Category — Bordeaux

The Channel4 sponsored Taste festival comes to Leeds Milllenium Square from 5-8 June 2008, offering visitors a great opportunity to taste fine foods and wines available in the region.

Imagine a picnic in a park. Now multiply it by thousands of people. Invite all the best restaurants in the area to contribute the food, and discerning vintners to bring the bottles. Make sure some of the guests are famous chefs happy to help out with cooking hints, and organise live music to eat and drink by. This is a Taste Festival.

Amongst the wine exhibits will be Bordeaux Wines, Wines of Chile, Faustino Rioja, Wines of South Africa and Playford Ros representing Villa Sandi - Italian Proscecco producers.

Leeds Brewery and Goslings Rum will also contribute to what promises to be a great cocktail of wine and food.

For more info and tickets see www.channel4.com

Andrew on www.spittoon.biz has the arduous duty of tasting and writing up individual wines, often as part of a wine and food pairing, Amongst the recent offerings:-

Chateau Laures Blanc - Entre Deux Mers AC, Bordeaux, France from Bordeaux Undiscovered
Howard Park Scotsdale Cabernet Sauvignon, Western Australia from Bibendum
Château Les Tonnelles, 2004, Fronsac AC, France from Bordeaux Undiscovered
Nederburg Chardonnay Viognier - South Africa from Waitrose
Rudesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spatlese, 2002, Rheingau, Germany from Waitrose

The Channel 4 sponsored Taste festival comes to Edinburgh (The Meadows) from 29 May - 1 June 2008, offering visitors a great opportunity to taste fine foods and wines available in the region.

Imagine a picnic in a park. Now multiply it by thousands of people. Invite all the best restaurants in the area to contribute the food, and discerning vintners to bring the bottles. Make sure some of the guests are famous chefs happy to help out with cooking hints, and organise live music to eat and drink by. This is a Taste Festival.

Amongst the wine-related exhibits will be the Edinburgh School of Food and Wine, Portobello’s Fine Wine Co, New Zealand’s Jackson Estate Winery, Champagne merchants Lovely Bubbly, highly-rated Scottish Merchant Valvona & Crolla,Bordeaux Wines, Wines of Chile, Faustino Rioja

Being in Scotland there is also a Food & Whisky School!

For more info and tickets see www.channel4.com

A refreshingly different approach is evident as soon as you enter Cadman Fine Wines website. Its crisp design and great graphics tempt you with some good special offers, yet also provides easy navigation of the site to find what you want.

The tagline “Quality is merely a starting point…” is more than merely words - they do seem to have a real commitment to sourcing their wines:-

Cadman Fine Wines stands for quality, exclusivity and selection

We bring you the world’s finest wines from the world’s finest producers: classic labels from famous names and regions that sit at the pinnacle of their craft; rare gems that have never been seen in the UK, plus exciting, cutting-edge wines from newly emerging stars of the fine wine world.

Our wines are intelligently and skillfully sourced by an international team of experts based in Italy, France, Spain and the UK. Through desk research, field trips and tastings, our experts seek and source hand-crafted wines from producers and winemakers who reaclly care about the contents of the bottle. To achieve a Cadman Fine Wines listing, a wine must score at least 88 points on our quality rating system or from the world’s most authoritative wine critics.

The wine list is extensive covering a wide range from New and Old World, some classic fine Bordeaux and Burgundies together with an eclectic mix of lesser-known wines such as Spanish Jumilla DO, French Cour-Cheverny AC and Otago wines from South Island, New Zealand.

Yet for each and every wine there are thoughtful tasting notes and good background information - very impressive. What’s more each delivery comes with “full tasting notes and background information for each wine, including grape varieties, when to drink the wine and reviews from our own experts and the world’s leading critics where applicable. This leaves you free to argue/ discuss the merits of wines with your friends and family. Their inclusion also makes each order an ideal gift.”

Cadman Fine Wines
Freepost NAT21632, Northampton NN3 6BR
Tel: 0845 121 4011
sales@cadmanfinewines.co.uk

The Wine Cave, part of the Angel Inn at Hetton, North Yorkshire celebrates 25 years this year, and is featuring wines from 1983 for a tasting. Although probably better known for their selection of fine Burgundies, this special offering features some fine Bordeaux and one northern Rhone!

