The 14 best wine delivery services in London

"Некоторые люди думают, что будyт счaстливы, если пеpeедут в дpугое место, а потом оказывается: куда бы ты ни поeхал, ты берёшь с собoй себя." Нил Гейман

The Finns, magnificently, have a word for drinking at home in your underwear: kalsarikänni, the anglicised form of which is päntsdrunk. With bars among the businesses hit hardest by the current situation, Londoners are soon going to have no choice but to do exactly that. Fortunately, some of the London’s best bars have launched their own delivery services, offering bottles that are in a different league to supermarket plonk at incredibly reasonable prices. You can uncork them happy in the knowledge that you’re helping them support their teams at a critical time and plan for whatever’s on the other side. Be more like Finland, London – and whatever the next few weeks hold, cheers.

  • The 14 best wine delivery services in London

    1. SAM’S RIVERSIDE

    This W6 restaurant is a whole lot of fun. Just the place for a lunchtime rendezvous after a brisk walk along the Thames Path, scoffing on grilled lobster and downing a glass of Albariño or two with views of the now-uncrossable Hammersmith Bridge and marvelling at how long it can take to drive across the river these days. The Sam in the title is Sam Harrison, who nods towards Rick Stein as his inspiration, and – like a fair few other restaurateurs with very good wine lists but no one to appreciate them right now – has asked his long-term bar manager Ivan Ramos to delve into his cellar and organise deliveries via the Sam’s Larder deli. There’s a small number of well-chosen six- and eight-bottle cases: the dinner-party selection, with a brace of Hambledon fizzes, would be one to squirrel away for Christmas, perhaps; while premium bottles include a South African pinotage – a great all-rounder – a complex, ever-rewarding Pesquera Reserva and the more unusual, copper-toned Tin Soldier Semillon Gris, made by two good friends of Sam. Bag them while you can, and raise a glass towards the river. Rick Jordan

  • The 14 best wine delivery services in London

    2. Crispin

    The all-day Spitalfields café has turned its in-house collection into an online natural-wine club. Bottles are hand-selected and recommended by Crispin’s sommelier, Stefano Cazzato (previously at Londrino, Hakkasan and Dalla Terra), and include biodynamic and low-intervention vintages from small producers. The focus is on old-world indigenous and rare grape varieties but plays with fresh and funky flavours, too. Choose from cases of three or five, and select colour, type and how often you would like to receive them. The subscription is fully flexible – you can cancel or pause at any time. Katharine Sohn

    From £55 for a three-bottle case. Sign up in November and receive a 20 per-cent voucher to spend once the restaurant reopens, crispinstores.com

  • The 14 best wine delivery services in London

    3. Bar Douro

    This Portuguese restaurant has launched a delivery service for its members’-only wine club. In the form of a quarterly subscription, it allows you to travel across Portugal’s vineyards from your home. Each delivery includes six different bottles selected by Sarah Ahmed, an expert in Portuguese wines, all accompanied by detailed tasting notes and food-pairing suggestions. Olivia Morelli

  • The 14 best wine delivery services in London

    4. Top Cuvée

    This Finsbury Park neighbourhood restaurant and wine bar is on the case (literally) with its mixed boxes, which it’ll send to your door in just 90 minutes by bike courier. The contents will be a surprise, but you can expect funky natural and skin-contact wines, and the team promises that whatever’s in there will be ‘staggeringly good value’.

    Pictured: Top Cuvée, London

  • The 14 best wine delivery services in London

    5. Humble Grape

    This jovial London group of wine bars is offering hefty discounts on cases of bottles with the codes on their Instagram account – there’s 10 per cent off cases of six or more bottles, and 20 per cent off cases of 12 or more. Humble Grape only works with ‘hero producers’, which it imports exclusively to the UK, so there are plenty of interesting bargains to be found.

    Pictured: Humble Grape

  • The 14 best wine delivery services in London

    6. St John

    St John’s wine-delivery service has been one of in-the-know Londoners’ best-kept secrets for a while – and now that you can no longer pop in for a glass of reasonably priced French red, it’s really come into its own. There’s a great selection of mixed cases, including The Edgy Set showcasing low-sulphur native yeasts and minimal intervention, as well as great value bags of St John Rosé for £38.

    Pictured: St John

    7. Quality Wines

    Quality Chop House’s boisterous little Farringdon brother is working on getting delivery up and running as soon as possible, but for now it’s leading live Instagram wine tastings – if you’re local, pop into the shop and pick up the day’s set of samples, then taste along at home with Gus Gluck before placing an order. Or, for those who have something of their own at home, he’ll be offering more general notes on some of the popular grapes. A lovely way to stay connected.

  • The 14 best wine delivery services in London

    8. Drop Wine

    Wherever you are in London, nifty wine app Drop (only available from the App Store for now) lets people order wine with free same-day delivery in the capital, seven days a week. The emphasis is on unusual and intriguing bottles, although prices start at a very accessible £10, and there are daily discounts. You can filter by style and price as well as what type of food you’re planning to pair it with, and your mood.

    Pictured: The Drop

    9. Wine and Rind

    The Tottenham toastie slinger is on Uber Eats with the usual cheesy goodies, including Welsh rarebit crumpets, but if you’re local and direct message them they might be able to sort you out with one of their bottles of carefully chosen wine from small producers, such as Chin Chin Vinho Verde. Keep an eye on its Instagram.

  • The 14 best wine delivery services in London

    10. Ombra

    As well as delivering fresh pasta kits and the city’s best tiramisu across East London, Ombra is happy to pop bottles of excellent Italian wine in customers’ bags – there’s a Sicilian rosé that’s perfect for lifting the spirits. Whatsapp the team on the number at the top of the online takeaway menu to place an order.

    Pictured: Ombra

  • The 14 best wine delivery services in London

    11. WC

    South Londoners, this is one for you: Clapham’s award-winning bar WC (Wine and Charcuterie) is on Deliveroo with a selection of well-chosen bottles from around the world starting at just £20. Resist the temptation to add a jumbo cheeseboard to the order; no good can possibly come of it.

  • The 14 best wine delivery services in London

    12. Noble Fine Liquor

    P Franco, Bright and Peg’s boozy sister business is delivering great wines from small producers around the world direct from its Broadway Market stocks, as well as ciders and sherries. There are plenty of great bottles for under £20 – snap them up.

    Pictured: Noble Fine Liquor

    13. Forest Wines

    Walthamstow, attention please – E17’s favourite organic wine shop is doing daily non-contact bike deliveries in the local area. Some lovely mixed cases of three or six bottles are available, with free delivery on all orders over £20. As ever in these fast-changing times, it’s best to check its Instagram for the latest.

  • The 14 best wine delivery services in London

    14. Bodega Rita’s

    One of London’s best new-generation sandwich shops also has a cracking selection of wines, which can be dropped to doors right now via Slerp for those in the vicinity of King’s Cross. Bottles, all of which come from cool, small producers specialising in low-intervention, organic and biodynamic wines, start at £23 and none cost more than £30. Lovely stuff.

    Pictured: Bodega Rita’s

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