Almost exactly a year on from my last Humble Grape review (go give it a quick read if you haven’t and then hurry back!) I was kindly invited to visit Humble Grape again for a mini wine tasting. Humble Grape is one of my favourite brands, I love everything about it – the ethos, the incredibly friendly and knowledgable staff, the brilliant selection of wines that don’t break the bank, the delicious food, and the beautiful interiors!

Humble Grape started life as a wine importer in 2009, before opening its first permanent wine bar in Battersea Rise in 2015, the following year the Fleet Street branch was open, and there are now five branches across London. As the name would suggest Humble Grape is entirely unpretentious which isn’t often the case with wine bars and is on a mission to remove the snobbery from wine. They champion small family-run wineries, each with their own story to tell but all sustainable and natural.

The Fleet Street wine bar has a really special feel to it, set in the original crypts tucked away below St Bride’s Church down a cobbled passage just off Fleet Street. The history geek in me totally nerded out when the lovely GM Gary showed us the beautiful original arches towards the back of the cavernous bar.

The gorgeous interiors create a really warming ambiance with natural wooden tables, dimly lit by a mix of stunning contemporary light fixtures that I was totally obsessed with, the walls either a dark wood paneling, exposed brick, cork or covered in shelves of wine bottles. Like the Canary Wharf bar, the centre of the room is commanded by a striking banquette – the one in Canary Wharf is a dark dusty pink, but here it was a beautiful bluey-teal that added a lovely accent to the room.

I have already mentioned how much I love the ethos behind Humble Grape, and the reason why is perfectly summed up by the theme of October’s wine tasting. The theme was all about supporting winemakers who had recently faced challenging times – the result was two wines from South Africa and two wines from Oregon. South African winemakers suffered recently when the South African government imposed an alcohol ban during lockdown earlier this year, whilst winemakers in Oregon were hit by devastating wildfires. This simple act of supporting small winemakers through times of adversity just perfectly speaks to the ethos of Humble Grape.

The first wine we sampled was a South African Chenin Blanc (in my mind you can’t really go wrong) from Stellenbosch. Fun little fact (a fact anyway) is that my dad grew up in South Africa so I’ve been a few times to visit my family there, and have visited Stellenbosche and the surrounding areas, even though I was really young I remember it being so stunning with the mountains in the background. See below for questionable outfits and poses…

Anyway, back to the wine! The 2019 Noble Savage Chenin Blanc we tasted was from the vineyards owned by the Jordaan Family since 1953. Michael and Rose Jordaan’s 28-hectare farm is set on the dramatic slopes of Botmaskop overlooking the beautiful Banhoek Valley in Stellenbosch, as our tasting sheet says ‘Google it: if you want to feel disappointed in the view from your own front window’. I am no wine expert and I don’t pretend to be so I will just regurgitate the tasting notes Humble Grape kindly supplied: Honeydew melon, passion fruit, and baked apple tart, the wine was dry, slightly acidic, and easy to drink, going really well with the cheeseboard we ordered…but on to that later!

The second wine we tasted was another white wine this time from Oregon, a 2017 Domaine Trouvere Viognier from the Rogue Valley. Domaine Trouvere is the sister label of Lange Estate Winery, created by the founders Don, Jesse, and Wendy Lange to focus on small-lot wines. This wine was refreshing and clean with notes of citrus (again referring to the tasting sheet) and was possibly my favourite of the two whites. Chenin Blanc and Viognier are two of my favourite white wines so this wine tasting was right up my street.

When it comes to wine, red wine will always have my heart – in my opinion, it’s the closest thing to a hug! In the winter my ideal evening is to be sat under a cosy throw in front of a roaring fire with a glass of a smooth full-bodied red and probably a smelly candle and either cheese or chocolate or both! The first red wine we sampled was a 2018 Pinot Noir from the Lange Valley Estate again, it was wonderfully smooth and dry with tasting notes of fresh cherry, dark fruits, smoke, and vanilla. I would say that this is my favourite wine of the ones we tried this time.

The last wine of our four-wine mini wine tasting was a red wine blend delightfully named Mystical Corner, by the equally delightfully named Rainbow’s End from Stellenbosch again. This wine comes from a tiny estate high up the mountain in Stellenbosch owned by the Malan family. The wine blend consists of 66% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Malbec, 8% Petit Verdot, 6% Shiraz, and has tasting notes of (again referring to my trusty Humble Grape tasting sheet for this one) ripe fruit, forest floor (eh?), blackcurrants, mint, and eucalyptus. Okay so for me this is a little too technical but basically, it was full-bodied and slightly spicy with higher tannins than the Pinot Noir.

To go with our mini wine tasting we decided to get a cheese and charcuterie board (I know, I’m jealous of me too). Humble Grape has a build your own cheese and charcuterie board where you can choose from a selection of cheese and meats for £4.25 each or choose a selection of six for £25 (which is what we went for). The cheese and charcuterie boards come with a tasty chutney, beautifully charred sourdough bread and pickled caper berries.

So we chose four cheeses and two meats. The first cheese we selected was a Truffle Gloucester which is a hard cow’s cheese with a delicious taste of truffle through it. Next, we tried the Cashel Blue which was my favourite cheese of the ones we tried, a semi-soft blue cow’s cheese which wasn’t too strong and went really well with the wines we were tasting. Also on our DIY cheese board was a Stinking Bishop, this was the only cheese that I didn’t enjoy as it really did live up to its name and was a bit too pungent for me. The last of the four cheeses was ‘Finn’ a soft cow’s cheese which I really enjoyed.

For the two meats we selected Proscuitto Crudo which was so so tasty, and a Wagyu Salami which was really delicate and delicious – I would definitely get both of these again.

At the moment you can still pick up your favourite wines from their Battersea, Islington and Canary Wharf branches every day 12pm-8pm, or you can order them online here, time to stock up for Christmas – who’s excited?