It is our 25 year anniversary of owning the Angel Inn this year and to celebrate we are holding a number of exciting events, the first of which is a 25 year old wine tasting lunch.

I have spent the last 12 months sourcing a number of 1983 wines and on Saturday 12th April we will be tasting 5 of them with lunch. Two wines with the starter course and two wines with the main course followed by a 1983 Sauternes with pudding!

The wines will be:
1983 Lafleur St Emillon Grand Cru
1983 Chateau Rouget Pomerol
1983 Clos Du Marquis St Julien
1983 Cote Rotie Jaboulet Aine
1983 Bastor Lamontagne Sauternes

The cost of the event is £45 per person and starts at noon on Saturday 12 April 2008.
Call 01756 730263 NOW to reserve your place.

The Wine Cave at the Angel Inn, Hetton, Skipton, North Yorkshire, BD23 6LT
Tel: 01756 730415 | Fax: 01756 730363 | email: info@winecave.co.uk

Region Wine is a new Chester-based online merchant with a retail shop in the heart of historic Chester. The website is attractive and offers a wide range from around the world, including Greece, Oregon USA and Hungary in addition to the usual New and Old World sources. In addition to offering selections by region, grape variety and price there is also the opportunity to choose from a selection by “experience” - i.e. Aromatic white, exotic white, fruity white, quaffable red, red with herby notes, red with spicy notes, red, big and dark, refreshing rose, refreshing white, smooth red etc

Our company started out as a quality online wine merchant in 2006 by Ian Wildboar, fulfilling a twenty year ambition to turn his love of food and drink into a business. His aim is to help maintain diversity in wine choice throughout the UK at excellent prices and value for money.

On numerous visits to various exhibitions at London’s Olympia in West Kensington I would indulge in 2 diversions - firstly the Bristol car showroom (368 Kensington High St) where James Bond- style sports cars were on display looking fine, polished, elegant and very desireabl.

Almost next door was the second treat at Roberson Wine Merchants (348 Kensington High Street W14) which provided a welcome break from the usually frantic atmosphere of the exhibition hall. This was always a delight with an impressive range of wines - yes some very classy and expensive Burgundies and Bordeaux, but always some interesting discoveries from both the New World and Old World - and usualy some keenly priced binends. I never left without a couple of bottles to manhandle on the train home together with the piles of literature you tend to amass at exhibitions.

Fifteen years ago we began the business of building up what we believe to be the finest place to buy wine in London. From the start, we knew the ingredients; a range of Bordeaux and Burgundies unparalled in all of the city, wines imported from undiscovered producers of fantastic quality and people with the knowledge and enthusiasm to champion the cause of good wine.

Today we continue to believe in the same things. As High Streets are slowly being transformed into one faceless chain we believe there is an ever-growing need for the individual and specialist store. Roberson remain passionate advocates of wines from all over the world that offer value, character and substance. As an independent we are under no obligation to buy any particular producer’s wines. We don’t offer big brands of no discernable merit other than a large marketing budget; we simply choose wines that we like, wines that speak of place and individuality.

The shop, although in modern building, nevertheless has a cool and peaceful atmosphere with stone floors and a basement where they hold regular tastings usually about once a fortnight - for example on 1 May 2008 they have a seated tutored tasting of pre-1990 red Burgundies.

Good informative website with online ordering and offers.

Roberson Wine Merchant
348 Kensington High Street
London W14 8NS Tel 020 7371 212 Fax 020 7371 4010
Email: retail@roberson.co.uk
www.roberson.co.uk

(nearest Tube: Kensington Olympia)

The French Wine Festival at Waitrose (online and in its stores) runs from 26 March to 27 April 2008 and will feature a total of 48 wines.

Waitrose will be featuring 13 specially sourced small parcel wines from a wide range of less well-known appellations like Quincy, Bergerac, Provence and Lirac and the wonderfully unusual Pierre Boniface Domaine des Rocailles Apremont de Savoie 2007 and La Bastide Blanche Bandol 2005 Provence.

