London Wine Week gains momentum

By Arabella Mileham

Published: 29 May, 2015

More than 8,000 people took part in this year's London Wine Week, which saw a series of tasting events and pop-up bars help across the capital last week.

The festival, which was organised by Drink Up London, the company behind London Cocktail Week and London Beer Week and timed to coincide with the London Wine Fair, saw around 100 bars and restaurants take part - an increase of more than 1,000 people on last year's inaugural event. It centred on pop-ups and tasting events held around Devonshire Square, between the City and Shoreditch, where pop-ups included Wines of Portugal, WineTubeMap, Mirabeau Rose, and Franciacorta and Nyetimber. Local bars and restaurants participating included: Cinnamon Kitchen, Devonshire Terrace, Hix City, New Street Wine Shop, The Bull and Hide, Enoteca, Old Bengal Bar, New Street Grill, Fish Market, and English Wine and Spirits.

The Nyetimber Hub also served as the starting point for a self-guided wine tasting tour of London, with customers picking up a £10 wristband to give them access to more than 100 bars and restaurants offered tasting flights of wine to wristband wearers for £5. Other deals included pairing menus, corkage deals and drop-in tastings.Independent merchants also threw their doors open, offering tastings, masterclasses, meet the maker sessions and discounts on bottles for wristband wearers. Participating merchants included Wine Pantry, Le Pont de la Tour, The Winemakers Club, Borough Wines, Amanthus and Le Vieux Comptoir.

Early estimates indicated that over 10,000 flights of wine were served, and more than £50,000 injected into London's hospitality industry. Other participants included Celebrity Cruises, who recreated The Lawn Club from the top deck of their ships with wine expert Oz Clarke, and a Secret Sale at London's oldest wine merchant Berry Bros. & Rudd in Mayfair.

London Wine Week festival director Emma Murphy said: "We were overwhelmed by the response to this year's festival, with more than double the number of wristband wearers getting out in London's bars to try new wines and expand their knowledge. It shows what a growing thirst there is for approachable and innovative wine events in the capital."

Festival partner Matthew Clark said London Wine Week had moved forward and was gaining momentum. "It has more of a following and is helping make wine more acceptable to people. We were been thrilled to come on board this year." a spokesman told Harpers.co.uk.