6 of the best: Indie wine merchants

Swig (020 7903 8311).
Mail order only, but Swig prides itself on its detailed customer service. Wines are selected largely from small European producers for greater variety and added character.

Uncorked, Exchange Arcade, Broadgate, EC2 (020 7638 5998).
Bankers and businessmen alike pour into this small vino boutique for its classic French and specialist Californian selections.

Wimbledon Wine Cellar, 1 Gladstone Road, SW19 (020 8540 9979), and 84 Chiswick High Road, W4 (020 8994 7989).
Bottles matured to the tune of £100-plus sit ready for purchase on the shelf (no need for pricey auctions here).

Philglas & Swiggot, 21 Northcote Road, SW11 (020 7924 4494).
New World wine order reigns over this Battersea-based, Aussie-owned wine shop (its range of Margaret Rivers is famous). But don't overlook its quality Italian section, perhaps the biggest in London.

Roberson's, 348 Kensington High Street, W14 (020 7371 2121).
Moulded concrete and wrought-iron fittings encase this ultra-modern winery (and Jimi Hendrix watches it all from the wall). International wine menu goes as far afield as Uruguay, Mexico and the Netherlands.