- Expertise spanning over 170 years
- Closely forged relationships with our producers
- State of the art storage and logistics facilities
Our history
Winemaking is craft that’s existed for millennia - evidence suggests that Georgia was making a form of wine back in 6,000 BC – but there’s always an inspiring new producer, rediscovered grape variety or intriguing technique to explore. While we’ve not been around as long as wine itself, we have been curating a wonderful selection of wine for over 170 years. Explore more about our history below to discover how we’ve changed and adapted with the wine world itself.
Our story begins in 1854, the era of Queen Victoria in Great Britain, Napolean III in France, and Suffolk’s own John Lay, a hospital Secretary in Colchester who entered the wine business with the acquisition of local merchants, Salmon & Son.
Over the next two decades the company would continue to grow, with a relocation to bigger premises in Colchester, and the joining of George Wheeler, Lay’s nephew, hailing from an old farming family, to the business. Lay & Wheeler was born.
As the years went by and ownership changed, the company would see several transformations; from relocation to a new premises which doubled as a stable for horse-drawn drays (along with a cramped bottling cellar); to Lay & Wheeler’s first foray into providing Cellar facilities for customers - still our speciality to this day – the company showed an ability to move with the times. 1964 saw our first Press Tasting of Bordeaux’s top wines, and the 1980’s saw the opening of three Lay & Wheeler stores across Essex.
In 1994 we celebrated our 140th Birthday, with a special Victorian-style dinner - including guests in period dress – held in Colchester's Moot Hall.
The rest of the 1990’s and saw the awards roll in for our expanding range, and the 2000’s saw the continuation of our celebrated En Primeur offerings.
Today, Lay & Wheeler is once again an independent wine merchant operating under the umbrella of Coterie Holdings. With a focus keenly on our classic speciality regions – Bordeaux, Burgundy, Loire, Champagne – and our expert team of buyers always on the lookout for the most interesting quality-led producers around the world, we’re proud to look onwards to our future, connecting customers to the wines they’ll love today and for years to come.