London Cru has announced that late yesterday (October 3) it decided to turn down seven tonnes of grapes due to come from Bordeaux and the Loire valley in the next two weeks.
This was due to concerns that the fruit might not arrive in good condition. With strong expectations for the first wine, the team felt that the levels of rot in the vineyards this year, combined with the transport required for this project, could end up being detrimental to the wines, a risk they are not prepared to take.
London Cru winemaker, Gavin Monery, said, “Obviously it’s a real disappointment to lose two parcels of grapes which we were really looking forward to working with. However, after a lot of conversation with the vineyard owners this week; we all felt that we were unable to get the fruit toLondonwithout a high incidence of rot by the time it arrived. It was essential for us to make the decision quickly in order to allow the growers to factor this fruit back into their own production. From the moment we first discussed the project it became a rule that we could not risk taking grapes with high potential levels of rot, especially with the extra travel time involved, and sadly what has been a tough vintage across much of France has forced our hand on this issue.
London Cru goes on to say that “by a stroke of fortune” it has managed to secure four tonnes of Barbera from Northern Italy, sourced by top Italian producer Luca Roagna.
