A brand-new Hub, city-wide wine flights. Royal Wedding fizz-filled celebrations and much more…
The capital is set to be awash with wine-filled delights once again as London Wine Week returns from 14th – 20th May.
Back with a brand-new Hub and over 500 wines to try throughout the week, Londoners will be able to enjoy a seven-day adventure exploring and celebrating the city’s diverse wine scene.
Over 125 of the very best wine bars and restaurants will be serving tasting flights of wines and delicious ‘Sip & Snack’ food pairings created especially for the festival. The biggest celebration of wine of its kind in the UK, it’s the capital’s largest self-guided wine tasting.
The week will also see a full programme of bespoke events taking place across London, including wine tastings, masterclasses, dinners, pop-ups and parties. The team behind London Wine Week – DrinkUp.London – have rounded up a selection of their top picks for the week:
An Alfresco Oasis for Summer Celebrations.
London Wine Week Hub at Flat Iron Square, London Bridge
FREE Entry| 15th – 20th May
London Wine Week has a brand-new Hub at Flat Iron Square this year. Situated just behind the bustling South Bank and within walking distance of London Bridge, the urban oasis will be transformed into a wine-filled garden playing host to a variety of pop-up wine bars throughout the week and even a Royal Wedding celebration and live screening on Saturday, 19th May.
The newest foodie hub in Bankside, Flat Iron Square, is home to a tantalising line-up of bars, food vendors, restaurants, street food trucks, outdoor space and a live music venue. From Tuesday 15th until Sunday 20th May, London Wine Week will take residence in its garden – a partially covered yard with feasting tables, a log cabin, and easy access to the delicious dishes in the Food Arch for which the helpful team at LWW have suggested wine pairings. With free entry and open to all, the Hub is the perfect spot to start exploring LWW.
All-week pop-up wine bars:
Loire Valley Wines will be celebrating one of its region’s most iconic varieties from its ‘Muscadet Mobile’. Freixenet will be appeasing those summer rosé cravings with its Vintage Van serving up pink fizz. Pol Roger is parking up in a LandRover to serve jeroboams of Champagne alongside a vast selection of their still wines, whilst Graham’s will be offering visitors light and refreshing White Port and Tonics, this summer’s must-have aperitif.
Daily happenings:
Flat Iron Square’s onsite wine bar, Tap & Bottle, will be handing over the keys to iconic merchants Berry Bros. and Rudd on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings for their first-ever pop-up wine bar.
From Thursday, Tap & Bottle will become the first Wine Tours stop for a £5 LWW flight. Festival Pass holders starting at the Hub will be able to head straight to the bar and enjoy its impressive collection of wines served on tap.
Come Friday, Regal Rogue’s “Rogue Terrace” will pop up at the Hub on the outdoor stage, with DJs bringing a celebratory soundtrack to the weekend and lashings of vermouth to quaff.
Throughout the week, from Tuesday – Thursday, guests will be able to watch as Bolivian artist Edgar Lizarazu creates large images on canvas using red wine as paint. As the wine dries, the complexity of the colours changes with the oxidisation to create unique and stunning visuals.
The Details:
Address: Flat Iron Square, 64 Union Street, London, SE1 1SG
Opening Times: 15-20 May. Tue-Wed 12.00-21.00, Thu-Sat 12.00-22.00, Sun 12.00-19.00
Closest Tubes: Borough, London Bridge, Southwark
The Hub is open to all and free to attend (including non-Festival Pass holders) throughout the week however Festival. Pass holders will benefit from a discounted price point of wines starting from just £5.
Festival Passes cost £10 per person and can be purchased online and through DrinkUp.London app.
For the Wine Explorers
The Wine Tours – £5 Wine Flights and Sip & Snack | All Week
Turning the capital into a city-wide wine tasting, London Wine Week partnered with 125 bars and venues to offer £5 wine flights or Sip & Snack specials to Festival Pass holders, who can participate in self-guided Wine Tours mapped out via the DrinkUp—London app. Venues include Vinoteca, Sager & Wilde, Vagabond, Londrino, Salon Brixton, Sakagura, The Laughing Heart, plus many more.
