The Premier Cru

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 all available as part of their En Primeur campaign: L'Aurage 2018 Chateau la Grave a Pomerol 2017 Chateau Rocheyron 2015 Follow @The_Premier_Cru to keep up to date with future eps and behind the scenes snippets. Subscribe to our Substack as well to access more exclusive content with our guests. This week we will be providing a vintage report and some en primeur recommendations shared directly from the Corney & Barrow team.

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 second restaurant Margaux's pairing Comte and Vin Jaune straight from the bottle And Margaux brought along 3 fabulous wines from the Naughty Piglets list: Maupertuis Puy Long Chardonnay 2022 Marcel Lapierre Morgon 2022 Tony Bornard Vin Jaune Check out and subscribe to our Substack. We will be connecting you with our guests and developing our community. Expect wine recommendations, recipes from chefs and much more! You can also follow @The_Premier_Cru on socials to keep up to date with future episodes and behind the scenes snippets.

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 on The Apprentice. You can see highlights of his time on the show here - this is a "must" watch (after our podcast episode of course)! In this episode we look at: how Cult Wines was founded what makes wine a great asset class building the perfect wine investment portfolio We also try 3 investment grade wines selected by Tom: Bannockburn Chardonnay, Felton Road, 2022 Cuvée 910, Clos des Vignes du Maynes, 2019 Les Suchots, Vosne Romanée, Domaine Grivot, 2009 In big news, The Premier Cru is also launching a Substack account, where we will be connecting you with our guests and developing our community. Expect wine recommendations, recipes from chefs and much more! Our first articles will be dropping this week, showing you the best performing investment wines released since 2000! Subscribe to hear more... You can also follow @The_Premier_Cru on socials to keep up to date with future episodes and behind the scenes snippets.

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 this episode we look at: What it takes to set up and run Peckham's leading wine focused restaurant and bar And Mark takes us on a deep dive of the Jura He also brought also these for us to try: Yves Dupont Cremant Domaine Labet En Chalasse Valentin Morel Trousseau Les Trouilotts Follow @The_Premier_Cru on socials to keep up to date with future episodes and behind the scenes snippets.

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

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 three wines from the Les Caves de Pyrene portfolio: "Handcrafted" Gruner Veltliner, Martin & Anna Arndorfer Stagbeetle, Weignut Andreas Tscheppe "Saint Epine" St-Joseph, Herve Souhaut We are really looking forward to joining The Real Wine Fair this year on 28th and 29th April. You can find tickets to the event via this link if you want to attend the UK's largest natural wine fair and meet some of the leading producers. Follow ⁠⁠@The_Premier_Cru⁠⁠ on socials to keep up to date with future episodes and behind the scenes snippets.

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 date with all developments @The_Premier_Cru Instagram Apple Podcasts YouTube

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 Beaufort 2017 Domaine Simon Bize, Bourgogne Blanc 2020 Rouvalis Mavrodaphne 2021 Follow ⁠@The_Premier_Cru⁠ on socials to keep up to date with future episodes and behind the scenes snippets.

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

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 acidity and energy, making them appealing to drink anytime, any place, anywhere. Game changed. On this episode we discuss: Kat's journey to co-founding Candour The benefits of the can vs bottle Common misconceptions with canned wine We also try Candour's full portfolio on the episode: Dry Riesling ⁠Pale Rose Lively Red Follow ⁠@The_Premier_Cru⁠ on socials to keep up to date with future episodes and behind the scenes snippets.

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 with all developments @The_Premier_Cru Instagram Apple Podcasts YouTube

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 we discuss: Sean's journey into the wine trade Several wines from the Progression Wines portfolio Debunking some wine terms (e.g. natural wine) Sean has kindly bundled the wines tasted on the episode for listeners so you can find them online! Follow @The_Premier_Cru on socials to keep up to date with future episodes and behind the scenes snippets.

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

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 Le Chateaubriand in Paris and l'Effervescence and Nihonryori RyuGin in Tokyo. He's spent the last decade travelling and cooking before setting up Goat Grid in 2020 and Bayte in 2023. On this episode we discuss: Josh's journey to becoming a chef Goat Grid and seasonality Bayte's menu and what it's like running a restaurant We also try three wines from Petersham Cellars: Parusso Barolo Azisa Zisola Il Pestifero Follow @The_Premier_Cru on socials to keep up to date with future episodes and behind the scenes snippets.

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

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 London Cru portfolio from the 2022 vintage: Bacchus Chardonnay Pinot noir Follow @The_Premier_Cru on socials to keep up to date with future episodes and behind the scenes snippets.

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

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 journey in the wine trade The Burgundy 2022 vintage Buying wine En Primeur And we try 3 fantastic wines all available as part of their EP campaign: Edouard Delauney Bourgogne Aligote Jayne Eyre Fleurie Domaine Boigelot Volnay Santenots Follow @The_Premier_Cru to keep up to date with future eps and behind the scenes snippets.

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

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 biodiversity it encourages. Join us as we discuss: Muriel's journey to founding Borough Wines and Sustainable wine Solutions The benefits of Sustainable Wine Solutions' products The benefits of organic and biodynamic viticulture  We also try 3 brilliant wines from the Borough Wines range: Melon, Famille Gilet Albana Orange  MCO2 Merlot, Max Barreau Follow @The_Premier_Cru on social to keep up to date with future episodes and behind the scenes snippets