your guide to online independent wine and drink merchants in the UK.

If you are lucky enough to have more wine than you know where to keep it, or unlucky enough to have a flat too small to hold more than the odd bottle, then Big Yellow has just opened a new self-service wine storage facility in Fulham, London.
Fine wine needs to be kept in good conditions if it is to reach its potential, which means a steady cool temperature, no vibration and little light. That is why cellars in older houses were ideal - except for often being a little too damp for the labels and corks. Certainly modern houses tend not to have a cellar or any space which meets the criteria - central heating which is too warm, the cupboard under the stairs suffering too much disturbance, garages where the temperature varies too much, and no cellar!

This new venture seems to offer a solution (if you are in London):-

We have launched a unique new wine storage service in our new flagship store in Fulham. It’s the UK’s first dedicated self storage wine facility and boasts features to keep your wine collection in perfect condition.
Climate control: The environment is maintained at 15 degrees centigrade (+/- 2 degrees C) and 67% humidity levels (+/- 5%)
Free access to your own personal cellar is available during our store opening hours, with out of hours access also available for a small weekly charge.
State of the art security: Every room is alarmed; the store is monitored 24hr with CCTV and 24 hr security on the premises

See www.bigyellow.co.uk.

For some reason Spain seems to be alone in offering wines shipped direct from Spain to your doorstep. Personally I think this is potentially a great idea if it allows access to wines which would not otherwise be available in the UK, and providing the prices including delivery are reasonable. But why just Spain, and not Italy or France or Portugal??

The latest such merchant to come to our attention is Excel Wines, an online merchant who ships direct. “We are three expatriates living in Bilbao, Spain: Anna Axén from Sweden, Sandy Tay from Malaysia and Ane Miren Lambe from Ireland. Apart from being good friends, we share a love of fine wines and, living in Spain, we have come to appreciate Spanish wines in particular. In addition, we have met wine lovers both inside and outside of Spain over the years and we have come to the conclusion that the new modern, fine Spanish wines are the best kept secret in the wine world.”
Their list looks interesting but the carriage charges look a bit steep compared to UK delivery - e.g. €58.30 for up to 3 cases of wine - that’s not far short of £50 at today’s poor exchange rate (£1=€1.21). But if there is something special which you cannot get otherwise in the UK, then you may consider it worth it.

More interesting is their Wine Blog which is entertaining and informative - learn more about Spanish rosé (Rosado or Clarete?), and about some new Spanish wine appellations.

For more info see Excel Wines

To celebrate the upcoming Spring Bank Holiday the New Zealand House of Wine is offering an exclusive FREE bottle of Cloudy Bay Sparkling Vintage Pelorus 2002 with every ‘Pre-Mixed’ or ‘Mix Your Own Case’ 12-bottle selection purchased until 26th May 2008! (Offer applies to orders for UK delivery only.)
You can choose from PREMIXED CASES or MIX YOUR OWN 12 bottle selection.
Your free bottle of Cloudy Bay Sparkling Vintage Pelorus 2002 will automatically be included with any qualifying 12-bottle Mixed Case purchase, so no need to do anything except place your order at www.nzhouseofwine.com

The sparking wine from Cloudy Bay is described as “An ideal ripening season, long and cool, producing intensely vibrant flavours. The 2002 Pelorus Vintage has sumptuous aromas that invoke thoughts of a baker’s kitchen… warm brioche and almond flan with lashings of strawberries and cream. The palate is powerful yet elegant with buttery shortbread flavours, a delicate orange tang and the merest hint of white mushroom, leading seamlessly into a very fine finish.”

It’s not a common combination, but when you consider the sheer size and population of China, it was somewhat inevitable that Chinese wine would be added to the ever growing list of imports from the Peoples Republic. Over 18 months ago www.spittoon.biz noted that “Domestic wineries are gearing up to put China’s name on the map of wine culture, helped by experts from home and abroad. So get ready for a chardonnay from Huadong, a cabernet from Changyu or a dragon’s seal from Beijing. Or how about a smooth cabernet sauvignon from Xinjiang?”

Morrisons is claiming to be the first UK supermarket to sell Chinese wine.

The retailer has added two wines from the north west of China to its portfolio: Silk Road Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay both retail for £5.99 and are 100% pure varietal wines.

Grant Eastwood, Morrisons’ licensed trades director, believes China has the potential to make wine that can compete with the world’s best-selling wine-producing countries, such as Australia.

“With their technology and ability, combined with a couple more years’ experience in this industry, they’ll be producing more excellent wines. They remind me of Australia in the early 90s, when they started to put down vines.”

Eastwood added that Chinese wine “could take on the world if only grape-growing conditions were better”.

