Delivering better wine since 1969

Have you ever enjoyed something so much that you had to share it with your friends and family, straight away? That's how Tony Laithwaite felt about the wines he tried in France in the 1960s. And it's that joy of discovery - and desire to share - that remains at the heart of everything we do.

Still discovering, over 40 years on

Unlike other wine merchants, our buyers are constantly on the move, finding you wines of real quality and character. We believe in meeting our producers face to face, to do deals on the strength of a handshake. By cultivating existing relationships with producers, we can bring you their finest wines at the keenest prices. And by seeking out new producers with a genuine passion for wine, we continue to bring you exciting new discoveries. Just like Tony did over 40 years ago.

Taking a unique approach to bring you better wine

We don't let convention stand in the way of finding you the best wines available. Back in the 60s, wine merchants didn’t go direct to the winemaker. Now we wouldn’t do it any other way. We've flown New World winemakers to Europe to share new techniques and develop new ideas. And we’ve supported struggling young winemakers, giving them everything they need to make great wines for you. And we don't just find new wines; we make our own. Jolly good they are, too – we've the awards to prove it! But we're not in the business for trophies and medals (although we're fiercely proud of every single one of them). We’re simply trying to introduce great new wines to as many people as we can. You included.

What is En Primeur and Pre-sell?

En Primeur and Pre-Sell are all a pre-order service. You are able to reserve a number of bottles of wine either while it is still in the barrel (En Primeur) or in the bottles but not yet available to be sold (Pre-Sell).

You pay a deposit for a number of bottles and the second payment is due to be paid at or around the time of the wine being dispatched. All of these cases are offered as multiples of 12, unless otherwise stated on the website.

You can reserve wine online or over the phone, please contact us for further assistance. Once we receive your order we will send you a Reservation Certificate to your billing address. If the wines you have chosen are sold out we'll contact you to advise which are still available.

Our 100% Guarantee

Due to the unique nature of en primeur sales our 100% guarantee applies only to an en primeur wine where it is corked or fautly. Please see our full en primeur terms and conditions here.

How does En Primeur work?

En Primeur wines are purchased before they are bottled and released onto the market. En Primeur wines are bought at In Bond prices - ie exclusive of Duty & Vat. On arrival to the UK the wines will be stored, under bond. You will be notified of their arrival and asked for any further delivery instructions (should you wish for the wines to be delivered). All En Primeur purchases are Ex-Vat and Ex-Duty. When you choose to have the wines delivered these taxes become payable. En Primeur price is almost always considerably cheaper than the future price of the wine on the open market. En Primeur can also be the only way to secure wines that are available in very limited quantities.

Fine wines are often set aside for long-term storage and are one of the few commodities that can improve with age, but it can also rapidly deteriorate if kept in inadequate conditions. The three factors that have the most impact on a wine's condition are light, humidity, and temperature. Our Storage facility covers all of these elements, due to its climate control and constant supervision, your wine is in safe hands. Our storage facility is located within our Gloucester site just on the edge of the famous Cotswolds. You can easily arrange for your En Primeur or Pre Sell wines to be placed into our storage facility just by talking to one of our friendly advisors please call for further advice. A £12.60 charge is applied to each case placed into our storage facility, whether it is a 6 bottle or a 12 bottle case, please contact us if you have any further questions about the charges we apply.

How do I withdraw or transfer my wines from storage

Withdrawing wines from storage will be subject to our normal delivery charges (£7.99 for a standard delivery), unless you have Unlimited membership which covers the delivery charges for transferring wines from our storage facility to a maximum of 20 UK private addresses. However transfers of wines to another bonded warehouse are subject to an additional charge of £55 per order.

Please contact us on 03330 148 168 or at customerservices@laithwaites.co.uk to arrange transfer and for current charges.

If you're having trouble choosing you might find our recommendations useful or our Wine Advisor Service.

Our latest offers and mixed cases can be seen on our homepage or you can see what our customers love by checking out the customer favourites. If you're after a real bargain you could try looking at our web deals or bin end offers. If you are new to Laithwaites you may like to consider a subscription or simply give us a call where we will happily talk about our wine and the styles we feel might suit you.

Personal Wine Advisors

Many of our Personal Wine Advisors have their own telephone number, if you do not have the number for your own Personal Wine Advisor or if they are busy, please contact us on 03330 148 168 and we will be able to transfer you to them or request that they give you a ring back.

Allergens in wine

You may have noticed the addition of allergen information to wine labels highlighting egg and milk. There is a new requirement under EU legislation to label these allergens as well as sulphites. You can view them on our labels, website and in our brochures when egg or milk is used as an ingredient or as a processing aid in the production of the wine. You will see the words:

Contains egg, contains milk, contains sulphites or a combination; such as contains egg and sulphites.

Do you stock vegan/vegetarian wine?

A lot of our wines are vegetarian due to modern production, however due to varying production methods we cannot guarantee which ones will meet the criteria you seek. Please contact us for further information, or shop vegetarian wine here. 

Do you stock organic wine?

Yes, we have a varied range of organic and biodynamic wines; we would recommend contacting us for the most up to date organic list, or shop organic wine here. 

Yes we do, you can browse our website by selecting from the Alcohol percent section on the left hand side of website or alternatively, you can contact us.

Shop low alcohol and alcohol-free wine.

Unless clearly indicated, all of our wines contain sulphites at levels that comply with European legislation. These minimal levels of sulphites help maintain the condition and drinkability of the wines but should not be detectable to the palate.

Learn more about sulphites in wine. 

There are two types of corked wine:

• Cork taint results in a wine tasting less fruity. This is a result of chemical spoilage from TCA (a naturally occurring chemical) in the cork.
• Oxidised – smelling and tasting like vinegar – very distinct, resulting from oxidation through a cork not maintaining a perfect seal.

Our "No Quibble" Guarantee

We confidently guarantee every bottle we sell: if a wine fails to satisfy, for whatever reason, we'll arrange to collect it and refund you or replace the wine. We understand it can be tricky to order wine just by a description; which is why we have our 100% guarantee. If you aren't happy with a bottle don't pay for it, just contact us to let us know.