[November 26th, 2025]

Laithwaites is the official partner for the first run of episodes of Bottoms Up!, a brand-new wine podcast from The Celebrity Traitors winner and wine fan Alan Carr, with his friend - fellow comedian and wine lover - Lee Peart, which they describe as “wine, gossip and chaos”.  

Launching today, Wednesday 26th November, the new show is described by the pair as a “wine show for people who don’t own a decanter,” blending “conversation, curiosity and a touch of havoc” as Alan and Lee get together for a gossip while setting out to explore a world they’ve often enjoyed but never fully understood.

“We absolutely jumped at the chance to be involved as Alan and Lee’s philosophy and enthusiasm perfectly matches ours,” says Laithwaites Head of Brand James Morrison. “We’re delighted to help them explore everything from bargain bottles to splash-out specials - the wine world is a big one, and we’ve always made it our mission to bring the joy of wine from passionate producers directly to curious consumers.”

Each filmed episode celebrates all things vinous with wine recommendations from guest experts including Helena Nicklin, Tom Gilbey and Aleesha Hansel - with more to be announced in coming weeks. As part of the partnership in the run-up to Christmas, Laithwaites will help Alan & Lee tackle the serious stuff of wine dilemmas: in episode 1, Harrow & Hope (made by Henry Laithwaite in Marlow) features as ‘the perfect wine to bring when you’ve called your sister-in-law a cow at a family dinner, and you’re turning up to the next Sunday lunch in desperate need of a peace-offering in a bottle’.

This podcast is a roundabout way of enjoying a glass together, and trying to get a bit more wine savvy on the way,” says Alan. Lee adds: “There are loads of wine shows out there, but none where two idiots like us try a Barolo and then argue about which celebrity definitely owns a vineyard.  We wanted something fun, welcoming, and just a bit unhinged.”

Link to trailer

Bottoms Up! on Youtube and Spotify

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Note to Editors – About Laithwaites Wine

Laithwaites Wine was founded in 1969, when Tony Laithwaite drove a van of Bordeaux wine to England to share with family and friends.  Laithwaites has since grown to become one of the UK’s largest wine merchants, yet remains family-owned and still gives pride of place to smaller producers. 

The Laithwaites wine team tastes over 40,000 wines a year before selecting the best buys for customers. Laithwaites offers 1,800 wines from 26 countries, ranging in price from £4.99 up to £1,200 a bottle and all covered by a 100% guarantee of enjoyment.  

They also offer an extensive gifts range, complimentary Wine Advisor service, and host a range of events.  Laithwaites Wine is the only UK wine merchant to win the Service Mark accreditation from the Institute of Customer Service and has twice been awarded Online Retailer of the Year. 

Laithwaites is delighted to be one of ten leading retailers which have signed up to the 'SWR Bottle Weight Accord'.  Founded in 2021, the Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWR) is the only global independent multistakeholder roundtable in wine.  Jancis Robinson is a founding member and with now more than 100 members from around the world, the SWR has become the centre for collaborative action across the wine supply chain.