FROM Hollywood to Hampshire, these wines are rarely seen outside California.

James Hocking Wine (JHW) specialises in importing superb wines from the top boutique family estates of the celebrated Napa Valley and Sonoma, as well as up and coming regions like Lodi to the UK.

More used to supplying top London steak houses like Goodmans or Beast, the business has pivoted in the last year to offer free delivery to private clients in homes around Hampshire and beyond. Wine lovers close to hubs in Winchester, Salisbury and Andover can even enjoy same day contactless delivery of that last minute wine necessity.

The company was set up at the beginning of 2019 by celebrated wine importer and merchant James Hocking, a former director of The Vineyard Group who started his career 25 years ago with Rick Stein at The Seafood Restaurant.

James told the Daily Echo: "Many of the wines we carry are rarely seen outside of Napa Valley, so for a Californian wine lover, we are hard to beat for those rare and covetable bottles. I like to think we provide a pretty unbeatable service and I think our customers are really keen to support local, independent businesses.

"Pre-Covid, the majority of our business was supplying London restaurants. During lockdown we had to switch entirely to selling direct to consumers, otherwise we just wouldn’t have survived. Many of our new customers are those who miss restaurant dining and those hard to find, boutique bottles they would only see on restaurant lists, so this change of tack has been good for us."

JHW's first creation was Lockdown California, a case of six bottles at trade prices, which sold out incredibly quickly. Lockdown 2 - The Sequel was selling well in the autumn and James is now ready to work on Lockdown 3 - The Revenge.

2020 also saw James combine his two great passions of wine and horticulture and supply his customers with a huge surplus of tomatoes, peppers and chillies which had been prepared for various produce shows across the UK, plus his secret feed formula for successful vegetables.

When restrictions allow, approved Wine & Spirit Education Trust educator James hosts a monthly wine course at Winchester's Hotel du Vin. It explores wines from all over the world and topics for 2021 include Navigating The Wine List, The Great Outdoors and The Blind Tasting Evening.

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