Wine.Musings

I love great wine and cocktail bars and post about them regularly on my Instagram. Here is a running list of places that I love, updated regularly:

1. London: Classic Wines
2. London: Natural Wines
3. London: Cocktail Bars
4. London: Avoid
5. Elsewhere in Europe
6. Elsewhere in the World

London: Classic Wines

• Streatham Wine House (Streatham): the best by-the-glass list in London with over 50 wines available in 50 and 125ml sizes. The list humps across the whole world and doesn’t have a single dud on it. The only problem: it’s a trek to get here. Vibe: you want to drink adventurously, but with minimal risk of getting something bad.
• Noble Rot (Multiple locations, but Lamb’s Conduit is the best): the second best by-the-glass list in London with opportunities to taste exceptional bottles and vintages through Coravin. Great French cuisine to complete your experience. Vibe: you are seriously into good wine.
• Quality Wines (Farringdon): small, candle-lit, and vibey. Excellent selection of classic wines and an eclectic rotating food menu. Vibe: a sexy date.
• Diogenes the Dog (Elephant & Castle): focused on wines from unknown regions of the world (think: China, Texas, Japan, Poland), Diogenes is a great place to expand your palate. The bar is airy and light and the service is friendly and welcoming. Vibe: perfect for whiling away a lazy afternoon.
• Peckham Cellars (Peckham): hard to say what is better here: the wine or the food. The wine selection is focused on Europe, striking a perfect balance between established producers and smaller growers. The food menu is inventive, going beyond your typical grazing boards. Vibe: you’re looking for great food & wine pairings.
• Authentique (Tufnell Park): spacious and beautifully designed, this used to be my local haunt. Ran by three lovely French men, the bar rotates its by the glass list every month, focusing on a different French region. The cheese and charcuterie boards are the stuff of dreams and the weekly wine club is a great place to deepen your knowledge. Vibe: you want to learn more about specific French regions.
• Bar Rioja (Kings X): yes, this bar only specializes in Rioja, but it let’s you go deep in comparing producers and styles. Tucked away in a hidden courtyard close to King’s X, it’s a great place to meet friends for a drink. Vibe: you love Rioja as much as I do.
• The 10 Cases (Covent Garden): quality French food and an ever-rotating selection of wines from smaller producers. Not every wine will be great, but you will have a great time. Vibe: a Parisian-style bistro meal.
• Bar Daskal (London Bridge): focused on quality Spanish wine and food, this is the place to drink sherry in London. It’s also one of the few good options in London Bridge. Vibe: channeling Spain.
• Gordon’s (Embankment): does Gordon’s do the best wine? No. Does it do the best charcuterie and cheese? Also no. But does it deliver on the atmosphere? Without a doubt. Whether you are inside its ancient cellars or on its buzzing terrace, you are exactly where you need to be. Vibe: a living bit of history.

London: Natural Wines

• Joyau (Forest Gate, very East London): cozy neighbourhood bar under railway arches. By the glass selection is small and leaning natural, but the food menu is perfectly paired and very comforting. Vibe: you want to read a book and a have a quiet glass.
• Bruno (Victoria Park): natural wines and an esoteric small plates menu, set in a tiny space with one of the most appealing terraces in London. Vibe: you want to be seen.
• Half Cut Market (Kentish Town-ish): the food has gotten worse over the last few years, but the cocktails and wine selection remain quirky and tasty. The York Riviera (TM) terrace is also a fun place to be. Vibe: you want to feel cool.
• Dan’s (Dalston): taking all pretentiousness (and perhaps elegance) out of wine-drinking, Dan’s by the glass menu is sold under the categories of “easy skinsy”, “textural white”, “chilled red”, “turbo piss”, etc. You do not know what you are going to get, but it will be fun. Vibe: you can’t be bothered selecting your own wine.
• Nook (Islington): a gem of a place with a small, but reasonable wine list and delicious food. The vibe is very casual and relaxed (including when you try to get service). Vibe: a chill hangout with friends.
• Islington natural wine bars: Godet, Hector’s, and Goodbye Horses are just a few of the many natural wine bars popping up in this corner of London. Wines that challenge your palate — be prepared. Vibe: pure East London.

London: Cocktail Bars

• Knowhere Special (Kentish Town): set in a hidden basement that used to house Victoria prison cells, this is one of my favourite places in London. Perfect cocktails, infinitely Shazamable music, and great company. Vibe: a secret hangout only you know about.
• Umbrella Project (Shoreditch): Cocktail magic down a secret mews. Umbrella are purveyors of all kinds of weird and wonderful bottles, which they mix into a weekly-changing cocktail list. Vibe: intimate and creative.

London: Avoid

To each their own, but the following bars have disappointed me in terms of their wine list (boring/overpriced/low quality) or ambiance.

• Must Wine Bar (Islington)
• Humble Grape (multiple locations)
• Binch (Hackney)

Elsewhere in Europe

• Sticks & Stones (Munich, Germany): 900+ wines by the glass and life-changing grazing boards.
• Le Balto (Berlin, Germany): an East London natural wine bar transplanted to Berlin. Expect challenging wines and good looking snacks.

Elsewhere in the World

• Mr. Pants (Johannesburg, South Africa): all the best South African wines by the glass in this unassuming neighbourhood bar. Quite possibly the best wine bar in the world.
• Culture Wine Bar (Cape Town, Johannesburg): excellent selection of wines around the world, set in an old-school wood-panel-heavy space.
• Dundas West natural wine bars (Toronto, Canada): Archive, Grape Witches, and Midfield are just a few on a strip that is exploding with options. Midfield is the sexiest and most delicious of the bunch.

Happy drinking!