It’s day 14 of self-isolation and Sainsbury’s £7 prosecco just doesn’t taste quite like it used to before. If Londoners have ever needed a crate of top-notch wines delivered directly to their door, the time is now. Luckily, the city’s best independent wine bars and shops are very much on the case - from vintage Bordeauxs to pale rosé and luxury Champagne, these bottles will see you through Netflix binging sessions to video call pub quizzes and slow Sundays spent indoors (albeit not by choice). Check out our guide to the best wine delivery services in London here. And if one pesky bottle were to accidentally open itself at half four on a particularly tricky Tuesday? Well that would be a shame...
🏠🚚🍷
Renegade
The capital city's best-loved urban winery, Renegade are bringing their iconic selection of sips to East Londoners with their super speedy next day wine delivery service. Identified by those labels, these premium wines are as quirky as they come. Sourcing the finest grapes from across the UK and Europe, this independent winery changes the style of the wines year on year, ensuring each sip is a new and unique experience. Better yet, you can even apply to get your own lovely mug splashed all over their latest label design.
Bonus points if you recognise the face on the front of your bottle.
Bar Douro
Injecting a slice of Portuguese sunshine into your London living room, Bar Douro are not only delivering their most popular sips to your door, they’re also donating £1 of every purchase to Hospitality Action. Serving up a selection of red, rosé, white and sparkling wines from all over Portugal, cases of six bottles start at £81, with free delivery all over England.
Chapel Down
One of the UK’s best-known (and best-loved) winemakers, Chapel Down produces a selection of world-class wines perfect for any bottle-of-bubbly-worthy occasion. Created using fruit sourced from the South East of England, their sparkling wine recently replaced the usual Champagne offering at No 10 Downing Street. If it’s good enough for BoJo (and more importantly, Larry The Cat)? It’s good enough for us. Better yet, when you order five bottles of their fizz, you’ll get the sixth free.
Who said sparkling wine should be reserved for special occasions?
Top Cuvée
Ordinarily a cosy neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar nestled between Stoke Newington and Holloway, Top Cuvée has undergone a bit of a glow-up in recent weeks, transforming into your new fave local shop. Shop Cuvée (see what they did there?) sells everything from bourbon biscuits to bog roll and bottles of Bianco Bio Frizzante. The oh-so-stylish answer to all your shopping slot woes, this place also offers a ‘birthday party in a box’ option complete with wine, cocktails and a delicious meal for two.
Hedonism
If we were to ever win the lottery? We like to think our cellar would look a little like Hedonism’s dreamy Mayfair shop. Adorned with bespoke chilling fridges and cosy nooks, this place is a wonderland of some of the world’s finest wines. And while you may not be able to drop in and explore this underground cave for yourself at the moment, you can arrange a few carefully curated bottles (or crates) to be delivered directly to you, no matter where you are in the world. Bottles are priced between £10.90 for a Badenhorst Secateurs Red and £92,000 bottle of Cuvée Cathelin Chave (here’s hoping it’s a Lotto Rollover week).
When we say #cellargoals, this is what we mean.
Salon
Celebrating all things small, the team at the Salon Wine Store handpick their suppliers from the very best independent wineries that are taking a low intervention approach to the production process. Their club membership includes quarterly deliveries of seasonal sips, with natural and biodynamic bottles regularly stealing the show.
Diogenes The Dog
If you haven’t got an on-demand sommelier service in your phone book, then quite frankly, you’re not doing self-isolation right. Diogenes The Dog is the South London wine delivery service that is offering exactly that. Dial them up, chat about your wine preferences and you’ll be given bottle suggestions that can be delivered straight to you. And to soak all that vino goodness up? They’re also selling breads, cheese and meats - perfect for your very own DIY date night.
Create your very own swish wine bar in the comfort of your Zone 3 kitchen.
