These Vagabond Reviews

On the 14^th December, WoW visited Vagabond in Fulham. I put a lot of praise on this place prior to the night and it didn’t fail to deliver.

The enomatic machines allowed wine to be purchased by the glass in 125ml and 175ml sizes, or as smaller sample size for between 50p and £2.50 by buying a card containing credit. Also available were charcuterie and cheese boards which went down a treat with the wine tastings.

I ended up tasting 16 different wines on the evening which let me try some new flavours, including a couple of German rieslings, Spanish bobal and finishing with the crowd favourite South African dessert wine, Klein Constantia. All in all, I tried 13 different grape varieties on the evening with some great ‘new’ finds. The added benefit of being able to buy the bottle in store, as well as take the card description for the wine was a nice additional touch.

I can highly recommend this venue to everyone, it’s exactly what a wine shop should be, I’m now wondering how to open one closer to home.

The next event is on 1^st February at Cork and Bottle in Leicester Square so if you want to come down for one or many you’re very welcome.

I look forward to seeing everyone again soon.

Cheers,

JG.

Fortnum & Mason 1707 Wine Bar

The 7^th saw WoW visit Fortnum & Mason’s 1707 wine bar for a second time. I didn’t get the chance to attend the first time round and was therefore very keen to get there and check it out. It didn’t disappoint. It wasn’t a large group, with only 3 of us attending, but the venue, wines and company all combined to turn it into a fantastic evening.

I think a combination of the following week’s WoW, as well as the potential for F&M to be expensive right before Christmas were the reasons for the low attendance, but it turned out to be very reasonable, with our first bottle (F&M’s own label Malbec) only costing about £20 which turned out to be the group’s consensus as best-on-ground for the evening.

We also tried some of the ‘wine flights’ on offer (a set of 3 glasses of wine served on a hanging frame). This enabled each person to choose not only the variety of wine, but also the price bracket they wished. The Bordeaux flight was enjoyable, but it was agreed that the winter flight was the best of the ones tasted.

There were plenty of food options as well, and the group opted to try some cheeses from the cheese trolley which was a great accompaniment for the wines.

I can highly recommend 1707 for an intimate evening or for a group of friends to catch up, the setting was comfortably done and the wine selections nicely varied. Many thanks to Sammi and Kev for a great night out.

Cheers, JG.

Enter the Bunghole

Our WoW in October saw us try out Bunghole, one of a number of wine bars operated by Davy's, a noted London wine merchants since the 1800's. From its stable, I decided on Bunghole as its location on High Holborn made it easily situated for anyone working in town (was also slightly curious withthe name).

I learnt that the establishment takes its name from the hole in the side of a wine barrell that is 'bunged' with a cork, Bunghole turned out to be a relatively large place (mostly situated on a basement level). I had optimistically booked for 10 and they had reserved a large meeting room style dining room for us to have 'high level wine discussions' - how little they knew of WoW. Once the more modest 4 of our attendees had arrived, we decided a small table within the main area was more suitable.

Davy's wine bars typically have a relatively extensive range of wines on offer ranging from their own labels up to top end French vintages.

Although small in number, our group had a great evening with some nice wines tasted and a good time had by all. Imbibed on the evening were an interesting Chilean pinot noir and culminating in a smooth and easy-drinking Bordeaux and Cristal champagne.

The surprise of the evening was the food menu, which included an extensive range of steaks and burgers.

Many thanks to Burnsy, Vera and Sammi for coming along and making it such an enjoyable evening, I particularly enjoy these more intimate occasions.

Bacchus - Greek god of wine and giver of ecstasy (14/9/11)

Many thanks to all for coming along and making Wine on Wednesday a hugely enjoyable evening. It was great to see so many new faces.

Despite the negative comments regarding the venue's location in proximity to my office, Vivat Bacchus worked very well, offering a number of share platters (including a South African platter) as well as a full a la carte menu complimenting the substantial wine list. As our confirmed numbers grew throughout the preceding weeks, we ended up being seated in the downstairs dining room rather than the wine bar at ground level. I was initally concerned that this would dampen the mood and limit us to seated formality, however, it may have actually aided us to feel more comfortable in what seemed like our own private area and everyone seemed to have good time.

The size of the wine list, coupled with our group size worked well and allowed a great deal of tasting and experimentation to take place and it was gratifying to see everyone taking advantage of the opportunity.

All of the comments on the wines were positive, and there was a lot of mixing and socialising the key elements to any WoW. Personally, I stuck to the reds, starting with a standard Argentinian malbec, before trying a South African syrah and a couple of Italian varietals. I finished with a half bottle of dessert wine and a cheese plate. There was the option to go into the 'cheese room' to choose, although the standard french tasting plate was excellent.

I look forward to the next event and seeing all of you again. The sun's back, so enjoy and I'll keep you posted (photos to follow).