Photo: Highbury Library
With the nationwide lockdown brought about in response to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic outbreak, hospitality businesses suffered enormously. During this difficult period, a large selection of wine bars and suppliers pivoted to making their wines available for delivery direct to consumers – many of which have continued and will remain for the foreseeable future. These are Britain’s best new wine delivery and subscription services.
London-based Newcomer Wines offers a fast, delivery-only service, with over 250 wines and beers available. All wines are available for free next-day delivery (Monday-to-Friday) on orders of 6 bottles and above (within the M25), or 12 bottles and above outside of London. Further information can be found at Newcomer Wines’ website.
St JOHN Wine offers a wide selection of French wines available for delivery in England and Wales. (Due to varying shipping costs, orders for delivery in Scotland can be made by emailing wine@stjohnwines.com). An assortment of mixed boxes are also available, including the ‘St JOHN Mixed Case’ or the ‘Burgundy Blowout 6 Pack’. Free delivery throughout England for overs over £150, or £15 below, plus free delivery on orders containing three or more bag in box wines. No minimum order. Further information can be found on St JOHN’s website.
The Winemakers Club are offering free delivery to customers within a two/three-mile radius of their Farringdon and Deptford sites, respectively. Available nationwide the wine list has been uploaded to the bars’ online shop. Orders placed by 2pm are available for same-day delivery, while mixed case discounts are offered. Further information can be found at The Winemakers Club’s website.
Whitechapel restaurant, Townsend, has launched a delivery service, offering delivery-friendly restaurant dishes and a selection of wines chosen to accompany the dishes. With bottles priced from £10, wines are available for delivery nationwide. Further information can be found on Townsend’s website.
Independent wine bar and shop, Diogenes the Dog offers launched a novel over-the-phone sommelier service during, offering expert advice in hope of assisting customers in their wine choices. Their wines are also available for delivery nationwide, striving to offer same day delivery on local orders and within three working days for all other UK addresses. Further information can be found at Diogenes the Dog’s website. .
During lockdown, North London restaurant and wine bar, Top Cuvée, was temporarily rebranded as Shop Cuvée. Following the success of Brodie Meah and Max Venning’s lockdown project, Shop Cuvée has opened the doors of bricks and mortar site just around the corner from the restaurant. Responding to overwhelming demand, Shop Cuvée offers nationwide next day delivery, stocking hundreds of natural wines. Snacks are also available to accompany, including cold cuts from Cobble Lane and cheese from Neal’s Yard, plus Top Cuvée dishes such as pig’s head terrine, guinea fowl rillette, and whipped smoked cod’s roe. Further information can be found at Shop Cuvée’s website.
With Wine List Confidential having recognised the restaurant as having the best Iberian wine list in London, Bar Douro has launched an online wine shop, making a small selection of wines from their cellar available to buy and enjoy at home. Featuring over 30 wines and ports from across Portugal. Founder Max Graham has also curated a selection of wine boxes. Orders can be placed at shop.bardouro.co.uk. Free delivery in England and Wales on orders over £150 or on wine boxes. Orders below £150 will be subject to a £15 delivery charge.
Sister to The Quality Chop House in Farringdon, Quality Wines has launched a delivery service. A number of wines are available, including a selection of mixed cases. Orders must be received by Wednesday at noon for next-day local delivery, with nationwide delivery also available. Further information can be found at The Quality Chop House’s website.
Founded in 2014, The Finest Bubble was set up to provide a same-day Champagne delivery service in London, with over 500 Champagnes available, delivered within two hours, in London, or next-day for the rest of the UK. Further information can be found at thefinestbubble.com.
An on demand delivery service from the team behind The 10 Cases in Covent Garden, Drop offers free same-day delivery across London. With a generously priced, interesting and constantly evolving list – with bottles priced from £8 – founders Ian Campbell and Will Palmer never buy more than 10 cases of any wine, and never list the same wine twice. The app also offers recommendations based on price, mood, and food pairings. Further information can be found on Drop’s website.
The UK’s leading importer and distributor of premium organic and biodynamic wines, Dynamic Vines are continuing to deliver to private customers. Free UK delivery on orders of six bottles, or more. The shop’s full, updated wine list can be downloaded here. Further information can be found at dynamicvines.com.
Established in 1988, Armit Wines – one of the UK’s leading Fine Wine Merchants – is continuing to deliver. Championing some of the most iconic wineries in the world, Armit Wines are also supporting The Drinks Trust Fund, aiding people of the drinks industry left in financial crisis as a result of Covid-19. For every order placed for delivery, Armit Wines will be donating £10 to The Drinks Trust, and customers can also pledge a further donation of £10, £15, or £20 at the checkout page of the website. Moreover, £10 will also be donated on every trade order over £250. Further information can be found on Armit Wines’ website.
