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  Quaffers® Feature - September 2001
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| Quaffers® London: where to quaff wine in the capital |
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 A funny thing happened on the way to quaff wine...
September 2001 sees the Quaffers® team putting the finishing touches to our brand-new guide to a wide selection of wine-quaffing venues in London.
Six months ago in March, the project was Number One on the "To Do" list; come 1st October, Quaffers® London: where to quaff wine in the capital will have a big tick beside it. We hope that quaffers will really enjoy using the book, whether residents or visitors in the Big Smoke.
The story behind creating such a guide is more about who you meet and where you go on your travels, than about its topic as such. There is no better demonstration of a common interest, in this case wine, bringing people and places together. While out and about researching the book across London, the Quaffers® team had some real adventures. This month's feature is an opportunity to share some of the more memorable moments.
 First the idea…
The concept of Quaffers® London has been on the agenda for almost as long as the company has been in existence. The mission: to provide reliable information about London wine venues for millions of wine-lovers to use and enjoy, and to offer helpful hints about how to get more from quaffing wine. The method: use public transport and shoe leather to visit potential quaffing venues in different parts of London, in order to sample the ambience at first-hand.
Who would do such a job?
Imagine you have just arrived from the provinces to live in London, in the style of Dick Whittington: all ideals and not much of a plan. The only way to find out if the streets are paved with gold is to get out there and walk around. Quaffers® offers to employ you to do this, the only condition being that you call into as many likely watering holes as possible en route, make notes, and then put together a book about your discoveries.
It's a tough task, but someone had to make the sacrifice, and that someone was the Quaffers® Content Editor (aided by the Quaffers® team, with occasional help from willing friends), all the way from New Zealand via the Isles of Scilly and Cornwall. Six months later, our team rivals London's famous black cab drivers in terms of "The Knowledge", not to mention awareness of where to quaff for all occasions.
Cheers!
With only one exception, every likely venue investigated (and there were several hundred of them) was delighted to assist with information, informal chat, advice, hospitality and enthusiasm for the project. If all the venues in the book extend the same warm welcome to curious quaffers, you are in for good times no matter where you go!
Take the mid-afternoon clientele at one of London's specialist wine bars. When the project was explained, they were understandably protective of their favourite haunt, but also willing for other dedicated wine-lovers to learn of it. Sometimes secrets are just too good to keep.
Or take the wine bar proprietor in North London, who kindly poured a couple of glasses of wine which were then discussed with the researcher: another snippet of wine knowledge thus stored for later reference. There are generous souls out there whose sole purpose in life is to bring the breadth and depth of wine to a wider audience, and who will gladly recommend something new to an adventurous quaffer.
It takes all sorts
 Trekking determinedly through the patchwork of London streets, dressed for the weather and weighed down by the necessary equipment (laptop, mobile phone, cameras, map, trusty biro…), the researcher's occupation was frequently mistaken. Polar explorer might have been fair enough — witness the gear required to protect against the winter elements — but train spotter? All credit to the City gent for using contextual clues to add two and two to make five before posing the question; it was overlooking the trains at Liverpool Street, there was a notebook in attendance, and your researcher was writing things down. The relief was palpable on both sides when the truth was revealed. Let's hope he buys a copy of Quaffers® London for further proof!
Capital city
Despite its sprawl, London is not difficult to move around. Patience is often required if driving or using public transport, but once you are in a particular area, it couldn't be easier. On the other hand, travelling under your own steam through so many areas of London has distinct advantages, especially when formulating wine-walking routes which combine the sights with quaffing venues on the way.
Beyond compiling the four Wine Walks featured in Quaffers® London, doing the research confirms that even if the streets are not golden, the richness of the capital's past, present and future is on display at every turn. Time spent on foot is handsomely rewarded with fascinating street names, unusual views, unexpected visual treats (look up and see the detail on so many of the buildings!), and teeming life. If you can indulge your passion for wine at the same time, London is hard to beat.
So look out for the bright yellow cover of Quaffers® London in your local bookstore, or buy it here in the Quaffers® secure shop.
Further details are also on our New Products webpage.
Then all you have to do is to get out there and start quaffing — and before long you'll have your own tales of the city to share over a glass or two of wine!
Quaffers® London also features a list of recommended grapes to look out for. This concentrates on varieties which are becoming more familiar, or have already gained popularity with wine-lovers in the know. Unfortunately they don't appear as frequently on Quaffers® venue wine lists as might be hoped. This month we taste some of them in Wine of the Week — see what you think!
Taste the wines with us here
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| Coming up next month: Quaffers® takes a closer look at the Loire Valley chameleon grape, Chenin Blanc, not forgetting that it also thrives elsewhere in the world. |
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