Staff from across Tanners were lucky enough to attend the London Wine Fair 2025 at the impressive Kensington Olympia, one of the most prestigious events in the calendar for those working in wine. It’s an unmissable opportunity to meet producers from around the world, attend training sessions and taste a plethora of wines, hear about their day in London…
Rachel Armstrong, Wine in Time Manager
A day out to the London Wine Fair, a first for me in my 23 years at Tanners, was certainly an impressive day – in all respects, even down to my step count!! When I arrived at the station, it dawned on me that it was pre-COVID since I last travelled down to London by train and I was excited to soak up the buzz of the city and navigate the tube again.
Once I’d found the entrance of the Kensington Olympia building, it was a slick operation getting my badge/lanyard issued. Stepping into the venue was breathtaking, a Victorian high-vaulted glass and iron structure which reminded me of Kew or our more historic UK train stations. I raced to my first scheduled event; a talk in the Education Zone on organic winemaking in the face of climate change. Hosted by Esporão’s Chief Production Officer José Luís Moreira da Silva, the talk covered organic viticulture and winemaking in Portugal and the impact climate changes have on this, whilst tasting through a selection of their wines from the Douro and Alentejo. One of the wines was without a foil capsule – an interesting concept, he argued they weren’t necessary, adding nothing to the wine, just aesthetics – this alone on one wine from the range had saved 5 tonnes of aluminium – there was some uncertainty/debate whether the consumer was ready for this change.
Next a quick catch up with Stephen, Tanners Buying Director, over some Californian wines and later lunch with Victoria from A Taste of Tanners chatting over what we had tasted so far. Back into the fray and Victoria and I tasted some interesting Albariño wines from Rias Baxas, including an aged offering. Onto some new-to-me Italian varietals such as Inzolia, an orange wine from Georgia and later on Polish wines….who knew – apparently there are 600 wineries there! That is the beauty of the London Wine Fair – you can taste such a diverse range of exciting wines that you may never have come across before.
The rest of the afternoon was spent navigating the sea of stands to hunt out Australian wines, my soft spot, and visiting some of our suppliers – ABS, Mentzendorff and Defaix. Some vinous highlights of my day were a 2018 La Louvée Cornas, shown at a Northern Rhône free pouring event hosted by Mentzendorff, a 2014 Chablis Premier Cru Les Lys at Defaix and a 2008 McClaren Vale Shiraz, Henley by Geoff Merrill. I reluctantly left late afternoon, taste buds still buzzing, to race across London to get my 18.30 train. I left London with a lasting impression of a great industry event - exploring new and interesting wines, reacquainting with old favourites, meeting new people and reconnecting with others in the trade.
Phil Taylor, Welshpool Branch Manager
Having set my natural alarm clock, two children under five, I was soon onboard an early train down to Euston. Having attended many fashion tradeshows in the past as an exhibitor, it was great to be on the other side of the fence for once, everyone was very kind when seeing Tanners on the lanyard!
Even after 15 years of living in London, I had never ventured west to Kensington Olympia, a vast, beautiful exhibition hall of late-Victorian ironwork. On receiving the show planner, I went in search of interesting things to try. The issue is that there is too much to try, over 400 stands representing whole countries, regions and producers, so where to start? I settled on tasting some of The Wine Merchant’s Top 100 recommendations which featured several wines from the Tanners portfolio including Lugana Alta Vigne from Zeni.
On my way to a masterclass on Montecucco, a DOC region just below Montalcino in Tuscany also making Sangiovese but at higher altitude, I tried a few Ukrainian wines. Many were made with international varieties such as Pinot Grigio and Merlot, the most interesting were the local grapes, of which Odesa Black was one. A crossing of Alicante Bouschet and Cabernet Sauvignon, it’s a grape with red skins, red flesh and creates full-bodied wines full of black fruit.
Following the very educational masterclass, I went in search of Chablis from Daniel-Etienne Defaix. Having recently tasted the 2010 1er Cru Côte de Léchet at our staff retail evening, I was keen to give their other 1er Cru wines a go as well as their grand cru from Grenouilles, the smallest of the grand cru climats. Only released when they think the wines are ready, these are full, rounded expressions of Chablis and fascinating to experience bottles with a decent amount of age to them.
Whilst at another wine agencies stand, I tasted through the range of Viña Real. We stock their Reserva, but it was a real treat to have the Gran Reserva 2015 from magnum as well as some of their more modern interpretations of Rioja; 100% Tempranillo, single vineyard and less oak ageing.
Finally, my most interesting discovery was Beaujolais Blanc. I’ve long enjoyed Beaujolais, particularly some of the crus such as Morgon and Moulin-a-Vent, but I’ve never tried a white version made from Chardonnay, just down the road from the Mâconnais.
Victoria Hughes, Wine Advisor, A Taste of Tanners
I arrived bright and early at this year’s London Wine Fair. As a recent graduate and newcomer to the wine world, I was eager to dive in and get involved and of course, taste some delicious wines!
My first port of call was a Prosecco tasting at 10am. I’d been naively hesitant about Prosecco, my mind conjuring images of bottomless brunches and the inevitable post-Prosecco headache that follows. However, the tasting was very insightful. In Northern Italy, Prosecco holds deep cultural and symbolic value, connecting local communities to their land and heritage. I was particularly struck by the emphasis on indigenous yeasts and Glera viticulture that links winemaking to ancestry and place. I was also surprised by just how varied Prosecco can taste, from fresh and citrusy to more textured and complex.
Following on from this, I spent some time exploring the fair, sampling wines from classic Clarets to unique Polish varieties; the diversity on offer was exciting and abundant. I especially enjoyed tasting Georgian wines, as Georgia proudly claims to be one of the oldest, if not the oldest, winemaking countries in the world. I sampled a variety of their wines, including some intriguing orange wines. I also tasted a 2017 Albariño from Rías Baixas, which was unusual but delicious.
Later, I attended a talk by Esporão on organic winemaking in the face of climate change. It was striking to hear how a practice as ancient and culturally rooted as winemaking is having to evolve in response to a rapidly changing climate. What stood out most to me was the tension between tradition and innovation that is becoming increasingly more apparent not only in the wine world, but across many ancient traditions.
It was also rewarding to meet so many producers, including those who supply Tanners. Talking to people behind the label gave me a new appreciation for the hard work and passion that goes into the wine I see on our shelves every day.
Upon leaving, I felt as though my palate had well and truly been on holiday after being on a journey of diverse styles, regions and traditions. My appreciation for the wine industry has deepened and I was reminded how each bottle holds a story, a sense of place and passionate people behind it.