We visited Terroirs, the wine bar in London’s Charing Cross that specialises in natural wines, last weekend. The term natural wines is enough to send at least one member of our wine club into a flat spin, but I loved the selection of unusual wines that Terroirs offers by the glass. Most of the list is by the bottle, but we went there to try (and share) as many wines by the glass as we reasonably could without falling over.
Essentially, natural wines are made without adding anything (or at least very little) chemical during the wine making process. Natural wines are are all organic and some are biodynamic as well. That means they’re often cloudy which can put some people off. Growing them is very labour intensive and they’re usually fermented with wild yeast.
Terroirs has a great selection of natural wines by the glass, including a really unusual Italian sparkling Chardonnay from Lombardy in Italy. It’s made in the style of Prosecco but tastes (and looks) completely different – lovely and full bodied and slightly appley, and so cloudy you can’t see through it at all. I also tried a sparkling rose – a blend of Zweigelt and Cabernet Sauvignon from Kamtal in Austria, that tasted of strawberries and was also completely cloudy. Both had tiny bubbles and more of a prickle than a fizz, and both were delicious.
I think we pretty well worked our way through the wines by the glass and tried some really interesting wines. There is more to Terroirs than just wine though – the menu has a short but great selection of food including sharing boards of cheese and charcuterie, and a buzzy atmosphere. Service was efficient and helpful. All in all, a very pleasant way to spend the evening.
And the best bit? No hangover the next day.
