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Best PR Agency UK

Best PR Agency UK 2026

Newsroom representing drinks industry media coverage

Best PR for Wine & Spirits Brands UK (2026): Drinks Coverage Within the Rules

PR for wineries, distilleries, importers, craft brands and no- and low-alcohol producers. We get your bottles in front of drinks writers, trade buyers and the right adult audiences, following the UK’s alcohol marketing codes.

Who we help

Every drinks category has its own press

Selling food as well as drink? See our food and beverage PR page.

WineProducers, importers and merchants. Wine columns and tasting notes.
SpiritsGin, whisky, rum and more. Cocktail, bar and lifestyle press.
Beer and ciderCraft brewers and cider makers. Beer writers and local press.
No and lowAlcohol-free and lower-strength drinks. Health, lifestyle and food press.
Know the rules

UK alcohol marketing rules

RuleWhat it means for PR
The CAP CodeAdvertising, including paid features and influencer posts, must not appeal strongly to under-18s or link alcohol to social or sexual success.
The Portman Group CodeCovers how drinks are named, packaged and promoted, including PR activity.
Age checksSampling, events and social content should reach adults only.
Health claimsAlcoholic drinks cannot carry health claims. No and low drinks need care with wording too.

General guidance, not legal advice. Rules differ in other countries.

Timing

The drinks calendar

JanuaryDry January brings strong interest in no and low drinks.
Spring and summerRosé, summer serves, barbecues and festivals.
AutumnHarvest stories and new vintages. Christmas gift guides are planned.
ChristmasGift and party drinks. Pitch from late summer.
The media

Who writes about drinks

Drinks columnists. National wine and spirits writers recommend bottles weekly. They want samples, prices and where to buy.

Trade press. Titles for retailers, bars and distributors cover listings, launches and sales data. Trade coverage helps you win shelf space.

Lifestyle and food press. Recipes, cocktails, gift ideas and the story behind the brand.

Regional press. Local distilleries, vineyards and breweries are strong local stories.

Your story

The provenance story editors want

Every bottle has a story, but most drinks brands tell it the same way. Strong PR for wine & spirits makes yours specific. We build it around four things readers and editors care about:

Place

The vineyard, the water, the climate or the town that shapes what is in the glass. Place is where most PR for wine & spirits begins.

People

The winemaker, distiller or founder, and the reason they started, the human heart of PR for wine & spirits.

Process

One detail of how you make it that nobody else does in quite the same way.

Proof

Genuine awards, trade listings and respected tasting notes that back up the claims.

PR for wine & spirits: the four parts of a provenance story editors want
Beyond consumers

Trade, on-trade and retail: PR that wins listings

Consumer features build desire, but a drinks brand also needs buyers who will stock it. Complete PR for wine & spirits works on both audiences at once.

  • Trade press: launches, listings and production news for buyers at retailers, wholesalers and distributors, the commercial side of PR for wine & spirits.
  • On-trade: stories for bar and restaurant owners, from cocktail serves to food pairings and staff training.
  • Retail: announcements when you land a new stockist, so shoppers know where to find you.
  • Export: market-entry stories and partner announcements when you start selling abroad.

Trade coverage also gives your sales team credible articles to share in every buyer meeting, so PR for wine & spirits supports sales directly. For food partners and restaurants, see our food and beverage PR guide.

PR for wine & spirits: consumer, trade, on-trade, retail and export coverage
Getting tasted

Samples, tastings and press visits done right

Drinks journalists need to taste before they write. How you handle that step says a lot about your brand. In every campaign of PR for wine & spirits we follow a few simple rules:

  1. Ask first: samples go only to journalists who have agreed to receive them, and only to adults.
  2. Send a clear tasting kit: tasting notes, serving suggestions, the provenance story and high-resolution images.
  3. Make visits worthwhile: a vineyard or distillery visit should show something new, from harvest to a first release.
  4. Keep it responsible: every message reflects UK responsible marketing standards for alcohol, which is non-negotiable in PR for wine & spirits.
  5. Follow up politely: one helpful follow-up with any missing facts, never pressure.

Producers who welcome visitors can also benefit from travel and tourism PR, as wine and distillery tourism keeps growing.

Recognition

Awards and competitions: using them well

A genuine medal is one of the most useful assets in PR for wine & spirits, but only if you use it honestly. Name the competition and the exact award, say which product won, and avoid implying a whole range won when only one bottle did.

Pitch award news quickly to trade and regional press, add it to your website and labels where permitted, and use it to support listings conversations. One honest medal story often travels further than a dozen vague claims, and honesty builds lasting PR for wine & spirits.

