English charm: what to expect at London Wine Fair 2026
The global wine trade is flocking to London this month for the latest edition of the London Wine Fair, with rising numbers of exhibitors attracted by a host of new features, masterclasses and tasting events.
The 45th edition of the London Wine Fair (LWF) kicks off this month, bringing together wine professionals from across the globe for one of the most exciting dates in the drinks calendar.
From 18 to 20 May, more than 500 exhibitors, and more than 10,000 visitors, will flock to London Olympia for a whirlwind week of connection, education, culture and celebration – with wine, of course, at its heart. New for 2026 is the ‘Host Nation’ programme, shining a burning torch on the UK drinks industry.
In what is tipped to be the largest show yet in terms of British participation, the full spectrum of the country’s drinks will be celebrated – from English still and sparkling wines to Scottish and Welsh spirits and Northern Irish distillers, to beer, cider and mead. The new initiative echoes the rapidly climbing reputation of domestic wine, and increasing fervour from buyers for top-quality British beverages. English wine will take centre-stage, with more than 100 producers participating – nearly five times more than in 2025.
Winemakers will be represented across a flagship English Wine stand, individual exhibitor spaces, UK agents and a daily pop-up tasting. So who’s in the mix? Balfour, Bolney, Chapel Down, Flint Vineyards and Gusbourne will be in attendance, alongside many more, several of which will be making their debut appearance at the fair. The Pop-Up Tasting area will rotate – featuring WineGB East on Monday, then 30 producers from Defined Wines on Tuesday and IWSC trophy winners on Wednesday.
What’s more, in partnership with Tiny Wine, the fair will also introduce a British Wine Discovery Tasting, where visitors can bag a free tasting kit sporting samples from six standout producers. Through these takeaway products, guests can sample a snapshot of the quality and diversity that defines British still wine today.
“Championing British wine as a home nation project is something we are proud to be part of at London Wine Fair – using this also as a springboard for encouraging domestic and international visitors to discover the qualities of our wines,” says Jordan Painter, head of sales at Balfour Winery. He looks forward to engaging with customers in person. “This face-to-face connection is what is so important to our business, and London Wine Fair is a great place for facilitating that.”
The Kent-based winery will feature new releases and projects, as well as its better-known products. “There is such a wide demographic of attendees to get to know better, and we look forward to bringing Balfour to life for them ‘at home’ on our stand and through the wines we will be pouring,” Painter adds.
Williams Family Winery, based in Cambridgeshire, will also champion British wine. “We really enjoyed last year’s show,” says co-founder Nick Williams. “It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase our portfolio and to open up conversations around them. LWF offers a valuable chance to network with both new and existing customers, connect with other producers and catch up with friends across all sectors of the industry.” The winery currently only has three vintages under its own label.
“We really value the opportunity LWF provides for buyers and sommeliers to speak directly with winemakers on our doorstep,” Williams continues. “The location and audience are key advantages for us, and at this stage in our journey, the costs associated with international shows would be prohibitive. It offers an ideal platform to connect with the right people in an accessible and meaningful way.”
Growth boost
In October 2025, the fair was acquired by Vindustrious – boosting its growth – with an 11% year-on-year increase in exhibitor bookings. Not only is this demonstrated by the strong presence of domestic winemakers, but through the diversity of international exhibitors too. France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece will all boast strong pavilions, and visitors can also explore emerging regions like Serbia, Georgia, Japan, Ukraine and Washington State. At the Wines of Colour stand, producers will fly the flag for Chile, Argentina and South Africa, while pop-up tastings will spotlight bottles from New Zealand, Germany, South Africa, France and the UK.
Heraki Wines, based in Manisa, Turkey, will showcase its latest vintages, and wines from lesser-known varieties such as Çal Karası, Sultaniye, Boğazkere and Karasakız, at the event. “London Wine Fair brings together a highly relevant audience, and as a family winery it is a great opportunity for us to present Heraki Wines in a dynamic, international context,” says co-owner José Hernández. “Our project is deeply rooted in old Anatolian vineyards and native Turkish grape varieties. London Wine Fair represents a unique opportunity to present not only our wines, but also the people, places and traditions behind them.”
He sees the fair as a chance to build trust, gain feedback, increase visibility and open avenues for collaboration. “LWF offers a platform where authenticity and origin-driven wines can find their place,” Hernández continues. “Compared to other trade fairs, it feels more focused, more accessible and more conducive to meaningful conversations that go beyond purely transactional relationships.”
And for Laure Dubreuil, CEO of Loire Valley winery Vignoble Dubreuil, jetting to LWF is all about making a mark in the UK market. “We hope to find new partners,” she explains. “When we came last January, we realised that the English have a very good knowledge of the world of wine, which for us is a great added value for developing our sales.”
Learning platform
The show will also feature plenty of opportunities for education and development – with guests and professionals alike able to engage with it as a learning platform. The Sommelier Edit, for instance, will allow for aspiring entrants to the Top 100 Sommeliers list to engage directly with experts and alumni, including personalised guidance on the application process. Additionally, members of the Top 20 will host on-site training sessions.
