Vagabond has never been a typical wine bar, but its newest opening at Canada Water shifts the entire conversation. This opening will make the new Canada Water venue Europe’s largest urban winery.
Vagabond has transformed the idea of what a wine bar can be. Rather than adding another cosy spot to its portfolio, the group has created a fully working winery in the heart of the city. Enter a space where stainless-steel tanks, barrels, and fermenters sit alongside tables and tasting areas. The result feels immersive from the moment you walk in. You do not only drink wine here. You witness the process that brings each glass to life.
Spread across 6,000 square feet, the new Canada Water winery is a place where you can explore a fully working 100-tonne cellar, taste straight from tank or barrel, try more than 100 wines by the glass and enjoy everything from a quick drink to a full dinner.
The Space
The winery covers six thousand square feet and occupies a prime position overlooking the historic Canada Dock. The area once welcomed ships loaded with wine, timber and spices. Now it becomes home to active winemaking again. Natural light fills the room through broad windows. Movement flows easily from the main bar to seating clusters, private tasting rooms and open views of the production floor. In December, it becomes a lively destination for festive gatherings, classes and private events. A gentle echo of the dock outside creates a sense of openness that connects the interior to the water, giving the space an almost coastal calm beneath its urban energy.
Canada Water is not usually top of the list for a night out, but actually, the location is rather perfect. Just two stops from London Bridge, Canada Water is really well connected. Often confused with Canary Wharf, Canada Water is more homely with lots of green spaces. Historically, there hasn’t been much in the area, so the arrival of Vagabond Wines is exciting.
Design
Industrial elements blend with warm materials to create a space that feels both modern and inviting. Steel beams and polished surfaces sit alongside soft woods and gentle lighting. Concrete egg fermenters rise like art pieces beside the stainless steel tanks. Barrels are arranged in sculptural stacks along the walls. Every corner encourages discovery. A mezzanine level offers a view over the winemaking equipment while quieter corners support more intimate tastings. The design does not separate production from hospitality. It allows both to exist in harmony.
As warmer months arrive, there will also be space for around 70 people to enjoy wine and food outside, overlooking the water.
The Wine Concept
With over 100 wines by the glass, the self-pour machines are all about hands-on discovery. Vagabond’s signature self-pour stations are the heart of the experience. Just tap, taste and explore. The selection includes classic regions, emerging producers and bottles crafted in London itself. The winery processes one hundred tonnes of grapes each season. Fruit arrives from vineyards in Oxfordshire, Kent, Suffolk and Sussex. Visitors can observe fermentation up close. The aroma of active tanks drifts through the space, and techniques such as solera ageing and concrete egg fermentation are part of the daily rhythm. A key differential here is the PRICE. Prices are accessible, especially for the level of winemaking. There is exceptional value in the experience, making this somewhere you can go every day for a glass of wine.
The concept turns wine drinking into an open journey of tasting and learning. This is really driven by the BRILLIANT team that works here. A unique group of oenophiles, the team can take you through a guided tasting and go as geeky or as basic as you like, from explaining what orange wine is through to talking you through the entire wine-making process.
Under the expert eye of Beth Brickenden, you can also book a range of new experiences created specifically for Canada Water – from guided winery tours to winemaking workshops and tasting flights – as well as sessions at The Vagabond Academy, which offers accessible wine education for every level of curiosity. The opening marks the latest step in the significant investment programme from Majestic Wine and Fortress Investment Group, backing Vagabond’s next stage of growth and its mission to connect more people to winemaking in the heart of the city.
Food
The menu is built around sharing and pairing. Dishes are simple, comforting and designed to support the wine. Winter brings melted cheese and fondue feasts for private groups. Charcuterie, salads and warm plates encourage flexible orders that match the pace of the evening. Nothing feels heavy or overthought.
Every plate is designed for a tasting flight or a long conversation over a bottle. New additions include stuffed courgette with fennel sausage and saffron crème fraîche, slow-cooked pork cheeks with gremolada, and an Italian-style sharing board with large burrata, pesto, sundried tomato, charcuterie, gnocco fritto and toasted baguette. Lunch plates offer combinations like tempura enoki mushrooms with patatas bravas, or burrata salad bowls with radicchio and walnuts.
A highlight of the menu until March is the fondue! So many restaurants in London do fondue for such a limited time and you can count these places on two hands. We love the fact that fondues are for every day and at Vagabond, there is a signature Swiss Fondue – the ultimate winter sharer. Melted Swiss cheese, toasted baguette, thyme and rosemary potatoes, and pickles. Great with a glass of wine.
Atmosphere
The room has a natural sense of energy. Guests move between stations with curiosity, and conversations begin easily around the machines. Production continues in view, adding a quiet hum to the background. As the evening settles in, the lights soften and the stainless steel takes on a warm glow. The dock outside provides a calm contrast to the activity inside. Staff trained through WSET support guests when needed, but keep the environment relaxed. The atmosphere strikes a balance between sociability and calm, refinement and accessibility. It feels like a place where people can explore wine at their own rhythm, whether they stay for a quick taste or settle in for hours.
Overall
This is a first for London and a first for Canada Water. An urban winery that truly brings the vines to London and embraces winemaking, wine education and most of all, making wine accessible.
For more information, visit Vagabond.
Ver esta publicación en Instagram
Photo credit: Vagabond / @vagabondwines.