Some highlights:

Champagne Taittinger Rose NV, save £7, £38.99 - £31.99 (A delightfully fresh and youthful pink champagne with mouth-wateringly delicate flavours of crushed wild raspberries and red cherries, perfect forearly summer as an aperitif or with strawberries. )

Vouvray AC Champteloup Vieux Vauvert 2006/07 Vouvray, 20% off, £5.99 - £4.79 (A fine, medium Chenin from the tuffeau terroir properties around the towns of Vouvray and Rochecorbon, famous for the production of these deliciously soft-textured, waxy wines.)

Bergerac AC Domaine des Eyssards Bergerac Rouge 2005 25% off, £5.99 - £4.49 (Another brilliant wine from Pascal Cuisset of Domaine des Eyssards in Bergerac. A traditional Merlot / Cabernet Franc blend yet with a soft,almost modern generosity in the mid-palate.)

Mercurey AC Blanc 2006, Philippe Hardi, 20% off, £13.99- £10.99 (A Burgundy Chardonnay using a combination of modern cool-ferment vinification followed by malolactic in barrel where the wine stays for a year, with regular lees stirring, to achieve theunmistakeable classic Burgundy signature with some modern fruit expression.)

Quincy AC (Loire) Domaine de la Pierre qui Danse 2006 Quincy, 20% off, £8.99 - £7.19. (Simple delicate, grassy style from this Domaine with its pretty name, the land of the dancing stones.)

Apremont de Savoie AC Pierre Boniface Domaine des Rocailles 2007, 20% off, £7.49 - £5.99 (a refreshing citrus acidity and a light grapefruit flavour.)

Lirac AC Domaine du Joncier 2005 Rhône, save 1/3, £8.99 - £5.99 (The Domaine is run by the charming Marine Roussell, who featured last year in Oz and James’ Great Wine Adventure. The wine is dense and beefy, with a good deal of brooding rich fruit and great concentration.)

Bandol AC La Bastide Blanche 2005 Provence, 25% off, £11.99 - £8.99 (Hugely impressive example of this most remarkable of appellations using the traditional Mourvedre grape as the backbone to the wine. …it encompasses the spice and complexities of Grenache, Cinsault and Carignan as well as the black, damson fruit of Mourvedre andSyrah.)

Minervois AC Château Maris Organic Syrah 2006, 25% off, £7.99 - £5.99 (An extremely lively Syrah from the irrepressible Bertie Eden at his Biodynamic estate in the Minervois. This is full of bright and peppery raspberry fruit, with a twist of liquorice and is a highly drinkable style.)

Waitrose Wine Direct

The aim of From Vineyards Direct is simple - to bring you very special, high quality wines at prices well below traditional outlets, and to provide you with the highest level of service possible.

From Vineyards Direct is the brainchild of David Campbell and Esme Johnstone who write that their intention is to offer a small number of delicious drinking wines, principally from France, but not exclusively, imported direct from the growers and delivered to your door at the click of a mouse.

“We aim to be 20% or more cheaper than through traditional channels.”

The wine list, when we looked, numbered 38 products. Mostly hailing from Burgundy the wines include bottles from Spain and Italy too. There are a range of mixed cases too.

While delivery is free in the UK the minimum order quantity might put you off, especially as the range is so small - Minimum total order is 2 cases (24 bottles of 75cl equivalent) for the UK and 5 cases (60 bottles of 75cl equivalent) for Northern Ireland.

Women of Great Britain prepare for a collective sigh of relief, as wineSight introduces its stylish and sophisticated range of French wines, under the Sublimelle brand, targeting stylish and sophisticated ladies.

Finally, there is a company prepared to speak to women as wine connoisseurs and not winos.
Finally, there is a company prepared to call time on a male-dominated wine market.
Finally, there is a portfolio of high quality French wine targeting women who appreciate wine for what it really is – a pleasure to be enjoyed and experienced.

A team of professionals combining wine know-how and marketing expertise with export knowledge created Sublimelle by wineSight to address the individual preferences of women without relying on patronising and over-familiar marketing messages. There is no need for the jokes, images of distressed housewives or lingerie, which are so readily relied upon by other alcoholic drinks brands squarely aimed at women. Instead, wineSight prefers to let the wine do the talking.

