Fine wine pop-up opens in London

A fine wine pop-up serving 50 wines by the glass, including Château Lafite and d’Yquem, opened in London last night.

Vins Extraordinaires specialises in mature fine wines served using the Coravin system

Called Vins Extraordinaires, the temporary bar is housed in a former cork factory on Lant Street in SE1, which is about 10 minutes walk from Borough Market, and has been put together by wine consultant Stuart George.

Speaking to the drinks business yesterday about the pop-up, which will stay open until 23 December, George said it was “about selling nice older wines by the glass.”

The wines, which include famous names, primarily from Bordeaux, but also the northern Rhône, Burgundy, Rioja and the Piedmont, are all served using the Coravin system, and come in Zalto glasses.

Visitors can also have cheese and Parma ham from Borough Market, and Pol Roger by the glass, which ranges from £10 for a 125ml serving of the Brut Réserve to £45 for a glass of the Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill 2004.

George told db that he would have opened the pop-up wine bar sooner, but said that Southwark council had been extremely slow granting him a licence.

The inside of the former cork factory before the pop-up was created

He also said that his “dream” would be to stay at the site, but added that the landlord, Paul Tutton, who owns the building and New Zealand’s Waipara West winery (whose wines are also served at the pop-up), was unlikely to let Vins Extraordinaires remain there.

The space occupied by Vins Extraordinaires is a large open plan room with wooden floors and white walls that was previously filled with stock for the neighbouring wine shop, formerly Waterloo Wine, now called Lant Street Wine.

The set up is basic, but attractive, and the choice of wines, which George said mostly come from Nickolls & Perks, is fabulous – and can be seen below.

Last night db enjoyed a glass of 1997 Lynch-Moussas for £14, which was fully mature, but delicious, and the Bodegas Roda II Rioja Reserva 1998, which was lively and still fruity, and available for £18 for a 125ml serving.

Although the selection of mature wines by the glass is impressive and reasonably priced, it’s the prices of the wines by the bottle that’s particularly appealing.

For example the bottles of Lynch-Moussas and Roda Reserva could be bought and consumed on site for £37 and £45 respectively.