London Wine Fair showcases emerging regions and fresh innovation

By Hamish Graham

Published: 23 May, 2025

After three days of networking, tasting and connecting, the London Wine Fair (LWF) has come to a close for another year. The Fair’s emergence as a champion for emerging wine regions was on clear display at the event, as was both vinous and technological innovation.

The presence of eastern and southeastern European regions was unmissable at Kensington Olympia with stands from Wines of Serbia, Wines of Ukraine, Wines of Bulgaria and Wines of Macedonia all receiving ample footfall from Fair attendees.

The Georgia pavilion was abuzz with interested industry figures, understandable due to the region’s growing popularity here in the UK. As reported by Harpers, 2024 saw a 72% uptick in UK volume sales, with new listings at Waitrose, M&S and Lidl illustrating that the interest in the region is far from niche.

Read more: Georgia backs UK growth with upped investment

A stand which championed emerging European regions in the broadest manner was More Than Only Food & Drink. The promotion campaign, launched by the EU in 2024, aims to promote the use and sale of EU food and drink products in the UK.

Over LWF’s three days, there were 27 samples to try from each of the EU’s member states, with a focus on those drawn from European PDOs and PGIs. I was led through a tasting journey across Europe by David Thompson, of Vinema fame. The whole continent was on show, from a Dutch white made from Muscaris (Gelderland PGI) to a fragrant red from the Portuguese Azores (Açores PGI). The latter, aptly named Tinto Vulcânico, is hand harvested from windswept, volcanic soil vineyards and contains eight varietals, both indigenous and international.

Another European region flying its flag was Valais of Switzerland. Wines from Les Celliers de Vétroz, an Origin Wine-owned estate, were on show from the producer’s winemaker Anouck Dann. At Origin’s stand, Dann presented the winery's selection, as well as the producer’s Gin d’El, the latter winning a Gold medal at the World of Gin Awards 2025. The winemaker’s remit extends to gin production, with Dann rightly proud of the gin’s emerging accolades.

Wines on show included a floral and fruity white made 100% from the Petite Arvine varietal, a grape originating from the Valais region, and Rhapsodie 2013, a 100% Amigne dessert wine aged 12 months in oak barrels.

LWF’s championing of emerging regions extended to the world of spirits, with a panel led by Carly Foxwell of the Fox in the Well consultancy at the Signature Serve Theatre, educating an interested audience on African distilling. Though distilling is by no means a new tradition for Africa, founders of three brands showed there is much to get excited about when it comes to spirits from the continent.

South Africa is well known for its wines but as Damola Timeyin, co-founder of Spearhead Spirits described, the terroir of the nation can afford unique and exciting expressions of drinks of the distilled variety. Spearhead’s Mansas, a sweet and well-balanced bourbon-style whisky, is drawn from South African-grown maize, while their Sango is produced from South Africa-cultivated agave.

Eileen Twum’s Asoro is a yam-based spirit, which utilises West-African ingredients including millet for sweetness, as well as black velvet tamarind, to deliver complex yet smooth drinking experience. Asoro will excite mixologists for the cocktail creations that could be crafted from this innovative spirit.

Rwanda-based Imizi Rum, founded by panelist Rohan Shah, illustrated the entrepreneurial spirit needed to create the landlocked country’s first ever rum distillery. The rum, which uses sugar cane from small plots grown by local Rwandans, as well as botanicals from the country’s bountiful ecosystem, is a genuinely unique expression with the herbaceous drink having strong potential for use in traditionally gin-based cocktails.

Product Innovation

The Wines of Lisboa’s stand presented a diversity of vintages from the well-loved wine growing region. Francisco Toscano Rico, president of Wines of Lisboa and board member Carlos João Pereira da Fonseca, highlighted the geographical and terroir diversity of the region. The country’s resurgent popularity in recent years is understandable given the breadth and quality of wines on show here.

The most fascinating wine came from producer Quinta Casa Boa, led by CEO Joana Pessanha. Her winery’s Anfíbio wine, which is first aged in barrels on land for four months, is then aged in bottle for an additional eight months underwater at a depth of 10 metres, off the Atlantic coast of Portugal. This sea floor proposition is touted to provide good ageing conditions for the wines – low UV as well as consistent temperature. The bottles are glue sealed underwater to prevent any sea water incursion while the bottles on sale still have the patina of the subaqueous ageing process left intact.

Lanchester Wines are making strides in the world of imports with the addition of Champagne Moutard wines being an exciting addition to their portfolio. Progress is not limited to this side of the business, with Lanchester Group sister company, Greencroft Bottling's lightweight 300g bottles on display, highlighting some much-needed green innovation for the wine trade.

On the theme of packaging, Canned Wine Co.’s stand demonstrated that good wine can come in a variety of packaging formats. Their aluminium cans are coated with a BPANI (BPA non-intent) liner which prevents the liquid contained within from reacting with the metal. The on-trade remains the priority for the company with their National Trust deal an impressive coup for the company.

At the Hatch Mansfield stand, Villa Maria’s new canned Sauvignon Blanc showed the packaging format has broad potential. Sarah Szegota, head of marketing and communications at Villa Maria, guided me through the Kiwi producer’s range of Sauvignon Blancs, including the new format cans. The popular wine is likely to expand its appeal, with the new product already available in Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Asda and Tesco.

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