Top 10 London venues with wine on tap

Wine on tap has been a minor trend of the UK on-trade for some time now – low-tech versions have been around for several years while last year the drinks business reported on the surge of wine on tap offerings across London courtesy of companies such as Roberson, Vinoteca, Bibendum and Jascots.

Now, veteran Burgundy merchant OW Loeb has firmly taken the reins with the launch of its Loeb on Tap service. With this, wine on tap appears to have entered an exciting new phase as the quality, range and reliability of the wine on offer attracts some of the most dynamic players in the London on-trade.

In effect a start-up business within the fold of the conventional OW Loeb business, Loeb on Tap now carries as many as 59 wines in keg (the format for wines on tap) – and the number keeps on increasing.

Its range of WOT wines can now be found in 35 venues (33 of which are in London), while a further 20 venues are set to be added to its client list year alone.

Thus the Wine on Tap revolution, says Loeb on Tap co-ordinator Rupert Taylor, is just beginning.

It’s telling that the website carries the header: ‘Bringing you closer to the vineyard’, indicating as it does that this is not just some mass-produced, mass-market offering, but a high-quality artisanal product with good provenance.

“It’s our aim to create a more direct connection between vineyard, winemaker and wine drinker, Taylor says, “delivering a wine service that’s more consistently satisfying than ever before.”

Citing benefits in terms of the environment, space, wastage, quality, speed of service and price, Taylor says that, thanks to the Loeb wine on tap format, restaurant-goers will be able to enjoy far more quality wines at affordable prices than ever before.

“What this does is it makes wines that would be £30 more like £22 in a restaurant, and that’s awesome.

“This is 40 times better packaging than bag-in-box in terms of oxygen ingress. And in terms of consistency it’s 100 times better.

“I’ve worked with restaurants that use bag-in-box for wine on tap in the past and the consistency within the pallet of wine was up and down, up and down – there was a lot of oxidisation, you have to use a lot more sulphur than bottle or keg…”

Tapping into the on-trade 

A significant feature of Loeb on Tap is the business’s willingness to respond to customers’ needs and develop a bespoke wine offering.

“We try and find people who are particularly good at what they do and we try to work around them, people who are really passionate, work really hard and care about their customers – all the things that we do,” says Taylor.

He cites the example of Morito, which is now trialling what is thought to be the first ever Montilla on tap, from Lagar Blanco, a producer never before exported out of the Montilla region. This was introduced as an exclusive trial following discussions with Morito’s Sam Clark.

Other interesting offerings include a limited edition Savigny-lès-Beaune from pioneering Burgundy micronegociant Andrew Nielsen of Le Grappin and a Weissburgunder from Baden star winemaker Claus Schneider – available at Michelin-starred Trinity and the newly opened Caravan Bankside.

Meanwhile Martello Hall, which is due to open imminently in London Fields, is set to boast as many as 12 wines from Loeb on tap, which will make it the company’s biggest wine on tap venue yet.

While Martello Hall may not quite be ready to open its doors, in the pages that follow are 10 of London’s best venues in which to enjoy wine on tap…

1. Clipstone

Clipstone is the co-venture of Will Lander (also behind Wine List Confidential‘s top entry, Quality Chop House) and Daniel Morgenthau (ex of 10 Greek Street). It is the more casual, local bistro-type affair to the pair’s popular Michelin-starred venue Portland.

The ‘On-Tap’ section is something you’ll spot instantly when looking at the single-page wine list.

This boasts some of OW Loeb’s best tap offerings, eight in all, including a deliciously juicy Bernado Farina Verdejo (just £3.50 a glass), Le Grappin Macon Chardonnay, Cherubino Via Romana Bobal and Australian/Italian blend Chalmers Montevecchio Rosso.

To view Clipstone’s entry on Wine List Confidential, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

To view from all 350+ Wine List Confidential entries click here.

2. Villandry Great Portland Street

A recent enthusiastic adopter of wine on tap, Villandry Great Portland Street offers as many as eight wines on tap.

South African head sommelier Monique Ziervogel, who also showcases some of the best wines from the cream of the ‘new wave’ of South African winemakers – Adi Badenhorst, Lismore, Crystallum, Radford Dale and JH Meyer among them – has recently sought to streamline the list at Villandry’s Great Portland Street Venue (there is also one in St James) to be more focused on the venue’s customer base.

Even though her on-tap offering was only installed a few weeks ago, she reports a positive response from customers. Eichsgraf von Kesselstatt Riesling, OW Loeb Chablis (especially good) and Mas del Perié Cahors Malbec are among the highlights.

All very enterprising, all very lekker.

To view Villandry St James’s entry on Wine List Confidential, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

To view from all 350+ Wine List Confidential entries click here.

3. Avenue

With four wines on tap from Roberson – Domaine Saint Paul Colline Picpoul, Wind Gap Trousseau Gris, Jackhammer Pinot Noir and Copain ‘Tout Ensemble’ Syrah – D&D restaurant Avenue was one of the early fine dining triallists of wines on tap in London.

