Best wine tastings in London, plus spirit sampling sessions to know about
Whether you're into wine, tequila, whisky, gin or non-alcoholic tipples, our round-up of the best tastings in London will make you want to raise a glass
Best wine tastings in London, plus other spirit sampling sessions
Trouble telling your rieslings from your riojas, your genevers from your London drys, or, indeed, your bourbons from your scotches? Then it might be high time to take life by the grapes and book a tasting for your alcoholic beverage of choice. It's not only a great excuse to huddle in some warm, charming cellar with a group of friends but you'll also be able to impress with your new discerning palette at future dinner parties. Cheers!
The Humble Grape
The Humble Grape hosts wine events which aim to 'bridge the gap between the wine-drinker and the wine-maker'. As well as standard wine tastings, they also organise monthly 'Tapas and Tastings' and occasional 'wine dinners' where the guest of honour is one of the winemakers who imports first-hand knowledge about the bottles being sampled.
Where: Locations in Battersea, Fleet Street, Islington, Liverpool Street, Canary Wharf
Ticket prices start from £65
Goedhuis & Co. wine tasting
We love fine wine merchants Goedhuis & Co. for their down-to-earth tastings and their immensely friendly and knowledgeable staff who host you at their bright headquarters in Bermondsey. The company are renowned for their French connection and tastings usually focus on Bordeaux and Burgundy wines which are served alongside a gooey spread of farmhouse cheeses. If you're thinking about what to serve or gift during the festive period, then it's not a bad idea to book a spot at their Christmas tasting on 27 November. Turn the evening into a creative ferment by combining it with a visit to the White Cube right next door.
Where: Goedhuis & Co, The Tasting Room, 156-170 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3TQ
Ticket prices start from £25
Berry Bros & Rudd
Look through the annals of London's history and you'll find Berry Bros & Rudd (under various different names) frequently recorded. Founded in 1698, they're the oldest wine merchant in the country. Lord Byron and William Pitt the Younger were visitors at their St James' Street store and Napoleon even used its cellar as a secret meeting place while in exile in London. These days, there's nothing surreptitious about their reputation as premium purveyors of fine wines from all over the world which you can try in weekly tastings held in their stylish Pickering Cellar.
Where: Berry Bros & Rudd, 3 St James' Street, London, SW1A 1EG
Ticket prices start from £50
Bedales
Bedales host wine tastings across their various London branches, but the Bedales Wine Workshop looking over Borough Market is undeniably a true London wine experience. Wine is served alongside cheese and charcuterie from the market below and each session gives you the (wine) skinny on a host of different grapes and regions.
Where: Bedales of Borough Market, 5 Bedale Street, London SE1 9AL
Ticket prices start from £35
The Winemakers Club
You might have noticed the words 'organic' or 'bio' popping up more and more on the wine lists of London's trendiest eateries as drinkers are increasingly opting for more sustainably-produced tipples. Using as few chemical interventions as possible, organic wine-making champions biodiversity and environmentally-friendly production – oh, and did we mention the added bonus of less severe hangovers? See what all the fuss is about at The Winemakers Club, who specialise in organic and biodynamic wines and offer tastings in an atmospheric, candle-lit setting.
Where: The Winemakers Club, 41a Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AN
Ticket prices start from £25
The Ginstitute at the Distillery
Get schooled in the ins-and-outs of Mother's Ruin in the Ginstitue experience at Portobello's working gin factory, The Distillery. After a round of welcome drinks, a Gin Instructor will give you a lesson on the history of gin, from its early medical uses to the current 'ginnassaince' taking over Britain. You'll then get your noses stuck into those all-important botanicals before having a go at crafting your own gin. A steady supply of gin-based drinks are served throughout the experience and you'll get to take home a bottle of the distillery's special blend.
