Positioned opposite the botanical gardens that belong to the city’s most famous institution is The Wine Rooms Cambridge. Here the food supports a formidable drinks offering. The wine list focuses on quality and rarity rather than size, and is available by the glass, bottle, and for buying to take home. Sommeliers are on hand to answer any questions, guiding you through the world of wine by matching grapes to flavours and venturing into a wide variety of regions.
Those who wish to go deeper can attend the weekly tasting events. Held every Thursday, these see sommeliers talk in detail about a region of their choosing and also frequently feature guest speakers. Private and corporate tastings are also available. The former starts at £35 per person and requires at least six people. It can be enhanced to an Icon Wines experience, where you'll get the chance to taste some special vintages by key names.
Food is served in The Wine Rooms bar, where you’ll find walls adorned with well stocked wine shelves, some of which are only reachable by ladder. The menu is centred around small plates and sharing platters, with wine pairings available for each dish. Small plates include Ortiz tinned sardines on toast and cheese souffle; sharing platters are either Spanish, Italian, vegan or seafood and for two to share. There’s also a cheese and charcuterie offering. Each is given its own platter, the former featuring Brie de Meaux and Persille de Beaujolais, and the latter saucisson and nduja from Islington’s Cobble Lane Cured that uses 100% British meat.
Private dining is hosted in the cellar room. This uses the same food menu as the main bar but is set against The Wine Rooms glass-fronted clear, in which bottles are displayed in open drawers and appear to float on marble shelves. A minimum booking of eight is needed.