People's Wine on Roman Road © Social Streets CIC
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People’s Wine shop and bar soft-opens on Roman Road

Following the successful Dalston branch, People’s Wine has a homecoming with a Roman Road location

Although they’ve just barely opened their doors and are still missing signage, the new People’s Wine location on Roman Road is already pushing 700 followers on Instagram.

The new business has taken over the shopfront of Coffee and Fripes, which shut permanently in May. People’s Wine owner Philippe Polleux had previously organised pop-ups with Coffee and Fripes’ owner Aïssatou Diallo, who suggested he take over the location.

The new bar and wine shop features bare red-brick walls and warm soft lighting. In the semi-open kitchen, the chef can be seen preparing French cuisine. The small but carefully curated menu includes olives, oysters and charcuterie. From Thursdays to Saturdays there are heartier specials available, like Boeuf Bourguignon (beef slow-cooked in red wine) and Oeuff Cocotte (eggs baked with cream and ham). 

People’s Wine intends to introduce wine from small artisanal producers to an east London audience. ‘Our wines will be minimum organic, biodynamic and some natural,’ Polleaux said, ‘We are not dogmatic about it, but we believe that to make tasty wine, growing quality grapes is important. Also, it makes sense to champion winemakers looking after their environment.’

As well as selling bottled wines, the shop will be open as a bar space until 11 pm from Tuesday to Saturday. ‘I personally feel that Roman road should have more places opened in the evening and it would be great to bring some life in our neighbourhood,’ Polleaux said.

The bar and wine shop has been anticipated – partially due to the success of owner Polleux’s flagship location, and partially because it’s not Polleux’s first time selling wine on the Roman.

Polleux was co-founder of the popular Vinarius Wine, the specialist wine shop selling French, Italian and English wines on Roman Road. He sold his shares in Vinarius 2020 to open People’s Wine on Dalston Road, with the concept of specialising in wines from his home country of France.

A rare COVID success story, the Dalston location is known in part for its extensive orange wine selection. Orange wine is a type of white wine made by leaving grape skins on for longer during the production process, creating a distinct orange colour and a layered flavour.  

The Roman Road location is a more comprehensive version of its Dalston counterpart with a fully functional kitchen for French cuisine. There will still be plenty of artisanal orange wine, as well as reds and whites. The shop will also stock the popular gin from the East London Liquor Company.

With nearby wine sellers Vinarius and Bottle Apostle in Victoria Park Village, as well as Symposium that offers Italian wines and food, People’s Wine builds on an already thriving wine scene and brings its speciality to the table – French wine and a laid-back dining experience.

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