Forest Gate in east London holds a special place in my heart, and I’ll be honest—I don’t feel the same about Forest Gate itself. However, there is one spot in Forest Gate that has captured my affection: Joyau, a wine bar. During a recent Q&A session, someone asked where in London they could find a great glass of wine. As a wine enthusiast, this question should have been an easy one for me to answer. But, instead of traditional wine-centric restaurants like Planque, Brawn, or Chez Bruce, I was looking for a more casual, European-style wine bar. A place with no reservations, a diverse selection of interesting bottles, and the option of simple yet delicious food.
To find what I was looking for, I embarked on a journey through the mecca of nouveau bar à vins in East London. And that’s when I discovered Joyau. There I was, sipping a beautiful 2020 Maison En Belles Lies Aligoté while trains to Barking rumbled overhead. This place had everything I had been searching for.
Wine bars today are far from the traditional English drinking establishments of the past, where low-quality wine was served to stuffy individuals with flushed faces. The definition of a wine bar can be subjective, but in my opinion, it’s all about the experience. These informal establishments attract a youthful crowd seeking a pre-rave drink or a local hangout spot. They offer extensive selections of low-intervention wines by the glass, and there’s an air of carefree joy that surpasses even the most wine-focused restaurants.
Unlike restaurants, wine bars don’t require bookings or upfront payments, and there are no strict cancellation policies. You can enjoy your drink at your own pace without feeling rushed. During the lockdown, wine bars didn’t resort to selling meal kits because they understand that their true essence cannot be replicated at home. However, I can’t help but fantasize about receiving a care package with a whole paté en croûte, a corkscrew, and a magnum of Ganevat.
As the co-owner of three wine-centric restaurants, it may seem contradictory for me to highlight the advantages of wine bars. But before the idea of Noble Rot evolved into a combination of a wine bar and a restaurant, my partners and I dreamt of emulating the laid-back charm of Parisian establishments like Vivant and L’Avant Comptoir. Vivant, a bar à vins in the 10th arrondissement, was a particular inspiration for us. It had a unique atmosphere with its original art-nouveau tiles, floor-to-ceiling wine fridges, and a lone Japanese chef preparing simple dishes on a single induction hob.
While we couldn’t recreate that exact blueprint in central London due to the allure of larger restaurant sites, echoes of that Parisian charm can be felt in influential wine bars in East London, such as the original Sager + Wilde, P Franco (now 107), Joyau, Cadet, and Hector’s. These places embrace their limitations, employing a small crew with just one chef and focusing on quality ingredients like bread, ferments, shellfish, charcuterie, and cheese.
The assembly of dishes, rather than traditional cooking, is the backbone of many wine bars. During my visit to Joyau, the chef was absent, and the menu was pared down to cheese, saucisson, and rillettes. However, they are also developing a following for a double-carb delight known as potato-and-crème-fraîche pie. This place exemplifies what I’m looking for when it comes to a good glass of wine in London.
Joyau’s wine list is a mix of traditional gems and natural wines from well-known domains. Although wine bars can be found all over the country, I focused my exploration on East London due to the abundance of new openings in recent years. Cadet in Newington Green, co-owned by Beattie & Roberts and charcutier George Jephson, stands out with its communal table and exclusive selection of natural wines. The atmosphere is idyllic, especially when the sun shines through the tall windows. The simple-assembly dishes and Jephson’s charcuterie are complemented by a few cooked options, like pollack with cockles and girolles in a buttery, lardo-infused sauce.
Hector’s in De Beauvoir Town offers a more limited menu but makes up for it with an impressive wine selection and a buzzing atmosphere. While you may only be able to enjoy a gilda or Iberico ham over crisps, the rare finds on their wine list, such as Valentini’s Trebbiano d’Abruzzo and Cécile Tremblay’s Morey-Saint-Denis Tres Girard, make it worth a special trip.
If you’re looking for both fantastic wine and a great dining experience, here are some of my recommendations for wine bars and wine-centric restaurants around the world:
Wonderful Wine Bars of the World:
– Septime La Cave, Rue Basfroi, Paris
– Willi’s Wine Bar, Rue des Petits Champs, Paris
– La Dilettante, Rue du Faubourg Bretonnière, Beaune
– La Maison du Colombier, Rue Charles Cloutier, Beaune
– La Cave Des Voyageurs, Pl Saint-Paul, Lyon
– Angelita, C de la Reina, Madrid
– La Vinya del Senyor, Plaça de Santa Maria, Barcelona
– Bar Brutal, Carrer de la Princesa, Barcelona
– Taberna der Guerrita, C Rubiños, Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Cádiz
– Il Goccetto, Via dei Banchi Vecchi, Rome
– Vinoteca Centro Storico, Via Roma, Serralunga d’Alba, Piedmont
– Enoteca Pitti Gola e Cantina, Piazza de’ Pitti, Florence
– Parcelles, Division Street, New York
Favorite Wine-Centric Restaurants:
– Parcelles, Rue Chapon, Paris
– La Tour d’Argent, Quai de la Tournelle, Paris
– Les Bouteilles, Rue de Bel air, Nantes
– Gribiche, Rue Max Richard, Angers
– Caves Madeleine, Rue du Faubourg Madeleine, Beaune
– Le Soleil, All des Tilleuls, Savigny-lès-Beaune
– Sabi, Rue Jacques-Dalphin, Geneva
– Osteria Le Logge, Via del Porrione, Siena
– Taberna Laredo, Calle del Dr Castelo, Madrid
– Ganbara, C de San Jerónimo, San Sebastián
– The Grill, E 52nd St, New York
– The Four Horsemen, Grand St, Brooklyn, New York
As a wine lover and co-founder of Noble Rot, I hope these recommendations provide you with some exciting options for enjoying great wine and culinary experiences around the world.
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