To your good health this festive season

Bottle Apostle’s general manager, Tom Jarvis

Question: What is the most popular wine drunk in UK restaurants? Answer: The second most expensive one on the menu. Boom Boom. Okay, that might be a joke, but it’s probably not far from the truth.

We’re drinking more wine than ever according to the industry body Vinexpo, the UK is the world’s largest importer of wine. But there’s more than a sneaking suspicion that our choices are dictated by what’s on offer in the local supermarket.

For those who know their Claret from their Beaujolais, or want to know the difference, the Bottle Apostle wine shop in Victoria Park Village might well become your retailer of choice.

On entering the shop, the first thing you notice is that there are indeed superb wines to buy. And lots of them. Bottle Apostle stocks an international assortment of wines ranging from around £6 upwards (if you have £500 spare, you can have a bottle of something particularly special). The portfolio is updated with about forty new varieties every month, some of which are exclusive to the shop.

Its sampling facilities are similarly impressive, with two self-service Tasting Enomatics that allow you to sample up to 32 different wines. Although somewhat exotic-sounding, the Enomatics really are easy to use, and you just top up a smartcard with credit and then you can taste at your leisure. So far, so good.

But can an unrefined palate used to a diet of cheap plonk ever find a wine to adore? General manager Tom Jarvis thinks so. “To appreciate wine, you only need to be able to taste two glasses and know that they’re different”.

And Tom knows what he’s talking about. Professionally-trained, he has taught wine appreciation for several years and is a member of the Association of Wine Educators. He genuinely does like discussing wine, and is happy to answer any questions (tip: when a waiter asks if you want to taste the wine, a simple sniff should be sufficient to decide whether it’s corked).

Aside from the sampling and the selling, Bottle Apostle also hosts regular tasting events on particular topics as well as being available for private parties. One such event, Barolo and Beyond: The Nebbiolo Grape in Focus, attracted a group of very mixed ability to sample and learn about the red grape variety predominantly associated with the Piedmont region in Italy.

Like all the other tastings, the event was led by Tom in the shop’s intimate basement cellar. In addition to explaining the background and theory behind the grape, he also encouraged the participants to describe the various flavours they could taste in the different samples. Although there were a few keen beans who had clearly attended such events before, the laid back atmosphere did mean that you could just sit back, relax and enjoy.

Fittingly, the events leave you better placed to access the wines that you love. As Tom notes, “they allow you to define what you do or don’t like, and describe it to help you buy what you really want”.

Bottle Apostle
95 Lauriston Road
Victoria Park Village
London E9 7HJ
020 8985 1549

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