It is pouring outside. Weather is what one would expect of London, the type of persistent drizzle you see in the movies. During my one and a half years of living in the city, it did not rain more than I was used to in Helsinki. Probably less. However, the humid air really gets under your skin and reaches your bones, so rather often you feel cold and wet even if it’s not raining. Luckily there are several cozy cafes (and wine bars) where one can sneak into to escape the rain. We have made camp at Tap Coffee on Wardour Street. After second breakfast we will make our way deeper into Soho, visit some of our usual caffeine hangouts and continue towards Selfridges to browse the wine department. I am hoping to find a bottle of Wiston Estate sparkling wine to take home. I am slightly hesitant though and will make my decision once I see the price. English sparklings have really taken a price hike since the success of Ridgeview and Nyetimber. Many of the local bubblies are basically priced as if they were Champagne. I am not saying they are not good, but comparing to some of our premium cavas, the English sparklings are seldom value for money. I have been wondering about the price: is it just that the Brits believe so much in their product, or is it due to the cost of production? I can imagine the grape yields being quite low…what do you think?
But what have we been up to this week? We traveled back home from Finland just to jump on the plane taking us to London on Thursday. Friday we visited a new potential producer for our range of wine, London Cru, an urban winery located near West Brompton (btw. their wines were awesome). And since, we have just been eating (and drinking) our way through London’s culinary hot spots: Kitchen W8, Gymkhana, Social Wine and Tapas, just to mention a few. Tonight we will be checking out the newly reopened Ivy. London always has something fresh to offer. But more about specifics later, here is a series of photos from the week:
