2 hours ago
5 
I sit perched on the edge of my seat, a glass of wine in one hand and my nine-month-old on my knee.
Chubby hands reach out, not for his brightly coloured rattle, but for my friend’s glass of Chardonnay. Wine sloshes precariously in my own glass as I haul him away. The rattle falls to the floor and I struggle to hear what the sommelier is saying over his cries. Is this the Australian summer favourite? Can I taste what now?
I wouldn’t usually drink in the middle of the day, but I’m at a ‘bring your baby’ wine tasting, a day-time wine tasting event for parents where babies aren’t just tolerated, they’re invited.
It may seem ironic, that while some pubs are banning children altogether, others are actively encouraging lunch time wine tastings for mums.
London’s Champers and Pampers, which launched in 2024, is perhaps the most famous. Since then, events have boomed across the country, from Bring Your Baby Wine Tastings in Birmingham, Bubbles and Babies in Nottinghamshire and Mama Social Club in Bristol.
With parenting burnout at an all-time high – one recent study found 93% of Mums are burned out – just why have baby wine tastings become so popular?
Being allowed to bring my baby with me as I sit in Kite at the Red Hart pub, Hitchin, rather than find childcare (or, perhaps more likely, not venture to the pub at all) does, in theory, sound lovely.
We’re told we will be sampling three wines alongside some nibbles. A sommelier will talk us through the tasting notes, with extra breaks for nappy changes or whatever else our babies need.
This isn’t about getting drunk while in charge of a child in a public space – which is illegal under the Under the Licensing Act 1902, FYI – it’s more, as Tom Weller, co-owner of the pub tells me, ‘socialising with parents in a similar situation, and getting a part of yourself back.’ Servings are just 50ml and often go unfinished by parents. The events are more scaled back than a regular tasting, and a key part of it is making it an accessible and friendly space for parents with babies.
I watch, enviously, across the room at a mum with a newborn sleeping soundly in her arms, her partner smiling adoringly from across the table. Meanwhile, I stand to rock my baby who continues to protest as the sommelier impresses upon us the importance of… well I’m not sure what, because I can’t hear him over my baby’s cries. I love the idea of being able to socialise and do the things I did before I was a Mum, but the reality is glaringly different to my child-free days.
A few weeks later I’m down the street speaking to Mums who have attended another bring your baby wine tasting, this time at the Wee Vinotecha Wine Bar. Duncan Gammie, the owner of the bar, tells me that, for him, running baby wine tasting events has been about creating a space for mums where they feel welcome. Gammie, a dad himself, ensures there is an obvious space for prams and that parents know if their baby cries they’ll be in an understanding environment. The events, ‘Wine and Wee Ones’, are extremely popular, often selling out as soon as they’re announced.
While Gammie describes them as ‘a little slice of decadence,’ it doesn’t escape me that these have become popular despite a cost-of-living crisis. Wine and Wee Ones is £18 for a flight of three wines with nuts and olives, Pampers and Champers in London starts at £24.50, depending on the wines, whilst Bubbles and Babes in Nottingham starts at £30.
These events may seem expensive. But so too is childcare; a babysitter can easily cost upwards of £45 for a few hours, meaning that just leaving the house has already cost one parent as much as their meal.
With severe cuts to free government-funded stay and play sessions, many mums are spending matnerity leave at baby massage and sensory classes for £8-£10 a pop anyway.
One mum at the tasting, Becky Glencross , 37, Director of Technology and mum to Madeleine (8 months) and Nicholas (4), tells me: ‘A lot of the things on offer during maternity leave to help you meet people are things for your child, not for you, and you can feel silly singing nursery rhymes. When you have a newborn you often don’t have any downtime, you’ve lost your evenings. This was something social that could be just for me.’
Becky has been to multiple wine-tastings with her baby. ‘It was best when my baby was tiny and sleeping the whole time, but I have still enjoyed it when she’s a bit more on the move. I’ve also met people through it socially who I’m still in touch with.’
It goes without saying that becoming a mother is challenging – swapping work and free time for sleepless nights and nappy changes – it’s no wonder then that parents, and mums in particular, are keen to find something that appeals to them. Baby wine tastings create a space for the whole mother, the one who enjoys doing something for herself as well as the one who is putting all her energy into parenting.
Leah Pitt, a new mum, shares Becky’s enthusiasm. ‘I was drowning in mum stuff and this whole new identity shift. Something as sophisticated as a wine tasting really drew me in,’ she shares.
Almost every mum I speak to touches on this feeling of disconnect and the need to find a supportive, ‘adult’ environment. Nicola Carpenter, 41, teacher and mum to Niamh and Ada, says ‘it was the perfect escape for me whilst not having to worry about leaving my baby.’ A bonus was that food was also included in the ticket price, helping with some of the mental load.
Of course, these events are a win-win for the pubs and bars that host them, typically run during the quieter lunchtime hours midweek, where sales are usually slow. For mums who have dutifully sworn off alcohol during their pregnancies, a baby wine tasting reclaims something of their past selves, while also supporting local businesses.
As my baby finally reaches the glass of wine, and pours it over himself, prompting a Sauvignon-scented screaming fit, I’m struck that while stressed mums might love to kick back and enjoy a glass of wine, we’re never quite off duty.
Bengali (Bangladesh) · 
English (United States) ·