Where: The Distillery, 186 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London W11 1LA
Ticket prices start from £60
Ginema at Hayman's of London
Hayman's are the proud producers of English gin which is distilled using a 150-year-old method. Book a 90-minute tour at their Balham distillery which includes a welcome drink and tastings of their True English Gins range. If you're a real Ginatic, then you'll want to combine this with their pop-up cinema event, Ginema, which returns for seven screenings this November.
Where: Hayman’s Distillery, 8a Weir Road, London, SW12 0NA
Ticket prices start from £20
Hacha
Hacha is London's only Agaveria, that is, a place dedicated to the liquors produced by the versatile agave plant, such as Tequila and Mezcal. If you're thinking of a night out in east London then get a group together and book the bar's Agave Sessions where you can enjoy flight tastings of Tequila, Mezcal or mixed agave spirits. Head downstairs afterwards for mouth-watering tostadas and tacos as well as some of their award-winning cocktails.
Where: Hacha Bar, 378 Kingsland Rd, Dalston, London E8 4AA
Prices available upon request
Soho Whisky Club
This West End Whisky Club is usually reserved for members, but they also offer a number of group tastings to non-members. The sweet tooths out there will be especially intrigued by their whisky and chocolate pairing session.
Where: Soho Whisky Club, 42 Old Compton St, Soho, London W1D 4LR
Ticket prices start from £35
Cadenhead’s Head's Whisky Shop and Tasting Room
Cadenhead’s is Scotland's oldest independent whisky bottler, and lucky for us Londoners, they have an ultra-charming store in Marylebone where we can get a taste of our Northern neighbour. Sip drams at their standard Whisky Tasting Experience or savour something special by booking their 'Trip Around Scotland Experience' which takes place in their cosy tasting room and includes canapés and single malts from across Scotland. The pipes are a-calling.
Where: Cadanhen’s Head's Whisky Shop and Tasting Room, 26 Chiltern St, Marylebone, London W1U 7QF
Ticket prices start from £25
Where: The Shop at Petersham Nurseries, 31 King Street, London, WC2E 8JD
Ticket prices start from £25
Wine
The Humble Grape hosts wine events which aim to 'bridge the gap between the wine-drinker and the wine-maker'. As well as standard wine tastings, they also organise monthly 'Tapas and Tastings' and occasional 'wine dinners' where the guest of honour is one of the winemakers who imports first-hand knowledge about the bottles being sampled.
Where: Locations in Battersea, Fleet Street, Islington, Liverpool Street, Canary Wharf
Ticket prices start from £65
Goedhuis & Co. wine tasting
We love fine wine merchants Goedhuis & Co. for their down-to-earth tastings and their immensely friendly and knowledgeable staff who host you at their bright headquarters in Bermondsey. The company are renowned for their French connection and tastings usually focus on Bordeaux and Burgundy wines which are served alongside a gooey spread of farmhouse cheeses. If you're thinking about what to serve or gift during the festive period, then it's not a bad idea to book a spot at their Christmas tasting on 27 November. Turn the evening into a creative ferment by combining it with a visit to the White Cube right next door.
Where: Goedhuis & Co, The Tasting Room, 156-170 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3TQ
Ticket prices start from £25
Berry Bros & Rudd
Look through the annals of London's history and you'll find Berry Bros & Rudd (under various different names) frequently recorded. Founded in 1698, they're the oldest wine merchant in the country. Lord Byron and William Pitt the Younger were visitors at their St James' Street store and Napoleon even used its cellar as a secret meeting place while in exile in London. These days, there's nothing surreptitious about their reputation as premium purveyors of fine wines from all over the world which you can try in weekly tastings held in their stylish Pickering Cellar.
Where: Berry Bros & Rudd, 3 St James' Street, London, SW1A 1EG
Ticket prices start from £50
Bedales
Bedales host wine tastings across their various London branches, but the Bedales Wine Workshop looking over Borough Market is undeniably a true London wine experience. Wine is served alongside cheese and charcuterie from the market below and each session gives you the (wine) skinny on a host of different grapes and regions.
