One of the UK’s leading wine importers and merchants has announced a national, outside London, distribution partnership with London’s first urban winery.

Durham’s Lanchester Wines has become the UK distributor, outside London, of London Cru’s range of English wines, expanding the brand’s availability across the country. Lanchester Wines’ customers will now be able to access London Cru’s wines which are made in London from grapes grown in West Sussex and appear on the wine lists of multiple Michelin starred restaurants in the Capital.

The wine range includes a Chardonnay, Bacchus, Traditional Method Blanc de Blancs, Pinot Gris Sparkling Rosé and London Cru’s flagship Pinot Noir.

Opening in 2013, London Cru is owned by wine industry veteran, Cliff Roberson, who was awarded The Drinks Business Green Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022. Since its launch, the winery has become a London legend, while many London Cru wines have won prestigious awards at WineGB and IWC.

London Cru recently purchased the Foxhole vineyard at Bolney which has 16.15 acres with 20,000 well-established vines, mostly Pinot Noir with a smaller amount of Pinot Gris and Bacchus. This creates an exciting opportunity for London Cru to cultivate their own grapes for future vintages.

As Cliff explains, now is the right time for London Cru to set its sights beyond the Capital: “Our objective is to extend our customer reach and share our message across the UK. London is a fantastic base for us, but the UK’s regions and cities offer great opportunities and we see Lanchester Wines as the perfect partner to make this happen.

“We like to be actively involved and will be working closely with Lanchester Wines spending time with customers and our winemaker Alex will host tastings. We’ve already met the team, having the right personal chemistry is really important, and we’re looking forward to the future.”

Mark Roberts is director of sales at Lanchester Wines: “The London Cru wines are excellent and sit well within our portfolio and our strategy for ongoing premiumisation. But, just as important, we share common commitments to quality and sustainability, and a passion for maverick innovation.

“We have the global reach and logistical capabilities to create a fully integrated wine solution, these wines add a further dimension to our offering.”

The London Cru range is available now through Lanchester Wines, please visit www.lanchesterwines.co.uk/products/LondonCru for more details.