The wine flights each feature three wines, all complementing each other to showcase a certain grape, region, or producer as chosen by the venues’ expert sommeliers.
Sip & Snack offers will demonstrate a food pairing created by the venue – with options ranging from traditional cheese and wine matches to quirkier food offerings.
Some highlights include Percy & Founders, who will be serving ‘A Royal Match’ flight, with wines from Wales, London and the USA to celebrate the pending nuptials of everyone’s favourite royal rogue, Prince Harry. Showcasing the tap wine trend, Martello Hall & Canova Hall will be allowing guests to choose three from their 12 taps for a bespoke London Wine Week ‘Wines on Tap’ flight.
Over at The Tapas Room, things will get competitive with the ‘Wine Week Wine War’ flight, which will see various Spanish wine suppliers going head to head, with a magnum for one lucky festival-goer up for grabs.
The Details:
£5 Wine Flights and Sip and Snack offers are available all week at participating venues for Festival Pass holders
Festival Passes cost £10 per person and can be purchased online and through DrinkUp—London app.
For a Right Royal Knees Up…
Royal Wedding Screening at London Wine Week Hub | Saturday 19th May
To top off the wine-filled celebrations, the London Wine Week Hub at Flat Iron Square will host a Royal Wedding garden party on Saturday, 19th May, complete with bunting, confetti and plenty of fizzes. With a live screening of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big day and a dedicated menu of Champagne and cake, guests will enjoy a good old-fashioned knees-up throughout the day.
The wedding will be screened throughout the afternoon, starting with the ceremony at Windsor Castle at noon, followed by the carriage procession around Windsor Town. Free to attend, it’s the ultimate fizz-lovers’ celebration of the royal nuptials.
The Royal Wedding screening and celebration is free to attend and open to all (including non-Festival Pass holders). However, Festival Pass holders will benefit from a discounted price point for glasses of wine.
To Experience an Australian Winery in the Heart of London
Pikes Take Over at Renegade London Winery | Saturday, 19th May
Renegade London Wine, London’s first urban winery and the city’s only winery tap room open to the public will be hosting a Tap Takeover by legendary Australian winery Pikes for one day only.
Hailing from the Clare Valley, the winemaking team from South Australia has travelled thousands of miles to pour their incredible Rieslings and Reds and bring a taste of their historic and multi-award-winning winery to Bethnal Green.
The Details:
Renegade London Winery, Arch 12, Gales Gardens, London, E2 0EJ
Sat 19th May, 2 pm – 11 pm, free entry
For Wine and Dining
Loire Valley Wines presents Oyster Pairings and an Indulgent Peruvian Dinner.
Loire Valley Wines is bringing a taste of the renowned wine region to some of London’s best restaurants throughout the week. From shellfish to ceviche, they will be pairing their delicious wines with a selection of dishes.
In partnership with the acclaimed oyster and seafood restaurant group Wright Brothers, Loire Valley Wines is hosting ‘Pearls of the Loire’. The masterclasses will offer a guided tour of the region’s wines paired with 12 different oysters, each served or prepared in different ways.
On Friday, 18th May, Loire Valley Wines will be hosting a specially curated dinner with COYA Angel Court. Taking place in the restaurant’s glamorous private dining room, the exclusive dinner will pair the region’s finest wines with a six-course tasting menu of contemporary Peruvian dishes.
The Details:
Pearls of the Loire.
Times: 6.15 pm on 17th May at Wright Brothers Soho, 13 Kingly Street, W1B 5PW
Midday on 20th May at Wright Brothers Battersea, Battersea Power Station, Circus West Village, SW8 4NN
Tickets: £30, including 12 oysters and six Loire Valley wines
LWW Festival Pass holders will receive a £5 discount on the ticket price
Loire Valley Wines X COYA Tasting Menu, Friday 18th May
COYA Angel Court, 31-33 Throgmorton Street, EC2N 2AT
Tickets: £75, including a six-course tasting menu with paired Loire Valley wines
FESTIVAL PASSES AND TICKETS FOR ALL LONDON WINE WEEK EVENTS ARE AVAILABLE TO BUY NOW AT DRINK UP.LONDON or FROM THE DRINK-UP.LONDON APP
@DrinkUpLDN LWW18
