Laithwaites teams up with Alan Carr and Lee Peart for new wine podcast

Laithwaites has signed on to back Bottoms Up!, a new podcast from Alan Carr and Lee Peart aimed at making wine “more fun” – and far less formal.

Laithwaites has partnered with comedians Alan Carr and Lee Peart for the first run of Bottoms Up!, a new wine podcast launched yesterday (Wednesday 26 November). The retailer, founded in 1969 and now one of the UK’s largest family-owned wine merchants, will support the show as Carr and Peart explore what they describe as “wine, gossip and chaos”.

The podcast aims to demystify wine for a broad audience. Billed as “a wine show for people who don’t own a decanter,” it blends “conversation, curiosity and a touch of havoc” as the hosts chat, taste and attempt to understand a world they say they have “often enjoyed but never fully understood”.

A shared approach to wine

“We absolutely jumped at the chance to be involved as Alan and Lee’s philosophy and enthusiasm perfectly matches ours,” said Laithwaites’ head of brand, James Morrison. “We’re delighted to help them explore everything from bargain bottles to splash-out specials – the wine world is a big one, and we’ve always made it our mission to bring the joy of wine from passionate producers directly to curious consumers.”

That mission is rooted in more than five decades of trading. Laithwaites began when founder Tony Laithwaite drove a van of Bordeaux to England to share with friends and family. Today the company offers 1,200 wines from 26 countries, selected from the 40,000 tasted each year by its buying team, and still prioritises championing smaller producers. The merchant is also the only UK wine retailer to hold the Institute of Customer Service’s Service Mark accreditation and has twice been named Online Retailer of the Year.

Wine recommendations with a twist

Each filmed episode of Bottoms Up! features wine tips from guest experts including Helena Nicklin, Tom Gilbey and Aleesha Hansel, with more contributors to be announced. As part of the run-up to Christmas, Laithwaites will help the hosts tackle wine dilemmas. In episode one, Harrow & Hope – made by Henry Laithwaite in Marlow – is pitched as “the perfect wine to bring when you’ve called your sister-in-law a cow at a family dinner, and you’re turning up to the next Sunday lunch in desperate need of a peace-offering in a bottle”.

“This podcast is a roundabout way of enjoying a glass together, and trying to get a bit more wine savvy on the way,” said Alan. Lee added: “There are loads of wine shows out there, but none where two idiots like us try a Barolo and then argue about which celebrity definitely owns a vineyard. We wanted something fun, welcoming, and just a bit unhinged.”

Sustainability credentials

Alongside its podcast partnership, Laithwaites is one of ten retailers to sign the SWR Bottle Weight Accord. The Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR), founded in 2021 with Jancis Robinson as a founding member, now counts more than 100 members worldwide and acts as a hub for collaboration across the wine supply chain.

Bottoms Up! is available on YouTube and Spotify.

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