A wine bar in a cave sounds like a bad idea.
Everyone knows you can’t serve alcohol to miners.
But thankfully, Cave Cuvée is taking its inspiration from the French wine bar kind of ‘cave’ instead. It’s set inside a good old fashioned basement space on Bethnal Green Road, and it’s serving an extremely grown up selection of natural wines.
The place comes to us from the team behind the excellent Top Cuvée over in Highbury (which is also well worth a visit). And that came from the team behind Three Sheets cocktail bar in Dalston which, all told, means that this place has some of the finest booze talent in the city behind it.
The whole venue combines a wine bar and a bottleshop into one – the bottleshop part is up top, as you walk in. It’s called Shop Cuvée, and it has hands down one of the best selections of natural wine in the city. Prices are kept reasonable, and you’ll get all the help you need from the team there, keeping an eye on things. It’s also got a few slightly exotic deli items on the shelves too, just in case you were low on Japanese-style white miso sauce made in the Cotswolds, or intensely spicy Catalan hot sauce. But the most important thing you’ll notice on the wall is the bright red neon sign reading ‘Cave Open’ (unless, that is, the Cave is closed).
Follow the sign down below, and you’ll find Cave Cuvée. It’s a pared-back sleeve of a space, with half a dozen simple wooden tables matched with a few chairs & stools. At one end is the tiny stub of a bar, and at the back you’ll find a small, cosy alcove with enough seating to almost double the capacity of the entire venue. But you’re not here for the frills. You’re here for the wine, and the food to soak it up: dry aged beef tartare, terrines du jour, locally-sourced cured meats & cheeses, and more.
They’re now also launching a series of Natural Wine Masterclasses. “Everything you need to know to look cool in front of your mates” is their refreshingly direct and honest pitch, and frankly, we’re here for it. They’re promising an ‘unpretentious’ intro into the mystical world of natural wine by tasting five of them over the course of just under two hours, and getting a rundown of what’s happening to your tongue. And you’ll get oysters, charcuterie, and cheeses to balance it all out.
And the kicker? Thanks to the fact that these guys also run Three Sheets, you can also find a thoroughly decent selection of cocktails on their menu, too.
Time to go spelunking.
NOTE: You can find out more about Cave Cuvée, and make a booking at their website right HERE.
Cave Cuvée | 250a Bethnal Green Road, E2 0AA
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