The Sampler

I really enjoyed our visit here, it was a bit of an impromptu drop in, and I didn’t have any expectations. We put a tenner on our oyster card of booze and tried a range of wines. It was fun and the staff were very friendly (we broke a glass and the lady that works there just commented that she was glad it wasn’t her breaking something for once and not to worry). We tried a range of wines, but cheap date that I am my favourite tasting one was around £6 per bottle! Nice to find a place where the emphasis is on flavour and not cost! Definitely would go back.

I notice some of the other reviews mention poor service. This has never been the case for me. The guys working there are always happy to provide guidance if I need it or back off if I’m just browsing. And it is a fun place to browse. Lots of selection, plus some really old bottles at the back that make you wonder how a 1920’s Bordeaux really does taste.

London never ceases to amaze me. Never have I lived in a city so peppered with hidden gems just waiting to be uncovered. I’ve lived in Highbury for 4 years now and i’m still discovering new delights. The Sampler is no exception to this. It’s been an Islington haunt for about 6 years, but for some reason I’ve only just stumbled upon it. What distinguishes it from all of the other lovely wine shops in Islington is its sampling option. If you fancy an afternoon/​evening of wine tasting, but aren’t in the mood for the pricey, over-​hyped behemoth that is Vinopolis, The Sampler is a lovely alternative. It uses a similar business model to Vinopolis — i.e. pre-​paid top up card and self-​serve sampling machines, but instead of being set in a large, impersonal warehouse, The Sampler allows you to taste in a quaint little wine shop with heaps of charm and no hard selling. They’ve got a really nice range of wines to try (50 or more at any given time), all of which vary in price, vintage and varietal. Everything from everyday drinking wines (roughly 35−60p per tasting) to the rare and unusual (£10 and up per tasting) are on offer. For a thirsty wine-​lover such as myself, it is quite frankly… splendid!
I went in recently with a group of friends and really enjoyed myself. With my £10 card I managed to try 15 different wines (all within the £5−15 bottle range), and I must say that aside from a couple of dubious Sauvignon Blancs, all of them were delicious and great value for money. If you live in the Islington hood, get to know this place… and even if you don’t, its certainly worth a visit up north!

I really wanted to love The Sampler. It sounded great. Go in, try a bunch of wines that look interesting that you may want to take home and drink later. So I thought it was a great place to try on my birthday between seeing a Noises Off matinée and having dinner. We go in. We put some money are the card. We check out all the machines looking for great wines to try.
Oooh, look, champagne! I love a bit of bubbly. Oh, it’s out. So is the second bottle of champagne. So are two of the three bottles of Sauternes. The whites also seem to be served a bit too warm, I think the machine said it was at 8 degrees. Too warm. Chill your white wine.
Half the machines contained new harvests of Bordeaux. If I’m at a wine tasting shop, I’m just not interested in trying the new harvests that I should be setting down for a few years. Maybe there are real wine enthusiasts that come into the shop that do that. I don’t. I want to try wines I can take home and drink tomorrow. I also don’t want to see those empty bottles tantalizing me without anything available to try.
I did appreciate the fine wine station. Nice to try some delicious wines. The cab sav from California was amazing. The 1982 Musar was really awesome. I tried a few more from some of the others, but nothing was overly impressive.
Maybe the kensington shop is better. I just didn’t feel that welcomed or excited by the wine selection they had available to try.

I used to love this place (it once warranted a 5 star review) but I think that it is on the slide at the moment. The format is still the same — either you can use the shop as a normal wine shop and buy from the good selection of wine (organised by grape variety rather than country) or taste the wine from the various tasting booths.
In relation to the former, the selection of older vintages which are kept is special storage cabinets at the back of the shop are particularly interesting.
In relation to the later, you buy a card from the counter which can then be used to purchase tastes of the wines in the cabinets. The wines rangs from everyday £7−8 bottles up to what The Sampler describes as ‘Icon Wines’ which are in the £100-£500 bracket. Consequntly, sometimes even the taste measure of these Icon Wines can be in the £10-£15 range.
So, why is this not an automatic 5 star shop — it sounds great, no? Well, the overall wine selection is not vast. Consequently, the range available for sampling does not turn over as frequently as one might hope and if you come here regularly you will start to see the same wines over and over again (arguably no bad thing as the wines are in the main excellent). Second, my sense is that the focus of the business is on its new South Ken store.
It is still a really good wine shop. However, it is no longer the absolute winner it once was.

This place was such a disappointment. Finally wandered in last Sunday afternoon. It is a massive shop and I was the only one in it. I wondered around for a good 10 minutes hoping that one of the sales people would talk to me. But alas, no… they just had their own conversation and never even said Hi, or can I help you. So I didn’t even get to sample any wine because I didn’t know how the system worked.
I have never felt so ignored in a shop that demands and promotes customer service.
Shame on you.

I just got back from The Sampler and, for the second time in a row, I left complaining.
Don’t get me wrong… I’ll go back… I always do. The selection is the best in Islington. I love that you can pay a quid or less to taste a number of wines. The fact that they give a discount when you buy six bottles means I almost always leave with at least that many. And, if I don’t feel like carrying those wines home, they’ll deliver them to my house for free because I live in N1.
So…what’s the problem? Well, whereas there used to be lovely people working there who were enthused about wine and excited to answer any question you had, the staff now seems to be disinterested at best. I don’t think it would matter if I went in looking for the cheapest bottle on offer or a Latour because the woman who was behind the counter both times seems to be an equal opportunity stick-​in-​the-​mud. I asked her if she could recommend a soft white that was easy to drink on its own and was told, «You could try that. It’s not bad.» Really? That’s the best you can offer in terms of a description? I grabbed a bottle I knew I liked to get to my six bottle minimum and rushed out so that she had some privacy to sulk.

