LONDON IS READY TO START THE FIRST YEAR OF ITS URBAN WINE CELLAR, THE LONDON CRU, BUT INSTEAD OF THE MUCH ANTICIPATED BORDEAUX, OUT OF THE GAME DUE TO BAD WEATHER, 4 TONS OF BARBERA GRAPES FROM LUCA ROAGNA’S VINEYARDS TAKE ITS PLACE

The biggest news is that London is ready to start its first year of urban winery, London Cru, built on the ashes of an old Gin distillery, a stone's throw from Earls Court Exhibition Centre, which in mid-2014 is expected to go on the market with a production of 17.000 bottles. But there’s another twist: the wine merchant Cliff Roberson, head of the project, has rejected without appeal the French grapes chosen for the highly anticipated first year, because they "do not measure up".
So, four tons of Loire Sauvignon and Merlot grapes and three tons of Bordeaux stayed in France, victims of such a difficult year as to make it impossible to "safely" transport them. The greatest danger, the producers themselves realized, was to get tons of sour and therefore unusable, grapes. Without Sauvignon and Merlot, London Cru turned its attention inevitably, to Italy and a completely different vine, but one that is very popular in Great Britain, Barbera. To be precise, Barbera of the Piedmont company Luca Roagna (www.roagna.it), which has sold four tons to the London winery, saving the first, long-awaited production.
Info: www.londoncru.co.uk