It’s been a great month for London when it comes to top-quality eating and drinking hotspot launches around the city – and this opening is a perfect example of just that. 14th February saw Vinoteca expanding South into Borough, the group’s sixth site since its 2005 Farringdon premiere, throwing a superb soiree to showcase some of their best new menu additions and signature dishes.
Vinoteca takes wine as seriously as you’d expect. It is unwavering in its approach to celebrating innovative styles and championing small, independent producers in their quest to create these. But a large part of Vinoteca’s mission is also to make wine more accessible to admirers with potentially more limited experience. It does so through the structure of its menu, with digestible sections and brief descriptions alongside each wine, opening the wonderful door of wine exploration to eager newcomers, and at the same time serving to guide seasoned experts into previously unexplored territory.
One of the menu highlights is Vinoteca’s very own wine, Rodney & The Horse. Its origin from a single vineyard in the Clare Valley, Australia, it produces both a Riesling and a Shiraz, and is a firm customer favourite. The Papegaai White Blend (2020) from Swartland, South Africa is another popular choice (especially if the launch party is anything to go by!), with its spectacular savoury, minerally taste, and aromas of grass and peach. It also illustrates the Vinoteca team’s personal investment in each item on offer - the wine’s producer, Adi Badenhorst, is in fact also a friend of the wine bar.
We don’t know many people who are not a fan of wine. But if this happens to be you, we still think there is a very good reason to make Vinoteca your next stop – and that is the food offering. Channelling the same approach in sourcing ingredients sustainably and seasonally, the wine bar uses local suppliers of Borough Market such as Ginger Pig, Flor, and Neal’s Yard to inspire their regularly changing menus, while underpinning their much-loved seasonal dishes.
There’s bar snacks and small plates on offer, including Creedy Carver Duck Liver Pate with Piccalilli, and Neal’s Yard Cheese Croquettes – a real hit at the launch event. Mains include the signature Grilled Marinated Bavette Steak with Watercress, Horseradish, & Chips, with fish options and plenty of vegan alternatives too. There’s also breakfast and brunch on offer, with a variety of grains, pastries, and egg choices to spoil yourself with.
And there’s a dedicated breakfast wine selection. Enough said.
It’s about simplicity and accessibility, without sacrificing the depth and variety sought after by connoisseurs. It’s about sustainable and creative food, a vibrant atmosphere, and even engaging initiatives such as Monday Cork Club, which enables regulars to pay retail price on wines each Monday. And anybody who has visited a Vinoteca wine bar can vouch that it ticks all of the boxes.
Foodies, wine connoisseurs, and curious Londoners, if you’re looking for a fresh new spot with fine wine and deliciously fresh dishes to enjoy with a swanky wine cellar vibe, this one is for you. You can find Vinoteca Borough at 18 Stoney Street, SE1 9AD, just a stone’s throw away from Borough Market. And you can book a table directly from here. Salute!
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