The coolest wine bars might be predominantly found in East London, but central London has plenty to offer the discerning oenophile. Here's our pick of the best new wave and old school place to drink wine in the middle of town.
Bar Crispin
Soho - 19 Kingly Street, London, W1B 5PY
Bar Crispin is the sophomore effort from the well-regarded Crispin in Spitalfields. Founders Dominic Hamdy and Oliver Hiam have looked to replicate the success of their first restaurant bringing a talented chef and sommelier team to Carnaby. The ground floor space has room for twenty with half as much again outside and there's also a ‘Green Room’ for private dining. During the day, Crispin is all about pastries and speciality coffee before it transitions into a wine bar in the evening.
Farm Shop Wine Bar
64 S Audley St, London W1K 2QT
When you know that this wine bar is owned by the same people behind Mount St Mayfair, then that gives you an idea of how well it’s been executed. With a 150-bin strong list, there’s plenty to choose from, but you might want to start with wines from their own vineyard in Somerset. Prices are very decent for this part of town and a strong carafe offering makes it easier to roam around the list, matched with some of their exemplary cheese and charcuterie boards.
10 Cases Cave à Vin
16-18 Endell St, Covent Garden, WC2H 9BD
The 10 Cases Cave a Vin was first launched as an extension to the original restaurant. It now has its own following thanks to a relaxed atmosphere, slick service and a regularly changing selection of fairly-priced wines by the glass. The cosy space sees drinkers seated alongside shelves stacked high with wines that are also available to buy to take away. With a daily changing list of ten wines available by the glass, even the fussiest of wine drinkers will be well catered for here.
July
10 Charlotte St., London W1T 2LT
Boasting a Bib Gourmand for its food, this Fitzrovian wine house and bistro is Alsatian-inspired with a wine list to match. The current list was curated by sommelier Honey Spencer and places particular attention on low-intervention European wines. If you have a hankering for wines from cool climate regions, including Switzerland, Austria, and Germany, this is the place to go.
Lower 
19 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RJ
Waterloo is a perhaps unlikely but growing central London hub of interesting, independent wine bars and newish addition Lower adds to that mix. The team behind it have places like Brat and Clove Club in their CVs and one member, Alex, has picked up a UK’s best sommelier gong. There’s a lot on offer by the glass and bottle with options changing weekly benefiting regular revisits. It’s also super handy for a pre or post-theatre drink being so close to the National Theatre and Old Vic.
The Black Book
Soho - 23 Frith Street, Soho, London W1D 4RR
Initially launched as a members club for hospitality, the Black Book now welcomes the public too. From wine industry veterans Gearoid Devaney and Xavier Rousset, it uses its discreet location to provide guests with a highly personal experience. The name is a nod to the 'black books' which sommeliers are said to keep, noting their favourite wines and tasting notes. The subterranean space is also a very useful after-hours drinking space to know of in Soho.
The Remedy
124 Cleveland Street, Fitzrovia, W1T 6PG
Located on a quiet street towards the northern end of Fitzrovia, The Remedy is an intimate neighbourhood wine bar reminiscent of Marais wine bars found on similarly proportioned streets across Paris. Here it's all about showcasing wines made with care in the vineyard and minimal intervention in the cellars, which for anyone who's had the pleasure of visiting, will attest that the team do with great passion. Founder Renato's insatiable curiosity sees that The Remedy's wine list is updated weekly with an average of 20 wines available by the glass.
Noble Rot
51 Lamb's Conduit St, WC1N 3NB. Also Mayfair and Soho.
Does the perfect wine bar exist? A quick whip around of our wine-loving friends would suggest that Noble Rot comes pretty close. Since opening in 2015, the OG Lamb's Conduit Street wine bar and restaurant has garnered a cult following, marking its place as a must-visit for the London wine scene. Since the Bloomsbury bar opened they've expanded into central London with two very successful restaurants, although Mayfair is the only other one with a standalone bar space if you just fancy sipping an excellent glass or two of wine.
Cork & Bottle
44-46 Cranbourn St, WC2H 7AN
Located directly beneath Leicester Square, Cork & Bottle is a must-visit. This well-kept secret is full of charm, soul and personality - the work of the late Don Hewitson, a larger-than-life character from New Zealand, who opened the bar back in 1972. Every nook and cranny of this tiny space is packed with interesting and esoteric wines and the list has a strong Antipodean bias. Their cheese and charcuterie offering is old school but that doesn't make it any less tempting, especially when you're three bottles deep.
