Great wines, fine times at the Finborough Wine Cafe

Like most Fulham residents, I drink a fair bit of wine. Some of it fine, some of it... not so much. Yet only recently, having attended a few different tastings in the borough, have I really begun to learn the subtler differences between all those wines that lie between the 'epic' and the 'undrinkable' ends of the scale. As someone from Blur might have once said, it's only recently I've begun to know my Claret from my Beaujolais.

Having started on this boozy adventure, I'd been keen for a while now to check out the offering at the Finborough Wine Cafe. Promising a range of tastings from group sessions to a pretty appealing '10 wines for £9' deal (tasters rather than bottles, sorry folks!) and with a square emphasis on bringing you great wines that won't break the bank, I was looking forward to trying out some wines I could actually afford to take home with me (and show off to my friends about with my newly acquired knowledge!).

The Finborough Wine Cafe sits across two floors underneath the legendary Finborough Theatre. The ground floor cafe is bright and light, with a large central bar area and lots of welcoming leather sofas, all well spaced out to give a relaxed atmosphere, where we enjoyed a glass of sparkling whilst waiting for the tasting to begin. As you might expect, they offer a plentiful wine menu, helpfully organised by style and taste of wine, as opposed to by grape or region (which can be a little bamboozling, particularly when they are grapes you haven't heard of before), and range of snacks including delicious Firezza pizzas from an outlet next door... pretty handy after a whopping 10 glass tasting.

The tasting area is in an contemporary cellar space in the basement. The groups are intimate (our table was just 10) and you are completely surrounded by racks of wine, accentuated by appealing modern backlighting. The sessions are strictly informal, no charts or power-points, just a list of wines with space to make notes, plenty of banter and light hearted (yet still informative) commentary from our friendly, enthusiastic, yet totally unpretentious host. We learnt about how differences in temperature, grape, soil, gradient and even rot affect the taste of wines, the differences between Old and New world wines, and plenty more besides: and most cleverly of all, we never once felt we were in a lesson or lecture. Tastings at the Finborough make wine accessible, really accessible. Case in point, here's an anecdote I will always remember: "New World wines are like strippers, they reveal themselves quickly, where as the old world wines are more akin to a burlesque dancer - taking their time and with a more complex way of undressing."

With the emphasis on the best of affordable wines, the Finborough may not be the place you come to have a crack at the couture of the wine world (although there definitely are some bottles I wouldn't class as 'affordable'), but the range of grapes and provenances we tried was perfect for figuring out what suits your tastes, and it's definitely a plus to discover a bottle you wouldn't find in Sainsbury's that can become an affordable favourite. Sessions are fun, educational and won't break the bank. I'd definitely visit again.

Finborough Wine Cafe
118 Finborough Road
SW10 9ED
Bookings via finboroughwinecafe@gmail.com or 0207 373 0745

Welcome to La Cave

Nestled amongst the smart boutiques and elegant cafes of South Kensington lies a very smart cheese and wine shop. A very smart cheese and wine shop indeed. La Cave a Fromage is an Aladdin's cave of charcuterie, specialist oils, breads and, of course, more cheese than you can possibly imagine. Laid out beautifully in large refrigerated cabinets, with vintage cheese wheel covers adorning the walls, there are cheeses from all four corners of the globe. Ewe's cheese, goats cheese, blue cheese, red cheese, pasteurised, unpasteurised and everything in between.

Whilst wine tasting might be a tried and tested concept, recently my lovely sister treated my father and I to wine tasting with a twist - expert cheese pairings from La Cave a Fromage's 'exotic' selection.

We took our seats with around 15 other eager foodies on a long table at the shop's centre. Laid out in front of us was a "balanced cheeseboard" beautifully arranged on a simple slate, several wine glasses, and enough varieties bread to make even the most committed Atkins follower turn. As our delightful hosts explained, a balanced cheeseboard is one that comprises the full range of textures, milks, strengths and countries.And that evening we were set to cover the breadth of Europe at least.

That evening we chowed down on everything from a creamy Taupinieres goats cheese from Acquitaine, through to Spanish Manchego, a wine-washed Appenzeller Swiss cheese, an extra mature Italian Taleggio and an unusual Irish Crozier Blue. However, the stand out cheese was a rich and velvety Gratte Paille, which hails from the same region as Brie in France but is infinitely more delicious and complex than its often-dull cousin. Served with a sweet kick in the form of white truffle honey, this cheese packs a shocking 90% fat but is oh-so-good. Perhaps one to eat in moderation and save for the special occasions? But don't forget the truffle honey, that really made it.

Luckily for me, my favourite cheese came paired with my favourite wine: a fabulous Syrah/Mourvedre/Grenache blend (and no, I hadn't heard of the latter two grapes either!) called Le Desire (2006, Cotes de Rousillon). It was smooth and clean, and lacked the bitter after taste that in my opinion makes a lot of reds hard work. We tried three other wines that evening, a white Bergerac Sec (also fantastic) a richer red Syrah/Mourvedre and a very sweet dessert-like win Maury Dore (Grenache/Banylus blend) and all complimented the cheese perfectly. I really couldn't fault our hosts on that. I only wish I hadn't eaten a sandwich before arriving because I ate at least my own body weight in artisan bread!

Tastings at La Cave a Fromage definitely get the thumbs up from me. You can order your tickets and find out their dates at La Cave's website (below) or by calling 0207 581 1804

La Cave a Fromage
24-5 Cromwell Place,
South Kensington, London
SW7 2LD
www.la-cave.co.uk