Little London Wine Tour Summer 2019
Discover English sparkling ๐พ in Fitzrovia , a sherry flight ๐ in Canary Wharf & great Italian wines ๐ฎ๐น in Bow.
With summer coming to a close, and the wine harvest in full flow all over Europe ๐, UnscrewMe is busy filling up the autumn wine tasting calendar in London ๐.
To distract us from the rain and cold ๐ง, we look back at some restaurants and wine bars we visited over the sunny summer โ๏ธ.
Portland, Fitzrovia, W1
- Name: Portland
- Location: W1, Fitzrovia. Just around the corner from the BBC Broadcasting House and my favourite coffee shop, Kaffeine โ๏ธ.
- Background:
Iโve have walked past this restaurant so many times, and from time to time I looked at the daily menu ๐, but never went in. Besides once, if I remember correctly, when they were fully booked ๐ข. After the dinner, I found out that they got awarded a Michelin star โญ๏ธ! For me, it was just another yet restaurant on my ever-growing list. Thinking about it now, I shouldnโt have waited for so long.
The service was outstanding, they even gave me a little cupboard of books, like a personal library ๐, to keep me entertained ๐ค. I did flick through one book about wine ๐ท and one about Fitzrovia, learning where the borders of this little part of London actually are considered to be, for example.
The food was extraordinarily pretty and absolutely delicious. I treated myself to this dinner on the evening before my birthday ๐, and it seriously was one of my best dinners ever. That not only because of all the exciting wines I tasted ๐, the main dish of โguinea fowl with crispy potato mille-feuilleโ was a revelation. - Wine Picks:
Blanc de Blancs NV ๐พ by Wiston Estate Winery from South Downs in West Sussex, England, UK ๐ฌ๐ง . An outstanding English sparkling wine made entirely from Chardonnay grapes. I found it very refreshing with a beautiful balance between apple, lemon and lime flavours with some slight floral notes. Definitely an English sparkling to recommend, something confirmed by the Gold Medal ๐ it won at the Independent English Wine Awards (IEWA) 2018.
1999 Xinomavro ๐ท by Markovitis Winery (formerly โChateau Pegasusโ) from Naoussa in Greece ๐ฌ๐ท . A very exciting wine, earthy, forest floor flavours combined with sour cherry fruit and black pepper notes. My first aged Xinomavro, and definitely one worth to remember! ๐คฉ - Tastings: Our recommendation would be to go there and put together your own, unique tasting dinner ๐ based on their excellent and interesting selection of wines.
Symposium, Bow, E3
- Name: Symposium
- Location: E3, Bow. In a somewhat quiet, residential corner of East London, between the stunning Mile End Park and Victoria Park ๐.
- Background:
I discovered this lovely, little, down-to-earth restaurant by accident ๐คฃ. I actually wanted to go to a place a bit further down the road ๐ฃ, but somehow couldnโt resist, so I went in. And now, I โm happy I did ๐ฅณ!
I enjoyed a great smoked burrata with ham followed by a delicious tiramisu. Overall, certainly another restaurant worth knowing, it also got a Bronze Award by SquareMeal ๐. - Wine Picks:
Janestra by Azienda Agricola Viglianti from Calabria in Italy ๐ฎ๐น. An interesting white wine that went well with the smoked burrata. Tropical mango with fruity sweetness meets salty and green, grassy notes and maybe a hint of smoke, too. Initially, I was not the biggest fan, but over time it grew on me.
Nero di Troia by Castiglione Masseria from Puglia in Italy ๐ฎ๐น . An easy drinking red with good structure, bringing together red forest fruits, cherry, black pepper and some earthy notes accompanied by soft tannins. - Tastings: The good news is that they host a monthly โWine Tasting and Food Pairing Eveningโ.
Humble Grape, Canary Wharf, E14
- Name: Humble Grape Canary Wharf
- Location: E14, Canary Wharf. On the Isle of Dogs, right between all the City shiny skyscrapers ๐ and with a nice view over the canal ๐.
- Background:
Humble Grape is a small, established wine bar group in London with now five locations ๐บ. As new openings gradually moved further east, this summer they opened in Canary Wharf.
When I went there on a nice summer evening, I was lucky that a sherry flight was a special offer. Naturally, I could not ignore this unique learning opportunity ๐คช.
โ ๏ธ Full disclosure, I am one of many Seedrs investors supporting the development and expansion of Humble Grape in London. - Wine Picks:
NV Pedro Ximรฉnez (PX) by El Maestro Sierra from Jerez in Andalucia, Spain ๐ช๐ธ . Of all four sherries I tried, Fino, Amontillado, Oloroso and PX, all from the same producer, the PX was my clear favourite ๐ . Nice notes of dried fruits, a pure impression of raisins and a bit of prune flavour. Overall, a sweet, fortified wine that is very pleasant on the palate. And while it does not even need food ๐, it does pair well with the dark chocolate ๐ซ truffles on the menu. - Tastings: As almost all Humble Grape locations, the new restaurant in Canary Wharf also hosts regular wine tastings.
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Weโre always happy to hear about new restaurants with great wine lists, newly opened wine bars in London or just a nice wine you discovered recently.
If you have any recommendations, please let us know! Either comment on here or get in touch via social media through Twitter @unscrewmeapp, Facebook UnscrewMe or Instagram @unscrewmeapp.
Oh, and while youโre at it, why not also subscribe to our newsletter?! ๐
Weโre planning to wrap up our summer summaries over the next few weeks, and then weโll bring you all the winter wine recommendations ๐ฅ right when you need them ๐จ. At the moment, plenty of trade and consumer tastings are happening, which keeps us busy. Keep an eye on UnscrewMe to find all the great wine events happening soon ๐.
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First published in
February 2019.
Also available at https://medium.com/unscrewme/little-london-wine-tour-summer-2019-6ada07475178