Blanc de Blancs
£35
Nashi pear, yellow peach and crisp apple meet lemon curd, pastry and butter caramel. Thirty-two months on lees build brioche depth; fine bubbles and a clean citrus line keep it poised.
2013
London
London Cru hides down a Fulham alley in a Victorian warehouse that once housed a gin distillery. Cliff Roberson opened it in 2013 as the capital’s first urban winery, bringing fermentation tanks, barrels and the joyful mess of harvest into a neighbourhood better known for pubs and football. The early vintages used fruit from continental Europe, but the focus has been entirely English since 2017. Winemaker Alex Hurley works like a city chef with a changing market basket: Bacchus, Pinot Gris, Chardonnay and the Pinots arrive from the strongest available sites, then move through steel, old oak, concrete or egg according to what the season gives. In 2023 London Cru bought Foxhole Vineyard near Bolney, adding 7.5 hectares of West Sussex vines and much closer control over its core fruit. The winery remains the heart of the story. Tours unfold among tanks and resting bottles, while the longer Winemaker for a Day workshop turns acidity, tannin and blending into a hands-on London experience. It is serious English wine made without country-house ceremony — curious, compact and unmistakably urban.
Foxhole Vineyard gives London Cru a rural counterpoint to its Fulham cellar. More than 24,000 vines cover 7.5 hectares near Bolney, with established Pinot Noir, Bacchus and Pinot Gris joined by young Chardonnay planted in 2023. The site can deliver 20–40 tonnes in a season, though English weather still decides the final number. London Cru continues to select fruit from other English vineyards when a particular parcel or style calls for it.
WINEMAKER
Alex Hurley traded exploration geology for a different kind of fieldwork, studying oenology and viticulture in Montpellier and Turin before falling for English wine at Gusbourne. At London Cru he treats variety, vessel and vintage as an open conversation: clean steel for clarity, French oak for shape, concrete and egg for texture, and bottle fermentation when the fruit is destined to sparkle. The result is a cellar full of distinct wines rather than one imposed house recipe.
The Collection
£35
Nashi pear, yellow peach and crisp apple meet lemon curd, pastry and butter caramel. Thirty-two months on lees build brioche depth; fine bubbles and a clean citrus line keep it poised.
£35
Strawberry, peach and red apple arrive with elderflower lift, then apricot, citrus and soft brioche. Shorter lees ageing keeps vivid fruit in front, with a delicate mousse and brisk finish.
£40
Wild strawberry and fresh peach lead into crisp red apple and a lively citrus finish. Brief skin contact gives the pale pink colour; delicate bubbles and measured Brut dosage keep it polished.
Tours and tastings
Tours and tastings: Selected event dates and private appointments only — advance booking required. Welcome to the Winery tours are approximately 60 minutes; Winemaker for a Day runs approximately 11:00–16:00.