The best wine bars in London

An ultra-convivial, warehouse wine bar in Shoreditch. Oranj began life as a wine delivery service during lockdown and is well aware that most people don’t know too much about wine, let alone the natural stuff. Its approach, then, is fitting: more pubby than cliquey, with a bottle list for the pros and a short glass list for everyone else (four kinds of orange wine, three white, three red and some bubbles for good measure). You will never feel foolish for not knowing the difference between a gewurztraminer and a grechetto here. Its food pop-ups are also seriously impressive. 

The rear restaurant at Noble Rot gets a lot of deserved praise. But the wine bar at the front of the room is a character-filled hangout with covers of the eponymous Noble Rot magazine framed on the walls. The full wine list is an epic tome, but the options by the glass are a joy to read, with wines from Burgundy and the Jura met with more distinctive grapes sourced from lesser-celebrated regions. Anyone for a tipple from Tenerife?

The lads that do Top Cuvée (the wine bar that pivoted to Covid shop that pivoted to classy Highbury restaurant) also have a cave. And this is it. You get to their Bethnal Green bottle shop, descend some stairs and there you are. It’s giving student kitchen. But in a sexy way. Food-wise you have some plump hotdogs and charcuterie to soak up the booze. You can even slurp down some oysters. But this isn’t somewhere you go to eat actual food, really. It’s a place to hang out, drink wine and chat (crucially, the music, which is good, is played at a non-deafening volume). That kind of pared-back, casual spot that your mates told you didn’t really exist in London. Prove them wrong. Get drunk here.

As east London's first urban winery, Renegade has been producing since 2017. Tucked under the railway arches is this bench-filled taproom surrounded by barrels and fermentation tanks. The grapes are brought over from wineries abroad, as well as those in the UK, produced and then served here, along with cheese. And while other European producers are available, it'd be a shame not to try the output from these passionate winemakers, especially when it's this good. It’s time you tried a London bacchus.

Since 1972 the resolutely old school Le Beaujolais has been famed for its selection of French wines and cheeses. The historic restaurant downstairs is a members' only venue but the ground floor bar is open to all. There's a strong 1980s feel here, but it's the perfect semi-hidden destination to sink a reasonably priced Côtes du Rhône from an exclusively French wine list. 

That moment when the owners of London’s top Spanish restaurant Barrafina say they’re opening a wine bar. Expect semi-bodega vibes across three interconnected, bare-brick arches – even if it’s a little deceptive; the wine list celebrates low-intervention vineyards around the world and from far beyond just the Iberian peninsula. That’s especially true of the by-the-glass selection (which starts at £5), where you’ll find wine from Greece, Tenerife and Georgia for starters. 

This wine bar was a bit of a game-changer when it first opened in 2013, and it’s still just as trendy a hangout on the Hackney Road. It broke down the barriers to hard-to-find wines by selling them by the glass without restaurant mark-ups. So sit up at a bar made from pavement lights and let attractive staff fill your glass with wines you’ll never be able to pronounce. Don’t miss their cheese toasties, either.

Bag-in-box wine is made trendy at this wine-bar-meets-deli in Dalston – not only does it prove the point that you can get a fresher tipple by the glass, but this bar is also doing its bit for the environment (and for your wallet). Grab a canteen-chic seat and choose a wine from the blackboard. Or ask genial staff for tasters (easier than ever) and guidance – they sure know their stuff. In fact, you could say they’re box clever.

Peckham Cellars is a must for South of the river drinkers. It mixes a laidback, breezy atmosphere with a formidable wine list, which knowledgeable staff will happily break down for you. Natural wines are a particular speciality, and you'd be mad not to pair them with some of the simple, seasonal dishes this Michelin-accoladed spot does so well.

When someone says ‘wine bar’, this Covent Garden spot is exactly what you’ll picture – rustic and cosy, a few small, scattered tables topped with tapered candles and surrounded by shelves of wine bottles tagged with brown labels. The focus is on wine by female producers, with biodynamic, natural and organic wine given centre stage. 

Forget the French rustic clichés: this is an edgy space, with geometric white tiling, pendant lights and a goldfish bowl made from an old TV set. The wine, fromage and charcuterie are good, too: Authentique wants to bring the best from French-speaking parts of the world to a corner of north London, and the by-the-glass menu highlights a different region each month. Take it from us - this place is un-brie-lievable. 

Rustic and ramshackle, Unwined sits inside Tooting Broadway Market and takes the ceremony out of chardonnay. Enjoy wine tastings or head along for a glass or two of the good stuff from a selection of bottles to fit a different theme each month. Grab a snack board of cheese, meat or pate, so you don't leave in an equally ramshackle state.

This stylish Portuguese spot is a treat to look at, with its shiny marble counters and intricately patterned blue and white tiles. And it makes a wonderful introduction to Portugal's thriving wine culture, with rare vintages making it a destination for anyone looking to broaden their palate. A menu of prettily-presented small plates seals the deal.

Chances are that when you think of wine bars, you think of French-style bistros, clad in wood and filled with cute little tables à deux. Take a trip to The 10 Cases to make your dreams a reality. There are 20-ish wines on the list each day, available by glass, carafe or bottle. Devour food from a modern European menu or head to the shop, where an enomatic machine keeps samples fresh. 

For formidable wine recommendations that don’t feel rehearsed from some of the friendliest ‘somms’ in the business, check out this Walworth wonder bar. It’s named after a Greek philosopher but there’s nothing poncey about the place. Owner Sunny Hodge often buys direct from vineyards to champion lesser-known producers from emerging regions while keeping costs low for punters. We’re not talking bargain bin – but if you fancy flavours from Croatia and the Czech Republic, where better than in among the folliage of this down-to-earth spot.

It’s time for a bit of skin contact at The Remedy, where orange wines are given a full page of the wine menu. You’ll also discover some harder to reach grapes, with many wines at the higher end of the minerality scale. It’s a small little space with a few cute alcoves if you’re looking to cosy up over your Côtes du Rhône. Sure to cure whatever ails you.

Furanxo doubles as a Spanish grocery store (or an abacería, to those acquainted with the concept), so you can pick up a tin of sardines before tucking into natural wine. They’re all very interesting tipples, sourced from across the Iberian Peninsula, with just four available at any given time by the glass. There’s not much room for sitting and sipping, so get up close and personal with other punters, as is the Spanish way.

Look beyond the silly pun-based monicker and you'll find a serious wine bar/wine shop with over 450 bottles on sale, tucked away down an alley in Leadenhall. In keeping with the City location, it's a bit on the pricy side, but meat and cheese platters and a cosy, quiet atmosphere make it a worthy hangout for oenophiles.

There are 400 varieties by the bottle at the Fleet Street branch of Humble Grape which is the original crypts below St. Bride's Church. They’re easy enough to get your head around, though, thanks to an insightful menu. Get maximum booze for your buck by ordering one of their flights of four wines on a Tuesday, for £16.25 per person.

Bottles is located on the edge of Old Spitalfields Market and boasts an impressive wine list; it’s tight, focused and reflects a deep knowledge of the grape, with emphasis on Italian wine. Those eponymous bottles have been sourced from independent producers and small vineyards, and if there’s anything that tickles your fancy, you can buy one to take home from the wooden crates that line the bar. All the waiting staff are sommeliers, fully equipped to chat through the options as you settle in to the moodily lit space.