Showcasing Roberson’s unrivalled Californian on-tap selection, the venue has reported positive results from the move to the tap format thus far.

This is naturally music to the ears of Roberson’s wine on tap co-ordinator Keith Kirkpatrick, who highlights the integral role it plays in the by-the-glass revolution in the UK on-trade.

“There is a real demand for a wider range of top quality wines available by the glass within the on-trade, but without being exposed to the risks of having lots of unfinished, expensive bottles open behind the bar,” he says.

“Wine on tap is the most exciting step towards providing a wide variety of high quality wines by the glass to consumers everywhere.”

To view Avenue’s entry on Wine List Confidential, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

To view from all 350+ Wine List Confidential entries click here.

4. Trinity

Clapham gastronomic destination Trinity was one of the proud recipients of a star in the 2017 Michelin Guide.

Trinity’s more casual first-floor dining room, Trinity Upstairs, offers seating at communal wooden tables and a short menu of 12 small plates complemented by some great-value wine on tap – three to four of them at any one time.

At the time of writing these include a Weissburgunder from Claus Schneider in Baden and Le Grappin Beaujolais Rosé.

To view Trinity’s entry on Wine List Confidential, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

To view from all 350+ Wine List Confidential entries click here.

5. Tate Modern

Under the stewardship of Hamish Anderson, the Tate wine offering is one of the most enterprising in London – nowhere more so than in its wine on tap.

As part of its commitment to become more environmentally sustainable, Tate last year shipped 25,000 bottles of house white, red and rosé to the UK, which it has converted to being dispensed by 30-litre KeyKeg.

From June the Tate Modern Bar, Kitchen & Bar and Café have been serving a white, red and rosé from keg. There’s a bright, juicy Bobal red from Valencia along with a delicate rosé from the same estate, while the white is a fragrant Verdejo from Castilla La Mancha.

To view Tate Modern’s entry on Wine List Confidential, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

To view from all 350+ Wine List Confidential entries click here.

6. Sardine

Classic southern European cooking over a wood fire is the name of the game at Sardine, the new venture of Alex Jackson and Stevie Parle. The wine list is put together by Courtney Stebbings, formerly of Lyle’s and The River Cafe.

Plenty of beakersful of the warm south (of France) here, with wine on tap meaning by-the-glass options start from just £4. Try the Domaine Pesquie Viognier from the Rhône or the Castelargo Nero D’Avola.

To view Sardine’s entry on Wine List Confidential, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

To view from all 350+ Wine List Confidential entries click here.

7. Grain Store

A short but considered list with decent by-the-glass options is offered at the sustainable King’s Cross restaurant and bar from chef Bruno Loubet, drinks pioneer Tony Conigliaro and the Zetter Group.

While the list doesn’t exactly delve deep, extra marks are due for the Coravin and wine on tap offerings, which come with helpful explanations of the concepts, and clear labelling of both organic and biodynamic bottles.

To view Grain Store’s entry on Wine List Confidential, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

To view from all 350+ Wine List Confidential entries click here.

8. The Wine Stores

London N1’s newest venue, The Wine Stores offers a relaxed café, bar and roof terrace combo to the office types and other visitors in the increasingly vibrant and revitalised King’s Cross area of the capital. Already, in its first month, its proving very popular.

The Wine Stores has gone ‘all in’ with wine on tap, offering as many as 12 such wines – only Martello Hall in London Fields (opening next month) boasts as many in the capital. The wines, from Roberson’s on-tap selection, include a San Martino Prosecco-style frizzante, a Jackhammer unoaked Chardonnay and a Copain ‘Tout Ensemble’ Syrah.

9. Morito

With a wine list made up almost exclusively of interesting Spanish and Portuguese offerings, Morito Hackney Road has made wine on tap a key feature.

With Bodegas Farina Verdejo and Tempranillo as the house white and red, respectively, the Sam and Sam Clark venue is also trialling (possibly) London’s first ever Montilla (like fino Sherry but from a neighbouring DO) on tap.

To view Morito’s entry on Wine List Confidential, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

To view from all 350+ Wine List Confidential entries click here.

10. Padella

Step out of London Bridge Tube pretty much any lunch or dinner time and it’s hard to miss the long line of hopping-hungry, salivating Italophiles queuing outside Padella.

While the wine list doesn’t score highly for size, it is appropriate to the fast-paced, quick turnover environment of Padella, which at its current rate of business seems to be serving half the population of London every single day.

All of the wines on the main list are from tap (eight of them) and include a lovely aromatic Bacchus from Kingscote in Sussex (£5 for 125ml), nice with a simple dish of tagliarini with Chiarentana olive oil and Parmesan, and a texbook Sangiovese from family producer Vini Stocco in Friuli (£4 for 125ml).

All are available by the 500ml carafe, from £14-£20, except the Selva Capuzza Chiaretto Rosé, which is £30 for 750ml.

To view Padella’s entry on Wine List Confidential, including individual category scores and wine recommendations, click here.

To view from all 350+ Wine List Confidential entries click here.