London Wine Week, 18-24 May, is almost upon us – and the full event schedule is now live complete with the highlight of the week – London’s biggest self-guided wine tasting, the Wine Tours, helping ‘tourists’ to discover new grapes, varieties and vintages. From dusty wine vaults to classic hotel bars, top-end restaurants to tiny hidden gems, London’s Sommeliers will guide you through their choice of three wines in specially created flights, each just £5. Many venues and independent merchants, cherry-picked for their excellence, are also planning perfectly paired menus, special deals on corkage and drop-in tastings when you flash your London Wine Week wristband. Plus you’ll get a free London bar guide to help you plan your week.
Beyond the Wine Tours, there are pop-ups, parties and masterclasses. A few below, but check out the full event schedule.
Wines of Portugal Discovery Bar
Western Courtyard, Devonshire Square, EC2M 4WQ
Mon to Sat 12.30-9.30pm, Sun 12.30-5pm
Popping up all week in the Western Courtyard of Devonshire Square, The Wines of Portugal Discovery Bar promises to bring a little piece of the sunny Med to our LWW home.
Wristband wearer bonus: A choice of four Portuguese wine flights for £5.
Franciacorta Pop-up Bar
1901 Restaurant and Wine Bar, Andaz Liverpool Street, 40 Liverpool Street London, EC2M 7QN
Mon to Sat Midday-9pm
Exclusively for London Wine Week, Franciacorta – Italy’s finest sparkling wine region, and the 1901 Wine Bar will be co-hosting a pop-up bar at the luxury boutique Andaz Hotel, just a stone’s throw from the LWW hub in Devonshire Square.
Wristband wearer bonus: Franciacorta flights for £5.
Under The Table, £50
The Table, 83 Southwark Street, London, SE1 0HX
Mon 18th May, 6.30pm
Wine tasting and comedy plus an amazing three-course meal, hosted by award-winning comedian Jarred Christmas (Buzzcocks, Dave’s One Night Stand, Mock the Week) and wine expert Giles Smith-Walker.
Wristband wearer bonus: Free glass of bubbly upon arrival.
Wine Bluff to Wine Buff, £20
Hixter Bankside 16 Great Guildford Street, London SE1 0HS
Mon 18th & Tues 19th May, 7pm
This wine jargon-busting master class from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust will take you from wine bluff to wine buff in little over an hour!
Wristband wearer bonus: Wine taster flights for £5.
A “Hedonistic” Lunch Break, Free
Hedonism Wines, 3-7 Davies Street W1K 3LD, London
Weds 20th May, Midday-2pm
A free event to brighten up your lunch break, showcasing a range of wines from the Rothschild families, including Rothschild Blanc de Blancs Champagne and Chateau Clarke 2009.
The A to E of Wine, with Jane Parkinson, £10
Bourne & Hollingsworth Buildings, 42 Northampton Road, London EC1R 0HU
Thurs 21st May, 6.30pm
Let BBC1 Saturday Kitchen’s wine expert Jane Parkinson take you through five wines that not only represent the start of the alphabet but something new, cool or interesting – and definitely delicious – in the world of wine.
Wristband wearer bonus: Wine flights in the bar for £5.
An Evening of Petanque and Regal Rogue Aperitifs, Free
L’Entrepot, London Borough Wines, 230 Dalston Lane, Hackney, E8 1LA
Fri 22nd May, 7pm-10pm
Join Regal Rogue and kick off your shoes, put sand between your toes and roll some boules around, whilst quaffing the signature Regal Rogue aperitifs. Bookings can be taken for specific times or just pop in to toast like Royalty and live like a Rogue!
Wine Tasting Games with Berry Bros. & Rudd Wine School, £49
Berry Bros. & Rudd, Pickering Cellar, 3 St James’s Street, London, SW1A 1EG
Fri 22nd May, 6.30pm
This interactive Wine School will use games to help you learn how wines taste and differ. Hosted by Head of the Wine School, Rebecca Lamont, guests will get to taste three flights of three wines including Bordeaux, Burgundy and Rioja.
Wristband wearer bonus: A free Berry Bros. & Rudd corkscrew and Champagne stopper.
Wine Stories at Waterstones, Free
The Plaza, 120 Oxford Street, London, W1D 1LT
Fri 22nd May, 7pm
Hosted by wine writer and presenter The Winebird, Cape London presents an evening of wine stories, discoveries, tastings and fun – hear about what wine to match with different foods, and why different grape varieties are like rugby players, ballerinas, goddesses and ladyboys.
For more information click here