London is a city of sophistication, history, lavish hotels and astonishing wine shops. Travelling to London is worthless if you do not visit any of these places, especially wine shops. Here is a list of London’s best wine merchants centrally located in short distance of tube stations.

Berry Bros & Rudd – BBR

Berry Bros & Rudd has been operating from the same location for more than 300 years. BBR, with a glorious Georgian Cellar, is a historic place that keeps up with the times. BBR is the best place for Burgundy and Claret lovers. There are also other wonderful selections from France, Italy, Germany and the New World. BBR also possesses top-notch own label wines. Some of the wines to try out from BBR are Château de Beaucastel 1998 Châteauneuf du Pape, Dr Loosen Erdener Pralat Riesling Auslese Goldkap 1996 Mosel Saar Ruwer and Hiedler Grüner Veltliner, Spiegel 2001, Austria.

Address: 3 St James's Street, London SW1A 1EG

Phone: 0207 396 9669

Email: sales@bbr.com

Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus

Lea & Sandeman

Lea & Sandeman specialises in Old World wines but also stocks a range of interesting New World wines too. In particular, Lea & Sandeman has an impressive range of Burgundy, Bordeaux and Italian wines, but has recently been uncovering some interesting wines from Spain, Germany & Patagonia. Some of their 'must buys' are: 2012 Fuligni Brunello di Montalcino, 2015 Pommard 'Tavannes' by Domaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot, and R&L Legras Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru Champagne.

Address: 170 Fulham Road, London SW10 9PR

Phone: 020 7244 0522

Email: chelsea@leaandsandeman.co.uk

Nearest Station: South Kensington

Handford Wines

Handford Wines offers hand-selected wines and bespoke wine services since 1989. This merchant is not from the low-priced ones in the town, but it is certainly one of the best wine merchants. At Handford, the majority of wines are from France. The range also includes wines from other regions such as Burgundy, Bordeaux, Alsace and Rhone. There is a range of Italian and Spanish Wines too.

Address: 105 Old Brompton Road, London SW7 3LE

Phone: 020 7589 6113

Email: wine@handford.net

Nearest Station: South Kensington

Fortnum & Mason

The legacy of Fortnum & Mason began in 1705. The shop has a slightly old-world atmosphere and buying wines from here is a quite civilized process. The wine department at Fortnum & Mason’s shop is very spacious. There is a selection of around 1200 wines in the shop which is superb. For such high-end shop, the prices are quite fairer than you might expect. Some of their interesting wines are Château Leoville Barton 1996, St Julien, Xavier Copel Primo Palatum Cahors Classica 1999 and Domaine de la Romanée Conti Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru 1998.

Address: 181 Piccadilly, London W1A 1ER

Phone: 0207 7348040

Email: info@fortnumandmason.co.uk

Nearest Station: Piccadilly Circus

The Sampler

The Sampler was founded in December 2006. Jamie and Dawn spent two years travelling and tasting across the wine world to make The Sampler happen. This merchant offers wines from every corner of the wine world. It’s a good fine wine shop at a short distance from Highbury and Islington tube stations.

Address: 266 Upper Street, Islington, London N1 2UQ

Phone: 0207 226 9500

Email: jamie@thesampler.co.uk

Nearest Station: Highbury and Islington