Vinopolis World Of Wine

curlynewf

Slick, corporate and bland 1st December 2008

10 found this helpful

Why I didn't just ask someone about this place, or oh, I don't know, consult one of the reviews below before bounding up the steps to Vinopolis World of Wine, I will never know. The 'great for hen parties' promo on their website should've been a dead giveaway, but for some reason I was dying to hand over £22 and 3 hours of my time to these people.

Well, I was duly punished anyway. Vinopolis is just as the other reviewers described it - slick, corporate and bland.

The self-guided tour began with a 15-min queue followed by a 5-min run down on how to swirl, sniff and slurp wine. (White wine, that is. If you were curious about the properties and characteristics of red wine too, then you'd be out of luck.) The tutorial was brief and, unless you were a complete beginner (at whom the course was not aimed), largely uninformative. Is it really true that the number of seconds a wine's aftertaste remains in your mouth is equivalent to the number of pounds sterling you should pay for the bottle? Wow. Buying wine will be so much easier now!

We were then set loose, armed with our new-found knowledge, to seek out and taste 8 wines of our choosing. The wine attendants looked like they wanted to be anywhere else in the world and weren't very helpful at answering questions that weren't covered in their training manuals.

The only interesting aspect of the "Enthusiast's wine tour" was the building itself - artfully constructed under the arches an old Victorian viaduct, it's a beautiful space to take in. But that is where the enjoyment ended for me.

It annoys me when fat-cat establishments like this one can't use some of their fortune to provide a really useful service.

In my opinion, if you really want to learn about wine, or just about how to enjoy it, you're better off checking out one of the many tours and tastings listed in London each week. Or, visit a good wine bar with knowledgeable staff who can answer your questions and please your palate for a lot less.

Niamheen at 02/12/08

Oh! That's a shame. I always had my suspicions about Vinopolis, it seemed way too corporate to be good.

curlynewf at 02/12/08

Your instincts were right! :-)

mazphd at 03/12/08

vinopolis sucks!

up_shiraz at 03/12/08

Bedales wine shop and bar is just round the corner in Borough market - much more fun and friendly. That would be my tip if you're in the area.

cat792k at 04/12/08

I was seriously thinking about going, I'm glad I read your review first.

Add Comment

traveladdict

Drunken madnees for over 20 quid 22nd August 2008

0 found this helpful

vinopolis - wine tasting. My friends thought i had grownup when Itold them. So, no going down the pub on the piss then?

vinolpolis is a one time experience but very pricey at £20 or more for the tour packages. Yes you get wine, but it's one sample per voucher and for £20, 5 vouchers at half a glass each is not great value. chuck in the one size fits all T-shirt at the end. A big thumbs down for me

chrisp at 22/08/08

Sorry, you've given this one star because they didn't give you enough cheap wine to get pissed? I think you've slightly misunderstood the point of the whole venture.

Add Comment

mazphd

Whine 8th May 2008

0 found this helpful

The corporate money driven not 'done for the love of it' atmosphere really shines through here. Yes you're given wine to taste, and yes its quite pleasant moving from Shiraz, through Merlot, with an empty glass to fill and re-fill at your leisure, but there lacks passion and any real depth of knowledge about the grapes or even how to taste. Not that 'taste' was the order of the day, more appropriate in this setting was the drink to get drunk quick style of wine tasting.

The so called 'champagne package' our party had opted for was not that exciting, and it is never a good sign if your knowledge is superior to your that of your supposed tour guide. Nor that this particular tour had the edifying experience of a corked bottle. YUK.

For real wine saviness I would avoid this particular 'world of wine'. But if your task is to 'get drunk' and drink as much as you like, then Vinopolis offers much for the less than discerning drinker, and much for the drunker 'consumer'.

MaxSang

4th July 2007

3 found this helpful

Been there twice in 2007. First, the wine tour. Collect a glass and wend your way through a small museum of winemaking, visiting tasting tables along the way. All but the serious wine buffs will learn something from the exhibitions, but the tastings are pretty ropey, to be honest. The wine is mostly mediocre, and the staff are mixed too. Some are friendly and keen to chat about the wine, others seem to view you as an irritant. During our visit we tasted a wine that was was really, really badly corked and the girl basically told us we were stupid for thinking that the 'vegetal' character of the Shiraz was a problem (vegetal shiraz.. riight.)

Another bizarre aspect of the tour is that halfway through you're transported into an electric blue bar where you get a free gin cocktail. Yeah, ideal for a wine tasting.

The second visit was more successful - a group of us were actually accompanied through the tour by a personal guide, who was enthusiastic and knowledgeable. The wine was better quality, too. That was followed by a meal for about twenty in the Cantina. Reasonable food in a nice airy venue, with good beer and wine. I can't comment on value for money since it was a pre-paid thing.

A mixed bag - splash out on the guided tour and you'll have a good time. Limit yourself to the self-guided tour and you'll probably feel a bit short changed.