Bag-in-box natural wine pop-up set to return

A pop-up bar serving only natural bag-in-box wines is set to return to London for a six month stint throughout the summer.

BIB founder Kirsty Tinkler with chef Harry Kaufman at the new Dalston wine taproom

BIB, which was founded by Kirsty Tinkler of monthly wine club Weino and ran throughout November last year, will open its doors again next month at the same site in Brunswick East Coffee in Dalston.

Tinkler set up the original pop-up in order to promote both natural wine and the bag-in-box concept, which she said is a natural progression for the industry.

“It is important to educate people about it,” she told db. “It is wonderful to have a simple idea like BIB that you know will make a difference, and receive the response we had last November.”

She has increased her range of wines from the November pop-up, and wants to offer between 8-10 reds, 8-10 whites wines and at least 3 rosés, all from the Old World, predominantly Spain, Italy and France.

“We definitely wanted to expand, but we’re finding that it is getting easier to source, with some of our suppliers growing the number of wines they bring in,” she told db. “I am very excited that since November the number of wines being offered in bag-in-box seems to have doubled, so people can expect to find an eclectic and changing list of wines to sample.”

She argued that while there will always be a need for glass as it allows wines with the ability to age time to mature, this accounted for less than 10% of wine production.

“BIB is about young fresh drinking wines and there is no need to package them in such a carbon heavy material for a period of only a few months. I think it is a natural progression for organic producers who care about the environment to move their young accessible wines into this format,” she added.

Tinkler has previously argued that consumers would be shocked by the amount of glass waste generated by bars and restaurants and argues on-trade premises should be more upfront when using bag-in-box wines to serve customers in order to change public perception. This was gradually beginning to change, she added and noted that people visiting the pop-up had been surprised at the quality of the wines.

The revived natural wine taproom will also bolster its food offering, after collaborating with chef Harry Kaufman of Rubedo in Stoke Newington and Lyle’s in Shoreditch. It will offer a selection of small seasonal plates, such as fried artichokes and salsa verde, and larger dishes such as veal tartare tonnato and a take on Caesar salad with crispy lamb sweetbreads.

BIB in Dalston will be open from 4 May.