Restaurants with Great Wine Lists in London

This bistro de-luxe is owned by two master sommeliers, so when it comes to wine, expect something suitably special. Their passion is for the wines of Burgundy, and the 1,000 bottle wine list offers over 650 from this cherished jewel of a region. A wine list specialising in burgundy is never going to be cheap but the selection covers many price levels, from AC Bourgogne to the finest Grand Crus, including a roll-call of some of the region’s best producers; if you have a love for burgundy, the most difficult thing here is resisting temptation! For something different, don’t overlook the Bordeaux, Spain and Italy selections as there are some delicious older vintages. If you’re dining in a group, the magnums are well worth considering.

As is worthy of an authentic, proudly-run Spanish restaurant, the list here features over 500 Spanish wines, making it one of the largest selections of Spanish wines in London. Many lesser-known regions such as Cadiz, the Costa Brava, Madrid and Majorca feature, providing the opportunity to try something a little different, and it’s worth keeping an eye out for the monthly changing sommelier recommendations. There’s a strong selection from Ribera del Duero, Priorat and Rioja and be sure to look out for the superb range of vintages of Vega Sicilia Único.

Clos Maggiore is one of the most romantic restaurants in the city thanks to its floral displays and soft fairy lights; and, if your date is also a keen oenophile, then this it's a destination which is sure to make an impression. The cellar boasts over 2,500 wines from more than 20 different countries, and the 100+ page list is a rollcall of the great and the good. The ‘by the glass’ selection is carefully curated, the finer Coravin selection will appeal to enthusiasts and connoisseurs, and there’s also an impressive range of half bottles and magnums. Highlights abound on every page, with a plethora of mature wines; France and Italy deliver the lion’s share, with particularly strong Burgundy and Bordeaux sections, but don’t overlook those from Italy, California and Australia. If spur-of-the-moment decision making isn’t your forte, check out the list online before dining.

HIDE shares the same owner as Hedonism Wines in Mayfair, so expect a very special wine list. You have the option of choosing from either the HIDE cellar selection or the full Hedonism cellar, with any wine delivered within 15 minutes – or even waiting for you at your table if you order in advance. Offering in the region of 10,000 different bottles, including some dating back to the 18th century, there are many iconic wines from top châteaux, producers and growers, as well as niche boutique and ‘garage’ made wines which are rarely seen. With so many options, it’s worth spending time exploring the lists well in advance; it’s little wonder they suggest pre-ordering when you book your table.

La Trompette’s carefully put together list starts off with a superb range of wines by the glass, where the emphasis is firmly on classic wines from the Old World. A strong selection of English sparkling wines shows that it’s not all about champagne and a few ‘Pet Nat’ wines demonstrate that they're on the ball when it comes to current trends. The list has a lovely balance to it, with many lesser-known regions such as Slovenia, Syria and Georgia included and, whilst the Old World might dominate, the New World gets a good showing too – keep an eye out for the Australian and Californian selections. Wines by the half bottle or the magnum provide plenty of flexibility, pricing is fair and, if you wish to bring a special bottle of your own, they offer a generous corkage policy.

There aren’t many restaurants that also produce a wine magazine but Noble Rot successfully does both. From its 40-page list, you could simply stick with the exceptional range of wines available by the glass or 75ml taster, with the Coravin selection listing a large number of mature vintages – including Madeira from as far back as 1934! Highlights of this beautifully curated list come thick and fast, along with informative and entertaining comments which prove you don’t have to take yourself too seriously when it comes to choosing wine. While the emphasis is mainly on wines from the Old World, the New World isn’t completely overlooked; and, as you’d expect from a wine bar named ‘Noble Rot’, dessert wines get an admirable showing.

When a restaurant is named after the hallowed 11.4 hectare estate in Bordeaux that produces one of the most sought after, expensive and rarest wines on the planet, you would quite rightly expect a wine list to match. The list is annotated with useful maps and diagrams and while the bias is towards the great and the good from the Old World, the New World has a fine representation too. Bordeaux is the strength, including a fine showing from the communes of the left bank and, naturally, the wines from Château Pétrus take centre stage – the impressive range of vintages includes wines dating back to 1948, and there’s even the option of ordering by the glass. You’ll need deep pockets to explore the list with complete abandon, however it’s a great read, so be sure to give it more than just a cursory glance.

This bistro-cum-wine shop sources all of its wines from small artisan growers who work sustainably by practising organic or biodynamic viticulture – and these are best described as ‘Terroir’ wines. An ideal introduction to the natural wine movement, Soif’s enthusiasm is clear to see through their esoteric list, so if you don’t know your unfiltered from your unfined, this is a great place to start. Wines by the glass and on tap further enhance their sustainability credentials and pricing is generous too. Jura gets a good showing, as do the ubiquitous orange wines, and many would claim that it perfectly captures the zeitgeist of the current wine scene.

It’s no surprise that Trivet has one of the best wine lists in London. The restaurant is a collaboration between Chef Jonny Lake and former Michelin Sommelier Award winner Isa Bal, with Isa having curated a particularly diverse and esoteric selection of wines. The list itself takes a historical perspective, putting countries in order of when they started making wine. It’s a clever way of pointing out that Georgia, Armenia and Turkey, all lesser-seen and undervalued wine producers, were fermenting grapes long before the likes of France and Italy.