Above Sea Level – Best Wine Culture in London?

Craft beer or barrel-aged cocktails might be the default tipples of choice in any hip bar, but journalist Aimee Hartley is working to change that.

Above Sea Level, a new wine and culture magazine founded by Hartley, is redefining wine, making it more accessible to a younger generation who can find the drink intimidating. With a spare, modern layout and series of photo essays more akin to those found in today’s design journals, the magazine aims to move wine appreciation away from the often technical language of flavour descriptors, instead embracing the social experience of wine drinking.

Hartley also organises public events that encourage novice drinkers to consider wine not as a specialist matter, but as part of a wider experience which encompasses food, design and good conversation. Recent Above Sea Level events include dance parties in east London and Napa, California. We’ll raise a glass to that.