Sager + Wilde

After the success of their pop-up wine bar in Shoreditch last year, the young couple, Charlotte and Michael Sager-Wilde opened their own place.

A refreshing, innovative approach to a traditional wine bar; Sager + Wilde are changing how wine is sold and making it relaxed and fun. The staff are knowledgeable, welcoming and friendly and their passion and enthusiasm is evident.

Wines are sold by the glass or by the bottle, at a flat rate mark up of £20 per bottle. A Basque txakoli – edgy, slightly spritzy and bone-dry – vies for your attention with a fruitier, more voluptuous riesling from Mosel. All tastes are catered for, from a toasty sparkler from Kent (from Sugrue Pierre), to loud and proud American (Paul Draper’s Ridge Santa Cruz).

There are big-name established wines and producers from Burgundy, Rioja and beyond, but also newer classics and styles, for example from California; you don’t often see wines of this top calibre sold by the glass. There’s even a foursome of vermouths to consider fortifying yourself with. If you really can’t face wine, there are also bottles of Five Points’s excellent beers, all the way from Hackney Downs.

The menu is divided into Fizz/White/Red/Dry+Strong/Vermouth/A Little Sweet/Beer/Pink making it easy to see what groups you can dismiss instantly and what ones need more attention.

The bar snacks are also good, from salami to cheese; there’s something for everyone to accompany their glass of vino. The food menu is also broken down into Sandwich/Meat/Cheese/The Rest. This isn’t a normal bar snack, pub grub or a restaurant meal, this is a complement to your wine. It’s presented like you would at home. Slams of Italian meat on a cheese board for you to pick at – but the quality is far better than you can ever achieve at home; this isn’t just ham and cheddar. Strong slices of manzo di pozza and deliciously fatty and buttery fiocco and spalla cruda — while from the cheese plate, Comté is intense, nutty and elegant and Gratte Paille is magnificent and creamy.

Two unexpected highlights are a SHE + T (that’s fino sherry and tonic, £6), showing off the skills of former Milk and Honey bartender Michael, and a 1978 port to finish.

Sager + Wilde, with its warmth, unpretentious approach to wine and friendly service, feels like a home away from home; a place to truly chill out and enjoy a fine glass of vintage.