In the midst of the 2020 lockdown, I was able to join the harvest crew at London Cru in Fulham, London, to learn how to make wine. I fell in love with the process and the winemaking industry in London and England as a whole.

Every vintage since then, I’ve returned to London Cru to help make wine, and in 2023, I was able to create my own wine there. My husband Michael took a few weeks off work to assist, and we made two wines: a col fondo (ancestral method, if you prefer) sparkling Pinot Gris, and a light-bodied red Pinot Noir. We purchased the fruit from Locksash Vineyard in West Sussex, which has sold fruit to London Cru since 2019, and we processed and fermented the fruit at the winery in London. Tiny quantities of both wines were produced—and they’ve both now sold out!

The 2023 labels feature tattoos that belong to people near and dear to me; Pirate depicts my sister Anna’s Jolly Roger tattoo she got when she turned 18, and Kaos is named for my friend Vic’s…’hip’… tattoo that she also received when she was 18.

2024 was a tougher vintage (and a reminder that England still has a very marginal climate) and I was able to purchase a small amount Pinot Noir Précoce from Barlavington Vineyard in West Sussex for a dark, textural rosé. It’s quite age-worthy, and I’ve held onto the bottles to best show the quality of the grapes as they develop further finesse and tertiary character with time. The label will feature my friend Majid’s forearm tattoo, christened ‘Nightflare.’ Watch for its release in the coming months!