Five minutes with Alex Hurley, London Cru

By Jo Gilbert

Published: 05 April, 2022

Jo Gilbert talks to the English wine innovator about how the past two years have helped to super-charge the category via London Cru, the Roberson Wines-owned urban winery.

The past few years have been very exciting for English wine. Since 2017 we have been making wines exclusively from vineyards roughly one hour from London in Kent, Essex and West Sussex. While sparkling is still king in the UK, our Bacchus, Pinot Gris Pet Nat, and Pinot Noir Précoce have also proven themselves in some of the best places across London.

Recently, it has been great to see so many fabulous chefs and venues listing English wines. Customers are now asking for English sparkling and early ripening grape varieties which excel in the UK, such as Bacchus.

Just a few years back it was a rarity to see English sparkling, let alone still wine on a menu. These days, they can be found on some of the best lists in London.

A combination of factors have been driving this move. Certainly, there’s been growing interest from our consumers to eat and drink local. The quality of wine is also getting better as our industry grows and becomes more professional.

English wine is one of the most exciting regions in the world right now. The next few years promise an adventure of different wine styles, grape varieties, and wild vintage variation. A truly exciting place to make and drink wine!

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