Can wine school teach me to talk like a sommelier? Wine Could a day spent learning to tell your Pinots from your plonks at London’s WSET turn the average wine-lover into a bona fide wine connoisseur? Carys Sharkey finds out The UK’s wine sector is going through a period of chop and change. The UK is still the second largest importer of wine in the world, [...]
The four best wines to try this Sober October Life&Style If you It is Sober October so whether you are off booze for good, taking a break or just watching your weekly glasses, here are some of the best bottles I have been trying this month. Saicho Sparkling Tea Hojicha (£20, Majestic). The first whiff is earthy green tea opening up to seaweed and smoke. [...]
‘Bankers are people too’: Inside tongue-in-cheek bar The Pregnant Man Life&Style The Pregnant Man is celebrating a decade this January. But there may well be celebrations before their birthday as they are one of the finalists for the Best Bar gong at our Toast the City Awards. As a judge, I find it impressive and heartening to find so many original, diverse places to grab a [...]
Dave’s Wine Bar: Why I think it’s a Toast the City star September 10, 2026 Dave’s Wine Bar is one of our Toast the City finalists. Libby Brodie visits to find out what makes it such a special drinking den Dave’s Wine Bar is tucked up St James Passage, a handily central space for a glass of great wine in the City. Named for David Howden, the CEO of Howden [...]
Two of my favourite hotels for celebrating English wine September 2, 2026 While English wine tourism continues to blossom, not every vineyard has its own accommodation. These places offer luxury lovers somewhere to stay while indulging in local wines. Chilston Park HotelAn historic estate of over 900 years, this Grade I listed, red brick country house hotel comes with 77 acres of parkland and a private lake. [...]
Wine to buy this week: The very best Pinot Noir on the shelves August 27, 2026 Last week it was Pinot Noir Day and, though I am sorry not to have forewarned you, I can reassure you that I thoroughly celebrated and am able to recommend the best to buy right now. Pinot Noir is known as the ‘Heartbreak Grape’. It is stubborn, unpredictable, sensitive and tantrum-inducingly difficult to grow. Yet [...]
We take a food and drink Odyssey through the Square Mile August 17, 2026 As voting for the Toast the City Awards enters its final week, we sent our wine columnist Libby Brodie on a wine Odyssey through the City’s finest bars and restaurants. Vote for your favourites on our website here. As The Odyssey continues to smash records – it’s now Christopher Nolan’s highest ever grossing film – [...]
A tribute to wine legend Matthew Jukes by his friend Libby Brodie August 7, 2026 The wine writer and entrepreneur Matthew Jukes died suddenly this week aged just 58 years old. Our wine writer and his close friend Libby Brodie remembers a legend of the wine industry and beyond Matthew Jukes was one of the very best people I met in my career in wine. Scratch that, he was one [...]
Humble Grape is a wine bar like no other: Here’s its origin story August 4, 2026 Is a bar only as good as its origin story? The calibre of the drinks and service are of, of course, of vital importance but it’s the mythos of a place that gives it that je nais se quoi. Humble Grape, one of our Toast the City Awards 2026 Finalists, has one of the best [...]
For Albarino in the City, head to Humble Grape July 29, 2026 Not satisfied with one isolated national grape day, Albarino (or Alvarinho in Portugal) is about to kick off a week’s worth of celebrations from 1 August. This annual event began in the 1950s in Spain as a wine-tasting competition between local winemakers and was later made official, spreading internationally to highlight what makes this grape [...]