The Premier Cru - Wine Podcast

We welcome Nick Gibson to The Premier Cru! Nick is the Founder of The Drapers Arms , a pub based in the heart of Islington. They have a ridiculously good (and good value!) wine list showcasing 300+ bottles many of which have some real bottle age. Nick set up The Drapers Arms in 2009, following a career in finance, and believes that treating staff well is the cornerstone of a good business, with fa...

We welcome Carole Bryon to The Premier Cru! Carole is the Founder of  The Lady of the Grapes , a restaurant and wine bar based in the heart of Covent Garden. On top of serving fantastic food, their wine list exclusively showcases wines produced by female winemakers. The 2023 Women in Wine survey revealed that 78% of respondents (women working in the trade) agreed that sexism, gender bias and haras...

We welcome Joe Haynes to The Premier Cru! Joe is the Founder of Penzer Wines , which he set up after studying wine at Geisenheim and completing a stint working for the legendary Klaus Peter Keller. All the wines as part of the Penzer portfolio are delicious as Joe seeks out wines from sustainable producers that represent great value. More recently Joe Co-Founded Cloth Restaurant in Farringdon. Clo...

This week is all about Palestinian food, culture and wine, yes there is such a thing! Hugo and Ben welcome Fadi Kattan, Founder of Akub restaurant, and Anna Patrowicz, Consultant and Sommelier, onto the podcast. Akub is a Palestinian restaurant celebrating the rich diversity of ingredients and culinary traditions from the region, while working with locally sourced British ingredients. Fadi Kattan...

It's all about sake this week. Somewhere between a beer, a spirit and a wine, there is a mystique when it comes to sake as people rarely understand what it is, the range of styles and therefore the possibilities it offers. This week we change that! Hugo and Ben welcome Tom Wilson, Co-Founder of Kanpai , onto the podcast. Kanpai is the UK's first sake brewery based in Bermondsey beer mile....

Hugo and Ben welcome Karl Sjöström onto the podcast, our final instalment from filming at Karakterre wine festival in Vienna, Austria. In the episode we discuss: Fruit wine as a category and what it actually is Fruktstereo, who they are and what they're getting up to in Sweden Check out and subscribe to our  Substack . We will be connecting you with our guests and developing our community. Exp...

Hugo and Ben welcome Henry Jeffreys onto the podcast. It's English wine week and we are delighted to be telling the story of how England became a wine producing country. Henry is the author of "Vines in a Cold Climate: The People Behind the English Wine Revolution" , which was awarded Drink Book of the Year at the Fortnum & Mason food and drink awards 2024. Nobody knows the peopl...

The Premier Cru are on tour, visiting Austria for a wine festival called Karakterre. This time Hugo welcomes award winning wine writer, Simon Woolf, onto the podcast. Simon has been writing about wine since 2011, focusing on natural wine, and related themes such as organics, biodynamics, minimal intervention and orange wine. In this ep we discuss: Simon's book, Amber Revolution What orange win...

The Premier Cru are on tour, visiting Austria for a wine festival called Karakterre ! The festival lasts 2 days and showcases over 200 central and eastern European producers, who practice either organic or biodynamic viticulture. Throughout the week, producers open their doors to visitors, whilst bars and restaurants across Vienna provide tastings and parties alongside the main event. Community is...

This week is all about Gusbourne, one of England's leading wine producers! Hugo and Ben welcome Laura Rhys MS, Head of Wine at Gusbourne, to discuss their success and acclaim since launching their first wines in 2006. We discuss: What it takes to become a Master Sommelier Gusbourne's approach to viticulture and winemaking The development of English wine since the 80's And how English w...

Hugo and Ben welcome Honey Spencer to The Premier Cru. Honey is the lady of the hour in the UK wine scene. Alongside her husband, she recently launched a fantastic restaurant called Sune , which has already been nominated for the best opening of the year as part of The National Restaurant Awards. As if that was not enough excitement, Honey has also just released a new book called ⁠ "Natural W...

In contrast to last week's ep with Corney & Barrow, this week we continue on the theme of Bordeaux but this time looking at New Wave Bordeaux - what the &*%$ is that I hear you say! Hugo and Ben welcome Benedict Butterworth, founder of Benedict Butterworth Wines, onto the podcast to give us an overview of the modern state of play in Bordeaux. BBW is an independent wine importer and ret...

It's May, which can only mean one thing. The Bordeaux 2023 En Primeur Campaign has officially kicked off. Hugo and Ben welcome Ida Weatherall, Sales Executive at Corney & Barrow , onto the podcast to provide an introduction to Bordeaux as a wine region and buying wine En Primeur. Corney & Barrow are one of the UK's oldest wine merchants. There is no one better to provide an introdu...