Trading manager Arabella Woodrow MW described China’s climate - which is very dry with high summer temperatures - as “difficult for grape-growing”, adding: “I’m amazed they can grow grapes at all.”

Along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, China’s climate shows promise for Riesling, according to Woodrow. She added that, with quality continually improving, Chinese wine will be able to shake off its novelty image in the UK.

Bordeaux winemaker Fred Nauleau assisted in the making of the Silk Road wines, which are produced from an ethically-run vineyard and winery that is tended by local families with government support. Snow melt from the Tianshan mountains, which border the Taklamakan desert, irrigates the vineyards.

The wine merchant Caves de Pyrene, based in Guildford, Surrey is a bit of a trade secret. Predominantly supplying some of the top trade outlets, they now have an online website and a wine shop to tempt individual customers. We came across them when we realised that they also imported Didier Barre’s award winning Madiran AC Domaine Berthoumieu, Cuvee Charles de Batz - a gloriously rich, tannic but smooth red from South West France based on the Tannat grape.

As Tim Atkin in the Observer observes:-

Les Caves may specialise in supplying pubs and restaurants, but it sells to the public (by mail order and from its shop) too. In fact, if you conducted a straw poll of wine critics, I reckon most of us would put Les Caves in our top three retailers. They specialise in quirky French and Italian wines, most of them sourced from individual growers. Their aim is simple: to list wines that are ‘true to where they come from, which are made by hand with minimal interventions in the vineyard and winery, and which show maximum respect for nature and the environment’.

Their list is extensive and includes rarely seen wines from Marcillac and Aveyron (France), Corsica, Luxembourg, Morocco, Lebanon and Georgia!

The online store is not really user-friendly, but it is worth downloading their list - it makes interesting reading with excellent background notes on the regions.

They are holding a big bin-end sale on 13 and 14 June 2008 at Pew Corner - including a lunch and music on the Saturday - and 10% of the sale proceeds will go to charity. If you are anywhere near Guildford I would recommend a visit.

Caves de Pyrene
Pew Corner, Old Portsmouth Road, Artington, GU3 1LP
T: 01483 538820 F:01483 455068 E: sales@lescaves.co.uk

A novel approach to selecting and presenting wines comes from a new outfit called “Six Wines Eight”. based in London and online.

Six Wines Eight is about finding the right wine first time. The system we have developed is easy to use and even easier to remember.
There are six wines in eight styles. These are our featured wines. We have defined each style in three words and given it a colour. Within each style there are six wines graded by price. We do all the hard work (like taste hundreds of wines!)and then present the best in an easy to understand, easy to navigate system. All you need to do is choose your style and price. Easy!
In an effort to lighten the mood of wine buying we’ve tried to be a little less serious in our descriptions but we do have the usual stuff there as well.
Each quarter new wines will replace the current batch. The wines will match their predecessors in style and feel, though they may be from an entirely different grape from very different countries. That way you get to try wines that you might otherwise have ignored.

I like the classification of wine styles with 3 word descriptors e.g reds are light,simple,fresh;or juicy, round, easy; or spicy, peppery, warming; or intense, complex,elegant. That looks like the sort of vocabulary which both novices and old hands can use - and is a great way to help customers articulate what they are looking for.

Hence they offer 48 featured wines every quarter - although previous selections may be available from their warehouse. It certainly offers a way to help customers select the style of wine which they are seeking - and could be quite fun. The presentation is good, and the wines look to be well-selected from all corners of the globe.

Six Wines Eight
100-102 Tower Bridge road, London SE1 4TP

Tel: 020 7231 4477

Regular tastings and a blog complete a well-thought out approach to wine merchanting!

The Flying Corkscrew is holding two rather special tastings in June:-

Friday June 13th - Tindall Estate, Marlborough, New Zealand and Stanton & Killeen Rutherglen Muscats

The Sowmans, owners of Tindall Vineyards, will be showing the latest vintages of their Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and Peter Mulford will be taking us through the classic Muscats of Rutherglen, which are sublime on the rocks or over ice-cream, so not just for your Christmas pudding!

Friday June 27th - DEREK SMEDLEY MW - A Vertical Tasting of the Wines of Warden Abbey Vineyard, Bedfordshire.

Derek has been consultant to Warden Abbey for some years now and their wines have become amongst the best in England. He will be raiding their cellar for some older vintages as well as showing the latest vintage. Be prepared to have your view of English wine changed for ever!

For more info see

To book either reply to this e-mail with a contact number or call 01442 412311.

