Vagabond Wines

So I love the concept here, really allows you to taste as you would at a winery but with so much more. I think the closest thing I can think of is Vapiano for wine. Pop up to the counter, snag a card and top it up with some cash. Then roam to each of the coolers to peruse your wine of choice. You can pick from a taste or a glass. I thought the price point was more than reasonable given what you’re getting. I’m from the States and only wish that we had something similar. The staff were incredibly friendly, and it wasn’t crowded at all. Although I would say we did pop in on a Monday at 3pm — so I guess it was just us wine-o’s.

When I first came to London, I used to hang around Charlotte Street a lot, since many of my friends went to school at UCL and it is right by their campus. I knew it for cheap eats and good student nights, but now it’s definitely gone upscale with the likes of Kitchen Table, Roka, and fancy wine bars such as Vagabond. I wandered in with a friend the other night after dinner in the area, eager to grab a glass of wine or two on a lovely summer evening. The staff were friendly and quickly explained the concept: you load a card, which can then be inserted into the machines and used to purchase either tasters or 125ml glasses of wine from the dispensers. They say there are up to 100 bottles of wine available on some nights, and there were at least 3 walls of 15 – 20 bottles each when we were there. We loaded 25 pounds to start and went for a few of the white wines, but the glasses are surprisingly expensive and we had to top up after 3. What normally would be a free taster costs 2 – 3 pounds, and a 125ml glass (a small glass in most places) costs 7 – 10 for the most part, with some exceptions on the high end. You are refunded whatever is left on your card in cash, so that is not a concern. I like the self-​serve concept and I think it’s a cool place to grab a drink or two, but the price tag is quite prohibitive after that. When you pour a glass, the price per bottle for drink-​in and takeaway are displayed above it, and the drink-​in price is almost always twice that of takeaway. Once you find what you like, it’s probably best to just buy the bottle and enjoy it in the comfort of your own home.

The deal with Vagabond wines is that you can buy wine by the glass or bottle to drink in, or take away, but what makes it different is that you do this via an enomatic machine — i.e. a big wine dispenser!
You load up a smart card with money and then you can try any of their selection of red, white, rose and sweet wines, either a sample size or a full glass, read more about it here.
(I managed to drink through £20 of tasters ;s, in my defence it was across the full range from white, red and dessert wines!)
We had fun sampling the huge selection and having a gossip over a couple of hours. Vagabond also serve food and nibbles so if you are on a tasting mission you can line your stomach.
Well worth checking out if you are in the area and either need a wine bar or a bottle of wine to take away!

It’s like a froyo joint but in lieu of dairy one gets wine.
Typically the crowd is a civil one. Put enough wine in that older crowd (I’m talkin’ to you, suits) and the volume peaks past ambient.
Fun, interactive concept, giving consumers the illusion of rational choice. This is the ultimate experiment in choice architecture, as one strategist friend had pointed out.

Such a lovely concept
Great choice of wines
Although a little expensive it is great to be able to choose by 20 or 125ml tasters/​glasses. Whole bottles seem quite steep with corkage though
Got to try 3 different glasses of wine each for £30 going for most of the cheapest — hadn’t tried any of them before though
Unexpectedly the food was excellent. Small menu of charcuterie and cheese boards but amazing quality and also plenty of bread served with it. £21 for 3 plates which filled 2 people to the brim!
Great for couples, first dates and larger groups
Will definitely be returning, unfortunately not somewhere I could frequent due to the cost!

Vagabond Wines is a mix of a wine store and wine bar. This is their second location (the first one is in Fulham) and it has more of bar feel to it but they do have an extensive selection of wine to also just buy with you. The selection is fairly broad and the tasting machines also makes it possible for them to have so e rare wines available for retails sales as people then can taste them beforehand.
The location on Charlotte Street is very cozy and has seating on two floors (entrance and the basement). The entrance level is nicer but can also get a bit chaotic when there are lots of people there. They do accept reservations and that is really recommended as the place is not huge.
The set-​up for the wine bar part of the business is that they have sampling machines. To use these one loads money onto a card and then insert the card into a machine, press a button for the wine you want to sample (hold the glass below the nozzle) and the size if glass (small taster or a proper glass of wine). The small tasters start at around £0.6 (and go up-​to around £4) and the glasses of wine start at around £4 and then go upwards. All the bottles they have for retail sales can also be had in the bar — just add £10 corkage fee on top of the retail price.
They also have nibbles and shared platters of some food. Mainly small bites and cold cuts and cheeses. Tried the charcuteries and they were really good. Staff are friendly and really knowledgeable. Stop by during the slower part of the day to have more of in-​depth discussions on wine as the evenings tend to be a bit too busy for that.
The reason I do not give it a 5 is the price level, a bit steep on some of the wines (saw a basic cava for £20 and that is maximum € 7 in Spain (and even in Sweden with notoriously high prices in general and alcohol in particular I have seen the same bottle for around the same price)). The atmosphere is however great and they do have an interesting selection of wines so I will be back.
For more on wine shops in London do also check
and there you will also find interesting wine reviews.

This is a fun spot, albeit expensive. I booked a table for Friday happy hour, and I’m glad I planned ahead. It was very crowded, and I saw a few walk-​ins being turned away. We sat on the ground floor level and enjoyed the variety of wines on tap. There’s also a lower-​ground seating area. We tried both old world and new world wines and made some new discoveries. It’s simple to load up a card to access the wine dispensers, and the balance is refundable at the end of your visit. I also recommend the cheese plate, which has a nice variety. I’ll definitely be paying a return visit soon.

What a fun concept. Great place to go with a group of friends. You can try many wines, all in different price ranges. Love that they have recommendations of what to try… Reds, whites, rose! Big plus for refunding whatever I didn’t use on my Vagabond card.
Will definitely be back.

My boyfriend had a great time here wine tasting from their machines after his birthday dinner down the street. Completely stumbled upon this store/​bar. Wasn’t on Unilocal because we learned they recently opened at this new location. Quite simple… purchase a card with a set amount of pounds that you then use to self serve wine. Each wine had a take away card that explains the wine.
A rainbow of options ranging from light white to heavy reds. Your choice of a taste vs a full glass. Prices range from about £.60 to about £1.5 per taste, with glasses at about £4 or so and higher. Being from California, I’m more familiar with west coast USA wines. This set up allowed us to have fun with old world wines.
Had a great time enjoying wine at your own pace. Buying a bottle to drink there had an additional £10 added to it. Generally a welcoming and helpful team of staff.
Special mention the staff who had an amazing singing voice and awesome shoes (and of course helpful).
I would return.