Lower Wine Bar & Bottleshop
19 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RJ, UK
Best Wine Bars in London
Discover 17 of London's top wine bars, from cosy neighbourhood bottleshops to elegant Mayfair tasting rooms. London’s wine culture mixes Old World classics with English sparkling and a thriving natural-wine scene—ideal for tastings, flights, and expert-led evenings across the city.
17 venues
4.6 avg
Champagne
Champagne Bar at 116 Pall Mall
116 Pall Mall, London SW1Y 5ED, UK
Baaria - Italian Café, Wine and Cocktail Bar
76-78, Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0BD, UK
Wine Bar Mayfair
64 S Audley St, London W1K 2QT, UK
Le Beaujolais
25 Litchfield St, London WC2H 9NJ, UK
Plume Wine Bar
26 Wellington St, London WC2E 7DD, UK
56 Wine Bar and Shop
56 W Smithfield, London EC1A 9DS, UK
Voila! Wine Bar Shop
33 Catherine St, London WC2B 5JT, UK
Gordon's Wine Bar
47 Villiers St, London WC2N 6NE, UK
Lady of The Grapes
16 Maiden Ln, London WC2E 7NJ, UK
Cecilia's Wine House
42 Drury Ln, London WC2B 5AJ, UK
The Wine Place Covent Garden
33, The Market Bldg, Piazza WC2E 8RE, UK
The Wine Bar & Restaurant at Fortnum & Mason
Lower Ground Floor, Fortnum & Mason, 181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER, UK
Shepherd Market Wine House
21-23 Shepherd Market, London W1J 7PN, UK
La Compagnie, Neal’s Yard
8-10 Neal's Yard, London WC2H 9DP, UK
The Mulwray
First Floor, The Blue Posts, 28 Rupert St, London W1D 6DJ, UK
St. JOHN Neal's Yard Wine Bar
6 Neal's Yard, London WC2H 9DP, UK
Wine Culture in London
London’s wine culture is plural and energetic. Historic appreciation for Champagne and classic Burgundy lives alongside a growing enthusiasm for English sparkling—Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grown in Sussex and Kent now appear on many lists. You’ll also find strong French influences (Bordeaux blends, Loire Sauvignon) and a love of lighter reds: Gamay from Beaujolais and cool-climate Pinot Noir are common glass pours.
In recent years the capital has embraced natural and low-intervention producers, visible in Shoreditch and Hackney bars that rotate small, single-vineyard producers. At the same time, Mayfair and St James’s maintain sommelier-led rooms and prestigious Champagne bars. Places like Champagne Bar at 116 Pall Mall, Le Beaujolais and 56 Wine Bar and Shop showcase this range—where historic cellars meet experimental lists, London offers something for every wine preference.
Where to drink wine in London
Neighbourhood choice shapes the evening. Mayfair and St James’s are your go-to for formal tastings, fine Champagne and mature Bordeaux—think plush interiors and attentive service at venues such as Wine Bar Mayfair and the elegant rooms around Piccadilly. Soho and Covent Garden offer lively, late-night bars with international lists and small plates, perfect for bar-hopping between vintages.
For a more neighbourhood vibe, head to Bermondsey and Borough Market where bottleshops double as intimate tasting rooms, or to Shoreditch and Hackney for natural wines, experimental orange wines and relaxed corkage policies. Marylebone and Chelsea combine relaxed daytime wine cafés like Baaria with afternoon tastings. If you prefer a bottleshop-and-bar model, check out Lower Wine Bar & Bottleshop and Voila! Wine Bar Shop, which make it easy to buy a bottle to take home after a tasting.
What to Look For
A great London wine bar balances three things: a thoughtful list, approachable service and a clear identity. Look for bars that rotate by-the-glass selections from both established regions (Burgundy, Champagne, Rioja) and emerging producers (Sussex/English sparkling, Portuguese Vinho Verde, Greek whites). A tasting flight or curated flights indicate staff want you to explore rather than just sip.
Practical signs of quality include knowledgeable staff who can recommend by food pairing, visible references to producers and vintages, and an emphasis on provenance—estate-bottled wines, single-vineyard labels or historic houses. Amenities like a small but well-executed food menu, a bottleshop option (ideal in London for take-home finds), and regular tastings or masterclasses—often hosted by bars such as Plume Wine Bar or 56 Wine Bar and Shop—make a venue worth visiting repeatedly.
When do wine bars in London open and close?
17 of the 17 wine bars listed in London publish their opening hours. The median one opens at 12 pm and closes at 11 pm on a typical trading day.
Sunday is the day that catches visitors out: 13 venues in London (76% of those with published hours) trade on Sunday, against 14 on Monday. 12 open seven days a week.
16 addresses stay open past 10 pm, which matters if you are buying after dinner rather than before it. Baaria - Italian Café, Wine and Cocktail Bar closes latest, at 11 pm.
At the other end of the day, Baaria - Italian Café, Wine and Cocktail Bar opens earliest, at 8 am.
These hours come from each venue's own Google Business Profile as read in March 2026. They are regular hours: public holidays, August closures and harvest-season changes are not reflected, so call ahead for a specific date.
What the ratings in London actually say
The 17 rated wine bars in London carry 11,721 reviews between them. The mean rating is 4.61 out of 5 and the median is 4.6, and 13 venues hold 4.5 or better — 76% of the list.
Lower Wine Bar & Bottleshop carries the highest rating with a review base large enough to mean something: 5.0 from 125 reviews. Gordon's Wine Bar is the most reviewed address in London, at 6,073.