Unwined
With usually packed-out venues in Tooting and Waterloo, Unwined has recently closed its shutters and transitioned into a delivery-only service. Selling a small but perfectly formed selection of red, white and rosé wines, most bottles here are priced around the £15 mark. And with a 6 bottle minimum order? You’ll be well-stocked for the foreseeable future.
The Laughing Heart
A quaint wine bar and eatery in the heart of Hackney, The Laughing Heart has pivoted its business in recent times to offer restaurant-quality food and drink, in the comfort of your own front room. Feast on mounds of spaghetti Bolognese or beef shin stew whilst toasting with a glass of vintage red or a bottle of orange wine, with within-the-hour delivery for a large segment of East London.
The Laughing Heart is a serious upgrade to your standard offy.
St John
Boxed wine has earnt itself a bit of a bad rep of late, but the team at St. John are here to change that. Available as either 3L or 10L boxes, their selection of French wines are imported directly from the Languedoc region. Or, if you’re after something a little more conventional, you can opt for one of their mixed cases, categorised as ‘pink’, ‘white’, ‘unexpected’ or ‘edgy’ and starting at just £90 for six bottles.
Humble Grape
A mainstay on any wine-loving Londoner’s list, Humble Grape has bars and restaurants all over the city, from Battersea to Fleet Street and Islington. In these tough times, they’ve launched their very own wine delivery service, selling a selection of small production, family-run and sustainable wines, which can be delivered all over the UK. Better yet? They're also offering gift vouchers, meaning you can send your loved one a lockdown pick-me-up without agonising over whether they prefer a full-bodied red or a fruity white.
All you need to supply? A glass and a corkscrew.
Berry Bros. & Rudd
A quaint Pall Mall shop dating back to 1698, Berry Bros. & Rudd has seen thirsty Londoners through some fairly extreme highs and lows in its time. And in 2020? Things are no different. Delivering wines and spirits to London and beyond, these guys stock everything from winning clarets to prestigious Champagne and exotic riojas.
Bedales of Borough
Located in the heart of Borough Market, Bedales of Borough is a quaint wine cellar, kitchen, bar and bistro. The good news? For the first time ever, you can now bring this London fave to your front room, with their shiny new online store and UK-wide wine delivery offering. Ranging in price between a tenner and £40, this place offers a bottle for every taste, budget and occasion.
Bag yourself a Vagabond bundle to liven up your Friday night Zoom calls.
Vagabond
Looking for a London-based wine delivery service? Battersea Power Station's Vagabond is keeping you watered with bottle bundles that include Chardonn-yay, Read Between The Wines and the ultimate Vagabond Survival Kit stocked with Frizzante, Albarino, rosé and malbec. Upgrade your same old night in with one of these vino deliveries.
Vinoteca
With venues across London, Vinoteca is another wine bar that has pivoted its services recently, now offering takeaway options and wine delivery. Specialising in Italian sips, but offering bottles from all over the world, as well as vegan varieties, the online store boasts UK wide delivery at affordable prices.
Our kind of Friday night line-up courtesy of Vinoteca...
Le Tour De France
The hardest part of ordering wine online? Not knowing which bottle to pick. Luckily, that's where Le Tour De France comes in, with their exciting virtual wine tasting event. Priced at just £55 for two people, you'll receive 6 different French wines along with a link to a Zoom masterclass led by a WSET qualified educator.
PartyLab
Not only is PartyLab cooking up cheesy arancini, fresh squid and burger trios, but the North London kitchen also has some great options on the drinks front. Think cocktails, craft beers and vino from organic reds to Sicilian pinot grigio.
28-50 Wine Workshop & Kitchen
A stylish Marylebone restaurant and bar, 28-50 Wine Workshop & Kitchen is offering you the chance to bag a bottle of first-rate vino from their selection of exquisite sips. Pick from an array of reds, whites, Champagne and collector labels, with prices ranging from £12 to £1000+.
Trade in supermarket bottles for a top-notch vine at this wine bar.
Looking for some nosh to soak it all up? Check out our guide to the local London restaurants that are now delivering here.
