We’ve all heard of – and love – the Bermondsey Beer Mile, and craft beer is a staple in our community here. But for wine lovers, there are several spots for you, too. From organic to orange, you’ll find every taste and colour of wine at these spots.
First up is Bermondsey Corner, born during lockdown in October 2020, they have “an obvious passion for good food and wine”, taking the time to source artisan products from small, natural, and organic producers.
Since opening, “we’ve widened our vision with a clear idea in mind”, they tell The Biscuit, “we wanted to respond to our people’s demands: we started offering coffee, extended our selection of products, created hampers, and even started to have people seated inside for wine, cheese, and charcuterie”.
In the summertime, thanks to the White Cube Gallery, they have a beautiful outdoor terrace using the gallery’s courtyard. And now, after a refurb, they’ve opened seating inside. “You’ll now be able to continue journeying through different countries while sipping our wines without shivering outside under a blanket!”
‘Do good for people and the planet’
By the glass or bottle, Bermondsey Corner offers sparkling, white, red, organic, natural or even biodynamic. “It is important for us to give back and nurture the earth from which we take and do good for people and the planet at the same time.”
Wine and cheese fit together like Bermondsey and Biscuit, and something that Lechevalier offers, too. Lechevalier is a vibrant independent neighbourhood wine bar and shop, serving great wines and fine cheeses, bread and charcuterie to eat in or take home.
The man behind the venture is 30 years of industry veteran Christophe Lechevalier. Christophe perfected his love and passion for wine at Borough Market for more than 15 years. His concept was and remains simple, “a welcoming environment, great wine, great food, and, most importantly, attentive service from a team that works tirelessly to perfect their intimate knowledge of the product range available,” he says.
‘Quality and drinkability’
They have a consistently evolving wine list that is primarily made up of organic, biodynamic and natural wines, from small producers and lesser-known regions, “always with quality and drinkability in mind”.
Christophe’s business partner, Klaus Kuhnke of Artisan Foods, provides sourdough bread baked daily in East London. Charcuterie and cheeses are sourced directly from European producers and the best London suppliers. “A simple story,” says Christophe, “but one worth telling”.
All of these places offer a lot of what we know and love – which is why we love going back to them. But have you ever heard of vinho verde? Green wine? It’s a Portuguese classic, and one that OPS Wine specialises in. Who soon realised, “there was an opportunity to bring much better quality wines from Portugal to the UK, while still making them competitively priced for shoppers”.
They say fantastic wines are in Portugal’s history. The country has over 300 native grape varieties, “but beyond that, wine has been produced in Portugal for thousands of years. It’s something that is woven into our culture, and we have worked hard to hold onto our traditions. For example, we stock a particular kind of wine which is called talha wine, made using an ancient method where the wine is fermented in a large clay amphora cured with resin and beeswax. It is a technique that was handed down from generation to generation, safeguarded by the people. It’s fascinating to think about.”
‘Enjoy good food and wine with good company’
Walking into OPS Wine, customers should “feel at home”, with a relaxing vibe. They say that “we all live such busy lives, everyone should have somewhere where they can set aside whatever is going on and just enjoy good food and wine with good company”. And that is what OPS Wine is.
Pitcher & Craft is an organic wine specialist in SE16, choosing organic wine “because the grapes are not sprayed with harmful chemical pesticides, fertilisers and herbicides. As a result, the wine is a natural and cleaner product to consume”.
They tell The Biscuit, “a great seller for us at the moment is Pet Nat Rosé. It’s made from organic Zweigelt and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, with nothing added to it and nothing taken away, creating organic mouth-filling bubbles. It’s a personal favourite and one that our customers enjoy”.
Setting up shop in Bermondsey, Pitcher & Craft chose it because the area is forever evolving, which they have seen personally. They wanted to “create something completely new and fresh”, and so born was Pitcher & Craft.
Whether it’s green wine you want to try, or you’re looking for something organic, why not take a break at one of these wine pit stops on your next trip around Bermondsey?
Bermondsey Corner,
142 Bermondsey St, SE1 3TX.
www.bermondseycorner.co.uk/
Lechevalier, 85 Tower Bridge Rd,
SE1 4TW. https://lechevalier.co.uk/
OPS Wine, 128 Druid St, SE1 2HH.
www.opswines.co.uk/
Pitcher & Craft, 262 Southwark
Park Road, SE16 3RN.
www.pitcherandcraft.com/
