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 at the heart of Karakterre and we welcome Marko Kovac, Co-Founder of of the event, to The Premier C...
Jun 03, 2024•50 min
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 wine is perceived on the international market And we tucked into these three wonderful wines from Gusbourne: Blan...
May 27, 2024•50 min
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 Wine, No Drama: An Unpretentious Guide" . The book expertly does what it says on the tin. On this episode...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 3 min
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 retailer with a focus on the innovative, wacky, and creative superstars you wouldn't usually associate with...
May 13, 2024•54 min
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 introduction to Bordeaux, one of the most historic and prestigious wine regions globally. We try 3 fantastic wines ...
May 06, 2024•58 min
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 started and what Jay Rayner had to do with it The time Andrew Lloyd Webber asked them to set up a sec...
Apr 29, 2024•54 min
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 them up now! Not only is Tom a wine investment guru, but he is also a media superstar having featured ...
Apr 22, 2024•1 hr 20 min
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 from Tuesday to Saturday. Think pickled mussels and crisps, comte, and Vin Jeaune by the glass! In t...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 2 min
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 with all developments @The_Premier_Cru Instagram Apple Podcasts YouTube...
Apr 08, 2024•26 min
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 Caves de Pyrene The question of "What is natural wine?" The Real Wine Fair We also taste and discuss...
Apr 01, 2024•58 min
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 merchants below: Good value: Jeroboams Wacky and wonderful: Natty Boy Fine wine: The Wine Society Keep up to dat...
Mar 25, 2024•26 min
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 looks like for Manchester's wine scene Oliver also brought along 3 delicious wines from their list: Le Petit...
Mar 18, 2024•56 min
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 developments @The_Premier_Cru Instagram Apple Podcasts YouTube...
Mar 11, 2024•31 min
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 scale and adopt low intervention winemaking. The common thread between the wines is that they have acidi...
Mar 04, 2024•57 min
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 below: Good value: Jeroboams Wacky and wonderful: Handford Wines Fine wine: The Wine Society Keep up to date wi...
Feb 26, 2024•28 min
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 small producers, using organic or biodynamic farming and low intervention winemaking. On this episode ...
Feb 19, 2024•48 min
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 Apple Podcasts YouTube...
Feb 12, 2024•26 min
Hugo and Ben welcome Josh Dickinson, co-founder and head chef at Bayte onto the episode. Bayte is a wonderful new farm to table restaurant with a seasonal menu that changes daily, supplied with the freshest ingredients by their own organic and regenerative farm, Goat Grid. It was set up in collaboration between Josh Dickinson and Lara Boglione, part of the Petersham Nurseries family. Josh's background is in British, French and Japanese cuisine, having trained at Le Cordon Bleu before working at ...
Feb 05, 2024•58 min
Join Hugo and Ben as they discuss and taste their 3 wines of the week: Good value: Alovini Cabanico Wacky and wonderful: Marchesi di Gresy Monferrato Rosso Fine wine: La Bioca Ronchi Each wine is available from the merchants below: Good value: Tanners Wacky and wonderful: Noble Green Wines Fine wine: Jeroboams Keep up to date with all developments @The_Premier_Cru on: Instagram Apple Podcasts YouTube...
Jan 29, 2024•25 min
Hugo and Ben welcome Aaron Jolly, winemaker at London Cru , onto the episode. In 2013 London Cru opened its doors to the public and became the first urban winery in London. On top of making delicious sparkling and still wines, they host amazing tours and courses giving Londoners a taste of what its like to be a winemaker on their doorstep. Join us as we discuss: Aaron's journey to becoming a winemaker The story behind London Cru The state of play in English wine We also taste 3 wines from the Lo...
Jan 22, 2024•57 min
Join Hugo and Ben as they discuss and taste their 3 wines of the week: Good value: Chateau Puygueraud 2014 Wacky and wonderful: Berckem Marcel Deiss 2018 Fine wine: Chianti Classico Fontodi 2020 Each wine is available from the merchants below: Good value: Tanners Wine Merchants Wacky and wonderful: Lea & Sandeman Fine wine: Noble Green Wines Keep up to date with all developments @The_Premier_Cru on: Instagram Apple Podcasts YouTube...
