The people at Humble Grape certainly have a lot of bottle.
After all, they entered the hyper-competitive London wine market back in 2009 with a view to deliberately selling the less popular bottles, which they planned to source from relatively unknown, sustainable, organic, and biodynamic vineyards around the world.
They imported them all directly, meaning they effectively had to set up their own wine distribution network from scratch to do it. And finally they decided to sell those bottles at a series of venues which were part wine bar, part restaurant, and part shop. And they decided to remain totally independent throughout all of this, raising all of their capital via crowdsourcing.
And the risks have certainly paid off because, from venues in 300 year old church vaults designed by Sir Christopher Wren, to beautifully modern spaces filled with foliage, they make up some of the best wine bars in London…
The decor here – all stripped wood, recycled cork and old champagne riddling racks – is a fitting metaphor for Humble Grape itself, a wine bar created in order to peel back the varnish and focus on what really matters: great wine. Head into the cellar and you’ll uncover a modest 300 or so bottles, most of which come from small, relatively undiscovered vineyards…
Details: 2 Battersea Rise, London SW11 1ED | Book here
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This place is impressive. And yes, when we say impressive, we mean it. For one, the space it’s set in (the 313 year old vaults of St. Bride’s Church, tucked away down a cobbled side street) was designed by Sir Christopher Wren. For two, it’s 3,600 square feet. And for three, they’ve hit a beautifully balance of wood, metal, and concrete fittings within their wine-lined walls…
Details: 1 St Bride’s Passage, EC4Y 8EJ | Book here
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Here, they’ve got everything from a bar, to a dining room, to a wine shop, to a ‘wine library’, and it’s all filled with beautiful reclaimed & aged furnishings. The dining room is filled with foliage, while the wine library lets you browse a curated collection of wine books from around the world…
Details: 11-13 Theberton Street, N1 0QY | Book here
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This City-side branch has all the usual Humble Grape goodness across its two floors, including a winemaker wall (which features photos and hilarious/interesting tales from the vineyards and winemakers), and menus made from actual crushed grapes…
Details: 8 Devonshire Row, EC2M 4RH | Book here
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For all the bars in Canary Wharf catering to workers ready to let off some steam, Humble Grape is the only great wine specialist. It’s quite large, with a 16-seater private diner and an outdoor terrace. You’ll find it right on the waterfront, and it’s got 30 wines by the glass to go with over 400 by the bottle.
Details: 18-20 Mackenzie Walk, Canary Wharf, E14 4PH | Book here
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Humble Grape’s latest outpost in North London isn’t modest. In size, at least; both in the huge amount of sustainable wine they have on offer here and the venue’s floor space. There’s over 400 organic and biodynamic bottles for you to choose from (an overwhelming amount we know, but staff are more than happy to make the choice for you) and in terms of where to drink the wine, there’s a 20-cover terrace to go along with the cork-clad dining room and wine cellar (where you can also dine with 11 others for special occasions). They do food too, and well – cured sea bream, flat iron steak and a sharer-style baked camembert with spreads and sourdough. All in all, with Humble Grape Crouch End the team definitely have something to brag about…
Details: 4 Topsfield Parade, Crouch End, N8 8PR | Book here
Like a glass of something funky? Give our guide to best wine natural bars in London a go.