NSPCC City Fine Wine 2025
By Angus Barcroft on 13/03/2025
This marked the 20th year that L&S has sponsored the NSPCC’s City Fine Wine Challenge quiz. A really proud moment for everyone involved.
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The Golden Rule
By Jack Chapman on 10/02/2025
I so often get asked if there is a strategy, or an axiom which can be applied to wine in order to guarantee something delicious. There is, of course, not – or at least I hope no one comes up with one, else we will all rapidly be out of jobs, but it has set me to wondering and I think I may have found a passable solution.
Burgundy 2023 is upon us
By Jack Chapman on 05/12/2024
Having returned last week, after tasting 200+ wines, I have been both trying to catch up on emails and find time to pen my thoughts on a vintage about which we were all… holding our breath. From what we saw in the cellars whilst tasting the 2022s, and discussions we had with producers, 2023 was big.
Our latest Rhône tastings
By Tom Lorimer on 28/11/2024
Two very educative Rhône tastings over the last month, doubly reinforced my view that this part of France is the next go-to region for sheer value and quality.
Burgundy 2023: Très Beaune
By Angus Barcroft on 15/11/2024
It was my birthday a few weeks ago and I got to spend it in Burgundy. Not a bad way to see in 39. It was great to return to Beaune, and do the rounds on our Burgundy En Primeur tour, after a long 3-year absence.
Maanschijn: Seen on Gary Barlow’s ITV Wine Tour
By Caroline Tanner on 13/11/2024
If you’ve been following the exploits of Gary Barlow on his wine tour around South Africa (broadcast by ITV), you’ll have seen him stop off at the impossibly picturesque Maanschijn winery, whose wines we are delighted to import. A looming mountain, a saltwater lagoon and beneath, a tiny white farmhouse, nestled amidst the trees.
Drink Up! Time to look at your wines in storage
By Charles Lea on 01/11/2024
It’s that time of year when I encourage our customers to avoid the last minute rush and withdraw wine from their reserves. We have done our best to provide a colour-coded system, alongside drinking dates, to give you an idea of when and what you should be withdrawing (although these are always open to interpretation).
2023 Rhône | The South
By Derek Robertson on 17/10/2024
It is still day three of this trip as the Northern Rhône disappears in the rear view mirror. After a hasty dash down the motorway we head off west to Pont Saint Esprit and the little village of Saint Nazaire in the Gard.
2023 Rhône | The North
By Derek Robertson on 17/10/2024
First things first: the 2023 vintage in the Rhône has produced some exceptional wines and if, like me, you enjoy ripe fruit-forward wines, then you are in for a real treat. I spent five days travelling north to south, visiting almost every estate we work with and a few that may be interesting for the future, as we like to keep an eye on the up and comers too.
Champagne mismanagement
By Jack Chapman on 16/10/2024
After a recent fishing trip in the Highlands, it became entirely clear to me that I had failed to manage my Champagne stocks. We were a party of 12 and consumed 24 bottles over the week – a figure which may initially seem hedonistic, but in real terms, was just three glasses a day (with the odd bottle to celebrate catching a big salmon, a stash which predictably went untouched!).
Exploring the Wines of Victoria, Australia
By Caroline Tanner on 03/10/2024
Victoria is not the largest wine-producing state in Australia (although everything is relative here, it still contains 54,000 acres of vineyard), but many of the 21 regions it contains are familiar names to wine enthusiasts for the quality of the wines. For example: Heathcote, Macedon Ranges, Mornington Peninsula, Rutherglen and Yarra Valley, are all part of Victoria.
We won! Success at the International Wine Challenge
By Caroline Tanner on 17/07/2024
Last week, at the prestigious Industry Awards for the International Wine Challenge, we were thrilled to bring home the prizes for the London Regional Retailer of the Year, Small Multiple Site Retailer of the Year and Sparkling Retailer of the Year.