Top 10 London wine lists by originality

What makes a wine list ‘original’? Generally, it’s one which provokes a ‘What’s going on here, then?’ sort of response.

Lesser seen varieties, smaller producers, lists assembled in an innovative, brave or creative way — elements like this will score highly for originality.

Uncompromising lists focusing on natural and biodynamic wines also get high marks, representing the antithesis of commercial styles and mass-produced labels.

Hard to find wines, a proliferation of smaller importers, unfashionable wine styles, lists formatted in an unconventional way, anything which is moving away from our accepted ‘conservatism’ of what a wine list should look and behave like.

The word ‘bravery’ often seems appropriate here, and the high scorers, more often than not, will be those driven by a particular vision of the owners or the sommelier.

In the pages that follow, Wine List Confidential presents London’s top 10 wine list by originality…

10. Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels

Has quickly become one of the best wine lists in London, with charming and erudite service from sommelier Julia Oudill.

Rhône and Burgundy stands out, although there is much else to please the most obsessive oenophiles. A seriously good list.

To view the full Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels Wine List Confidential entry, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

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9. The Clove Club

Although there are fewer than 100 bins, the list shows curiosity and relatively tender mark-ups.

Twenty wines are available by the glass, including reasonably-priced Mosel Riesling poured from magnum (Schieferterrassen 2012, Heymann Lowenstein) and 23 year-old finale of Pedro Ximénez (Toro Albalá, Montilla Moriles).

Relative bargains include Monte Bello 1989, if you have £200 to spare for a world class wine.

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8. Tate Modern

A razor sharp list led by Hamish Anderson which is best enjoyed from a front window table facing St Paul’s across the – under a blue sky – silvery water. A highlight of the list is the selection of producer ‘focuses’.

Flutes of English sparkling wine from Coates and Seely, or Billecart-Salmon Réserve Champagne will make for a very serviceable apéro.

The menu is largely British; the kitchen has a light touch and each dish comes with a suggested wine pairing.

Chicken liver parfait with 10-year-old sercial Madeira would be a good place to start. Rump of Swaledale lamb with ‘Cadette’ Fitou 2012 from Domaine Les Milles Vignes would also make a hell of a lot of sense.

Great to see so much high-quality Greek gear here too – Hatzidakis Assyrtiko from Santorini not least.

To view the full Tate Modern Wine List Confidential entry, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

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7. Goodman

A wine lovers playground, particularly for connoisseurs with a hankering for some of the finest Californian wines to be found in London.

The list at the Russian-backed Mayfair mothership showcases all the major wine-producing regions of the US, lingering on iconic producers and ‘must haves’.

Of particular note is the obsessive listing of ‘Californian Legends’, including Screaming Eagle, and an admirable list of large-format wines gleaned from serious wineries, ranging from Duckhorn to Sine Qua Non.

It’s not all about the US, though, and Argentina and Chile are covered in some depth, including toothsome European collaborations such as Almaviva (by Baron Philippe de Rothschild of Château Mouton-Rothschild and Concha y Toro), which makes sense given the protein-centric environment.

The Bordeaux list is worth plundering too, with some worthy selections under £100. And, bargain hunters, be sure to leaf through to the back page ‘Bin Ends’ selection.

To view the full Goodman Wine List Confidential entry, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

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6. Bubbledogs

When considering the margins applied to the wines, probably the best place to drink grower Champagne in London, a true ‘Who’s Who’ of great producers that would grace the finest Michelin-starred tables in town: Larmandier-Bernier; Egly-Ouriet; Georges Laval; Laherte-Frères; Benoit Lahaye; Vilmart; Chartogne-Taillet; Francis Boulard; Christophe Mignon – and so it goes on.

Those who may want a glass of wine can request something (the Kitchen Table restaurant behind the curtain has a full wine list) but it would be churlish (and foolhardy, given the friendly margins) to drink anything else but fizz in the UK’s first Champagne and hotdog restaurant.

