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Vinopolis The London Wine Center
estled under brick arches vision. When asked if the mission
that support the Victorian of Vinopolis was to educate the
railroad, lies Vinopolis public about wine, Tom responded
just yards away from the newly that the mission is to educate
constructed Shakespeare’s Globe with a small “e.” Education
Theatre in the London area of occurs through a very relaxed
Southwark. Latin aptly names atmosphere. Tom stated that the
Vinopolis. The Romans once public learns through enjoyment.
settled this area of London south As a result, Vinopolis employees
of the Thames River. Vinopolis do not use sophisticated wine
means vine city. Now it has come vocabulary. They are very
to mean wine center. The center knowledgeable about the wine they
opened in 1999 in what use to be have to offer for tasting and
a warehouse. The South-eastern answer all your questions.
Railroad Company built the
original structure in 1866. A visitor to Vinopolis can choose
among a series of tours. Each
As you wander the rooms of tour includes a walk through
Vinopolis, you see the graceful rooms that focus on wines from
arches and brick vaulted different parts of the world. In
ceilings. Extensive work these rooms one finds displays of
transformed the long tunnels into artifacts, videos and images.
a series of rooms that house the Each tour also comes with a
displays, artifacts, images and number of tickets to use for
videos. Other rooms are available tasting wines. The Original Tour
for special events. offers five regular wine tastings
and a Bombay Sapphire Cocktail.
Tom Forrest, the Tour Development Other wine tours include a “How
Manager, spoke with us about the to Taste Wine” session and
history of Vinopolis and its additional wine, beer, whisky,
champagne, or absinthe tastings. France.
A visitor can also use an audio
guide. At different locations We stopped for a twenty-minute
along the tour, a number session on how to taste wine. Our
signifies a number to type onto presenter offered each
the playback device and you can participant a glass of white
hear a narrative about what is on wine. We sat in a comfortable
display. The tour is self-paced. small amphitheatre. He
One can read as many of the demonstrated how not to taste
display descriptions as they wine by quickly glancing at the
choose. wine, taking a quick smell and
drinking all of it at once. We
The tour began with displays that noted that he spat out the wine
show that Georgia, an area each time he demonstrated how to
surrounded by Russia, the Black taste it. He then proceeded to
Sea, Turkey, Armenia, and demonstrate how to look, smell
Azerbaijan was the cradle of and taste a wine. He gave us
wine. Archeological evidence plenty of time to follow his
points out that viniculture took directions and asked us what we
place in Georgia about 6000 BC thought after each step. This
with more than 500 grape session was very low keyed and
varietals. An antique kvevri, entertaining. Throughout the rest
once used to ferment wines, is on of the tour, we noticed that many
display. These 300-500 decalitre other people were swirling their
jugs would have been buried in wines and smelling the wines.
the ground up to near the top in
order to control temperature. The tour continued self-paced
Next, one travels through through displays on Burgundy,
displays of the importance of France and Germany. Visitors then
Bordeaux and Rhone areas of approach the first tasting table
where they can choose wines from available. We tasted the Summer
different countries to taste. The Sapphire which consisted of 25 ml
wine consultants are very of Bombay Sapphire, 15 ml of
knowledgeable and helpful. If you vanilla syrup and some pineapple
do not know what to taste, they juice and the Bombay Berry
will ask several questions to cocktail which consisted of 25 ml
determine what you may like to of Bombay Sapphire, 15 ml of
try. We decided to pick a country blackberry liqueur and topped
and try a wine they suggested with cranberry juice. Both of the
from that country. The tour then cocktails were delicious.
continued through displays on
Australia, New Zealand, United The tour led us on to the Italy
States, Chile, Argentina, and room, another tasting table and
South Africa. Visitors then then on to displays about the
approach the second wine tasting health benefits of wine. A series
table. of quotes from ancient times to
present day make the case for the
We took a slight detour between health benefits of wine. Our
the Argentina and South Africa favorite is a quote from Dr.
displays to enter a series of Thomas Stuttaford, London 1999
rooms devoted to Bombay Sapphire. who stated, “A glass or two of
Bombay Sapphire is a distilled wine a day will not only lengthen
London dry gin. A large round life, but may also enhance
table holds copper bowls filled intellectual power during the
with different spices. All the extra years provided.”
spices were fresh enough for one
to smell. A hallway lined with The tour of Vinopolis was very
different gin glasses led to the educational and Vinopolis
tasting bar. Three different employees are very helpful and
Bombay Sapphire cocktails were informative. As we left
Vinopolis, we met a couple that If visiting London in the future,
we talked with earlier on the consider making Vinopolis a
tour. They wished they had destination and plan for plenty
allotted more time for the tour. of time.
About the Author:
Terry Sullivan is a retired educator and wine enthusiast who designed the website Wine Trail Traveler. He looks forward to relating his travels about wineries to the website visitors. He developed instructional modules about wine topics for readers.
Read more articles by: Terry Sullivan
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