14 Best London wine tasting tours

If you love wine, and you’ve got a significant other with a head for heights, book a table for two at Skylon. Enjoy five tastings and you won‘t go hungry as there will be posh snacks to nibble on. Cheers.

Best for panoramic views

The more mature palate will certainly appreciate a trip to this family-run wine merchant with its ancient cellars and full-bodied bottles. Yes, a tasting here might cost you the equivalent of a weekend in France – but the wine is more than worth it. 

Best for chablis and sake selections 

This family-run wine bar in Farringdon is a cosy little spot in the middle of all the central London madness. The family running it also own a boutique vineyard in the South of France, Château De La Cômbe, so they really know their stuff. They have a small, refined menu, with nice cheese and meats to pair them with, and upstairs there’s a traditional wine-tasting room where they run a ton of wine-tasting events to get involved in. 

Best for a cosy urban backdrop

If cheese on a barge sounds like a bit of you, then you've got to head down to Paddington Basin for this unique floating experience. Designed to be enjoyed by two to four people, this afternoon of melt-in-the-mouth British curds has been paired to perfection with a delicious selection of wines to wash it all down. Expect brie, driftwood goat's cheese, orange wine, sweet wine and more.

Best for a relaxed summer afternoon

Since 1993, the London Wine Academy has offered a range of courses taught by qualified tutors – including Masters of Wine, buyers and sommeliers. As well as one-day workshops focused on a particular grape or region, there are evening classes and events dedicated to food pairing, such as wine and cheese tastings and a Spanish wine and tapas masterclass.

Best for expert masterclasses 

Wine retailing runs in the bloodstreams of the two families that own Bedales, and while the bar will admit to favouring Italian and French wines, it stocks and has tastings of wines from around the world, including those harder-to-find wines that you might not be able to source yourself. Whether you're after something more intimate or a large-scale gathering, they can accommodate. Choose from self-guided, private or virtual wine tasting. 

Best for Sommelier-guided private tastings

Lots of winemakers are going au naturel, and this atmospheric independent wine bar is the perfect place to find out why. Join owner John Baum to taste his handpicked selection of intriguing organic and biodynamic wines, all set in a romantic candlelit cavern underneath the Holborn Viaduct.

Best for: a romantic vaulted setting

The independent wine supplier Roberson has a wine school in its Kensington shop.

Image ©Joel Knight

Best for 

The strap line is ‘try before you buy’, which is one we can definitely get behind. Taste your way around the world through seven types of wine, or splash out on the shop’s home-grown champagne.

Best for ambient, local vibes

Treat your taste buds to a gastronomic feast, which will show you how to match the best food with the best booze. Upcoming workshops include an introduction to wine and cheese and wine pairings.

Best for affordable expert-level courses and certification

Get your wine fix in this aptly named wine store. Hedonism really does offer a high-end wine-tasting experience. The wine tastings often sell out so you’ve got to be quick if you want to be sipping some seriously good wine come 7pm.

Best for value for money

Keep putting off learning a new skill? It’s never too late to start, and we don’t know why it‘s taken you so long when there’s booze involved. This course manages to get the balance right between consuming information and consuming wine. So, now you can say a glass of vino has got great legs with conviction.

Best for an immersive dining expereince

The WSET is a worldwide organisation providing high-quality training and qualifications for professionals working in the wine and spirit and hospitality trades, but their introductory and advanced courses are popular with amateur enthusiasts too. Its informal 'Wine Enthusiast' events often focus on a particular region or style.

Best for in-depth training

We don't know if you could tell by the name, but these lot are pretty cool. Originally opening their doors back in 2013, they're London's first urban winery, and despite being housed in a Victorian Warehouse, are all about innovating the production of wine which makes for some tasty grapes. Throughout the year they offer a selection of winery tours from £28, which, is a pretty decent price for an evening in London. Though, if you're up for the challenge, you can become a winemaker for a day. You'll be learning everything from grape structure to benchmarking acidity, alcohol, sugars and tannins. That's all the bragging rights sorted for your next BYOB. 

Best for a dynamic tasting expereince

This list (hotly debated within the Time Out office on a regular basis) is a good place to start