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Medieval Wine Tour

Coming up:

Saturday 16th March, 2:30pm Book now
Saturday 13th April, 2:30pm Book now
Saturday 18th May, 2:30pm Book now

Step back in time and experience the sights, sounds and tastes of late medieval London on this theatrical wine tour led by Dr Matthew Green, brought to life by actors and musicians planted in the medieval city’s tagliatelle of twisting, winding streets.   

The tour includes a delicious coconut-shell of frothy medieval rosé, as well as two sizeable glasses of modern wines. 

  • *** TIME OUT CRITICS’ CHOICE *** – 4/5 stars: “The winning Dr Matthew Green paints a lively picture of Medieval London…There can’t be many walking tours that take the ‘getting you drunk’ bit almost as seriously as the history bit. Luckily, the stories we’d heard were plenty vivid enough to stick in our fuzzy head…’ Read the full review here.
  • At the end of the tour you’ll have the opportunity to buy a signed copy of Matthew’s new, critically-acclaimed paperback, Shadowlands: A Journey through Lost Britain (Faber).

Let Dr Green guide you through this stark medieval world from the crumbling Roman walls, to Cheapside and the Vintry, the wine-importing (and growing) district where Chaucer’s father lived and beyond to the ancient port at Queenhithe. We will finish with malmsey wine overlooking the Thames, taking in the full panorama of medieval London. Learn how so much of the City’s wealth was fuelled by ‘liquid gold’: a bewildering array of wines from all over Europe.

En route, a world of fun awaits: experience the deliciously twisted humiliation rituals reserved for vintners selling putrid wine; hear the gruelling stories of the young anchorites walled into tiny stone cells attached to churches for the rest of their lives; understand how the medieval metropolis grew out of the ghost town of Londinium; visit a PLAGUE PIT which doubled-up as a vineyard; take in some of the finest medieval architecture in London and ask Dr Green literally anything you want about the medieval life and worldview.

This is a unique opportunity to immerse yourself in the medieval metropolis when it was a close-knit and neighbourly place, albeit one that would grow into a megacity, holding up a mirror to our sprawling and more anonymous capital. That, and an excuse to drink some delicious wine.

 

More about your guide…

Historian and broadcaster Dr Matthew Green is the author of the acclaimed book London: A Travel Guide Through Time (Penguin), which has been described by William Hague as ‘an excellent and vivid work of history’, by Liza Picard as ‘a must for anyone interested in London’s history’ and by the Londonist as ‘easily the most engaging social history of London for a decade’. Matthew also writes historical features for the Guardian, Financial Times and Telegraph among others, and has featured in TV documentaries on BBC 2, ITV, Channel 4, and BBC4, and is a regular on BBC Radio London. He is the co-founder of Unreal City Audio.

 

Terms and Conditions

– Unreal City Audio events are non-refundable. But in exceptional or unforeseen circumstances, tickets can be transferred to later events, or you may exchange your ticket for a gift voucher.

– This is a strictly socially distanced event. Hand sanitiser will be available. Masks are encouraged but not compulsory.

 

Terms and Conditions

  • Unreal City Audio events are non-refundable. In the event of a cancellation or postponement which is out of our control, you may transfer your tickets to any of our upcoming events

Your Guide

Dr Matthew Green

In 2009, Dr Matthew Green completed a PhD in the history of the mass media at Oxford University. Unmoved by the prospect of a cloistered academic life he turned to popular history and now writes for the Guardian and Telegraph, appears on BBC TV and radio, teaches a wide range of historical subjects, and gives sell-out talks at the Idler Academy, 5x15, Port Eliot and elsewhere. He is currently writing a book on 17th and 18th-century coffeehouses.