Heliot Steakhouse
The last couple of months have been trying for me to say the least. I was in need of a lift as much as 32 floor ... Read Feature
Menu
A Whole Bunch Wine Bar sits on Garratt Lane, nearly directly opposite Earlsfield Station. There’s been a wine shop on this location for some time, but it’s only been Whole Bunch for under about 7 months at the time of my visit.
I’d been feeling a bit down and was talked into attending one of the shop’s wine tasting evenings. This was attractive to me because it a) featured wine, b) was only £45, c) featured snacks, d) focused on Greek wine, which I think can be underrated but about which I am pretty ignorant, e) featured wine. With such a compelling list of reasons to attend, the fact that the shop and bar and even the wine tasting were dog-friendly—and so I didn’t need to leave the pooch at home—made it a must-attend.
Arriving slightly after the official start time of 7pm, we grabbed a couple of seats among fellow wine tasters around a large table at the centre of the rear part of the store. Flossie the dog, unusually for her, settled pretty quickly, only wanting attention every 15 minutes instead of 5.
The first wine was already being poured and sampled and was accompanied by the bar owner’s comprehensive description not only of the wine, but the Greek region and even the vineyard that produced it. These details were great for giving background on the particular flavours and character for each individual wine.
The snacks that were provided included a variety of cured meats, a particularly nice sliced cheese, and a Greek-style salad that proved to be a winner, even on a relatively cool late winter’s early spring evening. The wines themselves were all quaffable, though my favourites were the second of the whites, which to me was reminiscent of a Pouilly
Fumé, and the first of the reds, which reminded me of a good Pinot Noir.
Though the glasses were not pub-sized, the mixture by the end of 7 wines was potent. There was a bonus wine provided by Chris Dip WSET of The Wine Tasting Shop in Balham, and I needed to leave whilst I was still confident of getting my dog home. She’s so attached to my former flatmate and companion of the evening that she’d rather stay out with her anyway.
What can I say? I enjoyed the evening; it got me out of my funk. The wines were superb, I felt I learnt something, and the snacks were better than they had any right to be. It’s nice to see such places opening on Garratt Lane, and I hope to return very soon.
https://www.instagram.com/wholebunchsw18/
336 Garratt Lane, Wandsworth.
The last couple of months have been trying for me to say the least. I was in need of a lift as much as 32 floor ... Read Feature
Farine is the latest venture by the coffee gurus behind local chain ‘Press.’ Taking over the premises of what was the ‘Barmouth Kitchen,’ it sits ... Read Feature
The Candlemaker is a rather nice pub buried at the far end of Battersea high street, that I hadn’t visited since before Covid became ... Read Feature