Jan 15, 2024•35 min
Hugo and Ben welcome Tom Harrow, co-founder of Honest Grapes, on to the podcast to discuss the Burgundy 2022 vintage and their En Primeur Campaign. Honest Grapes are an award winning online wine retailer, featuring a huge range of top producers from across the world. They also host a number of tasting events for the general public and their members. One event is their 2022 Burgundy tasting on Thursday 18th January, so please book here if you'd like to go along. On this episode we discuss: Tom's ...
Jan 08, 2024•58 min
Join Hugo and Ben as they discuss and taste their 3 wines of the week: Good value: Reserve de Gassac Blanc Wacky and wonderful: Luigi Maffini Kleos Fine wine: Mastrojanni Brunello 2013 Each wine is available from the merchants below: Good value: Noble Green Wines Wacky and wonderful: Lea & Sandeman Fine wine: Honest Grapes Keep up to date with all developments @The_Premier_Cru on: Instagram Apple Podcasts YouTube...
Jan 01, 2024•45 min
Hugo and Ben welcome Muriel Chatel, founder of Sustainable Wine Solutions and Borough Wines onto the episode. Muriel and her team are pioneering solutions to help the wine trade to become more sustainable. Their solutions span from a bottle return scheme to wine on tap. All the winemakers Muriel and her team work with practice either organic or biodynamic viticulture. Muriel believes passionately that this approach leads to better quality wine and is also better for the environment due to the bi...
Dec 26, 2023•1 hr 4 min
Join Hugo and Ben as they discuss and taste their 3 wines of the week: Good value: 2021 Cotes du Rhone, Domaine de la Mordorée Wacky and wonderful: 2010 White, Chateau Musar Fine wine: 2022 Morgon, Marcel Lapierre Each wine is available from the merchants below: Good value: Lea & Sandeman Wacky and Wonderful: Sandhams Wine Merchants Fine Wine: Noble Green Wines Follow The Premier Cru on all audio and social platforms: YouTube Instagram Facebook...
Dec 18, 2023•31 min
Hugo and Ben welcome Peter Crawford, co-founder of Sip Champagnes onto the episode. Peter is a Champagne fanatic having visited the region over 150 times in the last 25 years, you'll be hard pressed to find anyone who is more passionate and knowledgeable about Champagne. He set up Sip Champagnes, alongside Daniel, in 2020 with the vision of making amazing and undiscovered grower Champagne available to customers and providing growers with the recognition they deserved for their dedication to the ...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 16 min
Join Hugo and Ben as they discuss and taste their 3 wines of the week: Good value: Terre di San Leonardo 2019 Wacky and wonderful: Domaine Schlumberger Kessler 2018 Fine wine: Padelletti Brunello di Montalcino 2016 Each wine is available from the merchants below: Good value: Honest Grapes Wacky and Wonderful: Noble Green Wines Fine Wine: Lea & Sandeman Follow The Premier Cru on all audio and social platforms: YouTube Instagram Facebook...
Dec 04, 2023•33 min
Hugo and Ben welcome David Motion, founder of The Winery onto the episode. David is a Riesling Fellow and has developed one of the UK's finest range of German wines. The Winery Team are constantly on the move in The Winery van searching across Europe for exceptional wines from smaller producers. They welcome you into their shops in Maida Vale and Fulham with a great smile and an abundance of knowledge. During the episode we discuss: David's journey from music producer to wine shop owner, the per...
Nov 27, 2023•58 min
Join Hugo and Ben as they discuss and taste their 3 wines of the week: Good value wine: Chinon, Domaine Bernard Baudry 2022 Wacky & wonderful wine: "VDJ", Domaine Galouchey 2019 Fine wine: Chenin Blanc, DeMorgenzon 2017 Each wine is available via the merchants below: Good value wine: Lea & Sandeman Wacky & wonderful wine: Shrine to the Vine Fine wine: Honest Grapes Follow The Premier Cru on all audio channels (e.g. Spotify, Apple etc) and social platforms: YouTube Instagram Facebook...
Nov 20, 2023•34 min
Hugo and Ben welcome Luca Dusi, founder of Passione Vino wine bar and shop onto the episode. Luca delights customers with a beautiful yet relatively undiscovered range of Italian wine. The wine bar is eccentric and quintessentially Italian, serving delicious food to pair with the wine. Vignaiolo Fanti Isidor Manzoni Bianco IGT (2018) - Trentino Alto Adige Sandro Fay Carteria Valtellina Superiore Riserva DOCG (2017) - Lombardia Sergio Genuardi Il Rosato Terre Siciliane IGT (2021)– Sicily Each of ...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 11 min
