What Honest Grapes does

Honest Grapes is a privately held UK wine club and online wine retailer operating from Warrington (Company reg. 09121187; VAT GB 193 9369 54). The business sells a curated catalogue of 600+ ready-to-drink wines spanning France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, England, Germany, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Americas, with bottles priced from approximately £14.60 to £365. Its core offering is a free wine club that grants members exclusive offers, early access to new releases, and event invitations, layered with a paid Syndicates Club for collectors that provides priority access to bespoke crowdfunded barrel projects.

The company's technology stack consists of an e-commerce storefront with integrated wine club membership management, bonded storage tracking, and en primeur ordering. Service offerings include Guru Consultations (personalised expert recommendations), Bonded Storage and Cellar Plans (monthly subscription storage with discounted wine pricing), En Primeur Campaigns (Bordeaux 2025, Burgundy 2024, Brunello 2021, Icons), a Fine Wine Exchange for member-to-member trading, a programme of paid and complimentary events (tastings, grower visits, vineyard tours), and a recently introduced AI chatbot called WineChap that delivers food pairing and drinking window guidance.

The revenue model combines one-time wine retail and mixed case sales, transaction-based en primeur and Syndicate Barrel purchases, recurring monthly Cellar Plan subscription storage, secondary-market transaction fees via the Fine Wine Exchange, and event ticket revenue. Go-to-market is direct-to-consumer UK-wide, anchored by an owned e-commerce platform and supported by email, organic social, content marketing, and an event-driven experiential channel. Customer segments include wine collectors and connoisseurs, corporate clients, casual wine enthusiasts, and wine investors seeking duty-deferred storage.

Name

Honest Grapes

Legal name

Honest Grapes

Website

https://honestgrapes.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Honest Grapes is an award-winning UK wine club and online wine retailer selling 600+ curated wines directly to UK consumers, with en primeur campaigns, bonded storage, expert Guru consultations, and bespoke event experiences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wine Retail

NAICS

Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (44532), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (445320), Beer, Wine, and Liquor Retailers (4453)

akta.pro primary industry

Alcohol Subscription & Wine Clubs (Retail) (CRANABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wine Retail (Bottle Shops & Wine Merchants) (CRANABAB), Wine Shops (Off-Premise) (CRANAAAB), Fine Wine & Luxury Spirits Retail (CRANABAE)

Keywords

• Fine wine retail
• Wine club membership
• En primeur wines
• Bonded wine storage
• Wine tasting events

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Wine Retail Sales: Direct sale of ready-to-drink wines across all price points from budget (£14-20/bottle) to ultra-premium (£150+). Includes reds, whites, rosé, champagne, spirits, and fortified wines. Revenue generated per transaction with various bottle sizes available.
2. En Primeur / Wine Futures: Pre-release wine purchases through campaigns including Bordeaux, Burgundy, Brunello, and Icons. Customers buy wine before it's bottled, stored in bonded warehouses until maturity.
3. Mixed Cases: Curated parcels handpicked by Wine Gurus for specific tastes or occasions. Includes themed cases like Discovery La Yotte, Sparkling Trio, and Bordeaux Prestige.
4. Bonded Storage & Cellar Plans: Monthly subscription service for storing wine in bonded facilities. Cellar Plan members receive discounted prices on wines and reduced storage fees.
5. Club Exclusives & Syndicate Barrels: Unique wines and bespoke barrel projects available exclusively to club members. Includes crowdfunded barrel projects with priority access for Syndicates Club members.
6. Events & Corporate Services: Wine tasting events, masterclasses, vineyard visits, and corporate gifts. Premium pricing for experiences like Holland & Holland Summer Shoot (£560), Icons Tastings (£80), and private dinners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Honest Grapes operates an award-winning UK wine club and online wine retailer, selling 600+ ready-to-drink wines across all price tiers alongside en primeur investment campaigns, curated mixed cases, bonded duty-suspended storage with monthly Cellar Plans, crowdfunded Syndicate Barrel projects, expert Wine Guru consultations, and ticketed tasting events. The company delivers across the UK with sources from France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, England, Germany, Austria, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Americas.

