English wine is hard to find even in London. So why go there on a wine adventure? One reason for starters, the home offices of both The WSET & The Court of Master Sommeliers are located in the UK.I was planning my trip France & learned about the Chunnel Train that travels from London to Paris in as little as 2.5 hrs. I thought I'd go to check out some British cheese contacts & the wine library at the WSET before heading to Paris.
One of my fellow students from The DWI works for the wine standards board in England. After contacting him for some tips I began to wish I had planned to spend a few more days there!
After settling in to the worst room I have ever stayed in (Best Western Paddington Court / steer clear of this dump) I tried to map out a plan while cramped like a sardine. This place had only 1 redeeming quality free Internet! The fire alarm went off at least once a day, had to jump into bed from the end of the room, no place large enough to even open luggage, elevators that just opened on random floors. It just sucked!
First on my list was a walk down Marylebone Highstreet. This little strip of foodie heaven is filled with wine shops, gourmet stores, organic butchers & La Fromagerie one of the best cheese mongers in London.
La Fromagerie offers many wines by the glass along with daily specials at the in store cafe. There was no question where I was eating lunch! I settled on a glass of Chateau Bouscasse a well structured 100 percent Petit Corbu with fresh zesty citrus notes, lots of rich tropical fruits, & a hint of honey. This paired perfectly with my organic Irish smoked salmon, crusty bread and baked Vacherin du Monte d'or. I couldn't have asked for a better first meal in London.
After walking down the rest of Marylebone Highstreet I hopped the tube to Vinopolis. This is a sort of wine Disney, kind of hokey but very cool. It covers many countries wine regions, has interactive exhibits, Imax vespa rides through Italian vineyards, and your choice of tastings.
Depending on what you want to spend like any theme park your choices of tasting vary from table wine to Grand Cru.
Also Beefeater has a very nice martini tasting room with a botanical herb set-up to teach you about all the different elements contained in their gin. Just steps from the martini bar is a chance to try Absinthe legally for all of us from the US. The last part of my tour was a Single Malt Scotch tasting. In all areas are informed young people to explain and guide you in your tasting experience.
There is also a beer wharf where you can grab a bite or a rather nice wine bar serving tapas if you want to take a break between tastings. The Wine and Spirits shop at the exit sells most everything that is available to taste and more! Beware it's a really great shop but unless it's a extremely rare bottle just too expensive when you do the currency conversion.
I have to say it wasn't a bad experience and I learned about the floating vineyards of Thailand . Something I will have to do more research on. And they had a bitchin wine tree that I wanted to take home!
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