London Cru and D&D London unveils English wine collaboration

By Lisa Riley

Published: 22 June, 2021

Urban winery London Cru has teamed up with D&D London to create D&D Cru – an English still wine aged in Burgundian 1er Cru barrels with a culinary focus.

For the collaboration, winemaker Alex Hurley of London Cru and a hand-picked group of D&D’s top sommeliers came together, with the aim of the partnership to create a “lasting visceral experience” which highlights the effort that goes into quality English wine.

Both D&D and London Cru said they wanted to “get London sommeliers excited by English wine, get their hands in the vineyard, pick the grapes, load the press, and taste the deliciously crisp wine”.

Hurley said: “The king of English still wine is Bacchus – an obvious choice for this project, its fresh citrus notes and punchy aromatics pair so well with English produce.

“We also aged 23% of the wine for 7 months in used 1er Cru Burgundian barrels which adds a delightful creaminess to the palate and really helped us to create something very gastronomic,” he said.

Diana Rollan, group head of beverage D&D London, added: “Our sommelier team have had the opportunity to be directly involved in each step of the winemaking process with London Cru, giving us a much deeper connection to English wine.

“This in turn helps our teams communicate the unique story of a high quality locally made product directly to our guests and supporting our ethos to become more sustainable”.

The D&D Cru Bacchus 2019 is available across all D&D London restaurants.