A five-star average is worth less than it looks on a venue with a dozen reviews, which is why the ranking above is sorted by rating and review volume together rather than by rating alone. The rating also measures the visit, not the cellar: service, queueing and the state of the room all land in the same number as the wine selection. It is a starting filter, not a verdict on what is on the shelf.
How much do wine bars in London cost?
Price level is published for 7 of the 17 wine bars in London, and it splits as follows: 6 moderate (86%), 1 upmarket (14%). Google's price level is a four-step band reported by the venue and by visitors, not a price list, so it says where an address sits relative to its neighbours rather than what a bottle costs.
The specialisations that recur most often in London are Champagne (2), Wine Cellar (1), Organic (1). Filtering the list above by one of those is usually a faster route to the right shop than sorting by rating.
London compared with the rest of United Kingdom
London accounts for 17 of the 136 wine bars we list across United Kingdom, spread over 10 cities.
Sunday trading in London runs in line with the national picture — 76% against 76%.
Both columns are computed from the same rows that build these pages, so the national figure moves whenever a city's listing does.
| Measure | London | United Kingdom |
|---|---|---|
| Venues listed | 17 | 136 |
| Mean rating | 4.61 | 4.64 |
| Open on Sunday | 76% | 76% |
| Median closing time | 11 pm | 11 pm |
Where to look next from London
Other wine venues in London: 13 wine restaurants, 18 wine shops, 11 wineries and tasting rooms. In a city with a thin specialist trade, the restaurant list is often where the interesting bottles actually are.
The nearest larger listings in United Kingdom are Edinburgh (18), Bradford (17), Sheffield (17), Bristol (15), Leeds (15). Each is a separate page with its own hours, ratings and map.
Bottom line
London has 17 wine bars on this list, averaging 4.61 out of 5 across 11,721 reviews. The median address opens at 12 pm and closes at 11 pm; 13 of the 17 with published hours open on Sunday.
If you only have time for one stop, Lower Wine Bar & Bottleshop is the highest-rated address with a real review base (5.0 from 125).
Ratings, hours and price bands here come from public venue profiles read in March 2026; they describe how an address is reviewed, not how good its wine list is. Confirm hours before travelling for a specific bottle.
Buying wine in United Kingdom: age, tax and trading rules
Selling alcohol to anyone under 18 is an offence under the Licensing Act 2003 in England and Wales, and retailers operate Challenge 25 on top of it, so expect to be asked for ID well past 18.
The United Kingdom taxes wine harder than anywhere else in this directory, and it taxes it by strength. HMRC's rate from 1 February 2026 is £30.64 per litre of pure alcohol for wine between 8.5% and 22% ABV, which is £2.87 of duty on a 75 cl bottle at 12.5% ABV, before 20% VAT is added on top of the duty-inclusive price. On a £7 bottle that leaves very little for the wine.
The Sunday Trading Act 1994 caps shops over 280 m² in England and Wales at six continuous hours of Sunday trading between 10 am and 6 pm. Smaller independents are exempt and may open all day, which is why a specialist wine shop is often the only thing open on a Sunday evening. Scotland is outside the Act entirely.
Sources: HMRC — Alcohol Duty rates (GOV.UK) · Sunday Trading Act 1994 (legislation.gov.uk) · Licensing Act 2003 (legislation.gov.uk)
Local Tips
01
Book ahead for Mayfair and weekends
Popular central venues often fill quickly. Reserve in advance for Friday and Saturday evenings, or for special tastings at Champagne and sommelier-led bars.
02
Try English sparkling alongside Champagne
Order a flight that includes Sussex or Kent sparklers next to a classic Champagne to compare terroirs and ageing styles—an accessible London tasting tradition.
03
Use public transport and plan a walking route
Tube and buses connect most wine neighbourhoods; plan a walking route through Soho, Covent Garden or Bermondsey to sample multiple bars without the hassle of taxis.
04
Check bottleshop options for take-home finds
Many London wine bars double as bottleshops—buy a bottle after a tasting to take home regional wines from small producers you won’t easily find elsewhere.
FAQ
This guide highlights 17 carefully selected wine bars across London. The city's wine-bar scene is broader—spreading from Mayfair and Soho to Shoreditch and Bermondsey—with new openings and pop-ups appearing regularly.
Mayfair and St James’s offer elegant, sommelier-led bars and Champagne rooms. Shoreditch and Hackney are known for natural wine and relaxed vibes. Bermondsey, Borough and Marylebone have intimate bottleshops and tasting rooms—each neighbourhood delivers a distinct wine experience.
Yes. English sparkling—made predominantly from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grown in Sussex, Kent and Surrey—appears on many lists, from casual pours to premium cuvées. Look for producers like Nyetimber, Ridgeview or boutique Sussex growers on tasting menus.
Reservations are recommended for weekends and for popular spots in Mayfair or during tasting events. Many neighbourhood bars accept walk-ins on quieter weeknights, but booking guarantees space for flights, masterclasses or larger groups.
Most do. Expect sharing plates—cheese and charcuterie, small Mediterranean dishes, or seasonal British plates. Some venues focus on a tight food menu to complement wine, while bottleshop-bars may offer simple bar snacks and allow outside food with corkage.
Glass prices vary by neighbourhood and provenance. In central Mayfair, expect £10–£20 for premium glasses; in neighbourhood bars or Shoreditch, £6–£12 is common. Tasting flights range from £15 to £50 depending on the selection and rarity.
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