Port season has arrived in Covent Garden. Taylor’s Port has transformed the outdoor space at Courtyard Wine Cellars into a cosy, Christmassy Taylor’s lodge, open for a month and designed for warming up between rounds of Christmas shopping.
Visitors will find branded umbrellas and blankets, barrel-style tables, Christmas trees, picnic tables and a mulled port bar, all a few steps from the Covent Garden Christmas Lights.
Free mulled port for the first 100 on Covent Garden Light Switch-On night
On Thursday 12 November, as Covent Garden’s Christmas Lights are switched on, Taylor’s will be giving away free mulled ports to the first 100 customers at the bar from 4pm. It’s the best way to start the festive season: a warming, spiced glass in hand and the lights going up a few steps away.
A menu built around Taylor’s LBV
Taylor’s Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) is the star of the menu and the base of the lodge’s mulled port, a rich, spiced serve made for a London winter. Alongside it, visitors can try:
● Taylor’s LBV Winter Spritz, a lighter, fruit-forward festive serve
● Taylor’s White Port & Tonic, made with Taylor’s Chip Dry
● Taylor’s V, paired with Vinte Vinte chocolate
● Festive sharing plates designed to go with the ports
Tastings, masterclasses and gifts downstairs
Beneath the lodge, the vaults of Courtyard Wine Cellars will host a series of tastings and masterclasses, guiding guests from first sip to Port expert in time for Christmas. Led by the Taylor’s team, each session will explore the origins of Port, delving into its distinctive production process, and uncovering the latest innovations shaping the Port industry today. Tickets will be priced at £25 and available via Eventbrite.
The Courtyard Wine Cellars retail shop will stock Taylor’s ports and Vinte Vinte Chocolate, so guests can take a bottle home. A limited-edition hamper, available exclusively at the Courtyard Wine Cellars location, makes the ideal gift for a loved one or wine enthusiast.
“Port and Christmas are a natural pairing, and there’s no better place to celebrate that than Covent Garden. We wanted to give Londoners somewhere cosy to warm up, try port in new ways and enjoy something special this season. Taylor’s LBV makes the best mulled port because of its rich dark fruit, depth and natural sweetness, which carry the spices beautifully without needing anything extra. Port season is here, and it’s time for Taylor’s.” – Adrian Bridge, CEO, The Fladgate Partnership.