Food Review: Vinopolis

REVIEW

Judging by the many reviews of "London's wine and spirit tasting destination", Vinopolis seems to divide its visitors in a similar fashion to Marmite.

After collecting my complicated set of tickets and vouchers - the tour, it turns out is largely an exercise in exchanging tiny pieces of paper for tiny quantities of alcohol - I had little idea what to expect.

First of all, I joined a small crowd of visitors in a miniature mock-amphitheatre for what turned out to be a witty, well-thought-out and informative 20-minute guide to tasting wine.

The American woman who guided us through staring, sniffing and slurping did so with minimum fuss and maximum charisma.

But warning bells began to sound in my brain when the wine we were tasting was revealed as the same French brand plastered all over the walls behind the MC's head.

Although it was reasonably well disguised, there was more than a subtle plug for the company - something that really set the tone for the whole experience.

Vinopolis bills itself as a wine museum and, if you're prepared to pay extra, an audio guide is available.

Without it, the information on offer is limited and unfortunately I wasn't offered one on the way in.

After the "how to taste" lecture, I joined the rest of the crowd on the self-guided tour.

We wandered through a series of rooms filled with wine-related exhibits - bottles in cases and plastic grapes - to the champagne bar, which, it turned out, I didn't have a voucher for.

So I took my tasting glass and carried on.

Eventually, through trial and error (the whole attraction suffers from a lack of signs) I found a bar that would exchange one of my many paper slips for some wine at and received a small helping.

Stingy perhaps, but sufficient to taste. Then came the moment to go back for another wine.

We'd been told, that for environmental reasons, you only get one glass for the whole evening, but that water coolers were dotted all around for cleaning.

This was indeed the case, but hordes of eager tasters had left them surrounded by damp slippery lakes and the murky slops dustbins in front did little to enhance the glamour of the tour.

Information on the wine was limited to description cards on the bottles and variable offerings from the busy bar staff.

In other words, if you really made a fiercely proactive effort it was doubtless possible to learn all kinds of things.

Sadly, the lack of tables and seating was not exactly conducive to relaxation and meditative consideration of the vast range of wines on offer.

In fact, the whole place felt more like an ageing theme park than a serious museum and the constant offer of add-ons, that of course you have to pay extra for, came across as cynical money grabbing.

It's a measure of how seriously the wine tasting is taken that in the main bar area where eveyone collects and tastes their five basic wines, the most pungent aroma is the cheese and salami - tapas designed to snare the wallets of peckish punters.

And if the concept of tasting wine was not diluted enough by the brand ads, the lacklustre spirit tasting area did nothing to clarify Vinopolis' purpose.

In short, it struck me neither as an in-depth temple to the glory of wine nor an opportunity for a few drinks in a pleasant environment.

Avoid the tour, go to one of its bars instead.

OTHER OPTIONS
If you don't fancy the tour itself, Vinopolis offers a number of other options to those who fancy a bite to eat or a refreshing glass of something.

Cantina serves modern Mediterranean dishes alongside a hefty wine list from all around the world.

Brew Wharf is the attraction's microbrewery offering everything from cherry ale to wheat beer.

Blue Bar is perfect for a cocktail with Bombay Sapphire- influenced design.
Wine Wharf offers a selection of over 400 wines hand-picked by the venue's experts.

WHARF VERDICT

Wine 3/5

Ambience 1/5

Service 2/5

Convenience 3/5

Overall 2/5

Vinopolis
1 Bank End,
London,
SE1 9BU.
vinopolis.co.uk
020 7940 8300

GETTING THERE
Hop on the Jubilee line to London Bridge. Then walk down from the station, passing Southwark Cathedral and walk down the road behind Borough Market. Vinopolis is at the end of this road.

WHAT THEY SAY
- I found the whole experience pretty relaxed, loved the tour and the wine tasting vouchers. I learned a lot too before getting a little "jolly".
yelp.co.uk

- Unfortunately I feel Vinopolis represents much of what is wrong with many London attractions today - overpriced, cynical and ill-executed.
tripadvisor.co.uk

- A completely pretentious and boring attraction. You would do better to take the fee, go to Tesco, buy four bottles of good wine.
travel.ciao.co.uk

ALTERNATIVELY - WINE ON THE WHARF
Corney And Barrow
9 Cabot Square, London, E14 4EB
corney-barrow.co.uk
Contemporary wine bar at the heart of the Wharf's drinking scene. Perfect for lunch or evening eating and available for weekend hire.

Nicolas,
One Canada Square, E14 5AX
nicolas.com
Wine bar with excellent shop attached - buy a bottle and then go and drink it in the store. French dishes are also available to slake that hunger.

Plateau,
Canada Place, Canary Wharf
plateaurestaurant.co.uk
Conran-designed restaurant and bars with excellent wine list and a selection of cocktails. Features views of Canada Square Park.