Vagabond to open ‘cathedral to wine’

By Jaq Bayles

Published: 25 July, 2025

Vagabond Wines is set to open what it says will be the UK’s largest urban winery at London’s Canada Water later this year.

The self-pour wine bar group is taking on 6,000sq ft of space to bring large-scale winemaking, immersive experiences, and more than 100 wines by the glass to east London.

The winery will be backed by investment from owner Majestic Group and is expected to quadruple Vagabond’s English wine output, supporting the growth of its small-batch still and sparkling range.

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Led by Vagabond’s head winemaker José Quintana, the winery will feature design details such as a concrete egg fermenter and an experimental solera system, “allowing guests to see, smell, taste and enjoy wine at every stage of its journey”.

The unit is on the ground floor of the recently completed Dock Shed, a mixed-use building with HQ-ready workspace above and the new Canada Water Leisure Centre to the rear.

Among the features will be a working 100-tonne winery, a Vagabond bar with the brand’s self-pour wine machines, and multiple event and private hire spaces – from weddings to tastings, winemaker dinners to corporate events.

Production capacity will be up to 100,000 bottles per year, and there will be space for more than 300 daily visitors.

According to Wine GB, wine tourism in the UK is booming, with a 55% increase in visitor numbers since 2022 to more than 1.5 million visits last year.

The launch is part of Vagabond’s strategy to double its footprint in the next three years, with the first tranche of openings later this year to include new bars in St Paul’s and at British Land and GIC’s Broadgate, Liverpool Street.

Vagabond MD Christobell Giles said: “This urban winery is unlike anything we’ve done before. It’s a cathedral to wine – a space that lets people get up close to the winemaking process and connects them to the stories and passion behind every bottle. Wine shouldn’t live on a dusty shelf. It should be alive, expressive, and social – and that’s exactly what we’re building.”

Majestic Group CEO John Colley said: “We are really excited to be launching the UK’s largest urban winery in a prime central London location. This is a project we have been working on for a number of months and we can’t wait to welcome our first guests later this year. This significant investment from Majestic Group demonstrates the huge potential we see in the Vagabond brand, and we are committed to supporting its expansion into major towns and cities outside of London in the coming years.”

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