Women Who Launch: Lady Eliza Spencer

As part of The Sybarite's Women Who Launch series, we spoke to Lady Eliza about building a brand with substance, translating personal taste into business, and why the best luxury products are the ones that feel genuinely lived in.

Many celebrity-backed products launch with a famous name attached. How did you make sure Lala V felt like a genuine extension of who you are, rather than simply another lifestyle brand?

From the very beginning, I never wanted Lala V to exist because of my name. I wanted it to stand on its own because it was something we genuinely believed in. My fiancé, Channing, has worked in the drinks industry for many years, so creating Lala V together became a real passion project for us. He brought an incredible depth of knowledge and experience, while I focused on the creative vision, the branding and the lifestyle behind it. Every detail has been incredibly intentional. It reflects the way we love to entertain, bring people together and celebrate life’s special moments. If someone discovered Lala V without knowing it was ours, I would still want them to fall in love with it.

Wine is often associated with slowing down, yet launching a business requires constant momentum. Has creating Lala V changed your relationship with the idea of enjoying the moment?

Absolutely. Building a business together has made us appreciate those slower moments even more because it’s so easy to always be thinking about what’s next. Lala V has become a reminder to pause, whether that’s sharing a bottle over dinner with family or celebrating with friends after a busy week. Those moments are what inspired the brand in the first place, and creating it has only reinforced how important they are.

You describe Lala V as capturing the spirit of Saint-Tropez. What do you think people misunderstand most about that lifestyle, beyond the yachts, beach clubs and Instagram photographs?

People often see the glamour first, but what I love most about the South of France is how relaxed it feels. It’s long lunches that turn into dinners, family and friends gathered around a table, beautiful food, beautiful wine and nobody rushing anywhere. It’s effortless rather than extravagant. That’s the feeling we wanted Lala V to capture because, to me, that’s the real luxury.

The wine world has typically been quite traditional, and at times intimidating. As a woman entering that space, were there any assumptions you found yourself wanting to challenge?

I think wine should be enjoyed, not overcomplicated. You don’t need to know every tasting note or vintage to appreciate a beautiful bottle. We wanted Lala V to feel approachable and welcoming while still being premium. There’s absolutely a place for expertise, but there’s also room for joy, celebration and people simply enjoying wine together without feeling like they need to be experts first.

Your generation has redefined luxury in many ways. Do you think luxury today is becoming less about exclusivity and more about experiences, connection and how something makes you feel?

Definitely. To me, luxury has become much more emotional. It’s about how something makes you feel rather than what it costs. Time with the people you love, meaningful conversations around a table and creating memories together: that feels incredibly luxurious. If Lala V becomes part of those moments, then that’s the greatest compliment we could receive.

If Lala V were launching twenty years ago, it would probably have been marketed very differently. How do you think modern women are changing the conversation around wine, entertaining and lifestyle brands?

I think women today are building brands with so much more authenticity. There is less focus on perfection and more focus on creating communities and experiences that genuinely bring people together. Entertaining doesn’t have to feel formal or intimidating anymore. It’s about making people feel welcome, whether that’s a beautifully set dinner table or a spontaneous picnic with friends. That’s something I love, and it’s very much the spirit of Lala V.

The name combines your childhood nickname with the French word for life. Looking back, what would the younger “Lala” think about the woman she has become today?

I hope she would be proud. She would probably be quite surprised too! I have always loved bringing people together, so the fact that we have created a brand centred around exactly that feels very special. I hope she would see that I have stayed true to my values and that kindness, gratitude and genuine connection are still at the heart of everything I do.

There is a growing appetite for founders to share more of themselves than ever before. How do you decide which parts of your life belong to the brand and which parts remain entirely your own?

Authenticity is really important to me, but so are boundaries. I am happy to share the parts of my life that naturally align with Lala V because the brand genuinely reflects how we love to entertain and celebrate life. At the same time, I think it is important to keep certain moments just for family and close friends. Those memories are incredibly special, and not everything needs to live online.

Launching a wine label is, in many ways, an act of optimism. What gave you the confidence to enter such a crowded market and believe there was still room for your own voice?

A huge part of that confidence came from building it together. Channing has spent years in the drinks industry, so he brought an incredible amount of expertise, while I focused on creating the world and feeling behind the brand. We complemented each other perfectly, and Lala V became something much bigger than either of us could have created alone. We never set out to launch just another bottle of rosé; we wanted to create something people genuinely connected with. We believed there was room for a brand that celebrated quality, beautiful moments and bringing people together, and that’s exactly what Lala V is about.

When people open a bottle of Lala V five years from now, what do you hope they associate it with: a taste, a place, a feeling, or perhaps a particular chapter in their lives?

More than anything, I hope it’s a feeling. I hope opening a bottle instantly reminds people of a wonderful evening, a holiday, a celebration or simply being surrounded by the people they love. That’s always been our vision for Lala V from the very beginning. If it becomes part of someone’s happiest memories and most meaningful moments, then we’ve achieved exactly what we set out to do.

You’ve bottled a version of the South of France. If you could bottle one other place, memory or moment from your own life, what would it taste like?

It would probably be a summer evening with Channing, my family and our closest friends gathered around a table. Delicious food, endless conversation, lots of laughter and nobody looking at the time because no one wants the evening to end. It would taste warm, joyful and comforting, with a real sense of togetherness. Those are the moments that inspired us to create Lala V, and they are exactly what we hope people feel every time they open a bottle.

@lala_v_official | https://lalavofficial.com/