Product overview

Honest Grapes is an award-winning UK wine club and online wine retailer offering a curated portfolio of 600+ ready-to-drink wines alongside en primeur investment wines. The platform operates through multiple integrated offerings: the core Wine Club provides membership with exclusive offers and event access; WineChap delivers AI-powered conversational wine recommendations; the Syndicates Club offers priority access to crowdfunded barrel projects; Bonded Storage enables duty-free wine preservation; Guru Consultations provides expert personalization; En Primeur Campaigns grant access to Bordeaux, Burgundy, and other prestige vintages; and Corporate Services handles business gifting and events. The business model combines direct wine sales, membership subscriptions, and storage services into a unified fine wine ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Syndicates Club: Dedicated membership giving collectors and wine lovers priority access to unique crowdfunded wine experiences including barrel projects.
• WineChap

Products and services

• Honest Grapes Wine Club Free membership club providing UK consumers with exclusive wine offers, early access to new releases and en primeur campaigns, event invitations, and first-look privileges on club-only wines.
• Syndicates Club Paid membership tier for collectors and wine lovers giving priority access to unique crowdfunded Syndicate Barrel projects and bespoke wine experiences.
• Bonded Storage Service Wine storage service that keeps customers' bottles in bonded warehouses in perfect condition and duty-free until they choose to release them, with optional Cellar Plan subscriptions that reduce storage fees and offer discounted wine prices.
• Cellar Plan Subscription Monthly subscription offering members discounted wine prices (e.g. 10% off) and reduced bonded storage fees, targeted at customers building a cellar or storing en primeur purchases.
• En Primeur Campaigns Pre-release wine futures campaigns covering Bordeaux, Burgundy, Brunello, and Icons vintages, allowing collectors to purchase wine before bottling with bonded storage until maturity.
• Mixed Cases Curated parcels handpicked by the Wine Gurus for specific tastes and occasions, priced from approximately £75 for the Sparkling Trio to £617 for the Bordeaux Prestige Case.
• Guru Consultations Expert wine consultation service where the Wine Gurus learn customer preferences, dislikes, and cellar goals, then deliver personalised recommendations and updates on new arrivals, with first access to en primeur wines.
• Corporate Services Bespoke corporate wine experiences for business clients including tastings, team-building events, and premium corporate gifts.
• Club Events Ticketed wine tasting evenings, masterclasses, sommelier consultations, meet-the-grower events, and vineyard visits at elegant venues with food pairings.
• Fine Wine Exchange Secondary-market platform where club members can buy and sell wines from each other, with Honest Grapes earning commission on transactions.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Chilworth ManorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Chilworth Manor offering complimentary vineyard tastings at their 10-acre Surrey Hills site when customers place orders of 12+ bottles of their sparkling wines. Includes mix-and-match options. Mutual benefit through wine sales and experiential marketing.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Naked Wines: UK-founded D2C wine club with subscription/membership model funding independent winemakers. Comparable community-led wine club structure.
• The Wine Society: UK's largest wine co-op offering curated wine buying for members. Directly comparable membership-driven, D2C wine retail model with broad grower coverage.
• Flint Wines: Boutique London fine wine merchant focused on Burgundy, Loire and German Riesling with private client service. Comparable premium curation and personal service angle.
• Berry Bros. & Rudd: Historic London fine wine merchant with cellar plan, en primeur, brokerage and exclusive allocations. Closest comparable on premium UK fine wine curation and storage-led lock-in.
• Corney & Barrow: Long-standing UK fine wine merchant with strong trade and private client channels. Comparable on fine wine curation, en primeur and storage services.
• Laithwaites: Large UK D2C wine club with mixed cases, exclusive producer relationships and subscription-style engagement. Closest scale comparator for the wine club and mixed case model.
• Lay & Wheeler: UK fine wine merchant offering bonded storage, en primeur and personal account management. Comparable cellared-wine subscription and fine wine focus.
• Armit Wines: London-based importer and retailer of fine wines with club-style private client services. Comparable curated fine wine and Burgundy/Bordeaux depth.
• Justerini & Brooks: Premium UK wine merchant focused on fine Bordeaux, Burgundy and en primeur with private cellar services. Highly comparable on en primeur and investment-grade wine positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Majestic Wine: UK's largest high-street wine retailer with broad portfolio across price points. Overlaps on D2C and UK delivery but lacks Honest Grapes' fine wine / en primeur specialism.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/HonestGrapes
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/HonestgrapesUk
• Facebookfacebook.com/honestgrapes
• Instagraminstagram.com/honestgrapes
• Pinterestpinterest.co.uk/honestgrapes

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Honest Grapes