London wine tasting

If you love wine, and you’ve got a significant other with a head for heights, book a table for two at Skylon. Enjoy five tastings and you won‘t go hungry as there will be posh snacks to nibble on. Cheers.

The more mature palate will certainly appreciate a trip to this family-run wine merchant with its ancient cellars and full-bodied bottles. Yes, a tasting here might cost you the equivalent of a weekend in France – but the wine is more than worth it. 

This family-run wine bar in Farringdon is a cosy little spot in the middle of all the central London madness. The family running it also own a boutique vineyard in the South of France, Château De La Cômbe, so they really know their stuff. They have a small, refined menu, with nice cheese and meats to pair them with, and upstairs there’s a traditional wine tasting room where they run a ton of wine tasting events to get involved in. 

Michael Schuster is a real wine educator, with over 25 years of experience. He teaches courses (six sessions each) for both beginners and advanced wine buffs, based at the offices of fine wine merchants Bordeaux Index. There are plenty of wines to be tasted at each session, too, so we think you’ll be more than grape-ful.

At this Fleet Street spot, all you have to do is find a cute nook to cosy up in and drink in all that delicious grape juice. With more than 400 wines to choose from, the tough bit is deciding where to start. Oh and make sure you take in the decor while you’re there, too, because this watering hole is based in some double-vaulted crypts designed by Sir Christopher Wren.

Since 1993, the London Wine Academy has offered a range of courses taught by qualified tutors – including Masters of Wine, buyers and sommeliers. As well as one-day workshops focused on a particular grape or region, there are evening classes and events dedicated to food pairing, such as wine and cheese tastings and a Spanish wine and tapas masterclass.

Wine retailing runs in the bloodstreams of the two families that own Bedales, and while the bar will admit to favouring Italian and French wines, it stocks and has tastings of wines from around the world, including those harder-to-find wines that you might not be able to source yourself. Plus, this course is WSET (wine and spirit education trust) level one accredited, which means you’ll leave with an official qualification and a pin to prove it.

Lots of winemakers are going au naturel, and this atmospheric independent wine bar is the perfect place to find out why. Join owner John Baum to taste his handpicked selection of intriguing organic and biodynamic wines, all set in a romantic candlelit cavern underneath the Holborn Viaduct.

The independent wine supplier Roberson has a wine school in its Kensington shop. Its laid-back courses cater for beginners as well as the more knowledgeable, and there are workshops on individual regions.

Image ©Joel Knight

The strap line is ‘try before you buy’, which is one we can definitely get behind. Taste your way around the world through seven types of wine, or splash out on the shop’s home-grown champagne.

Treat your taste buds to a gastronomic feast, which will show you how to match the best food with the best booze. Upcoming workshops include an introduction to wine and cheese and wine pairings.

Get your wine fix in this aptly named wine store. Hedonism really does offer a high-end wine tasting experience. The wine tastings often sell out so you’ve got to be quick if you want to be sipping some seriously good wine come 7pm.

Keep putting off learning a new skill? It’s never too late to start, and we don’t know why it‘s taken you so long when there’s booze involved. This course manages to get the balance right between consuming information and consuming wine. So, now you can say a glass of vino has got great legs with conviction.

The WSET is a worldwide organisation providing high-quality training and qualifications for professionals working in the wine and spirit and hospitality trades, but their introductory and advanced courses are popular with amateur enthusiasts too. Its informal 'Wine Enthusiast' events often focus on a particular region or style.

This vineyard and winemakers is a little trip out of town (it's in Dorking, Surrey) but it's easily reached from London and well worth the trek. There's a range of wine tasting, tours and classes on offer, all showcasing the estate's many drops. Plus some offer a train ride through the vineyards, which sounds like a very nice way to spend an afternoon.