Luxury-led online wine retailer Winedelivered.co.uk has announced a successful first year in business, hitting £1 million in turnover and setting its sights on becoming the “Net-a-Porter for wine.” Founded in January 2020 by Madeleine St Clair, the company combines premium wine curation with a fashion-forward, lifestyle-focused customer experience.
Winedelivered is the exclusive online home to a number of celebrity wine ranges including Kylie Minogue’s wines, Sir Ian Botham’s collection, and Sarah Jessica Parker’s label, as well as boutique brands like Howard Park and Estancia Mendoza. Though Benchmark Drinks is listed as the majority shareholder, the two businesses operate independently, with St Clair holding a 25% stake in Winedelivered and steering its vision and growth.
From fashion to fine wine
St Clair’s background in fashion and luxury goods shaped her approach to building Winedelivered. She identified a gap in the wine market: while many wine retailers focus on discounts or technical detail, few blend wine with aspirational branding, design and customer service.
“I wanted to create a Net-a-Porter of the wine industry, which it was missing,” St Clair said. “Other sites can feel dry and transactional. I wanted something beautiful and engaging—a lifestyle brand that offered great value wines with stunning photography and excellent service.”
That vision has resonated. Even with the challenges of launching just before the onset of COVID-19, Winedelivered saw faster-than-expected growth, buoyed by the ecommerce boom during lockdown.
Agility and exclusivity fuel rapid growth
St Clair credits the company’s lean setup for helping it respond quickly during the early days of the pandemic. “Being small was an advantage. We could pivot fast to meet market demands, without the heavy infrastructure that slows down larger companies,” she said.
With 90% of the business driven by online sales and an additional 10% through telesales, Winedelivered has managed to create a highly personalised customer experience. “Telesales helped us connect directly with our customers and better understand what they’re looking for,” she added.
The availability of exclusive products has also been central to the platform’s success. Offering celebrity-backed wines and curated gift hampers, including extras like Sir Ian Botham’s chocolates, has helped differentiate Winedelivered in a crowded online marketplace.
A lifestyle brand with future ambitions
The platform has recently launched a dedicated mobile app, and St Clair is now looking to build out the lifestyle element of the brand even further. She plans to expand Winedelivered’s offering with consumer events, wine tastings, and curated wedding and event services—an idea that was originally shelved due to the pandemic.
“When we launched, we planned to offer services like wedding wine consultations with a Master of Wine to help pick wines for your event,” she explained. “We had to pause those during 2020, but as normality returns, we see this as a future growth area.”
While ecommerce remains the heart of the business, St Clair believes a hybrid approach that includes live experiences, exclusive partnerships, and curated wine-lifestyle content will be key to the next phase of growth.
As the Winedelivered wine platform continues to evolve, its blend of luxury appeal, tech-driven convenience, and exclusive products positions it as a standout player in the online wine retail space. With its first-year milestone reached and a growing customer base, the business appears poised for an even bigger second act.