Tue 15 March 2016 Wine-U-Cation These days, we’ve gone way beyond knowing the difference between a Sauv Blanc and Chardonnay. In fact, orange is the new white wine, new regions are trending (Slovenian wine, anyone?), we’re on the wait list for private member’s wine clubs and the hot tickets in town are to wine-u-cation dinners. And, we’re not talking stiff upper lip events – they’re fun and boozy – just the way we like it. We start with wine bars. It’s no longer just about red, white and fizz. From Naughty Piglets in Brixton and The Antidote in Soho to The Remedy Bar in Fitzrovia, big brand names are crass, lesser-known regions are king and organic is ideal. And it’s gone mass. Case in point: Le Pain Quotidian has just opened Le Botaniste in New York, their first all-organic wine bar. Our wine events and tastings have also forgone the blockbuster vintages and regions, favouring instead the experimental and organic. Next Wednesday, St John is hosting an informal Loire tasting – the home of natural wine – for only £20pp a head. And, come April, our favourite wino Tom ‘Winechap’ Harrow is set to take our taste buds to Slovenia to explore the cellars of Maribor. As for buying bottles? We’ve tasted our way out of the supermarket thanks to Ruth Spivey’s Wine Car Boot Sale, are well red (sorry!) thanks to our trusty Vivino wine app and we’re always looking to Honest Grapes for fun tastings and events to learn about and stock up on new and interesting plonk. Want to quench your thirst for wine knowledge once and for all? Get on the waitlist for 67 Pall Mall. London’s first dedicated member’s wine bar, where you can choose a glass from over 5000 bottles, with the help of super sommelier Ronan Sayburn. Not in the market for another membership? Then try (try being the operative word, it’s always booked!) for a table at Noble Rot. If you can’t get a table, cosy up at the bar and work your way through their carefully curated wine list instead. Wine not? BY CS Calendar Picks This Week’s Picks DRINK DON’T MISS BOOK TRY MEATcasita. For one night only, MEATmission will be taking over our favourite tequila funhouse, Casita. 5A Ravey Street, EC2A 4QW. March 16. Santo Remedio’s soft launch. The new Mexican restaurant specialising in the lesser-know regional classics. 50% off food between March 18-19. 22 Rivington Street, EC2A 3DY Tickets to the ‘Disco Tropics’ party at Bloomsbury Ballroom, featuring Guy Gerber. £20. Victoria House , Bloomsbury Square, WC1B 4DA. April 9. Maatcha Udon at Ichiryu. From £6.50. 84 New Oxford Street, WC1A 1HB Darkroom + Crow Canyon Throwing Shapes Sponsored Listing If there’s one thing we love, it’s fancy crockery. So this collection – a unique collaboration with San Francisco enamelware brand Crow Canyon, and Darkroom – definitely speaks to us. Utilising a new way to work with traditional material, the hand-dipped, graphic tableware celebrates its idiosyncrasies, ensuring that each piece is completely unique. We say, it’s time to throw a dinner party. Monochrome at the ready. Available in a functional range of mugs, beakers, plates and bowls, each piece complements its culinary contents perfectly! Shop online now at darkroomlondon.com LIKE SHARE FORWARD PREVIOUS EDITION (c) 2016 Urban Junkies. All rights reserved. Reproductions of any portion of this website only with our express permission. Urban Junkies is a free weekly mailer. All listings and features are editorial: We do not receive any payment from venues, artists or promoters. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy of information listed but we cannot accept responsibility for errors or omissions.