Next month’s London Wine Fair, which takes place at Olympia from 18th to 20th May, will host 1,000s of producers, covering mainly wine, but also beer, cider, spirits and No and Low for the 2026 edition. As always, the show is about discovery, reinforcing relationships and education.
We have rounded up a few highlights for The Sommelier Edit community:
The Host Nation
The inaugural Host Nation Initiative will shine a spotlight on British drinks this year. More than 100 English wine producers including: Balfour Winery; Chapel Down; Domaine Evremond; Everflyht Estate; Gusbourne; Sandridge Barton; and Simpsons, along with 30 producers from Defined Wines, which will host a Pop-Up Tasting on the middle day, will showcase new launches and latest vintages. An opportunity to taste wines, mostly still, from 24 vineyards from across England, demonstrating the range of styles and varieties on offer. Hosted by Defined Wine, who have made all the wines, the vineyard owners will be on hand to explain more about their sites, terroir and wine styles, providing a fantastic opportunity to taste a really broad range of English wines.
Icon Tasting
Following “Judgement of London” in 2024, and “Battle of the Bubbles” in 2025 – which garnered trade and consumer interest from around the world – this year’s Icon Tasting will be “The Greatest Chardonnay Showdown”. A rigorous blind tasting judged by the UK industry’s most discerning palates, including Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine.
Highlight exhibitors
Bordeaux will have its first generic presence in a decade, with a new pavilion to launch their 2025 Selection, a list of wines chosen by the UK trade as being the best of Bordeaux. Alongside is The Bordeaux Crew, six winemakers, négociants and cooperative members introducing fresh releases and standout new wines. Explore the new Bordeaux Selection, a dynamic lineup of wines ranging from dry whites, modern reds and sparkling crémant.
Experience a fusion of Japanese culture and craftsmanship via 10 producers showcasing an array of Japanese beverages from sake to shochu, whisky, gin, and liqueurs at the Japan Pavilion. Mr. Okada from “Kampai Cocktail” will create Japanese cocktails. Walk-up Tasting sessions on Monday and Tuesday at 14h30 feature a sake and spirits tasting seminar by Mr. Ryosuke Mashio, Sommelier of Roketsu.
Alcohol-free wine brand French brand, Moderato, will unveil its collaboration with Sigalas Rabaud; a groundbreaking alcohol-free cuvée sweet wine, a world first for an alcohol-free wine of this kind. Fusing ancestral family winemaking, with de-alcoholisation expertise, this 100% Sémillon preserves the estate’s signature taste via low temperature vacuum distillation.
Chile’s Luis Felipe Edwards will celebrate their 50th anniversary at the Fair, with wines from across its diverse portfolio of vineyards, including cool climate “Marea” from “super-coastal” Atalaya Estate in Leyda, the closest vineyard to the Pacific. Luis Felipe Edwards Jr will show highlights including Primo, Chile’s only co-fermented Carmenere-Malbec blend, from old vines dating back to 1937.
ABS Wines will launch the new Grgich Hills Estate “Paris 76” Chardonnay 2023, released to mark the 50th anniversary of the landmark Judgement of Paris that established Grgich Hills Estate. Sourced primarily from the oldest block of Old Wente clone Chardonnay, planted in 1989 in the cool Carneros district of Napa Valley.
New Zealand Wine returns with a self-pour Pop Up feature on Tuesday highlighting a range of themes, including: A Place in History exploring the pioneering wines which put New Zealand on the map.
Founded in 1726, Château de Pommard is one of Burgundy’s most historic wine estates; its 20ha Clos Marey-Monge monopole, enclosed by a stone wall protecting unique biosphere and diverse soils. Certified organic and biodynamic, and committed to regenerative practices. Releasing Pommard 2023 by Château de Pommard, pitched at €15 by the glass.
Principi di Butera will show four wines. The estate – which has a focus on biodiversity – will release the latest vintage of “Diamanti”, a 100% premium Grillo, a complex iteration of Sicily’s indigenous white grape.
For the first time Sommelier Edit will be exhibiting on Stand F59. Come and meet the team, learn to taste for competitions with a ‘You be the judge‘ training session; take the last chance to enter Top 100 Sommeliers; and take the ‘Dare to Compare‘ Sparkling Challenge to win a Coravin Sparkling wine by-the-glass system.
Highlight sessions for sommeliers
BE WTR is produced locally as both still and sparkling, their water is bottled through a circular system with returnable bottles, minimising impact while maximising quality. BE WTR will host a masterclass in The Tasting Space on Monday at 14h30: Beyond Hydration: A New Water Tasting Experience by BE WTR; Discover water differently with AQTiV+ technology, uncovering subtle depths of flavour, guided by a sommelier, and experience the refined essence of BE WTR.
Virginia Wine will host a masterclass “Cabernet Franc and Beyond: From Terroir to Identity in Virginia Wine” and daily on-stand Pop Up Tastings on Tuesday at 12h30. Look out for Virginia’s famous peanuts around the Fair!
Wines of Georgia will host 14 producers, spanning the spectrum of Georgian winemaking. Sarah Abbott MW, will present daily masterclasses on stand exploring the diversity of Georgian styles and varieties, paired with bites of traditional Georgian food. Places first come, first served: Monday, 14h30; Tuesday, 12h00; Wednesday, 13h00.
Waiter’s Friend will present the new “Ukko Tonkka” in the Education Zone on Wednesday at 10h30. Finnish designed and made, a solution to elevate the serve of Bag-in-Box wines; a climate-conscious solution to serving wine elegantly in the on-trade.
Master Sommeliers can pre-book Premium Masterclasses, which include:
- Jerez, The Land of Double Terroir, on Tuesday at 12h30. Discover why Jerez is a land of “double terroir” at a special masterclass to reveal the region’s diversity, from Vinos de Pasto to single-vineyard Sherries.
- Pays d’Oc IGP will host a Premium Masterclass Theatre & Walk Up Tasting Session, on Tuesday, with wine legend, Oz Clarke.
- Hatch Mansfield will run a Premium Masterclass on Monday at 12h30. “Jewels of the Vine: Classics, Rarities & Rising Stars”, hosted by Peter Richards MW, and showcasing eight titans from their portfolio, with each presenting one of their finest cuvées.
