© 2013-2017 The Riviera Grapevine All Rights Reserved -- Copyright notice by Blog CopyrightBest wine bars in London Whether you want rustic bistros or the best in upscale drinking, David Ellis has found the capital's top spots for a glass of the good stuff Tuesday 22 September 2015 08:40 BST London's best wine bars There's an old joke that justifies the love of wine: nobody ever came up with a brilliant idea after their second bottle of water. And wine drinking, like any upstanding pastime, requires a little practice. Fortunately, London is pleasingly rammed with decent bars all honouring the grape's greatest achievement (a moth turning into a butterfly has nothing on this humble fruit transforming into a bottle of Chateauneuf du Pape.) The city is even producing its own stuff, as Gavin Monery from London Cru explains in the video below. The idea of a wine bar has a little stigma attached, but fortunately, old-fashioned sommeliers with intimidating moustaches and dismissive glances have long been banished from the best of London's wine hotspots.

The idea of small, snobby rooms can be thrown out like the sediment in an old bottle – wine drinking in London is meant to be fun, not an extended lecture. Whether a quiet night savouring a modest fifteen glasses of white with a friend is on the cards or a celebratory evening of champagne is required, London caters for all. Our list includes old-fashioned bistros, one of the finest restaurants in town, a modern spin on things and true a London institution. Explore, be merry, learn a little, and raise a glass to good health. Follow David Ellis on Twitter @dvh_ellis Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout Things to do in LondonLike any Frenchman worth his sel, my French host dad loves wine. On any given night we might be uncorking a 1997 Côtes du Rhône or pulling an award-winning Rioja out of the cave à vin. And as someone who once felt that yellow tail was a splurge, I'm not sure I deserve all of this well-aged goodness. But thanks to my host dad I really have gotten a wine education this year, and have learned a lot about wine pairings, varietals and growing regions. 

So without further ado, here is what I have learned about wine after a year in France. 1. White wine is better with cheese. In fact, never drink red wine with cheese. 2. When it comes to wine pairings, it's best to choose a wine that comes from the same region as the dish. For example, if you are cooking a boeuf bourguignon, which comes from Burgundy, pair the dish with a Burgundy wine. 3. When pairing a wine, consider the dish's sauce- if it's a white sauce, like blanquette de veau, pair it with a white wine. If the dish has a dark sauce, pair it with a red wine. A rooster dish that I braised in Côtes du Rhône. So for the meal I served it with… the same Côtes du Rhône. 4. If wine is used in the dish, serve the same wine alongside it. 5. Wine and chocolate do NOT go together, contrary to common belief. Map of the principal wine regions in France, source 6. The top five wine regions in France, in terms of quality, are traditionally Bordeaux, Champagne, Burgundy, the Loire Valley and the Rhône Valley.

7. There is such a thing as white burgundy by the way, and it's delicious. 8. Wine qualifications are extremely complicated, but as a rule of thumb grand cru is a qualification for the best-quality wines in the region. best wine locations in californiaIn most regions premier cru is one ranking below grand cru. red wine dry lips(Both of which fall into the category of wines I definitely can't afford.)best cheap wine ireland 9. French wine is much cheaper than American wine because it's not taxed to death. buy wine selectionYou can buy a passable bottle of wine here for 2 or 3 euros, and a great one for less than 10.best france wine regions

10. Wine, baguettes and cheese are all completely reasonable pre-gaming selections. In France we rarely pre-drink with beer because wine is worlds cheaper.wine shop hong kong online 11. Only sparkling wine that comes from Champagne, the wine region, should be called champagne. Random fact- French people often refer to champagne as “champ.” 12. On the third Thursday of November the year's supply of Beaujolais Nouveau is released to great fanfare. And even though it's sold everywhere on that Thursday, no one actually thinks Beaujolais Noveau is a high-quality wine because it's young and inexpensive. (It's good enough for me though!) 13. Serious winos know which years were good wine years by heart. Apparently 2005 was a good wine year, for example. 14. If a French person asks you if you'd like a glass of wine, say “volontiers”, not “bien sûr.” In this context bien sûr means, “obviously”, as in, “Obviously I want some wine, don't you know I drink allll the time?”

P.S. I learned this the hard way. 15. Terroir is the unique combination of natural factors that affect a wine or food product: soil, rock, altitude, sun, etc. Even in the same area, no two vineyards have exactly the same terroir. As Wikipedia wisely states, “In other words: when the same grape variety is planted in different regions, it can produce wines that are significantly different from each other.” I love that this is such a French concept that there isn't even a word for it in the English language. My French Wine Region Cheat Sheet (also known as French Wine for Dummies): Alsace: Lots of crisp white wines like Riesling, Gewürztraminer, Pinot gris and Pinot blanc, and sweet white wine like Muscat. Armagnac: Where Armagnac comes from, a brandy I like to use for flambé-ing. Bordeaux: Very high-quality wines, mostly red. The red wines produced are usually blended, from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and sometimes Cabernet Franc. Bourgogne (Burgundy): Very high-quality wines, lots of grand cru, both red and wine produced.