VAGABOND CARNABY: REVIEW

It’s a concept that remains as practical and innovative as it was when Vagabond Wines opened their first outlet in Fulham back in 2010: giving guests the freedom to tap and pour at their own leisure from a selection of 100+ wines by the glass, so you can seek out your new personal favourites at your own pace.

Some might regard Vagabond’s interactive self-service vending machines as a bit ‘gimmicky’, but to this writer they’re a breath of fresh air in a world where you would otherwise have to commit to a bottle after sifting through an often daunting wine list with unhelpful product descriptions.

Now you can freely wander around the machines in clearly labelled sections and search for a wine that takes your fancy: a sip here, a sip there, then simply tap your card for a full glass once settled on a favourite.

Vagabond Carnaby is one of the latest of the 14 branches opened across prime spots around London and Birmingham, and they don’t get more prime location-wise in the capital than this perennially bustling Soho hotbed of activity. It’s their “biggest and quite possibly most gorgeous venue yet” proclaims the website.

I haven’t patronised enough outlets to be able to vouch for this, but arriving at its Ganton Street address just off the main Carnaby drag, on a balmy Indian Summer evening in mid September, I was impressed by the sizeable windows overlooking the street, with canopied seats in the open-air terrace in front of the venue and open-window seats on the inside looking out onto it, where my partner and I opt to sit. It really is an attractive clement-weather spot, that I’ve stored firmly in my memory bank for future reference.

Downstairs is a much different vibe, like a roomy underground cellar, where most of the wine machines reside, and some comfy-looking deep sofas in another area around a corner which will be much more appealing come late autumn and winter.

A genuinely enthusiastic staff member is on hand to guide us through the options of our preferred wine category, in this case a bold, spicy red being what the doctor ordered that evening. In the end I settle for an amazing Australian Barossa Valley Syrah while my partner plumps for a lighter number from the Czech Republic.

This, again, is Vagabond’s trump card – sampling the offerings from different countries, regions and styles you may not otherwise have encountered, and no more having to catch a busy waiter’s eye when you fancy another.

Among the diversity of options – spanning white, rosé and sparkling wines, as well as orange, organic and low-intervention bottles – are also releases from Vagabond’s own ‘Urban Winery’ in Canada Water, which is actually the UK’s largest urban winery, importing grapes from vineyards across England to make exclusive wines here in the capital. 

“At our Ganton Street location, you can explore over 120 at your own pace, try things you would never normally order and build your own experience,” said Vagabond’s managing director Christobell Giles before the Carnaby branch opening. 

“It’s about removing the barriers and putting the guest back in control.” 
 

Back at our seats it’s time to order some food to accompany our chosen pours. Unsurprisingly small plates comprise most of the menu, enabling a variety of options for pairing with whatever wines you’re drinking. From our selection the crispy truffle fries and the baked cauliflower with harissa and pomegranate were notable standouts. While carnivores are well catered for here, my partner, a vegetarian, was impressed with the veggie options.

Unfortunately, however, this being prime theatreland territory, we had to rush off before too long to catch a show so didn’t stay as long as we would have liked. But we saw enough within our two-hour timespan to know that Vagabond are definitely onto something here, if that hadn’t already long been known, and that this particular part of the busy capital is a plum spot for it.

It just works on so many levels, and introduces an engaging interactivity to what would otherwise be a standard sit-down wine bar visit. Never again do you have to worry about compromising on a bottle to share, waiting to be served, or establishing who’s ‘in’ on another round and who’s paying for what.

Add to that a superlative small plates menu, vibey venue and unmatchable location and you know that this particular branch of Vagabond is very much here to stay.
 

14-16 Ganton Street, Carnaby, London, W1F 7BT www.vagabondwines.co.uk