Sake Masterclass at Vinopolis

After sixteen successful years Vinopolis will sadly close its doors for good at end of this year. We went to top-up on her sake knowledge before it's too late! 

Vinopolis has been on my radar for a while but I had not made the effort to visit until I was invited to a special Sake Masterclass one evening.

Opened in 1999 under the arches of London Bridge, Vinopolis is a treasure for those interested in wine and spirits. It sports five bars and restaurants along with its vast shop and unique wine tasting experiences.

If you choose the Self Guided option then you will be given a 15 minute 'How to Taste' tutorial and you are then free to sample the wines you would like to try around the eight different tasting zones with a pre-loaded debit card. It is a novel and informative way to sample wine for those who are already connoisseurs and for those still trying to figure out what exactly they like.

When waiting to start the Sake Masterclass, we were seated in the reception area with guests signed up for the Cocktail Masterclass. The place was abuzz with anticipation and it confused and saddened me to think that Vinopolis is due to shut down at the end of this year when it still seemed so popular.

I was not sure what to expect from the masterclass as I had never even tried sake and had not experienced this sort of thing before. I imagined that it would be more of a sake tasting tutorial but it was actually a very detailed lesson. I sat amongst people who seemed to be experts on wine tasting and were keen to know more about sake. We learnt about the production methods and the differences between sake whilst being able to try six varying types of the Japanese drink.

It was an interesting experience although for a novice (such as myself), I think it would have been more beneficial for me to try a wine tasting before joining a masterclass so I knew exactly what I was doing when tasting the drinks. The masterclasses that Vinopolis offer range from food pairing to Halloween cocktails and the prices are from £40-£55 although if you wanted to spend less money then the self-guided options would allow you to do so.

The Vinopolis website has a list of the upcoming classes and the multitude of other options that are available should you be interested in tasting a wide array of different wines. They also have great offers on tastings with a meal in their own restaurant as well as perfect gift sets for wine lovers.

I am glad that I finally managed to visit Vinopolis and plan to go back to experience something else there before it closes its doors at the end of this year.

Address: 1 Bank End, London SE1 9BU
Closest Tube Station: London Bridge
Vinopolis Closing Date: 31st December 2015