NOmnOMnomnomnom say no more :-)

Good idea. Tasty expensive wines u would never buy!

Samper is Superb!
Being in the wine business, it’s not easy to impress me, but I really like The Sampler.
This concept was attempted in SF (Vino Venue) and it failed miserably. Here in the UK it seems to be working.
The staff is super friendly and knowledgable and they even allow little Napoleon (the Frenchie) inside.
Bottles are rotated frequently in the sampling cabinets and it’s great to have the option of different tasting sizes.
They have high-​end wines on sale, but also great affordable selections, many of which I have purchased myself.
I will continue to purchase my every day drinking wine at The Sampler and look forward to expanding my wine knowledge there.

This is among the best wine shops I’ve visited anywhere in the world.
The selection is excellent, the staff is (on the whole) quite knowledgeable and the prices are very good. The owners are awesome and happy to chat about wine and upcoming events — they really love what they do.
Of course, one of the great draws is actually sampling, easy to use sampler card (I’d say put at least 20 GBP on it) and start tasting fantastic wines from around the globe. The «Icon» sampling station is a must for any enthusiast (and put another 20 GBP on the card) with many bottles one would be unlikely to purchase, but thrilled to try.

What an idea! Now this is the new way to taste wine. Here is how it goes down at The Sampler:
A) Top up a Sampler card at the till (minimum £10)
B) Choose your glass
C) Select your wine (red, white, or a lovely selection of ports and dessert wines)
D) Choose your sampling size (taste, half glass, or full glass)
D) Get your taste on!
The awesome thing about this place is the wonderful variety! Wines from all over ad at all different prices. Samples start as low as .30! So you can choose if you want to drink more/​try cheaper wines or drink less/​try more expensive wines. OR some cheap some pricey. You have lots of options here. If you don’t use all of the money on your card, you can get the rest refunded in cash at the till. Also, they have great descriptions which help you make all your decisions.
Don’t get me wrong, I love this place. The atmosphere was great, the staff was super friendly and helpful, and the wine (of course) was fabulous! But this place is missing two things:
A) CHEESE. Where were the delicious cheese plates to accompany all of this delicious wine?! They don’t offer food here, and that is ok by me, but good wine needs good cheese. There is no way around it.
B) More seating! There is only one table with about 5 chairs for people to sit. It’s nice to roam around to try all of the various wines. But having the option to sit and enjoy a glass would be nice too.
I dig this place. The Sampler, well done!

Immaculately presented, and open just late enough to spare my blushes at a good friend’s 30^th while collecting some vintage champagne. The assortment of 25ml sampling machines are pure genius, an inspired local community shop. The list of reasons to move to N1 is endless, here is just another liquidated reminder.

Fabulous wine shop where you can try wines at incredibly reasonable prices before buying. The Enomatic machines dispense 25, 50, and 75 ml pours and also keep the wines at the correct temperature for drinking. You purchase credit on a smart card and then are free to roam with your glass, pushing buttons for whatever you want to sample. There’s even a little table in the back if you want to settle down and have a proper glass in the shop. Love it!

My wine knowledge is laughable. I really try very hard to remember names and grapes but in the end I’m sorry to say, I base a lot of my wine purchases on the label. Although the words ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’ ring in my ears, I am the kind of person that panic buys a bottle on the basis of a pretty picture rather than bothers herself to ask the staff for help. I always find conversations with sales assistants in wine shops impossible because I know that two questions in I will sound like a complete moron. One attempt at conversation in a wine shop left the staff so confused, they asked for ID to make sure I was even allowed to drink the stuff!
However, in my discovery of The Sampler, I think I may just have solved these wine dilemmas. The Sampler offers a unique opportunity to try a large selection of their stock whilst choosing which bottle to buy. This experience is in itself quite fun– buy a card from the till and pop it in to the machine to have a taste of whatever you fancy. Think of this as a boozy Oyster card– you pay more for the fancier wines, much like a longer journey but you can always take the bus route if you fancy getting sloshed on the cheap stuff! Samples start at 30 and the most expensive I saw was £3. For real winos, this is a great opportunity to try very expensive bottles you would never usually buy. For those like me, who still need a little more instruction, the Sampler also hosts regular wine tastings.
The Sampler truly is a local business at its best, offering services you would never find in the big supermarkets and going above and beyond to spark your interest in the grapes. A great wine shop and well worth a visit!

Every once in awhile a brilliant idea comes my way that makes me think, ‘I wish I had thought of that — and had had the money to do it.’ The Sampler is just such an idea.
The Sampler is an independent wine shop in Islington near the Highbury and Islington Station (but not a terribly long walk from Angel either). However, unlike any wine shop I’ve ever visited, The Sampler has installed ten Sampling Machines around the shop, serving 25ml tasting samples. There are three chilled machines for white wine, six for red wine, and one for Wine Icons, giving a total of 80 wines available for tasting at any time. The Sampler changes all 80 wines every few weeks. Sample prices start as low as 28p, and most are around 50−80p. Sampling is easy.
The Sampler provides a fun and practical way to shop for wine in a completely unpretentious setting, where customers are left alone or consulted as they see fit and if you’re just looking for something to do, a visit to The Sampler can be an inexpensive night out as well.

This is a great local wine store with a difference. You can buy a smart card from them, minimum £10 tasting credit and you can get to taste the selection of wine they offer.
I tried it recently and really like the idea! I spent £10 and already tasted more that I have expected. It’s a good way to get to know wines without drinking too much. There are even little notes on display to give a brief explanation on the individual wine available for tasting.
Apart from this, there are wine tasting events, they are a little more costly though. I tried one on Pinor Noir, a fabulous event and great tasting!