Great British Drinks to take centre stage at LWF

By James Bayley

Published: 27 May, 2022

The 40th London Wine Fair is almost upon us, with the biggest ever selection of British beers, wines and spirits set to be unveiled at the event.

English and Welsh wine will be represented by more than 40 wineries across the show, in Drinks Britannia – the section dedicated to British drinks - and on distributor stands on the Trading Floor, as well as in Esoterica and The Discovery Zone.

Several spirits and beer producers will attend for the first time, including Scotland's Lafferty's Gin and Upperhand Gin; James Martin's Gin; Heroes and Heretics Whisky; and Traquair House Brewery. And Welsh mineral water, Tŷ Nant, will be the official water supplier to the show.

READ MORE: Harpers and D-Vine to co-host LWF Discovery Zone

The Nyetimber bus will make a scheduled stop in front of Drinks Britannia, hosting daily masterclass sessions on its top deck, and Bibendum will host a "Battle of the Bubbles", pitting English fizz versus the rest of the world on the first day of the show. Throughout The Fair, there will be several English wineries on agent stands, including Balfour Winery (Bibendum), Black Chalk (Graft Wine); Busi Jacobsohn (Marcato Direct); and Ridgeview (Bibendum). BiB Wine will show The English Vine 'Number 1' Bacchus 2021. The English Vine will offer a range of wines, including those in alternative packaging (paper bottles and keg wine) in the WTAF (Wine Traders for Alternative Formats) on The Gallery.

Simon Thorpe MW, CEO, WineGB, commented: "We are really delighted that WineGB will be at this year's London Wine Fair alongside a bumper crop of Britain's wine producers, and we look forward to welcoming all visitors to our stand and highlighting the other English and Welsh wine features across the event. London Wine Fair lies at the very heart of the UK wine trade, and with the domestic market accounting for over 90% of overall sales of English & Welsh wines, engaging even further with all sectors of the UK wine trade is a primary focus for us. It is a truly pivotal time for our industry: growth in production shows no signs of abating, our wines continue to show just how world-class Britain is as a wine producer, wine tourism is booming, and we confidently boast a progressive sustainability scheme for the industry. This is a Great British success story and one with a stellar future."

Harpers will also be taking centre stage as co-hosts of this year's Discovery Zone, where several panels will look at new wine technology and other innovations and issues in the industry.

The Discovery Zone will host five sessions each day of the show, with content covering pertinent topics for anyone working within the drinks industry, such as sustainability, optimising social media, the future of drinks retailing and Harpers 30 Under 30 awards.

Tuesday 7 June

• 11.30am: Meeting the challenges of the net-zero journey

UK drinks businesses, including signatories of the Harpers Sustainability Charter, share insights from their progression towards a carbon-free future.

Panel: Andrew Bewes (Hallgarten & Novum), Andrew Wilson (WineBox Company), Ben Marriott (Bevica), Oliver Lea (The BIB).

• 12.30pm: Aeration and temperature: The importance of wine service conditions with D-Vine

• 1.30pm: The future of drinks retailing

Drinks Retailing's panel discussion asks the big question – what role will technology play in the drinks shops of the future? What will these shops look like?

• 3pm: 30 Under 30's Future Leaders Symposium

Judges and winners of Harpers' 30 Under 30 list unite to pinpoint the key challenges and opportunities for the younger generation in a post-Covid-world, where work and collaboration on ideas are rapidly evolving.

Wednesday 8 June

• 12pm Living examples of No & Low in the on-trade with Club Soda

• 3.30pm: Wine selection: How to make a good wine list? How does the D-Vine transform a list quality and excitement with zero risk and wastage?

Thursday 9 June

• 11.30am: The power of social media for drinks retailers and brands

Drinks Retailing in conversation with Tom Harvey, co-founder YesMore drinks marketing agency.

• 12.30pm: Wine conservation with D-Vine

• 1.30pm: Sizing up the on-trade in a post-pandemic, post-Brexit world

Harpers looks at how the hospitality landscape has changed and what this means for the drinks offer.

Introduction by Andrew Catchpole followed by a presentation by Kam Media's MD Katy Moses.

• 3pm: Drinks Retailing's guide to English whisky

For more information on the LWF Discovery Zone click here.