The Daily Mail (5 May 2008) reports on the findings of Dr Roger Corder (The Red Wine Diet) on the health benefits of RED wine:-

Far more important are polyphenols, the chemical compounds in grape skin and seeds. These are natural antioxidants which protect the membranes of each cell.
Another important element of red wine are procyanidins, which help to reduce blood pressure, lower cholesterol and protect against hardening of the arteries.
The most procyanidin-rich wines tend to be those in which the grapes - including skins and seeds - have remained in contact with the wine during fermentation and afterwards.
Such information is seldom seen on wine bottles - you’d find it by scouring producers’ websites (look for contact time of at least ten days for good amounts of procyanidins).
Two wine-growing regions which boast high concentrations of procyanidins are the Nuoro province in Sardinia (which produces the Cannonau grape), and Madiran in the Pyrenees.

Madiran AOC wines from South West France have certainly become more widely known as a result of this research - the Tannat grape producing big, and potentially tannic wines - and some of the best cuvées ensure that those big tannins are smooth and balanced with plenty of fruit character! - e.g the wines of Domaine Berthoumieu and Chateau d’Aydie.

Cannonau-based wines from the Italian island of Sardinia remain less well-known - Cooden Cellars stocks a Triente 2006 from Pala :”A very intense perfume leads into a fresh palate with rich flavours of mature red fruits and hints of herbs. Good match for spicy foods and oily fish.” (£9.99)

English Wine Week is celebrated 24 May - 1 June 2008, when vineyards around the country will be hosting special events and tastings to promote the improving quality of English Wines.

One of the participating vineyards is Sharpham Vineyard just south of Totnes in Devon. Bordering the River Dart makes it possible to reach the vineyards by ferry from Greenway between Sharpham and Dartmouth.
To coincide with English Wine Week Sharpham is open everyday for vineyard tours and tastings. Wines Cheeses and Devon Strawberries!
Sunday 25th May - Concert at Sharpham Vineyard. Exeter Chamber Choir, Summer songs in the winery
Wednesday 28th May - Belly Dancing at Sharpham Vineyard!

Sunday 1st June - Slow Food Tasting and Lunch at Sharpham Vineyard, to include Blue Grass Music

Classic English wines are produced at Sharpham vineyard as a result of a happy marriage of soil, climate and grape variety known as terroir, and nature has bestowed her gifts freely upon us here at Sharpham. In the winery, we employ both New World and traditional techniques to best develop our unique regional characteristics. Our tally of International Awards confirms our position as one of England’s foremost quality wine producers. We invite you to visit, sample, and make up your own minds about our fine English wine.

For more info see www.sharpham.com

The fair city of Bristol plays host to the Bristol Wine & Food Fair 11-13 July 2008 on the vibrant Bristol Harbourside, an exciting new three day event celebrating wine, fine dining and good food.

Taste over 100’s of wines from all over the world, for free. Buy by the glass, bottle or case.
Learn from the experts at wine and cheese tutored tastings, pick up handy tips from inspirational chefs, sample signature dishes from top local restaurants and buy produce from the region’s acclaimed food, drink and cheese producers.

Wine exhibitors include Brown Brothers (Austrailia), Rare and Organic (Kent),Badminton Wines, Le Clos Perdu (France), Maison Yvonnick Debray (Burgundy), Quoins Organic Vineyard (Wiltshire),Domaine Chater (SW France), Cono Sur Wines (Chile) amongst others - full details at www.bristolwineandfoodfair.co.uk.
On the food side there are cheese producers, a artisan food market, a chef’s masterclass and more.

Tickets cost just £5.50 for a 4 hour session afternoon or evening - see www.bristolwineandfoodfair.co.uk

There is a rare opportuniy to attend a superb tasting in London on 14th May 2008 at Il Bottaccio, 9 Grosvenor Place, SW1.

The Moët Hennessy Estates & Wines “Discover the Flavours of the World” Tasting will feature iconic estates such as New Zealand’s Cloudy Bay (as well as Cape Mentelle, Cheval des Andes, Green Point, Newton and Terrazas de los Andes). The tasting will take a multi-sensory approach, to reflect each of the six estates: be it the altitude of Terrazas de los Andes, the maritime influence at Cape Mentelle, the science behind Green Point, the gardens of Newton or the visual impact of Cloudy Bay. Canapés – reflecting the local cuisines and emulating the wines – will be served. All the winemakers will be jetting in to the UK for the event.

The tasting costs £60 including canapes, and given the quality of the wines and the opportunity to meet some top winemakers it should be well worth it! There are a limited number of free tickets if you purchase a special case of 6 wines - for more info contact Rosalyn.LANE@mhuk.co.uk.