To view the full Bubbledogs Wine List Confidential entry, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

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5. Terroirs

The original ‘terroirists’ in town have led the charge for ‘natural’ wine in the UK, and their first restaurant has been a trailblazer from the very start.

The majority of natural winemakers in Europe, if not the world, will have passed through the doors of Terroirs at some point, more often than not in the company of one of the reps from Les Caves de Pyrene, the natural, organic and biodynamic wine specialist which majority-owns the restaurant and supplies the wine.

The focus of the floppy leather-bound list is on France and Italy, but such is the exploratory zeal of Les Caves de Pyrene that you’ll find great wines from natural and minimal-intervenionist winemakers from around the world – few will have escaped the attention of Les Caves.

There are always five whites and five reds on by the glass, along with at least one rosé and one orange or skin contact wine. There’s also a helpful little bottle section listing what the staff are drinking, which changes according to the season and the whims of those working.

You’ll find a long list of pet nats (pétillant naturel sparkling wines), great natural juice from the Jura, the Mediterranean islands and southern Italy (including Les Caves owner Eric Narioo’s excellent Etna wine label Vino di Anna). Austria and Oregon are two regions that have been given better representation recently too.

The skin contact wine section has to be about the best in London, there’s also a bumper section of interesting rosés – keep that in mind for when the weather gets warm – while the natural wine geeks can gorge on magnums of Frank Cornelissen Munjebel, Gavevat Cuvée Marguerite, Zidarich Vitovska, Foillard Côte de Puy, Vino di Anna Nerello Mascalese and more.

To view the full Terroirs Wine List Confidential entry, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

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4. Wild Honey

Here you’ll find finely-tuned list at Will Smith and Anthony Demetre’s second restaurant (following Arbutus). Totalling about 100 bins, the list picks its way through classic regions with care and reverence while keeping an eye on emerging regions such as Turkey and Greece.

There are ‘big dog’ names to salivate over, and choices of Herbert Hall English sparkling by the glass, as well as Gosset Grande Réserve and Gosset Rosé, which mark this out as a list with good breeding with very little padding.

The long dining room, once Marco Pierre White’s Drone’s Club, features carved wooden panels, lipstick-coloured leather banquettes and distinctive photographs.

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3. Story

The characterful, distinctive, relatively streamlined list at Restaurant Story is led by head sommelier, Patrick Frawley (formerly of the Rosewood Holborn and Sushisamba).

In the venue’s own words: ‘We select only the freshest seasonal British produce and then pair it with an exclusive wine list featuring small wine producers and select British craft ales.’

The list, oddly featuring two-digit vintages before even the names of the wines, is richly-adorned with white Burgundy and red Bordeaux – a modern quirk to otherwise surprisingly defiantly classical territories given the somewhat Nordic feel of the restaurant.

Well-chosen and even well-priced picks feature from Australia and New Zealand, and new-wave South Africa, including excellent producer Donovan Rall (‘Rall’ Chenin Blanc blend, Swartland). One of the highest price wines hails from the USA (Mayacamas Cabernet Sauvignon, Mount Veeder), but this, overall, is not a list of screaming mark-ups – unusually so, perhaps, for Michelin-star territory.

To view the full Story Wine List Confidential entry, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

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1. Sager + Wilde 

Michael Sager’s Hackney Road wine venue is one of the most innovative and fun in London and has helped to shift the landscape towards a different style of wine bar since opening in 2013.

A big love for California and Burgundy is evident throughout, with many wines that you simply won’t be able to find in many other places.

With virtuous small plates including roasted brussel sprouts, hazelnuts and soft cheese on toast, alongside muhammara with pomegranate molasses, or legendary toasties such as hot jalapeno and Cheddar, the food offer shows curiosity and is generally wine-friendly.

Although taking one’s wine is possible (corkage is a very reasonable £25), it would be somewhat like hanging one’s A-Level art project in the Louvre given the careful curation of this list, laid out, entirely in capitals, by region, hemisphere and colour (including ‘orange’).

To view the full Sager + Wilde Wine List Confidential entry, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

To view London’s top 10 expert-rated wine lists according to Wine List Confidential experts, click here.