Where: Bedales of Borough Market, 5 Bedale Street, London SE1 9AL
Ticket prices start from £35
The Winemakers Club
You might have noticed the words 'organic' or 'bio' popping up more and more on the wine lists of London's trendiest eateries as drinkers are increasingly opting for more sustainably-produced tipples. Using as few chemical interventions as possible, organic wine-making champions biodiversity and environmentally-friendly production – oh, and did we mention the added bonus of less severe hangovers? See what all the fuss is about at The Winemakers Club, who specialise in organic and biodynamic wines and offer tastings in an atmospheric, candle-lit setting.
Where: The Winemakers Club, 41a Farringdon Street, London EC4A 4AN
Ticket prices start from £25
Gin
The Ginstitute at the Distillery
Get schooled in the ins-and-outs of Mother's Ruin in the Ginstitue experience at Portobello's working gin factory, The Distillery. After a round of welcome drinks, a Gin Instructor will give you a lesson on the history of gin, from its early medical uses to the current 'ginnassaince' taking over Britain. You'll then get your noses stuck into those all-important botanicals before having a go at crafting your own gin. A steady supply of gin-based drinks are served throughout the experience and you'll get to take home a bottle of the distillery's special blend.
Where: The Distillery, 186 Portobello Road, Notting Hill, London W11 1LA
Ticket prices start from £60
Ginema at Hayman's of London
Hayman's are the proud producers of English gin which is distilled using a 150-year-old method. Book a 90-minute tour at their Balham distillery which includes a welcome drink and tastings of their True English Gins range. If you're a real Ginatic, then you'll want to combine this with their pop-up cinema event, Ginema, which returns for seven screenings this November.
Where: Hayman’s Distillery, 8a Weir Road, London, SW12 0NA
Ticket prices start from £20
Tequila
Hacha is London's only Agaveria, that is, a place dedicated to the liquors produced by the versatile agave plant, such as Tequila and Mezcal. If you're thinking of a night out in east London then get a group together and book the bar's Agave Sessions where you can enjoy flight tastings of Tequila, Mezcal or mixed agave spirits. Head downstairs afterwards for mouth-watering tostadas and tacos as well as some of their award-winning cocktails.
Where: Hacha Bar, 378 Kingsland Rd, Dalston, London E8 4AA
Prices available upon request
Whisky
Soho Whisky Club
This West End Whisky Club is usually reserved for members, but they also offer a number of group tastings to non-members. The sweet tooths out there will be especially intrigued by their whisky and chocolate pairing session.
Where: Soho Whisky Club, 42 Old Compton St, Soho, London W1D 4LR
Ticket prices start from £35
Cadenhead’s Head's Whisky Shop and Tasting Room
Cadenhead’s is Scotland's oldest independent whisky bottler, and lucky for us Londoners, they have an ultra-charming store in Marylebone where we can get a taste of our Northern neighbour. Sip drams at their standard Whisky Tasting Experience or savour something special by booking their 'Trip Around Scotland Experience' which takes place in their cosy tasting room and includes canapés and single malts from across Scotland. The pipes are a-calling.
Where: Cadanhen’s Head's Whisky Shop and Tasting Room, 26 Chiltern St, Marylebone, London W1U 7QF
Ticket prices start from £25
Non-alcoholic
If you're looking for drinking experiences that don't challenge you sense of gravity, then look out for cocktail masterclasses hosted by non-alcoholic beverage pioneers, Seedlip, who run a number of events in the city throughout the year. Their upcoming masterclass at Petersham Nurseries' Covent Garden location comes just in time for Dry January. Enjoy a welcome NOgroni, canapés and learn how you can whip up a sober storm with Seedlip products.
Where: The Shop at Petersham Nurseries, 31 King Street, London, WC2E 8JD
Ticket prices start from £25