Gordon's Wine Bar
47 Villiers St, London WC2N 6NE
No review of London wine bars would be complete without including Gordon's. Established in 1890, it is London's oldest wine bar, housed in a building which was home to Samuel Pepys in the 1680s and, more recently, Rudyard Kipling. The bar occupies a prime space on the bank of the Thames next door to Embankment. The food is as hearty as it probably always has been and wine is still served in 175ml glasses (huzzah!). Even now, it remains a hive of activity for the post-work crowd. Look out for specials, bin ends and half bottles on the blackboards, many of which aren't on the main list.
Shepherd Market Wine House
21-23 Shepherd Market, London W1J 7PN
We’re slightly loath to share this particular recommendation as it’s one of the very few properly old-school wine bars left in central London. Somehow this bar tucked away in Shepherd Market has managed to avoid the prime London upgrade and stay welcoming (but also appealingly rough around the edges). There’s plenty available by the glass and the bottle list leans towards France while also roaming around the world with everything from a well-priced Verdejo to a Corton-Charlemagne on offer.
Quality Wines
88 Farringdon Rd, London EC1R 3EA
This cosy deli shop cum wine bar in Clerkenwell is an exercise in the clever use of space. Starting its life as a corner deli and butchery, designed to service next-door restaurant Quality Chop House, this quiet outpost has been transformed under the guidance of head chef Nick Branham. The daily evolving menu is matched with an enviable collection of wines: those by the glass change daily and bottles can be purchased from the shelves plus a ‘drink in’ corkage fee.
Lady of the Grapes
16 Maiden Lane, Covent Garden, WC2E 7NJ
Lady of the Grapes is a wine bar, restaurant and shop in the heart of London’s Covent Garden. Owned and run by Carole Bryon, Lady of the Grapes shines a light on female winemakers with a list that focuses on organic, biodynamic and natural wines. The food menu veers French - think Comté gougères and crab millefeuille.
Bedford Street Wines
33 Bedford St, London WC2E 9ED
Knowing about a lovely wine bar in amongst the tourist traps in Covent Garden is super handy and this wine shop and bar from the duo behind nearby The Oystermen is an absolute belter. Sommelier Alexandra Prymaka helped stock the shelves here and while there’s plenty to buy and try from around the world, the English offering is particularly well-considered. Fun fact, the central wooden bar was made by master boat builder Giles Thaxton.
La Compagnie
8-10 Neal's Yard, WC2H 9DP
Tucked away in Neal's Yard, Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels (or CVS for short), brings a Parisian townhouse feel to the London wine bar scene. The wine list here is unsurprisingly French in focus, however the rest of Europe has not been forgotten - to the point that there's also a strong selection of Swiss wines as part of the list. If you want to go all out, their 400-strong cellar list includes bottles from cult producers all at very reasonable markups. If you're looking to impress a wine snob, this is one of the places to do it.
The Winemakers Club
41a Farringdon St, London EC4A 4AN
Run by the ever-effervescent John Baum, this venue (it was a wine cellar for 150 years before becoming a wine bar) has attracted a loyal following of locals and professionals. The list is built to showcase the producers whose wine The Winemakers Club exclusively imports. As per John's experience, the focus hovers around Italian and Hungarian producers, but also includes bottles from small family growers with an emphasis on small-production, organic and low-intervention wines.
Clarette
44 Blandford Street, W1U 7HS
Based in a three-storey London townhouse, Clarette offers a predominantly French list bolstered by exceptional wines from around the world. It helps that co-founder Alexandra Petit-Mentzelopoulos is the heiress of the Château Margaux family. The ground floor bar features a large communal table - similar to those found in the grand Château of Bordeaux. The first floor features more intimate surroundings with a beautiful fireplace and cosy surroundings and there's a capacious terrace too. As you would imagine, there's an extensive selection of Chateaux Margaux wines on offer here.
Antidote Wine Bar & Shop
12a Newburgh St, Soho, W1F 7RR
This French-run wine bar & shop is one of Carnaby’s best-kept secrets. Tucked away on a quiet corner of Newburgh Street, this French-owned natural wine hub is the ideal place to start (or finish) an evening out in Soho. Spread over two floors with a cheese and charcuterie bar on the ground floor and a bright and elegant dining room on the first floor. The outdoor terrace is also bookable and a popular spot to grab an afternoon or early evening glass.
Also see...
Albie - A very useful wine-tap bar inside Spitalfields Market
Lant Street Wine - A fabulous wine shop with a bar attached in Borough
56 West Smithfield - A City wine bar with its own vineyard in Provence
Tap & Bottle - Atmospheric wine bar in a Grade II listed building
Unwined - This Waterloo wine bar is always a convivial spot to meet up at.
More wine bars
Additional reporting by Louis Fernando
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