The city of Bath definitely has room for more wine bars (where doesn’t?) and Le Vignoble offers a stylish, contemporary alternative to the classic enoteca concept, as enjoyed at the more traditional Barton Street Wine Bar or the more food-focused Corkage on Walcot Street and Chapel Row.
Using state-of-the-art enomatic self service wine machines which preserve the wine and have the advantage of storing everything at the perfect temperature, wine lovers can experience a regularly changing selection of red, white and rose (not to mention gin) in three different measures, a taste, a small or a standard 175ml using a top up pay-as-you go card or a card that you can settle at the end of the night.
Whilst Le Vignoble’s concept is to provide punters with a balance between quality and price, be aware that some cabinets offer everything from a £5 standard glass to a £60 glass and if you’re running a tab rather than using pay-as-you-go you may get a nasty shock come the end of the evening if you’re not paying attention. It’s very easy to get carried away here, quite literally! If you find a tipple that really hits the spot though (with or without the high price tag) you can take a bottle away at a discounted price.
Founded by Frenchman Yannick and his wife Ele, who opened the first Le Vignoble in Plymouth, the novelty of grabbing a glass and browsing the machines and accompanying tasting notes until something catches your eye makes for a completely unsnobbish and highly adventurous approach to wine tasting, and will surely encourage all of us to forgo the usual grape in favour of something outside our comfort zone.
Located in the fashionable shopping and restaurant quarter Milsom Place, in which they have cleverly redesigned two units to create an inviting lounge and bar, it’s a lovely space for relaxed wine evenings with friends, while the French tapas menu of fine cheeses and charcuterie straight from Paris is sure to keep you here chatting and refilling your glass far longer than you intended.
Bringing together lounge, retail and education, Le Vignoble will also be hosting expert-led wine courses with an emphasis on informality, alongside special events such as meet the winemaker sessions, Italian wine and pizza evenings and DJ nights. Personally, I can’t wait for the ‘Glamorous Pol Roger & Canapés Tasting’ in June.
Le Vignoble, 12/13 Milsom Place, Milsom Street, Bath, BA1 1BZ. Tel: +44(0) 1225 465907 Bath. Images courtesy of Derryn Vranch Photography. For more information please visit the website.
