Londoners Magazine

Muireann Bolger enters Vinopolis: a sprawling venue celebrating the world of wine.

An intriguing cross between a museum and a giant bar, Vinopolis offers wine tours where you can try samples, learn how to taste properly and discover the history of winemaking.

The venue also has a restaurant, Cantina, and three smaller bars: Brew Wharf, Wine Wharf and Bar Blue. Entrance to these bars is not included in the tours.

The tour started with us being led through a shrine to the art of winemaking, with exhibits from archaic winemaking instruments to bottles of vintage wine worth thousands of pounds.Images of partying from ancient Egypt to Tudor Britain illustrated mankind’s long and loving relationship with wine. You can even see a copy of the first image of bacchanalian revelry drawn in Mesopotamia 4,000 years ago.

In our “how to taste wine” session, we were taught how to detect levels of alcohol content, sweetness and floral notes, and how to identify corked wine.

A method of tilting your head forward and slurping is apparently the best way to discover the different components of a wine. It’s precarious for a novice though, who could find their drink dribbling down their shirt.

Vinopolis offers wine from traditional winemaking regions like France, Chile, South Africa and Australia, as well as lesser-known areas like Thailand, India and Israel.

Then you are shown to the Bombay Sapphire room to sip a cocktail surrounded by cool blue hues and the jangling of Hindi music.

The tour lasts around two and a half hours and will please any aspiring connoisseur, or those after something a bit different.

The tours are self-guided, and there are four popular options. The original tour includes five wine tastings, a Bombay sapphire cocktail, an audio guide and a wine tasting notebook at £17.50. Other options - the discovery tour, the champagne tour and the vintage tour - offer the original package, plus extras.

But be warned: Saturday nights are busy so booking ahead is advisable. Also be prepared to wait for a while at the tables for your tastings.

Vinopolis
No.1 Bank End
London
SE1 9BU
0870 241 4040
Mon 12pm-10pm
Thurs-Fri 12pm-10pm
Sat 11am-9pm
Sun 12pm-6pm

Original Tour £17.50; Discovery Tour £22.50; Vintage Tour £27.50; Champagne Tour £32.50.