You know you’re getting older when you’d rather swap the Jäger Bomb for a bottle of full bodied, high tannin red. But if this is what getting old feels like, I just can’t understand why people want to stay young. Have you never tried a bottle of Chateau Musar???

Ok, I realise you might not have, but rather than wax lyrical about one of my favourite ever wines (I’ll save that for another time), I’m here to tell you about one of my favourite London wine shops.

I stumbled upon the first wine Bottles & Battles wine shop when I moved into my new flat a couple of months ago. My boyfriend and I were hungry and had a little break from box lugging to fill our tummies. Not only were we able to pick up some delicious grub, but also an amazing bottle of vino from an unexpected wine shop nestled deep into the inside area.

I reckon we have spent £100s between us over the last couple of months – we just can’t stay away! So when the invite popped into my inbox to attend the launch party for the second venue (this time they have dropped the word Battles), which is situated in Spitalfields market, we couldn’t say no.

I recognised the venue, as it was once home to another of my favourite London wine shops and where I held my birthday party last year, Vagabond. And it was interesting to see Vagabond’s self service machines having been replaced by BOTTLES’ signature rustic wooden crates.

As well as some of the fantastic wine available to sample by the glass, we were treated to a range of dishes available, prepared by Sood Kitchen. We tried the cured meat board (my boyfriend exclaiming it was the best he’d ever had), along with tottelloni, clams and broccoli; beef fillet carpaccio, pickled cucumber, tropea onion and nasturtium leaves; and my personal favourite – the Burratina in tomato elixir. Very impressive stuff indeed.

But the most important part of the night was (obviously) the wine itself. And I was very pleased to see three glasses on the menu that I had never tried before. First up, we went for the Prosecco Malibran Sottoriva – a natural Prosecco with a second fermentation taking place in the bottle. A cloudy, but amazingly fresh flavour. Not your usual Prosecco, but I absolutely prefer it to the tripe you get in the supermarket.

We followed with the white – Grillo Grillo Antonio Caravaglio IGT 2005. 100% Grillo, which is a white grape popular in Sicilian wine making, is a varietal I seem to have missed on my wine tasting journey so far. But it ain’t getting away so easily – I’ll be back to try more of this organic, vegan and sugar free vibrant white.

Last, but not least, my absolute favourite of the evening. I’m a red wine girl at heart – if I got locked away on a desert island with only a lifetime supply of this to entertain me, I’d be perfectly happy with that. The red in question is the Rosso Della Motta Centovigne 2016 from Piedmont. This 80% Nebbiolo, 20% Vespolina & Uva Rara is a light and very summery red. It went so so so well with the meat platter and tasted even better after the first glass.

What I love about this place is that it can sometimes be daunting entering into a wine bar with little to no knowledge. This is a place for everyone – if you want to ask the staff a few questions, they’ll be able to solidly answer, without making you feel like you should have known. It’s the wine, but without the w*****y. I heart you, BOTTLES

BOTTLES
67 Brushfield Street
London
E1 6AA