Hector’s: a small but perfectly formed wine bar with a great list
Website: https://hectorslondon.co.uk/
I can’t believe this was my first visit to Hector’s. It’s a brilliant wine bar located in De Beauvoir town in Hackney, a short walk from Dalston Junction overground station. This means it is very close to the Dalston trifecta of Dan’s, Newcomer and Brilliant Corners, making this part of London one of the best places for cool wine bar hopping.
Hector’s is small, and although it was quite busy when we visited, we didn’t have to wait too long for space. The selection of wines is impressive, and I had a lot of fun browsing around (there’s also a cellar, with more wines, including some cool rares). You pay £20 corkage on the shop price for drinking in, so it’s an affordable place to drink well. This isn’t a natural wine joint, but there are a lot of low intervention wines here, and everything is interesting (which makes it tricky to choose).
As well as wine, there are some nice small plates, so you can eat here too.
We opted for a really interesting PetNat from Bourgogne:
Domaine Dandelion Pet Nat 2023 Bourgogne, France
Gamay and Pinot from Volnay. Slightly cloudy with a bit of colour. Lovely pear and apple fruit, with some cherry and a twist of bitterness. There’s some spicy character and notes of cumin and coriander. Beautiful balance here. 93/100
