Coming back to London after almost twenty years was surreal. The city I once knew feels transformed: the East End is now polished and posh, Hackney has been completely gentrified, ( used to be the but of jokes , you wouldn’t really want to vivit it unless you knew someone there, and South London has found its identity as the hip corner of town. Walking around, it’s hard to believe just how many restaurants, shops, and bars now line the streets. Honestly, do we even need that many?

This time, I based myself in Soho. It was perfect—no need to trek across the city. You can simply stroll, eat, drink, and consume to your heart’s content within a few blocks.

But the real purpose of the trip wasn’t sightseeing. I was here for the inaugural Pour Choices wine fair at the Corner Café in Tate Modern. A fantastic location, easy to reach—though my arrival was dramatic. London was in partial lockdown thanks to a far-right march and counter-protest by Antifa. The whole Embankment felt bizarrely tense. What struck me most was how odd the outrage felt: London today is one of the most diverse cities I’ve been to in years. Compared to much of Europe, the protests felt detached from reality, especially in the economic heart of the city.

The Fair: English & Welsh Wines Step Up

What a Coup getting to hold an event in the Tate Modern , The cafes has stunning views across the Thames to St Pauls , Unlike traditional wine fairs, Pour Choices had a more relaxed system: you received a set of tickets and simply exchanged one with a winemaker for a glass. No endless queues, no crowding around spittoons—just a steady flow of conversation and tasting.

Highlights from the Tastings

Black Book Winery (North London)

Organic grapes from Enfield , ( yes from North London ) —10 acres of Bacchus giving citrus, pepper, and a lovely textured finish.
2022 Chardonnay from Essex: fermented for a year, crunchy and alive, pressed whole bunch. English Chardonnay is definitely having a moment.
Pinot Meunier and field blends showed finesse and freshness.

Margate Wine (Kent)

First year, just 200 bottles—a real garage wine. Grapes came from Walton Farm.
Plans to expand with Traverse Collective in Margate. Their DIY spirit is fantastic: vans to Naples for tanks, barrels from Burgundy, presses from Piedmont. Next year, they’re scaling to 2,000 bottles.

One Another Wine (Gloucestershire)

100% Bacchus, macerated for 12 hours, very light with no tannin. Just 600 bottles. Early harvest due to weather shifts; lower sugar, but well balanced.

Codes Farm (East Sussex)

Traditionally sold grapes but now making their own low-intervention wines. Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Pinot Meunier on 25-year-old vines.
Standouts included a crunchy Chardonnay that went through malo and a gorgeous rosé Pinot Noir with just 24 hours of maceration—foot-pressed, steel-fermented, and fresh.

Titch Hill (coastal site)

Recently planted 20 acres; harvests begin next year.
Bacchus-Chardonnay orange wine and a fizzy Pinot-led pét-nat showed how playful English producers are becoming.

Ham Street (Kent)

A 60% Chardonnay / 40% Bacchus blend, with part macerated for a week—aromatic, vibrant, and beautifully made.

Natalia & Phil Harris (Westfield, near Hastings)

Planted in 2019, certified organic by the Soil Association.
Focused on natural winemaking: no tilling, hedgerows for protection, wild yeasts, and fermentations in concrete eggs.
Their Col Fondo (sparkling) stood out despite 2024 being a tough year weather-wise.

Kiln Soho

I’d heard a lot about this place, and since I love real Thai food — and it happened to be just around the corner — I had to try it. You queue outside (or inside against the wall), and while you wait you can grab a drink and are handed the day’s menu, which changes constantly depending on seasonality.

The smell alone was incredible: charcoal smoke mixed with freshly grated kaffir lime zest — absolutely heavenly, one of the best smells in the world.

There’s a great selection of natural wines, though I went for beer — it’s Thai after all, and you need something to quench the heat. The menu is small and ever-changing, the atmosphere casual with hip-hop tunes playing, and the waitstaff are excellent and genuinely charming.

The food is unbelievable: authentic yet modern, using local ingredients at the same time. A great night out overall. You’ll likely have to queue for a seat, but this place isn’t faddish hype — it’s far too good for that.

They also have a sister restaurant: a Southern Thai BBQ joint in Shoreditch called Smoking Goat. Upstairs is another natural wine restaurant.

Ducksoup

I had a lovely evening at the natural wine bistro Ducksoup in Soho — a charming little spot where you can sit at the bar to eat, or head downstairs, where a tasting masterclass was taking place.

This place has one of the best selections of hand-picked natural wines in London. The owner, Beatrice, is constantly travelling around France tasting and sourcing wines for the list.

The menu is light and changes daily, the service is relaxed, and the overall vibe is effortlessly cool — without being expensive. I started with an Americano made with Bergamot vermouth, which was excellent.

Lovely warm bread with whipped butter set the tone — it’s the small things that make a restaurant special.

Tasting at Newcomer Wines.. Luckily enough managed to blag my way into the tasting at Newcomer wines in the lovely Elsa Restaurant in Marlebone.

managed by chance to end up at a tasting from Newcomer wines based in London.. Great selection of wine from Austria , Czech and France including allocation from Bastien Wolber..