{"id":104212,"date":"2024-04-18T11:30:30","date_gmt":"2024-04-18T16:30:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/?p=104212"},"modified":"2024-04-19T13:24:57","modified_gmt":"2024-04-19T18:24:57","slug":"gordons-londons-oldest-wine-bar-is-a-must-do-tipsy-candlelit-escape","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/gordons-londons-oldest-wine-bar-is-a-must-do-tipsy-candlelit-escape\/","title":{"rendered":"Gordon\u2019s, London\u2019s oldest wine bar, is a must-do tipsy candlelit escape"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Samantha Thomas
\n<\/em><\/strong>Medill Reports<\/em><\/p>\n

LONDON \u2014 Just steps away from the Embankment tube station at 47 Villiers St., Gordon\u2019s Wine Bar is unassuming at first. With its dark wooden shuttered storefront, it looks like any regular grubby pub. But as you step inside, you\u2019re greeted by a friendly smile and sent traveling down a steep staircase to an underground haven.<\/p>\n

\"Gordon's
Gordon\u2019s Wine Bar is nestled in the heart of East London, right next to Embankment station. (Samantha Thomas\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The space opens into a soft, glowing wine cellar buzzing with conversation. Aged wine barrels and framed black-and-white newspaper clippings from British moments in history (like The Daily Telegraph\u2019s front page from the day Queen Elizabeth II was married) line the cracked, faded stone walls. It\u2019s a good thing you drink once you get down there; navigating the thin stairwell in dim lighting might not be so breezy after a couple of glasses.<\/p>\n

\"Historic
Historic photos and newspaper clippings decorate the walls of Gordon\u2019s. (Samantha Thomas\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Founded in 1890, Gordon\u2019s has been owned by two different Gordons, starting with vintner Angus Stafford Gordon and then passed on to Luis Gordon in 1972. They share the surname, but surprisingly have no familial relation. When the space was acquired by Luis Gordon in the\u201970s, his family was already a titan of Britain\u2019s sherry business for more than 200 years as \u201cLuis Gordon & Sons.\u201d<\/p>\n

Before its opening in 1890, the vaults of the restaurant were used to store salt, until the river was culverted and the building was repurposed to what it is today.<\/p>\n

\u201cInitially, (the bar) was upstairs. It had the main front window with shutters, and they opened onto the street and poured fortified wine,\u201d manager Amanda Whiteside said.<\/p>\n

When Whiteside first met the Gordon family, she was just a young girl. She grew up down the street from the family and now works at their wine bar as a manager, watching the business evolve across two decades. Gordon\u2019s passed from husband to wife, Luis to Wendy, when Luis died in 2002. That\u2019s when Simon, Wendy\u2019s eldest son, got involved.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe just thought it was a rather fun thing to have,\u201d Whiteside . \u201cHe opened it between the hours of 5 and 9 on Friday for his friends, and then the business grew and expanded.\u201d\u00a0 Now, Wendy and Simon co-manage the restaurant and carry on the Gordon family spirit.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople come and say, \u2018I’ve been recommended by a friend from home,\u2019 and they\u2019ll be from halfway around the world,\u201d said bar supervisor Gabriele Marini, who has worked at Gordon\u2019s for the past two years.<\/p>\n

Abdul Mohammed, a head runner at Gordon\u2019s in charge of delivering beverages and meals to customers, has also worked at Gordon\u2019s for two years. To Mohammed, the wine bar is a \u201csecond home.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Owner
Owner Simon Gordon, left, shares a charcuterie board with a friend for lunch. (Samantha Thomas\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The dark, intimate cave is enticing and almost invites you to whisper as you sit down in wine barrel chairs and begin perusing the menu. Wax drips down long wick candles stuffed into empty wine bottles that sit atop rickety wooden dining tables. Lively conversation and flickering candlelight bounce across the curvature of the cave\u2019s wall.<\/p>\n

Every so often, the Tube rumbles gently beneath the dining space. The tight quarters create a comfortable sense of familiarity, as if sharing a meal with your table neighbors; even seated at a table for one, it\u2019s impossible to feel lonely.<\/p>\n

Gill Hastie and Shona Gibbon sit at a table across the cave; a long-distance mother-daughter duo, catching up over a glass of wine and a meal.<\/p>\n

\"Gordon\u2019s
Gordon\u2019s Italian Board serves up warm fresh bread, taleggio, gorgonzola, parma ham and olives. (Samantha Thomas\/MEDILL)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cI live in the highlands, and my mom lives in Glasgow,\u201d Gibbon said, \u201cso we decided to come down here for a Christmas present; to spend time instead of a gift. It’s nicer to spend time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The pair stopped into Gordon\u2019s per a local friend\u2019s recommendation.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had the Italian board, so it had to two kinds of cheeses and some salami and some pickles, and it was just delicious,\u201d Hastie said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd really good value for where you are in London,\u201d Gibbon said.<\/p>\n

The two hadn\u2019t caught up over a wine and cheese board in years, \u201cbut that’s what we love to do,\u201d Gibbon said. \u201cHave a long, long lunch and hang out.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gordon\u2019s could not be more prime for an afternoon spent gabbing. The menu has an extensive international wine list, serving glasses from spectacular wine regions in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Portugal, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, and a comprehensive cheese selection to match.<\/p>\n

The drink menu denotes vegan, organic, sustainably made and multi-vintage wines, offering a specialty for everyone. A glass of vino ranges from 8.30 pounds to 16 pounds, but if you\u2019re looking to swig like a lush or split with friends, customers can splurge on a bottle, ranging from 29.50 pounds to 125 pounds.<\/p>\n

The carefully curated food menu features a cheese-and-meat-charcuterie pairing list, cold plates with salads, meat and fish boards, and simple sides of peppers, olives and breads.<\/p>\n

\u201cA number of our cheeses come from a Sussex cheese maker, Alsop and Walker,\u201d Whiteside said. The menu shuffles based on availability from a number of local and foreign cheese suppliers, according to Whiteside.<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom the beginning of March, we’re going to have our own section of vegan chesses that are made in East London in Hackney, and they are really good,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Those searching for a romantic table for two or a spot to curl up with a book and a drink will enjoy savoring Gordon\u2019s thoughtful assortment of sips and bites in a beautiful ambiance.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Samantha Thomas is a magazine graduate student at Medill. You can follow her on Twitter at @sammitamarie or on LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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But as you step inside, you\u2019re greeted by a friendly smile and sent traveling down a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":938,"featured_media":104219,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194,5405,5399,5410],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-culture","category-london-2024","category-medill-explores-2024","category-spring-2024"],"yoast_head":"\nGordon\u2019s, London\u2019s oldest wine bar, is a must-do tipsy candlelit escape - Medill Reports Chicago<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/news.medill.northwestern.edu\/chicago\/gordons-londons-oldest-wine-bar-is-a-must-do-tipsy-candlelit-escape\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gordon\u2019s, London\u2019s oldest wine bar, is a must-do tipsy candlelit escape - Medill Reports Chicago\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Samantha Thomas Medill Reports LONDON \u2014 Just steps away from the Embankment tube station at 47 Villiers St., Gordon\u2019s Wine Bar is unassuming at first. 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