City of London Wine Shop With Free Thursday Pours: Uncorked

Uncorked is a City of London wine merchant that keeps office hours, and that is exactly why City workers love it. The shop is at 22 Copthall Avenue, London EC2R 7DN, a few minutes' walk from Moorgate and Bank, and it trades on weekdays only. Every Thursday it pours free wines for anyone who walks in, which makes it an easy lunchtime stop when you need a bottle for a holiday dinner or a client gift before the Christmas break.

Uncorked opened one autumn day in 1994, in what was then a new unit in Bishopsgate's Exchange Arcade. It was founded by Jim Griffen and Andrew Rae. Jim retired in 2017, and Andrew bought out his share to become sole owner of the company. In 2021 the shop lost its home in the Exchange Arcade and moved to its current premises on Copthall Avenue, and in 2024 it marked its 30th anniversary.

The shop's strengths come from long relationships with growers. Its first buying trip to taste Bordeaux en primeur was for the 2003 vintage, and it still sells each new Bordeaux vintage in the spring after the harvest, with daily campaign updates. The tasting calendar shows the range beyond Bordeaux, with evenings devoted to Spanish sherry, Piedmont and the southern Rhône.

En primeur is worth understanding if you are new to it. Buyers pay for a Bordeaux vintage while the wine is still ageing in barrel, and the bottles are shipped a couple of years later. Many City customers use it to lay down cases for birthdays and anniversaries, and the shop's long experience with the campaign means staff can explain which châteaux tend to be good value and which are bought mainly for prestige.

The shop's weekly tasting, called Thirsty Thursday, runs every Thursday from 12 midday to 6pm, and it is free. You walk in, taste what is open on the counter and go back to work. The line-up changes from week to week, so a few visits over the autumn add up to a short course in what the shop stocks, without spending a penny.

Two November sessions stand out for anyone planning holiday drinking. On Wednesday 4 November there is a special free session, a Thirsty Wednesday, with Champagne Vilmart presented by Laurent and Thomas Champs of the family. And on Thursday 19 November the free tasting is devoted to Beaujolais, with the shop's own billing making clear there will be no Nouveau. That date is Beaujolais Nouveau day itself, so the session is a pointed reminder that the region's cru wines are worth more attention than its youngest release.

For more serious tastings, Uncorked runs evening events with producers. In November 2026 these include The Magnificent Sherries of Equipo Navazos with co-founder Eduardo Ojeda on 3 November and a Barolo tasting on 12 November, both already sold out. On 4 November Daniel Brunier presents Vieux Télégraphe and Beyond: the Wines of Famille Brunier, covering one of the best-known estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Seats at these evenings go quickly, so watch the shop's tastings page if you want one before Christmas.

The current list has a good spread for festive meals. Dog Point Sauvignon Blanc 2023 from Marlborough is £21.00 a bottle, a vivid New Zealand white that works with a seafood starter. Dominio do Bibei Lalume 2023, a red from Ribeiro in north-west Spain, costs £28.50 and suits roast poultry with its fresh, light structure. For something richer, Argentiera Villa Donoratico 2023 from Bolgheri on the Tuscan coast is £39.95, a red with the depth for beef or lamb.

Prices on the website are listed both by the bottle and by the case, so it is easy to see what a dozen will cost. For gifts, a mixed case from a single region, such as Beaujolais crus or Rhône reds, is a simple way to give something with a story.

December is the busiest time for a City merchant, because so many firms send wine to clients and staff. If you are buying on behalf of an office, it helps to arrive with a budget per person, a head count and a delivery list. A single good bottle in a gift box often lands better than a mixed bag, and a case of one wine is easier to wrap and send than a dozen different ones.

For personal gifts, think about the person rather than the price. A bottle of sherry from Equipo Navazos, a grower Champagne or a mature Bordeaux all say more than a famous label bought at the airport. The shop can advise on what will drink well now and what should be kept for a few years.

Uncorked takes 5% off mixed cases and 10% off orders of five mixed cases, which suits office parties and anyone stocking up for the holidays. The minimum order for delivery is £50. Delivery is free to mainland Britain on retail orders over £250 and costs £10 below that. Within London, orders placed by 12pm can arrive the next day. Because the shop is closed at weekends and on bank holidays, plan Christmas collections for a weekday and allow for the days around 25 December.

The shop sits in the middle of the Square Mile, among streets that still follow medieval lanes. A short walk west takes you to Guildhall, the City's ceremonial centre, where the art gallery has the remains of a Roman amphitheatre in its basement. To the south, the Bank of England Museum tells the story of the bank and lets visitors lift a real gold bar.

At lunchtime on weekdays, Leadenhall Market's Victorian roof and Postman's Park, with its wall of memorial tiles to ordinary heroes, are both within easy reach. All of these make good detours between a Thursday tasting and the walk back to the office.

Uncorked, 22 Copthall Avenue, London EC2R 7DN. Opening hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 6:30pm. Closed on weekends and bank holidays. Moorgate is the nearest station, and Bank is also close. Thirsty Thursday tastings are free every week from midday to 6pm. Mixed cases get 5% off, five mixed cases get 10% off, and UK delivery is free on retail orders over £250.