Lady of the Grapes in Covent Garden

IN the wine trade, the role of women is often overlooked. “They are in the shadows,” explains Carole Bryon, the founder of wine bar and wine shop Lady of the Grapes.

For the past five years, her bar in Covent Garden has championed female winemakers and wines that are natural, organic and biodynamic.

“Consumption is a kind of political statement,” she says, indicating a menu that includes around 350 different wines, 90 per cent of which are made by women.

Lady of the Grapes is located in Maiden Lane in the heart of Covent Garden. You can’t miss it – the front is painted a glorious pillar-box red.

Stepping inside, we were immediately hit by the warm crackle of conversation. Every table was busy; a few couples perched at the gleaming copper bar. At night, the room is illuminated by filament bulbs and flickering candlelight.

The bar is to the right, by a wall of shelves crammed with wine bottles that you can also buy to take home. Opposite, around 35 wines by the glass are chalked up on a large blackboard, priced from £7.50 to over £20.

Right now, for example, you can explore a four-glass “Down to Earth” wine flight from an upcoming Austrian winemaker called Michaela Riedmüller for £25.

We tried a complex and elegant orange wine from Marsanne in France made by Lucy and Nancy Fourel; a grand cru 2015 Bordeaux from Béatrice de Monteil.

The food here ranges from classy bar snacks such as smoked almonds and oysters to a huge range of cheese and charcuterie.

For a cooked meal, they offer a succinct menu of dishes created by their new and highly talented Czech chef, Matyáš Plzák.

Some are simplicity itself: a baked, oozy vacherin Mont d’Or cheese into which you dunk Jersey Royal potatoes. Others demonstrate considerable technical skill. In one dish, the chef bones out chicken wings (£6 each) which are stuffed with a mushroom and chicken mousse. These are served with a pretty salad of pink radicchio.

We shared a plate of handmade tortelli pasta, £16, with a delicate filling of smoked potato. These float in a bright red langoustine bisque spiked with a gentle hit of chilli.

To finish, we loved a creative and unusual dessert: a chocolate crémeux (a sort of thick, rich, chocolatey crème anglaise) with whipped Chantilly cream and, for bite and texture, shards made with earthy Jerusalem artichoke. The combination works a treat and costs £10.

If you enjoy drinking wine, Lady of the Grapes is a dream destination. It’s a well-run venture that feels both friendly and fiercely independent.

Service throughout was impeccable. We were looked after by a young woman who was extremely clued up and also passionate about the bar’s mission to promote a more mindful food and drink experience.

Lady of the Grapes is also highly recommended if you want to treat someone for Valentine’s Day. Their special five-course menu will cost £75.

Lady of the Grapes
16 Maiden Lane, WC2E
020 7836 4152
www.ladyofthegrapes.com
@lady_of_the_grapes