Category — Loire

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.

Summer Food & Wine Matching at Yapp in Mere, Wlitshire on Saturday 17th May 2008. Yapp who are very good with Loire and Rhone wines in particular are tempting us down to deepest Wiltshire for an early summer event:-

This late morning tasting is ideal for those who would like to find out more about what lies behind our wines in an informal and entertaining manner.
This relaxed tasting is held in our picturesque premises in Mere and is priced at £25 per person.

Yapp Brothers Limited, The Old Brewery, Mere, Wiltshire BA12 6DY

The Institut Francais, a french version of the British Council, holds regular tutored tastings of French wines at their premises in Central London. This is part of an ongoing series, and whilst previous sessions have included a “Tour de France” and “Evaluating Quality” there remain some interesting sessions in the 2007/8 programme.

Wine is vital to French culture, as we hope to show during these exclusive wine tasting sessions. We aim to make them as informative and enjoyable as possible.

Our Regular Sessions are conceived as an introduction to an area, such as Bordeaux, Burgundy or the South, while Special Tastings are more specialised and focus on cépages and types of wine.

Each session starts at 7.00pm, lasts about 2 hours and takes place in the Institut’s beautiful wood panelled library.

Classic’ Red Wines of Burgundy (28 April 2008)
The Loire Valley (12 May 2008)
Vin Rosé (2 June 2008)
Fine White Wines of Burgundy (16 June 2008)

But beware, you do need to book well in advance - and there is a charge (discount for members).

Institut Francais, 17 Queensberry Place, London SW7 2DT - box.office@ambafrance.org.uk

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

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.

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

Online French specialists Leon Stolarski Fine Wines offer new classics from Languedoc, Roussillon, Southern Rhone and Beaujolais (and South West France, Loire, Alsace…..) and have a special offer available:

For one week only, we are offering 15% off a large selection of wines from our main list. This is no ordinary sale and these are not bin-ends, but represent genuine reductions on 60-odd of the very best wines from our core list. But hurry - this offer ends on 31 March 2008!

You can download their sale price list HERE - but hurry as the sale only lasts until 31 arch 2008!

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?

Yapp Bros will be holding their pre-Christmas sale on 23 and 24 November 2007 (9.00am-5.00pm) in Mere, Wiltshire (the Old Brewery).
Widely recognised as serious specialists for the wines of the Rhone Valley and the Loire, their French selction also extends to some great bottles from Alsace, Provence, Savoy, Languedoc-Roussillon and Corsica.

Yapp Bros, The Old Brewery, Mere, Wiltshire BA12 6DY

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.

Zelas is the on-line arm of North London merchant Wine of Course.

The range is not huge - just one wine form the Languedoc for example, 7 from Australia, 4 from South Africa etc. But the quality is top notch. Prices generally are in the £12+ bracket and include such delights as Sequillo Eben Sadie (South Africa) £17.99, Daniel Schuster Pinot Noir “Twin Vineyards” (New Zealand) £16.99 and Bolgheri Tenuta Guado al Tasso Il Bruciato (Italy) £17.99. Prices for unmixed cases are generally £1 or so cheaper.

The site is nice to use, each wine having a picture and brief tasting notes. You can add your own notes too on the site if you feel inclined; although I didn’t spot any during my forage. Delivery is free for purchases of 6 or more bottles and £8.50 for anything less.

Wine courses are held on the last Thursday of the month. These cost £25/£35 each, cheaper for 2 or more people, and are held in the store. Their Wines for Christmas tasting session is described as

If you have ever wondered which wines to serve with your Christmas meal, consume over your Boxing Day leftovers, or have just wanted to learn more about wine in general, then this is the tasting event for you. We will taste our way through a range of ten fantastic wines, featuring examples both traditional and modern, for pairing with the rich and varied foods of the season. The tasting will include a champagne, a sweet wine, and a port as well as a spread of festive nibbles.

Wine of Course / Zelas
216 Archway Road,
London N6 5AX

Tastes in wine tend to be quite individual, and it is always pleasing to find those wines which stand out from the bland, branded crowd so often presented on supermarket shelves.

Martlet Wines seems to fit the bill , especially as their strap line is “more than just another traditional wine merchant”! They stock some interesting wines such as

DOMAINE DES HUARDS, Cour-Cheverny AC Cuvée Francois 1er 2002, Romorantin £ 8.25 The little known Romorantin grape is now exclusive to Cour-Cheverny. A favourite of Leonardo de Vinci, it produces a very individual wine. Dry with subtle fruits and a slightly “sherried” flavour.

We used to stock this at ALLEZ VINS! and I know we were at that time the only UK importer. It is also one of those wines that you have to discover and import from direct rather than through an agency.

Martlet Wines is internet-based (no shop) and provides a slightly quirky approach to their wine list – so you find wines by style (e.g. red wines are classified Light Fresh, Classical Medium-bodied, Fuller-bodied and Deep and Complex) which may be useful for many – although personally I prefer to search by region or grape variety,

I like the site overall, it feels knowledgeable and friendly, but I have two issues - there is no search facility and you cannot buy online! The essence of Martlet wines seems very much to be personal service and advice – great if you happen to live near Healthfield in Sussex, perhaps less accessible if you don’t.

So good to find another adventurous wine merchant – Martlet Wines also stocks a range of other top notch French wines – such as the wines of Mas de la Serranne in the Languedoc.

Apparently the Martlet is a mythical bird often referred to in heraldry, and is on the coat of arms of the county of Sussex!

They also hold regular tastings in East Sussex - contact them for details - 01435 866419 or E-mail sante@martletwines.eu

For more on Domaine des Huards see http://www.frenchduck.co.uk/huards.html

Sympathies to the guys at Le Bon Vin; this Sheffield based web and premises wine merchant has suffered badly during the recent floods. The warehouse and shop suffered an estimated £250,000 of damage.

Web-sales though have been unaffected.

We have just launched our all new website with new features and even more wines than before. Please take the time to have a look at www.lebonvin.co.uk We have some excellent prices for branded champagne as always and a massive selection of wines that are top quality. As our main business is to the trade we pass on big saving to retail customers who want to buy the wines without the restaurant mark-up. We specialise in French wines but we also have decent offerings from around the world.

They have created a great little website. Fully search-able they have plenty of special offers, pre-mixed cases and a wine range that encompasses the world. Champagne is a big feature with 40 wines listed but Australia, France, Spain and Italy are all well covered.

There is a reliance on stocking the full range from a single estate (New Zealand for example) and a tendency to the lower end of the price scale but you are sure to find plenty of interest. A few spirits - around 110 different products - pop up in the search results to complete the offering.

Le Bon Vin
340 Brightside Lane
Sheffield
S9 2SB

French, Italian and Spanish wines from BRW - with a distinct leaning towards the reds, as the name suggests! But just two estates are listed for Spain and four for Italy. France is obviously where the strengths of this company lie. (Oh, and sneaking in is an “Honorary French - owned by Jonathan Maltus of Château Teyssier”, an Australian wine!)

“We are direct importers of specialist, award-winning red, white and rosé wines from France, Italy and Spain with a reputation as one of the UK’s leading importers of wines from the Rhône Valley.

Looking at France Alsace, Champagne and the Loire all get a look in but it is the wonders of the Rhone that make the biggest splash. Each producer has an entry listing their wines while each specific bottle has a tasting note and recommendations from the Le Guide Hachette des Vins, Parker and other writers.

Plenty of interesting wines, backed up by a knowledgeable and passionate manager.

The Big Red Wine Company
Barton Coach House
The Street Barton Mills
Suffolk IP28 6AA