Urban winery London Cru launches Spanish red

By Rob Brown

Published: 08 June, 2018

Urban winery London Cru has launched a new Spanish red, a Syrah made with grapes from Calatayud in the northeast of the country.

Liberty Red will be sold exclusively at the British Food Hall of iconic department store Liberty London on Great Marlborough Street.

It is the first red wine to be stocked by the food hall, which the retailer says was created to showcase the wares of the UK’s ‘finest micro producers’. It sells for £18 a 750ml bottle.

London Cru says the Syrah, comprised of Spanish grapes but produced in Fulham, has the notes of blackcurrant, white pepper, liquorice and dried herbs typical of Spanish reds from the Zaragoza region.

“We’re proud to be working with Liberty on this project – as one of the top independent retailers in London it’s a perfect fit,” said London Cru co-founder Cliff Robinson.

“We look forward to working alongside Liberty on forthcoming vintages as we move focus to production of quality English wines.”

The launch follows London Cru’s launch last year of an English Bacchus into Liberty, the first wine to be stocked in the retailer’s British Food Hall.

In June 2017, London Cru unveiled its first English Chardonnay, named after the City of London’s Chancery Lane and made using only grapes grown in Sussex.

London Cru is one of a number of winemakers that have sprung up across the capital in recent years, producing wines with an edgier, more modern positioning.

Some contend that this new positioning will be crucial if wine is to compete with the booming craft beer and small batch spirits sectors.

“Wine’s demographic is primarily the boomer generation but as they fade out, generation X and millennials are coming into play,” said Euromonitor International alcoholic drinks industry manager Spiros Malandrakis.

“The industry needs to shift from grape stories to great stories in order to connect with the younger generation of consumers.”

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