Vinopolis

A city of wine? I must be dreaming. No, it’s true. Near London Bridge, there is a place where wine lovers can go to taste, sample and enjoy the finest examples of the stuff. I organised a trip there for my birthday a couple of weeks ago.

This place has been associated with wine for hundreds of years – archaeological excavations have shown that the Romans stored wine in the same spot. It’s nice to know that you’re contributing to history. The wine tasting experience starts with a short talk on how to taste wine – taste it properly, that is, not just swallow it like a would-be drunkard.

Large wine glasses
Luckily, not all the glasses were this big

Finally, we were let loose on the wine. The way they do things at Vinopolis is rather clever. You are given an electronic smart card with tokens loaded onto it (the number depends on which package you opted for, but you can buy more at any time). When you find a wine you like, you put the card into a slot, press the button and the wine comes out, automatically taking the cost of the wine from your remaining tokens.

I started with champagne, of course, then worked my way down from white wine to red with fortified and Georgian wines in the middle. I ended with a flourish – absinthe followed by a shot of ‘Bloody Mary’ vodka, which was surprisingly enjoyable.

Friends on mopeds
A little too much wine had been had by this time…

What did I learn? I really don’t like Chardonnay (no surprises there) and I have a new-found love for Madeira. Overall, though, I simply enjoyed the experience, which was a unique and highly entertaining one.

Me and wine
So much wine… no wonder I look happy