New London opening: Lady of the Grapes, Covent Garden

As London celebrates another exciting new opening in the heart of Covent Garden, Lynn Mueting pays Lady of the Grapes a visit on opening night…

French winemakers call the feast that happens on the 8th of September, the ‘Our Lady of the Grapes Harvest’. On this day, some of the winemaker’s best grapes are brought to the local church to be blessed and a few of the bunches placed into the hands of the statue of Mary. It’s a tradition of thanksgiving for a good harvest and one of respect for the mother’s role in bringing forth life, which dates back from well before the biblical Mary. So it’s no surprise then, that London’s newest wine bar, Lady of the Grapes, proudly boasts that 70% of their 90+ wines are made by women. 

Owner Carole Byron believes that women winemakers are grossly underrepresented and has made it her mission to bring them more visibility in the marketplace. She also believes that what goes in the bottle ought to be on the label and she is a firm champion of organic, biodynamic and natural wines, so much so, that you won’t find anything else in her bar!