We tend to think that purchasing wine direct from Europe is fraught with problems or just downright impossible for the individual UK consumer. A few years ago it was rumoured that the rules for cross-border purchases into the UK would be relaxed, but a certain Mr G Brown soon put a stop to that idea. I was keen to be able to buy direct from some of my favourite French and Italian vineyards, although delivery costs may have proved a bit steep. A small company called Pic Wines, based in the Pic St Loup region of southern France organised some grouped shipments from local wineries delivered direct to your UK doorstep, but they appear to have stopped trading which is a great shame. However, there is a Spanish Wine specialist called Todo Vino based in Spain which ships direct to the UK and stocks over 100 different wines:-

TodoVino is one of Spain’s leading fine wine specialists. We publish the annual TodoVino Guide to Spanish Fine Wines (currently in its sixth edition, with the 2008 one on the way), and we sell wines direct to the consumer on www.todovino.com and www.todovino.co.uk. Only wines that have made it into our Guide are sold on our websites. We also publish a monthly magazine about Spanish wines, and TV content on a Spanish food and wine channel. Our TodoVino Wine Club has thousands of members in Spain, enjoying a monthly selection of excellent wines. We also host the largest annual private tasting in Spain in Madrid every year (the TodoVino Spanish Wine Experience). In addition to these activities, we are responsible for the wine selection and service for Business First passengers on all long-haul Iberia flights.

A quick browse through their site (in English) shows an impressive selection, and whilst it is difficult to directly compare prices, the average cost per bottle looks to be well over £10 (including VAT and duty) plus delivery. However, if you are looking for something special or a specific wine it could be the site to find it. Of course, the strength of the pound against the euro does mean that all European wines are now looking that bit more expensive, not helped by that Mr G Brown’s successor increasing duty on wine in the budget!!

If you are interested in Spainsh Wines see our list of the Top 5 Spanish wine retailers.

In Birmingham you’ll find a real specialist wine merchant - Jura Wine - specialising in the organic wines of Jura in Eastern France - and specifically one winemaker - Domaine Tissot.

Seldom seen and little known in the UK these wines can be quite distinctive and in addition to familiar grape varietals such as Chardonnay they also use very distinctive local grapes such as Savignin ( a cousin of Alsace Gewurztraminer), and Poulsard, a distant relative of Pinot Noir.

Jurawine collects the wines in person from our supplier, Domaine Tissot and arranges courier delivery to you throughout the UK.
Jura is part of the region known as Franche Comte and lies in eastern central France between Burgundy & Switzerland. This beautiful area has fine gastronomic traditions, including unusual wine festivals

Specialities of the region include “Vin de Paille” (straw wine), where the grapes are laid out on straw mats to shrivel and concentrate the juices producing delicious, long-lasting sweet wines; and Vin Jaune (yellow wine) which is made from Savignin grapes in a manner similar to Sherry!

You can try some of these wines at the Real Food Festival in London (24-27 April 08), or at the Windsor Food & Wine Festival at the Royal Windsor Horse Show (8-11 May 08) or at the London Wine Show (23-26 October 08)

Jura Wine - , 1 Augusta Rd, Acocks Green, BIRMINGHAM, B27 6LA
E-Mail: jurae@jurawine.com Tel: 0121 243 4042 Mbl: 07850 845518 Fax: 07092 888372

The Bristol Wine Company is offering a series of “mini-tastings” on Saturdays 1.00pm - 5.00pm from 26 April, culminating in the Summer Tasting on 14th June.

The company’s website is evidently quite new and will hopefully be refined over the coming months.
We were somewhat bemused that the online store goes under the name of www.nationalwine.co.uk and it is not clear what the connection between them is? I think the website needs a bit of refinement to make it more legible, user-friendly and informative. It’s all a bit impersonal.

They set themselves a high benchmark- “With a wealth of wine industry knowledge and experience, matched only by our outstanding range, we’re the nation’s sharpest online wine merchant featuring a profusion of outstanding wines, whisky, spirits and Champagne.”  The list is quite impressive with a wide range of products.
The Bristol Wine Company, Transom House, Victoria Street, Bristol BS1 6AH
Tel: 0117 373 0288 Fax: 0117 373 0287 Email: info@thebristolwinecompany.co.uk
 

Joseph Barnes Wines is holding a Rioja Tasting at the Kings Arms Pub, Market Hill, Saffron Walden on 16 May 2008.
The Rioja region produces some of the greatest wines of the world and our selection will not disappoint! .

Marques de Caceres, Rioja Blanco 2006
Bodegas Faustino, Faustino V11, Rioja Rosado (Rose) 2005
Bodegas Luis Medrano Rioja Tinto Sin Crianza 2006
Bodegas Benito Urbina, Urbina Crianza 2002
Marques de Riscal, Rioja Reserva 2003
Marques de Arienzo, Rioja Gran Reserva 1996
Bodegas Benito Urbina, Urbina Gran Reserva Especial 1994
In addition we are offering 10% off all wines ordered on the night!
Numbers are limited to 35 and early booking is recommended. To book please click here or call the shop 01799 528019.