Californian wine importer, James Hocking Wine, usually sells to top London restaurants yet has begun selling direct to consumers, with a free delivery service ranging from single bottles to cases for South Hampshire residents. Delivery further afield can also be arranged. Importing a portfolio of wines from some of California’s most sought-after estates, James Hocking Wine offers a good selection of bottles, plus a “Lockdown California” case, priced at £99 (the trade price equivalent), featuring six bottles from some of the state’s best loved wineries. Further information can be found on James Hocking Wine’s website.
For the first time in the company’s 56-year history, Berkmann Wine Cellars has launched an initiative which allows consumers to enjoy restaurant quality wine in the comfort of their own home. What’s more, Berkmann Wine Cellars has launched a new ‘Help 4 Hospitality’ campaign, delivering wine direct to customers with 12.5 per cent of the sale donated to the hospitality sector in an unprecedented show of support for hospitality businesses struggling during the Covid-19 lockdown. The donation can be used directly to aid the chosen hospitality outlet during this crisis (indicated by the voucher chosen on the site) or will be split between two charities supporting the hospitality industry: The Drinks Trust and Hospitality Action. Orders will be delivered within five working days, or next working day within London. Further information can be found on Berkmann Wine Cellars’ website.
A bar overlooking the Emirates Stadium, Highbury Library champions wines from small-scale producers focussing on high quality wines with minimal intervention in the winery. The bar has launched an online shop, offering a large selection from small-scale natural, organic, and biodynamic wine producers. Craft beers and soft drinks are also offered, while the website’s chat service is on-hand to answer questions and provide wine recommendations. Free delivery is offered within a two mile radius of the bar (N5 1ND), or next working day delivery is available across the UK (£8, or free on orders over £100). Further information can be found at highbury-library.myshopify.com.
The team behind Salon Wine Store in Brixton have launched a contactless nationwide delivery service of their low intervention, artisan wines. Dropped straight to customers’ doorsteps, a selection of mixed cases are available to order from Salon Wine Store’s online shop.
A new monthly wine course subscription, The Wine List allows amateur enthusiasts and those wishing to learn more about the wine they drink, to do so through tasting. Hoping to offer something refreshing for the modern wine drinker, The Wine List was set up as “an attempt to break down barriers and give people the confidence to understand and enjoy wine”. Along with an initial ‘Guide to Tasting’, two bottles of wine are delivered each month, accompanied by interactive tasting cards guiding subscribers through the characteristics of each wine, ultimately giving individuals the chance to decipher their own verdicts while learning, stressing the subjectivity of wine. The Wine List subscription is priced at £32 per month (plus £7 post and packaging), including two bottles of wine and interactive tasting cards. Further information can be found at thewinelist.net.
Since lockdown, wine bar and shop, Peckham Cellars have expanded to selling wine online and delivering nationwide. Alongside stocking a selection of unusual bottles, Peckham Cellars has introduced a new ‘Bouji Christmas Dinner’ case featuring traditional wines. With a discount on single bottle prices, the case features wines such as Grand Cru Champagne, Pierre Moncuit; Saint-Véran, Alexis Pollier; Les Pillieres de Maison Blanche, Bordeaux; and Jurançon, Charles Hours. Further information can be found at Peckham Cellars’ website.
An online destination for organic and natural wines, LITTLEWINE has launched a new LITTLEWINE Club subscription service. Priced from £50, the monthly subscription service provides carefully-curated packages of two wines, up to six (which include hard-to-find benchmark cuvées). All of LITTLEWINE’s materials are made from recycled and/or compostable materials (even the tape is water-activated and made with soy-based ink, meaning it can go on the compost pile), and the wine will arrive carbon neutral to customers’ doors. Each subscription is also accompanied by a ‘Backstage Pass’, which unlocks insights into the lives and minds into the people behind each bottle delivered. Further information can be found on LITTLEWINE’s website.
Offering an extensive selection, JF Tobias is a small, London-based fine wine merchant, aiming to make fine wine accessible to clients. Though the Covid-19 pandemic has brought about a large number of logistical issues, the company is continuing to deliver their wines nationally and internationally. Further information can be found at JF Tobias’ website.
More soon.
This article is currently in the process of being updated. Got a tip? Email food@thelondoneconomic.com, or tweet us @TLE_Food.
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