meets First Dates - saw two 20-somethings picking up a whopping £750k-£1m from backer Atul Kochhar for their English restaurant venture. Hot Dinners caught up with Ruth Hansom and Emily Lambert of to find out what happened next.

• Test Driving The Red Lion and Sun in Highgate - a gastropub with a cracking wine list

  Up in Highgate there's a gastropub with a serious wine list that you need to put on your must-try list

• London Wine Week - our pick of the best events

  London Wine Week will endeavour to keep Londoners' glasses filled with great wine. There are masterclasses, tastings and more - and this year you'll find the festival hub in Southwark in Flat Iron Square.

• P Franco are opening a restaurant called Bright in London Fields

  The much-loved Clapton wine bar always did well when it came to food and now they're going one step further opening their first full restaurant in Netil House where Ellory used to be.

• Daisy Green are opening Scarlett Green in Soho with new dishes and a huge Aussie wine list

  If you're after a bottomless brunch, vegemite doughnuts or simply a glass or two from the biggest Aussie wine list in London, you'll have come to the right place when Scarlett Green opens up in Soho.