The Wine Parlour (Bar)

Top 10 things you need to know about The Wine Parlour:
 
1) During the early part of spring, there is an excess of bank holidays and a dearth of funds. If you want to travel somewhere exotic, it's likely to be Brixton not Bordeaux.

2) Heading towards The Wine Parlour from Brixton station, the action was definitely striking: yet another inebriated anti-socialite being arrested by police. Brixtonians like living on the edge, don't they?

3) Once I made it into the safe haven of The Wine Parlour, it was as though I had walked into the Parisian district of Montmartre. There were fairy lights hanging from the windows, wine keg tables, dim lighting and plenty of bohemian chatty.

4) With gregarious (almost Parisian) enthusiasm, Mlle Chix was on hand to welcome all new arrivals: finding them seats, recommending wines and showing them around.

5) Mlle Chix imports all her delights exclusively from small, independent producers and the wine list is constantly updated. Soon we had a dark, rich, glass of Vendémia 2011 Malbec in hand, transporting us far, far away from the SW9 disquiet I’d earlier witnessed.

6) We were also recommended a glass of German Spätburgunder 2011 Pinot Noir; the riesling equivalent of the red wine world. It was elegant and velvety, but lighter than its French relative; perfect for food pairing. We felt compelled to match the conversation with a similar level of sophistication.

7) Our evening of refinement was completed with a Plat du Jour: pork and wild boar saucisson, 24-month aged Comte, Marbier, Le Bon Grivois and bleu d'auvergne. The only surprise was that these were sourced from Borough Market and not from somewhere like Fauchon,

8) On the tour of the venue, Mlle Chix mentioned their landlord is Billy Ocean. I was almost expecting the legend himself to turn up with a glorious rendition of European Queen to complete my budget Parisian adventure.

9) For those who are more sophisti-cat than meerkat, there is a private room for wine appreciation masterclasses. It's even WSET certified, if you’re all for proudly hanging certificates on your walls.

10) Avoid the bank holiday rat race to get abroad and instead hunt out little gems like Brixton’s Wine Parlour for that journey into the unknown you've always craved but can't afford....read more