Following this, participants will partake in a live blind tasting of six wines, with results fed through to the Sommelier Edit Awards. And that’s not all for attending somms. The UK Sommelier of the Year programme will also return, with candidates going head-to-head in mock theory and tasting exercises, followed by guided debriefs and walkarounds led by past winners.
A rich programme of masterclasses will also allow guests to participate in deep-dive discussions on a diverse range of wine regions. Sarah Abbott MW will lead daily sessions exploring Georgia’s diverse styles – from skin-contact amber wines to fresh whites and reds, paired with traditional food – while Portugal’s Vinhos Verdes will debut with sessions from Tiago Macena, focusing on the region’s evolving identity.
Other highlights include a Pays d’Oc IGP session hosted by Oz Clarke on unusual grape varieties, and a Bordeaux claret masterclass including a revitalised, lighter style aimed at modern consumers. Virginia Wine will also be back after a 10-year absence, hosting a masterclass called ‘Cabernet Franc and Beyond: From Terroir to Identity in Virginia Wine’, led by Jimmy Smith and Matthew Brown.
Looking beyond wine, LWF will showcase a dedicated craft beer and cider section for the first time in its 45-year history. The new area, spearheaded by BREW//LDN, meets burgeoning demand from BREW//LDN exhibitors, who have sought a trade-only environment, and from LWF’s audience, who have increasingly called for artisan beer and cider content as buying remits expand, particularly among independent retailers and HoReCa. The inaugural section will feature up to 40 UK and international producers, including Attic Brew Co., Big Hug Brewing and Lost in Town Brewery.
Icon tasting
Experts will also have a chance to spread their wings at the fair’s acclaimed Icon Tasting, which returns for its third year, following in the footsteps of the ‘Judgement of London’ in 2024 and ‘Battle of the Bubbles’ in 2025. The stage is set in 2026, for ‘The Greatest Chardonnay Showdown’ – a double-blind tasting featuring 30 Chardonnays from around the world assessed over three hours under strict conditions.
Sarah Abbott MW and Ronan Sayburn MS are in charge of choosing the wines, which will be judged by around 20 industry figures – from wine writer Jancis Robinson MW to Waitrose buyer Pierpaolo Petrassi MW and Le Cordon Bleu head sommelier Jiachen Lu – with all bottles decanted and served in Jancis Robinson x Richard Brendon glassware. Judges will use the Borda Count scoring system to decide key accolades, including the Overall Greatest Chardonnay of the World, the Top 10, Best Classic Region Chardonnay, Best Emerging Region Chardonnay and Best Value Chardonnay. Guests can head to Centre Stage on Wednesday at 11.45am, where the winning drinks will be crowned.
“Our first challenge has been narrowing the selection: Chardonnay is the lingua franca of fine white wine, and even our long list read like a kind of poem. I know that our judges will relish tasting and assessing these iconic wines,” says Abbott.
Head of London Wine Fair Hannah Tovey adds: “London Wine Fair’s Icon Tasting is now an eagerly anticipated fixture in the wine industry, shining a spotlight on the world’s finest wines, as judged by the UK’s finest palates. London’s standing as the fine wine capital of the UK is an historic and enduring one; London Wine Fair’s platforming of the Icon Tasting reaffirms this.”
Collaborative space
Sustainability will also be foregrounded at the show, with increased investment and the return of Impact Focus as official Sustainability Partner. Indeed, a newly unveiled Sustainability Hub will serve as a collaborative space for drinks companies, NGOs and non-profits to swap best practices, while a series of climate-focused panel discussions will take place on Centre Stage. The trio of talks will address sustainability in production, procurement and people, with participants including International Wineries for Climate Action (IWCA), Porto Protocol and The Drinks Trust.
BE WTR, the fair’s official water supplier, will further enhance the event’s sustainability mission, with micro-filtration tech and reusable glass bottle systems touted to save around three tonnes of CO2 . This year will also see LWF upgrade its technology offering.
Attendees will have access to the London Wine Fair Essential Planner, which includes a platform for scheduling meetings, a tailored search function to connect with other guests, networking opportunities and an interactive floorplan. To augment navigation and discovery, the platform will also include a Bottlebooks-powered exhibitor platform, which will allow visitors to search wines by an array of criteria, including sustainability credentials, organic and biodynamic status, vegan production and old vine classification.
This enables attendees to curate personalised trails and discover products that align with their interests. Buyers are in for a treat, too, with exclusive benefits such as the Hosted Buyer Programme, which is back for 2026, and a Concierge Service for the top 50 UK buyers.
With its expanded scope, sustainability focus and global reach, London Wine Fair 2026 promises to be a landmark event that toasts the evolution of the drinks industry, all while maintaining London’s star position as one of the world’s leading and most exciting hubs for the wine trade.
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