Labelling

PR for wine & spirits and label accuracy

Wine is one of the most tightly regulated drinks when it comes to labels. The Food Standards Agency’s guidance on wine labelling covers the details that must appear and how terms such as origin and grape variety can be used. Press materials should always match those facts.

  • Origin: country and region named exactly as on the label
  • Grape and vintage: used only where the rules allow
  • Strength: alcohol by volume stated correctly
  • Allergens: sulphites and other allergens shown clearly

In PR for wine & spirits, we check every tasting note, region and vintage against your label before it reaches a writer. That care protects your reputation with drinks editors, retailers and judges, and it means PR for wine & spirits builds lasting trust rather than corrections. Whether you import, produce or retail, PR for wine & spirits that starts from the label makes every later story easier to tell. It also helps PR for wine & spirits travel well into export markets, where buyers check details closely.

PR for wine & spirits: label facts to check before every story
Guaranteed features

Lifestyle titles in our network

Columns and reviews are earned. Next to that, you can book features in titles from our publication network, such as Luxury Lifestyle Magazine in the UK and Taste of Home in the US. Booked features go live within 14 days of approval or you get a 100% refund. Paid drinks content must follow alcohol advertising rules and be shown to adults.

Listed in our network, October 2026. Terms, including link treatment, are confirmed in writing before you book. Google asks that paid links are marked as sponsored or nofollow.

Example campaign plans

Three example drinks campaigns

Example plan · English wine

A small vineyard’s first sparkling wine

“The Kent vineyard taking on Champagne with its first release”

  • Route: samples to wine columnists, regional and food press.
  • Timing: before Christmas gift guides.
  • Outcome sought: direct sales and stockists.
Example plan · Spirits

A new craft distillery

“The distillery using foraged botanicals from one valley”

  • Route: bar trade press and lifestyle titles, plus a launch for adult guests.
  • Timing: spring launch.
  • Outcome sought: bar listings.
Example plan · No and low

An alcohol-free aperitif

“The alcohol-free drink made for long dinners”

  • Route: food, lifestyle and wellbeing press with careful claims.
  • Timing: Dry January.
  • Outcome sought: trial and retail listings.

Illustrative plans with example headlines. They are not client results.

Client feedback

What clients say about United Press

★★★★★

“United Press built our brand from launch to nationwide recognition. Real media coverage gave new customers the trust they needed — our ROI has been over 100:1, which blows my mind.”

Annabelle SparksGlobal Head of Marketing
★★★★★

“United Press helped us turn our company story into something journalists could genuinely engage with. The coverage gave our brand a level of credibility that was difficult to achieve through our own marketing channels.”

James WhitmoreFounder & CEO
★★★★★

“The team understood our industry and, more importantly, understood the story we needed to tell. Seeing our company featured across relevant publications gave us a much stronger presence when potential customers researched us.”

Olivia BennettMarketing Director

United Press is a London PR agency at Brook’s Mews, working since 2001 with clients worldwide, and a winner or shortlisted at PRWeek, CIPR Excellence, UK Agency, PRCA DARE, The Drum and UK Social Media Communications Awards.

FAQ

Wine and spirits PR questions

What does drinks PR involve?

Getting your bottles to drinks writers, trade buyers and lifestyle media, through samples, launches and stories, while following alcohol marketing rules.

Can you guarantee a mention in a wine column?

No. Columnists choose freely. Guaranteed features are available only in titles from our publication network.

What rules apply to alcohol PR in the UK?

Mainly the CAP Code for advertising and the Portman Group Code for naming, packaging and promotion. Content must not appeal to under-18s.

Do you work with producers outside the UK?

Yes, including overseas wineries and distilleries launching in the UK.

When should we pitch Christmas?

From late summer for magazines, and September to October for newspapers and online guides.

How much does drinks PR cost?

There is no fixed price. Every campaign is planned around your goal and the titles you need. Share your goal and budget in the form below for a personalised plan.

How do wine and spirits brands get press coverage?

Start with a specific provenance story, back it with genuine proof such as awards or listings, and time pitches to the drinks calendar. In PR for wine & spirits, we shape those stories for consumer and trade editors, handle samples responsibly and confirm each live link.

Should drinks brands focus on trade press or consumer press?

Usually both. Consumer features build desire, while trade coverage helps win listings with retailers, wholesalers, bars and restaurants. The right balance depends on whether your next goal is awareness or distribution.

Can PR help a drinks brand appear in AI search?

It can improve your chances. AI tools such as ChatGPT and Gemini rely on trusted publications when they recommend wines, spirits and distilleries. No one can guarantee an AI mention, but press coverage is one of the strongest signals a drinks brand can build.

Free plan

Ready to get your bottles noticed?

Tell us about your drinks, where they are sold and your next launch. We will send a free plan with the angle, titles and timing that fit.