Following numerous taste tests with women, 25 wines from key regions across France such as Bourgogne, Languedoc and Alsace, have been selected from an original list of 400, which were pre-selected by wineSight’s expert Frederic Auriol who has 20 years of wine industry experience. Sublimelle carries colourful but subtle labels providing straight-talking details such as brief tasting notes, food matching, and information about the origin of the grape variety.

The dumbing down of wine for women has thankfully come to the end of the line with the introduction of the Sublimelle range. Over the past year or so, brands for women has focused on making wine lower in calories, lower in alcohol and lower in flavour, despite the fact that more and more women have become interested in trading up to a higher quality glass of wine as a well-deserved indulgence.

We’ve all heard the statistics pointing to women buying and consuming more wine than men in many countries around the world. Studies have also proven that many women prefer smooth, supple and subtle wines offering a delicate combination of flavours, while men, especially before reaching ‘expert’ levels, tend to prefer full-bodied wines.

For women, the scent of the wine is crucial, while men focus on the palate. Women tend to seek the full wine experience: who we’re with, what we’re eating, and how we feel. Yet, the market continues to be dominated by brands aimed at men, alongside a handful of wines for women, many of which fall short of the mark when it comes to style, taste and finesse.

wineSight appreciates that there is no need to over-complicate matters: the French produce excellent wine; British women like to treat themselves to a delicious glass or two, and are impressed by taste rather than wine snobbery.

Currently, the wines are available for sale online at http://www.chateauselect.co.uk/SublimelleIntro.htm with no minimum order. Since the company’s arrival in Great Britain in November 2007, wineSight has developed relationships with some of the leading bars and restaurants in London, which are keen to capitalise on women’s increasing interest in higher quality wines on their night out.

wineSight aims to plug the huge gap in the on-trade market for stylish and sophisticated products for women that are free from snobbery and jargon - without the patronising marketing pitch. The brand Sublimelle is also proving popular with leading hotel chains and airlines as a way of reaching female customers with an exclusive and targeted offering. wineSight plans to be involved in a series of events more specifically dedicated to women from fashion shows to networking lunches and business conferences.

Cooden Cellars is an independent wine merchant established by Colin Barnes and Ian Jarman in 1997. In May 2001 we opened our retail shop in the Grand Hotel Buildings, Compton Street, Eastbourne. They were awarded Independent Merchant of the Year 2007 as well as Regional Wine Merchant of the Year in the IWC Awards for the last three years, in 2003 and 2004 as runner-up and in 2005 outright.

For those not lucky enough to live within the bounds of Eastbourne they maintain a very functional and informative website. Registered users can login and leave their own tasting notes. The only thing that is lacking are images of the wine bottles (perhaps they should engage this budding photographer?)

The range is excellent across the board - lots of interesting wines from Argentina and Australia, New Zealand and Portugal are particularly interesting with several wines we are yet to discover. Regular offers, a regularly updated blog section and a decent range of spirits plus a regular payment wine club complete the picture. Perhaps the perfect wine merchant?

Bennetts Fine Wine Merchants are holding an Exclusive Christmas Wine Dinner with Tamasin Day-Lewis in Chipping Campden (Glos) on 29th November. with avery special festive celebration! Following an aperitif of a glass or two of vintage Champagne they’ll be matching a range of top flight wines from some of Europe’s finest producers with a specially prepared four course menu.

Joining us will be the highly respected TV cook and food writer, Tamasin Day-Lewis who will be signing copies of her latest book Where Shall We Go For Dinner?: A Food Romance
The menu will be confirmed shortly and will be commensurate with the wonderful range of wines we have chosen for the evening. Places are limited so early booking is recommended.

Canapés
1998 Pol Roger Brut Vintage en Magnum
***
First Course
2001 Pinot Gris ‘1854 – Fondation’, Josmeyer
***
Second course
2004 Meursault Domaine des Comtes Lafon
***
Main course
1996 Château Rauzan Segla 2ème Cru Classé Margaux
***
Dessert
1997 Château Rabaud Promis, Premier Cru Classé Sauternes
***
Book places directly with the
Cotswold House Hotel on 01386 840330 or e-mail reception@cotswoldhouse.com

Lovers of wine and all things organic can rejoice at the launch of Organi.co.uk – the new website dedicated solely to first class organic and biodynamic wines that offers a truly exclusive and unique selection of organic and biodynamic wines and champagnes.

