Who are the Barbican Sabreurs?

Not everyone will have been following our exploits over the last few editions of Barbican Life, so by way of a quick re-cap we’re a group of Barbican residents who met when we were asked to manage the wine stall at the Barbican Association’s 2023 Summer Garden Party. It turned out to be the perfect opportunity to connect with a local community of wine enthusiasts. None of us would claim to be experts, but we all share a simple appreciation for a good glass of something—white, red, sparkling, orange or, even “Blouge” (a mix of red and white).   

Out of this shared interest, the Barbican Sabreurs was born: a chance to explore the world of wine together and share that enthusiasm with a wider Barbican audience.  We chose the name Sabreurs as a fun name, referring to the Napoleonic art of opening a bottle of champagne using a sword or sabre.  James and Nic from the group have been sniffing out some interesting vineyards within easy reach of the Barbican along with some local wine bars and reporting back through Barbican Life with articles and QR code links to a video of each of their visits.  Most importantly, we’ve always managed to negotiate some great discounts for Barbican residents interested in visiting the featured vineyard or buying their wine or other products.  

Our most recent foray has been to explore how choosing the right glassware can be key to getting the most out of your wine, helped by an expert from Riedel.  Before we launch into the surprising science of the shape of your glass, we wanted to give you a collage of some of the amazing wine related venues we’ve visited and which would make for great days out this Summer.

Vineyards

The growing reputation of English wines, made from locally grown grapes, has inspired us to visit a number of beautiful vineyards, all within easy reach of the Barbican.

Our most recent trip took us to Balfour Winery at the Hush Heath Estate in Kent. Remarkably easy to reach—just a short train ride from London Bridge to Marden, followed by a free weekend shuttle—the experience felt more like a visit to a high end South African vineyard than a day out in the English countryside.

Balfour Harvest

Perhaps our most surprising discovery, however, was London’s only meaningful vineyard: Forty Hall in Enfield. This social enterprise is run by a passionate team of volunteers, and profits from its wines are reinvested into an eco-therapy programme designed to support physical and mental wellbeing through outdoor work in green spaces. The wine itself is impressive too. Visits are available by appointment or during open days—details can be found on their website www.fortyhallvineyard.com

Another highlight was Nutbourne Vineyard, set in the stunning South Downs. Family-owned and full of charm, Nutbourne supplies both wines and produce to the Gladwin family’s London restaurants. Alongside traditional tastings and cellar door sales, they host a variety of food and wine events, including popular “burgers and bubbly” evenings. And if you’re lucky, you might even spot their resident alpacas.

Alpacas at Nutbourne

Nutbourne isn’t the only vineyard with unexpected wildlife. At Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens in Surrey—home to Leonardslee Vineyard—we were surprised to encounter wallabies roaming the grounds.

Our visit to Leonardslee also offered a fascinating insight into what it takes to establish a vineyard from scratch. Using vines sourced from their parent estate in Hermanus, South Africa, the team is working to recreate their success in the Surrey countryside.

Wine Bars

While vineyard visits are a joy in the summer, they lose a little of their appeal in the colder months. That’s when we turned our attention closer to home, exploring some of the excellent wine bars in our local area. Many host regular themed tastings, and we even stumbled upon a wine growers’ event at the local restaurant Cloth.  Here are just a few examples of wine tastings and events within the local vicinity over July and August:

July–August 2026

In our search for something a little different to share with fellow Barbican residents, we discovered Vagabond. Part of a small group of wine bars across London, along with an urban winery, Vagabond offers a unique experience: over 100 wines available on tap, allowing you to taste at your own pace.

f you’re tempted to try Vagabond at Paternoster Sq forit yourself, don’t forget to bring your Barbican Association or City Living Card for a discount.

See a video compilation of some of the fun places we have visited over the past year and which we would thoroughly recommend 

Have you selected the right glass for your wine?

Whilst you can see we’ve had a lot of fun sampling some great wine over the past year, in our latest foray, our focus shifts from what’s in the glass to the glass itself – and just how much it can shape what we taste.

As devoted red wine drinkers who also enjoy a celebratory glass of fizz, we invited Martin Turner from thehee Riedel Wine Glass Experience to guide us through the world of glassware. Founded in 1756 and now spanning eleven generations, Riedel’s story begins in Bohemia (in present-day Czech Republic), where the family first established its reputation for fine glassmaking. It was, however, in the mid-20th century that Claus J. Riedel revolutionised the industry by developing grape-varietal-specific glassware — a concept later refined and popularised by his son, Georg J. Riedel. Today, the company remains family-owned, widely credited with changing how the world thinks about wine glasses: not just as vessels, but as tools to enhance aroma, balance and flavour.

We’ve always had a soft spot for the glamour of a coupe, so were delighted when Martin unveiled a hand-blown Riedel version alongside a classic flute and a standard white wine glass. The challenge: taste the same wine from each and compare.

With English sparkling wine enjoying a well-deserved rise, rather than champagne we chose a bottle from Ridgeview Wine Estate, a personal favourite. Martin encouraged us to watch the bubbles — and in the coupe they vanished almost as quickly as they appeared. The real revelation, though, came on tasting. Against expectation, the wine showed best in the standard white wine glass (albeit one slightly modified by Riedel for English sparkling): fresher, more expressive, and altogether more complete. A reassuring discovery for anyone short on storage space in a Barbican flat who wants to pack away their flutes.

We then turned to red wine, where Martin presented three subtly different stemless tumblers from Riedel’s “O” range. At first glance they seemed near-identical, but the results told a different story. Tasting three wines across the glasses, a clear pattern emerged: Pinot Noir was best in the first, Shiraz in the second, Cabernet Sauvignon in the third.

The differences were striking. The Pinot Noir glass, with its generous bowl and gently flared lip, lifted fruit and softened acidity, making the wine feel rounder and more perfumed. We learned that its design directed the wine to the taste buds at the front of the mouth which sense sweetness. The Shiraz glass, slightly taller with a narrower opening, drew out savoury, peppery notes and gave the wine a firmer sense of structure. This was because it directed the wine to the centre and back of the tongue , home to the tastebuds sensing bitterness and umami.  The Cabernet Sauvignon glass, broader and more expansive smoothed the tannins and brought a sense of balance and depth. This shape directed the wine to the centre of the tongue thereby avoiding the sweet and bitter taste buds.  Same wines, different glasses — and entirely different experiences.

Which leaves one final question: why stemless?

To find out – head to our video online. This one’s a little longer than our usual length, but the listen is worth it

As a final treat, Martin demonstrated the Mamba carafe – one of the fastest and most effective ways to aerate your wine

If you’re struggling for inspiration for a knock-out present or simply want something beautiful for dinner parties or a work of art for your shelf or cabinet, you won’t go wrong with the Mamba.

Riedel glassware is available from retailers, including John Lewis, or directly from Riedel where Barbican Life readers can enjoy a special 25% discount using this code at checkout: RIEDELWGE26 (through www.riedel.com/en-gb) – discount expires on 31/12/26 and cannot be combined with other promotions/discounts.

Join us for our next event

Our next event is a visit to the newly opened wine bar at the Deli by Baretto, 18-19 Long Lane from 6 pm on 31st July 2026.  If you’d like to join us, come along- we’d love to meet you.