Humble Grape Islington will be a neighbourhood wine bar and wine shop to open this summer. Following the success of Humble Grape, Battersea (2015) and Fleet Street (2016) – the latter covered here back in May 2016 – this will mark the latest opening from founder, James Dawson. Now with a collection of over 400 wines directly imported, James and his team are dedicated to providing quality wines, that are single vineyard, largely organic, biodynamic and sustainably sourced. The Islington venue will be at 11 Theberton Street, just off Upper Street, a short distance after Islington Green.
Humble Grape sources handcrafted wines direct from small, family-owned vineyards. Each wine has not only been selected due to quality and taste, but the story behind it. At Humble Grape Islington, guests will be able to discover the origins of each bottle by exploring the Winemaker Wall, which will feature all the tales from the vineyards and wine makers. One such story will be of ex-geologist Rose Jordaan who produces the Bartinney Sauvignon Blanc, 2015, Stellenbosch, South Africa up a mountain on her family farm. An avid environmentalist, Rose has planted over 7,000 trees and invites all sorts of wildlife to roam free. From Panzano Chianti comes the story of the Vecchie Terre Montefili wines the very first region in its entirety to adopt biodynamic farming, with the producers constantly trying to outwit the sneaky wild pigs that snaffle the grapes.
James Dawson is once again working with architect Jean Dumas of Trellik Design Studios to create Humble Grape Islington – an evolution in design from the existing Humble Grape sites. The space will flow from the wine shop, bar & wine library through to the dining room, taking inspiration from nature with an indoor urban garden filled with foliage and vines climbing the walls. Reclaimed and aged natural materials will furnish the space, with a colour palette of deep greens, tan and clay. The sustainable ethos is echoed throughout, all paper will be made using recycled crushed grapes utilised in everything from the hand-made labels in the shop, to the menus in the bar. Guests will be able to browse Wine Library, housing a well curated collection of wine books from around the world.
Executive Head Chef Kishen Raheja will continue the brand ethos and champion independent suppliers, to serve seasonal dishes using selected, quality ingredients. Kishen is working directly with independent craftsmen such as day boat fishermen from Mersea Island in Essex and award winning artisanal urban cheesemakers, Wildes Cheese. The menu will feature dishes such as diver caught scallops, Laverstock farm black pudding & crispy leeks, confit Orchard Farm pork belly, celeriac & apple remoulade and burrata, purple sprouting broccoli, pumpkin seeds & basil oil.