The website helps “discerning online shoppers find organic wine for every occasion” Purchases must be in cases of 12, which can be one of several pre-mixed selections or select themselves.

Run by the Jackson family, Peter, Sue and son Chris, Organi.co.uk offers a very specialised and unique collection of organic wines brought together over a period of years. The Jacksons take pride in building personal relationships with only those farmers and vineyards who are passionate about producing wonderful wines in an environmentally and socially responsible way. Many of the vineyards have been visited personally before wines are purchased and the family show a real passion for the way the crops are cultivated and chosen.

With a directory of over 120 exclusive products that includes wines from the likes of Tuscany, Sicily, Bordeaux, Champagne and Mudgee in New South Wales Organi.co.uk lets you choose wines listed by wine type, country, region, grape type and even specific vineyard.

Founder of Organico, Peter Jackson, says:

“At last Organic and biodynamic wine drinking is on the increase and there are so many excellent organic wines and champagnes to choose from – for many years I have heard people talking about and buying organic food but not thinking about organic wine. Why would you cook a delicious organic meal and top it off with a non organic wine which may contain harmful chemical residues.

I think there is the misconception that organic wines are more expensive and not as good and at last that is changing as people realize that excellent organic wines are available and at sensible prices. Other than the pleasure of the taste there are several potential health benefits of drinking organic wines whilst the wildlife across the vineyards works to its natural cycle having not been interrupted by harmful chemicals.”

Organico also boasts the first ever UK shop dedicated to solely organic wine, located in Ambleside in the heart of the Lake District.

Key wines to be found on Organi.co.uk include:

Prosecco del Veneto Empiria 2005 “A great value prosecco from arguably Italy’s best white wine region. A drink much loved by the locals. This prosecco is hugely drinkable with lots of aroma and zing!” Price: £7.50

Colli Della Toscana Centrale Rosso Dominico 2004 “This is the first of Organico’s own ‘branded’ wines. It has a typically rounded and fruity Chianti style withthe subtle addition of 10% Merlot. It is a wine that the Tuscans drink themselves and we consider ourselves fortunate to have managed to persuade them to make a special bottling for our UK clients.” Price: £6.35

Staffa Daunia Rosato Contessa 2006 “This rosato has been created from the Montipulciano grape. A delightful drink on its own or with food it has a lovely pink colour and the wine is reminiscent of wild strawberries and other small red berries. On the palate the wine carries forwardits aromatic character and strikes a perfect balance between velvety soft and crisp.” Price: £6.20

ORGANICO

Fisherbeck Mill, Old Lake Road,
Ambleside, Cumbria, LA22 0DH

Telephone: +44 (0)15394 31122

FRIDAY 16 - MONDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2007 - The Annual Salon des Vignerons Independents (indpendent winemakers) holds its annual show in the Grand Palais in Lille. Over 400 winemakers from every corner of France will be offering tastings of their wines with the opportunity to buy at vineyard gate prices. Makes a great weekend in the exciting city of Lille with its medieval centre for shopping, dining and drinking!
See www.frenchduck.co.uk
London - Lille by Eurostar in 100 minutes

H and H Bancroft have updated their website.

A nice clean feel, stylishly laid out. A good search facility and basic wine information that leads on to fuller details. Purchases have to be by the unmixed case though. Registered users get a wish list facility which may be useful for some, or just wishful thinking for others.

“Our wine portfolio at H&H Bancroft changes each year but the ethos behind it remains constant. From the classic regions of France to the furthest stretches of the New World our Buying Director, David Round MW has succeeded in bringing in the well-established names and also the hottest new wineries to ensure that our customers can explore the world of wine with the greatest of ease. If re-assurance were needed that we are working closely with the best growers in the world, we need only look at the awards and critical acclaim that roll in every month as their latest vintages are reviewed.”

The range is strong on France, Italy and Spain. Argentina puts in a good range too but South Africa, New Zealand, Portugal and Chile are rather poorly represented.