Finsborough Wine Cafe

Where to Drink: Finsborough Wine Cafe
Location: London, SW10 9ED 

This entry was published on 05 Mar 12, but I'm sad to say that since Sep 12, Finsborough Wine Cafe closed down. 
 

A wine bar can be a classy and elegant way of enjoying an evening, but it can get quite pricey, so we generally go only when there's a big event on, or we're invited to a party. This weekend we were able to attend a 30th birthday do held in the wine cellar at Finsborough Wine Cafe, and I cannot recommend it more highly. 

You can hire the cellar or the whole place out for an evening, and our host did the former. The downstairs area alone is quite a big space with a rustic feel to it: sturdy wooden tables and benches line the cellar along with rows and rows of wine bottles, and the room is softly lit to create a nice ambiance.

We were served lovely canapes of cheese and ham and bread, olives and nuts, accompanied at first by a delicious and sweet sparkling rosé - Ackerman Laurance Sparkling Rosé NV. Normally some of us don't like sparkly/champagne drinks, but this one was perfect and went down well with everyone. There was also just enough food to fill us up so that the liquids could go down easily.

The atmosphere's excellent, but perhaps that's due to the quality of the people attending the party. The music was turned on much later and dancing started quite late. Near the end, we tried a bottle of white - Invivo Pinot Gris 2011 - and it was amazing. I absolutely loved it, and it had a beautiful aftertaste!

For a wine bar, their prices are extremely reasonable. They have a wine tasting event where you can explore 10 wines for just 9 quid. They also have happy hour prices daily until 7pm, and are willing to match prices or go lower than any other London location (supermarkets or otherwise).

I'd definitely return to this place, the only problem is that it's in West Brompton, a bit far from my usual haunts. However, this was well worth a trek!

PS: my favourite wine bar in the UK so far is John Gordons in Cheltenham. Charming atmosphere, with live jazz performances in the open space outside. Prices are a bit steep, but I can't wait for the weather to get better ... I'll write a proper review of this once I go again.