Humble Grape is a wine bar like no other: Here’s it’s origin story
Is a bar only as good as its origin story? The calibre of the drinks and service are of, of course, of vital importance but it’s the mythos of a place that gives it that je nais se quoi. Humble Grape, one of our Toast the City Awards 2026 Finalists, has one of the best so I thought I’d share it with you today.
James Dawson arrived from South Africa with £50 in his pocket and noble intentions of becoming a social worker. He had a job lined up but upon presenting himself he learned there was no longer a vacancy. With no income and nowhere to go he spent three nights sleeping rough on a park bench, saving his limited cash for food before tracking down a contact in London who told him he could make as much as £11 an hour in banking. So Dawson went into finance, eventually ending up in Paris on HSBC’s trading desk in his late 20s. Over the weekends he would rent a car to drive to different villages around France, discovering the country and tasting at cellar doors. It was here he learned about the joy of food and wine.
How Humble Grape was born
Seven years later he completed his wine qualifications and began hosting tastings of his own, as well as buying and selling wines around his work, delivering them on the back of his motorbike before clocking into the office.
Then in 2014 Dawson imported some wines he thought were beautiful, but he was struggling to sell them. The answer was to quit finance and start a wine bar of his own. It was the first UK hospitality business to crowd fund its launch, raising £500,000 and opening its first venue in 2015. Humble Grape Battersea is a cosy corner not too far from my home, with wooden floors, curling staircases and walls of wine bottles.
Combining his passion with his work ethic, Dawson was on the floor night and day as general manager. Not being a natural chef, the bar only served cheese and ham toasties, yet somehow managed to become the number one restaurant in London on Trip Advisor. Personally, a bottle of Burgundy and a gooey grilled cheese is my high-low pairing of dreams, but Dawson knew he had to elevate the offering and within the next two years Humble Grape had an executive chef, as well as a further two venues.
Now there are seven venues across London, with Humble Grape Bow Lane being a Toast the City finalist for Best Bar and Best New Opening this year. A wine bar and restaurant in a cool crypt below St Mary-le-Bow Church offering over 500 wines by independent winemakers, it’s a real piece of City history best enjoyed with a great glass in hand.
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Wine Recommendations
Cloudy Bay Te Koko – Majestic £62
Cloudy Bay may have helped put classy Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc on the map but Te Koko highlighted its possibilities. Fermented and aged in oak with wild yeasts, it is held for three years before release making it richly savoury with sophisticated notes of smoke and almonds.
Bruno Paillard Blanc de Blancs 2015 – Wanderlustwine.co.uk £95
Despite being a younger Champagne house (1981) Bruno Paillard’s commitment to quality driven champagnes cannot be denied. Prestigious but fun, this wine spends an impressive seven years on the lees, opening with orange peel, fresh croissants underpinned by a backbone of salinity.
Rathfinny Mini Cuvée- Hedonism £27
For those who want a couple of glasses of sparkling wine but don’t want to open and waste a whole bottle, this clever English estate has launch mini cuvées at 50cl. Traditional method, even in the smaller size, they are bright with bubbles, brioche and a lovely crisp citrus zest.