Wednesday, April 30, 2014

London Cru Urban Winery

A few weeks ago, Sunny in London and I were invited to visit
London's first and only urban winery, London Cru for a tour and tasting.
You know I love wine, so I was happy to visit.

London Cru Urban Winery

Close to Earl's Court, the winery is a small space in a building that once housed a gin distillery.

London Cru Urban Winery

The gleaming equipment was quiet the day that we visited.
All of the hard work was done in the fall when they created their first batches of wine.
But the process was explained from the handpicking of the grapes to the barreling.

London Cru Urban Winery

London Cru Urban Winery

London Cru Urban Winery

The wine is now resting in the magic oak barrels and maturing into something wonderful.
They plan to bottle it later this year.  We were then treated to a tasting.

London Cru Urban Winery

We tasted a Syrah, Cabernet Savignon, Barbera and a Rose.
They've also created a Chardonnay, but as it's more delicate they don't want to disturb it before bottling.

London Cru Urban Winery

London Cru Urban Winery

The red wines were robust and flavorful.  I don't have the most advanced palate,
but I could taste that it wasn't quite ready yet.  The potential for a lovely, enjoyable wine was certainly there.
I can't wait to taste it again after it's been bottled.

London Cru Urban Winery

 This first year they plan to produce 1,250 cases of liquid gold
and next harvest they hope to double that volume.
Soon you may see it on the menu at your favorite London restaurant.
 Making wine in the heart of London is a labor of love for this London wine crew.

 If you would like to learn more, check out their website to schedule your own visit.
They offer 45-50 minute Meet the Cru tours each Saturday for £15.
They also offer the more advanced Winemaker for a Day events for £125. 

 Have you ever visited an urban winery?



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*I was a guest of London Cru for the purposes of review.
 All photos, writing and opinions are my own.
As always, I promise to be open, honest and transparent with my readers.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.  

30 comments:

  1. What a modern looking winery! Visiting different wineries is always fun.

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  2. Wow this is so cool. I have never been to a winery and am checking it out now!

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  3. This place looks really cool!
    ~Ashley @ A Cute Angle
    acutelifestyle.blogspot.com

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  4. This look so neat! What a cool experience to get to pre-taste some of the wines.

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  5. What a fun thing to do! And I love all their brightly coloured trucks and paintings. I'll have to try some of the wines :)
    Rosie xx
    http://www.alittlelusciousness.com

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  6. Makes me want to visit the wineries in the Sonama Valley…within driving distance for us! Great review! Especially loved the shot with the glass of wine resting on the barrel!

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  7. I've kept saying that I wanted to visit a winery while abroad but it never happened! Living vicariously through your experience :)

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  8. Wonderful tour! It must've been an awesome tasting! (:

    <3 Carsla
    Founder & CEO of Connect-the-Cloths
    www.connect-the-cloths.com
    http://blogspotter.co/connect-the-cloths/
    A stylist, foodie, & writer's blog in development.

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  9. Oh how fun!!!! And so close to home which is a super big plus! I'm going to plan for this for the fall when it is goooood and ready :) Thanks for telling us about it Selena!

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  10. I have never heard of this before - will be passing on the info to my family who live in London!

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  11. This excites me because I'm such a wino. I remember helping my friends parents pick grapes for their winery and we used to have such stomach aches from eating so many grapes before we were done haha. Exciting they are doing this in the city!

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  12. Hang on, an urban London winery? Whaaaaat! This is fantastic!

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  13. Fabulous as always, Selena! What a wonderful day we had. Your pictures look gorgeous! I absolutely love the shot of the glass of wine on the barrel. Genius. ;-)

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  14. Thanks so much! It was such a great day. We need to get together again soon over a glass of wine. Lovin' following you around London on Sunny in London!

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  15. That sounds wonderful! I'd love to spend a harvest season at a winery. That seems like it would be so cool.

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  16. It's very exciting and they're just getting started. Exciting to see what they'll accomplish.

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  17. Tasting wine is always a delight :D Thanks so much for reading and commenting!!

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  18. I love visiting wineries! Well, because wine :D

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  19. I'm jealous you're so close to Sonoma Valley! How wonderful. Thanks so much, Gay.

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  20. Wine is always a good thing! I'm so glad that you commented. I've connected to you on bloglovin & twitter. Look forward to getting to know you through your blog!

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  21. I'm excited to see the finished product. Very exciting.

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  22. I especially loved that forklift. Too cute!

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  23. It's very different. It's the first time I've bee to a urban winery. Very interesting.

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  24. I agree. Are there many wineries in Iceland?

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  25. Hahaha, no reason necessary ;)

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  26. I've never been to an urban winery, but I have a few favorites back home, including a small costal winery. :) I will definitely pin this for when we make it to London though!


    Brittny
    www.awrittenjourney.com

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  27. I love a nice winery. There are some really nice ones in the Texas Hill Country that I loved to visit. Coastal wineries are a definite treat!

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  28. This is so cool, I can't believe their is a winery in London! You'll have to try the rosé and let me know how it is :)

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Thanks for commenting. I love to hear from you!