WINE SERVICES
Wine Services
More than just shops – Lea & Sandeman offers a full wine merchant service to make sure that our customers get the most out of the wine buying (and drinking) experience. Please see the information below and if you would like to find out more about any of these services, please get in touch with us at sales@leaandsandeman.co.uk or call 0207 244 0522.Wedding & Wedding List Service
Whether you are looking for a fantastic offer for the wines for your reception or for a vinous wedding list for gifts to fill a cellar for your future together, Lea & Sandeman can help. We will help guide you through the selection of the right wines to a budget for the big day, backed up with seamless delivery and sale-or return service. We have extensive experience of wine as a wedding gift and can help select and manage a list so that a balanced cellar which matches your interests can be created. Just email weddings@leaandsandeman.co.uk and we'll get back to you as soon as we can.Personalised Gift Service
Wine is one of the oldest gifts in history, and we at Lea & Sandeman believe it is still one of the best. Whatever your requirements - from something special for a loved one to corporate presents for multiple recipients – L&S will help you create something individual with our personalised gift service.Cellar Planning & Advice
Lea & Sandeman has been helping our customers build their dream cellars for almost 30 years. Whether you aim to build a fine wine collection for drinking or investment, we will provide a bespoke service tailored to your personal requirements. Cellar plan members are able to draw upon Lea & Sandeman’s own extensive list of exclusively sourced fine wine, imported from smaller independent producers in the world's finest wine growing regions. Our team is here to provide all the advice you need and assist with any storage, broking or valuation requirements. Contact us at cellarplan@leaandsandeman.co.uk for more information or fill out a cellar plan enquiry form on the Cellar Plan Homepage.Fine Wine Broking
We are always on the lookout for well-cellared fine wines of all kinds. If you would like to make enquiries about selling any of your stock, please contact privateclients@leaandsandeman.co.uk. A member of our team will be in touch to discuss the options available to you and provide a valuation. Lea & Sandeman may seek to buy stock outright or offer it on a broking basis. Please note that broking, in bond transfer and delivery fees may apply. Our usual payment terms for broking stock are 30 days from point of sale.Wine Storage
Elephant Storage is the wine storage facility offered by Lea & Sandeman. All wines are stored under the terms of The Bunch Code of Practice. Your Duty Paid wines are stored in your own area within our Battersea warehouse for rapid access, separate from L&S stock. The duty-paid Elephant Storage facility is proven to maintain the ideal conditions for storing wine and has been our storage facility of choice for over twenty years of trading. Elephant Storage also offers In Bond storage at Octavian, Corsham, the gold standard in fine wine cellaring. To find out more see our Storage Homepage or, if you would like set up an account, then please email storage@leaandsandeman.co.uk to request Terms & Conditions. Alternatively you can fill out and submit your T&C's via this online form.Private Tastings
We all enjoy things more when we know a little more about them, which is why wine tasting is a great way to get more out of what you drink – or at least that’s our excuse. Whether you are organising client entertainment, a birthday party, team building or any other event, we can organise a tasting to suit your requirements. Tastings can be hosted in one of our London shops, or alternatively we can bring our wine and expertise to you. Please email privateclients@leaandsandeman.co.uk to start organising your private tasting.Events
Selecting the right wines for an event can present challenges – your choices are personal and it is important that they complement your event seamlessly. Our dedicated team of wine experts will guide you through the creation of a wine list that will fit perfectly, whatever the occasion. All of our deliveries are carried out by our own delivery team and we can liaise directly with your venue to ensure that everything finds its way to the right place, at the right time. We also provide glasses at a very reasonable cost saving you the hassle of sourcing and cleaning glassware for your event. If you have an event that you would like to discuss with our team, please email events@leaandsandeman.co.uk.En Primeur Offers
En Primeur refers to the practice of buying wine at the earliest moment it is made available by an estate. This can be up to two or three years before a wine is bottled and physically available in the UK. Buying at this stage ensures an allocation of the desired wine and guarantees perfect provenance. Though this should never be assumed, buying en primeur has historically represented a low cost of access to many wines, and it is particularly attractive if you are able to store wines at home under good conditions.The two main en primeur campaigns each year are Bordeaux and Burgundy. Typically, Burgundy becomes deliverable in the second half of the year following a January en primeur campaign. Bordeaux is sold en primeur in the spring and becomes deliverable two years after the campaign. Please note that deliveries may be delayed until the autumn to avoid shipping wines in the hot summer months.
En primeur wines are only offered ‘in bond’, i.e. exclusive of relevant VAT & duty. Orders are for immediate settlement in advance of delivery and must be paid by cash, cheque, debit card, or direct bank transfer. Credit cards cannot be accepted for en primeur orders. We always require a delivery instruction for all en primeur orders in order to process the wines promptly on arrival in the UK. The following options are available:
- In bond storage with Elephant Storage
- Transfer to another bonded facility
- Duty paid storage with Elephant Storage
- Duty paid delivery to a nominated mainland UK address
Please note that all in bond transfers are subject to a delivery & administration fee of £16.50 (ex-VAT) for orders less than £1,000. Duty paid delivery requires the settlement of any relevant duty and VAT at the prevailing rate. Where no instruction has been given, wines bought en primeur will be stored on your behalf in Elephant Storage under bond. You will be deemed to have accepted the terms of Elephant Storage Ltd. and may become liable for the first six months of storage immediately.