London Cru Opens First Central London Winery

London Cru will be a unique, boutique winery, with grapes sourced from various regions around France including Bordeaux, Languedoc and Rousillon. This unique venture is backed by Cliff Roberson, of Roberson Wine and investor Will Tomlinson and the wine making is supervised by the wonderful Gavin Monery.

Here are some of the reasons why we think London Cru is one to watch and why you should certainly plan a visit once it opens in November. For more information on visits, corporate events and wine tastings, contact us on info@winerist.com.

The Rationale

Gavin Monery explains that the decision to launch the winery lies with the tendency to make London the location for informing, entertaining experiences. “With so many talented people creating world-class craft beers and spirits and with the food and drinks seen becoming so exciting in the capital, it only makes sense to share this experience with people who do not have the chance to visit wineries and participate in winemaking!”

The Grapes

Grapes are sourced from carefully selected growers. Shipments have been arriving throughout September, with a few more coming in this week. Transported in refrigerated trucks, the grapes arrive in London in 36 hours with Gavin Monery being there every step of the way. The first vintage will come from three top French producers:

• Jeff Coutelou of Mas Coutelou – renowned for producing natural wine he will supply the Cabernet Suavignon.
• William Jonqueres d’Oriola of the Chatea Corneilla will provide the Chardonnay and Syrah.
• Jacques Lourton of Flying WInemaker is supplying Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc.

These supplies were possible thanks to the great relationships with the producers. In the future, Gavin Monery hopes to work with more varieties and other countries. The only requirement is that the fruit is of the highest quality.

Winemaking

Since the grapes are not grown in the UK, the wines will be classified under European Community Wine rather than British Wine. The reason for this decision is based on the fact that British Wines are usually made from concentrated rather than fresh grapes. The winemaking process is a true European effort with the grapes coming from France, transported across to Britain and made by a skilled international team in London.

The Location

London Cru is based in a former Gin Distillery and was built under Roberson Wine’s Earls Court head office. Only a few minutes away from West Brompton station, you will find a beautiful space for both wine tastings and events. Imagine hosting a dinner for your team or clients in this unique beautiful surrounding!

An Education

London Cru will allow Londoners and its visitors to experience winemaking at the location. Without leaving London, you will witness how the fruit is processed, the vinification and bottling. For those who book early, participation in the production of the 2014 vintage will be possible. With the 2013 vintage being produced currently, there is still time to witness some secrets of the wine trade from November onwards when London Cru opens its doors.

The aim of the project is to enable people to learn about wine, where they come from and enable them to get involved in winemaking. This, Gavin says will hopefully help visitors to care more about what’s in the bottle and be more curious about what they drink in the future. Touching and tasting the product will make this more fun and extremely didactic.

A final note from the team at the London Cru mentioned that expectations from the public are high, but the team is realistic and knows this will be a challenge. Nonetheless, an enjoyable journey and one which aims to produce top quality, various wines in an unusual environment – that of an urban based winery in one of the most exciting cities in the world.

This article was written by Diana Isac, Co-Founder of Winerist