Hugo and Ben welcome Margaux Aubry, Co-Founder of Naughty Piglets, onto the podcast. Naughty Piglets is a fantastic restaurant based in Brixton, serving seasonal modern European food alongside 200+ organic and natural wines. At the beginning of 2024 they started a chef residency programme which will keep the vibe of the restaurant changing throughout this year. On the ep we discuss: How they got s...

Hugo and Ben welcome Tom Gearing, Co-Founder and CEO of ⁠ Cult Wines⁠ , onto the podcast. Cult Wines specialise in fine wine investment and combine a deep passion for wine with financial and technology expertise. Their latest innovation is ⁠ Cult X ⁠, an app helping users to easily trade and invest in fine wine. They can now cater to both complete novices and to experienced wine investors. Look th...

In 2019 Mark and Matt set up Levan , a restaurant in Peckham serving contemporary European dishes, inspired by the ‘bistronomy’ movement and their favourite eateries in Paris, Copenhagen, Barcelona, Stockholm and Berlin. They have a huge wine list with a real focus on Jura. A year or so later Bar Levan opened right next door, which is a cosy wine bar, bistro and shop serving natural wine and food...

Join Hugo and Ben as they discuss and taste their 3 wines of the week: Good Value:  Côtes du Rhône, Tanners, 2021 Wacky and wonderful:  Ribolla Gialla, Vigna Traverso, 2021 Fine wine:  Barbaresco, Produttori del Barbaresco, 2019 Each of the wines is available from the merchants below: Good value:  Tanners Wine Merchants Wacky and wonderful: Jeroboams⁠ Fine wine:  The Wine Society Keep up to date w...

There are few (if any) organisations that have had as much impact on the natural wine scene in the UK as Les Caves de Pyrene . Not only do they import an amazing range of natural wines, they are also the team behind the legendary wine bar, Terroirs (now shut), and The Real Wine Fair . It was an absolute pleasure to welcome Doug Wregg to The Premier Cru. Tune in as we discuss: The story behind Les...

Join Hugo and Ben as they discuss and taste their 3 wines of the week, including a delicious Bobal from the legendary producer Ponce, an entry level Pinot from New Zealand and a stunning 'village' Burgundy from Sylvain Pataille. Good Value: Kumeu River Pinot Noir Wacky and wonderful: Bodegas Ponce PF Fine wine: Domaine Sylvain Pataille Marsannay Each of the wines is available from the merc...

One of Manchester's leading wine focused restaurants, Climat opened their cellar doors to The Premier Cru. Having opened only 15 months ago they have already been nominated for and won awards from Star Wine List for their 400+ bottle list. We spoke with Wine Director, Oliver Fletcher, to learn: What it takes to set up a restaurant How you develop an award winning wine list What the future look...

Join Hugo and Ben as they discuss and taste their 3 wines of the week: Good Value:  Crianza Rioja, Bodegas Urbina, 2012 Wacky and wonderful:  Tinus, Chateau des Tourettes, 2016 Fine wine: Pouilly Fuisse, Chateau Fuisse, 2021 Each of the wines is available from the merchants below: Good value:  Handford Wines Wacky and wonderful:  Roberson Wines Fine wine:  Jeroboams Keep up to date with all develo...

Hugo and Ben welcome Kat Mayhew, co-founder of Candour onto the episode. Candour is changing the game when it comes to wine in a can, setting a new benchmark in the market. Kat and her co-founder, Guada, have spent their careers in the wine trade and spotted an opportunity to make genuinely delicious canned wine! They have carefully selected the producers they work with, all of whom are small scal...

Join Hugo and Ben as they discuss and taste their 3 wines of the week, including a vibrant Grenache from the Languedoc, an entry level Nebbiolo from Piedmont and a village level Vosne Romanee. Good Value: La Bioca, Nebbiolo d'Alba Superiore Wacky and wonderful: St Jacques d'Albas, La Collection Fine wine: Berthaut Gerbert, Vosne Romanee Each of the wines is available from the merchants bel...

Hugo and Ben welcome Sean Evans, founder of The Geordie Wine Guide and co-founder of Progression Wines , onto the episode. Sean started The Geordie Wine Guide after a friend of his filmed him one weekend talking about wine. Over 2k YouTube subscribers later, Sean is continuing to produce great content and is now actually importing wines via Progression Wines. The wines imported are typically by sm...

Join Hugo and Ben as they discuss and taste their 3 wines of the week: Good value:  Gran Cerdo 2022 Wacky and wonderful:  Langhe Nascetta 2022 Fine wine: Saint Aubin Premier Cru 2021 Each wine is available from the merchants below: Good value: ⁠ Noble Green Wines Wacky and wonderful:  Jeroboams Fine wine:  ⁠ Handford Wines Keep up to date with all developments @The_Premier_Cru on: ⁠Instagram⁠ ⁠App...