Category — General Wine Range

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

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)

London retailer chain Jeroboams whose interest spread from an up-market deli, whisky retailer and wine merchants has revamped their online prescence for 2008.

Jeroboams is the wine retailer with 8 stores across London, Mr Christians the deli and Milroys of Soho the whisky specialist. Each of the websites now has “more background information to help make online decisions more informed as well as improved web features to make shopping easier”.

Enhanced Information

• Fiches techniques and tasting notes for each wine and whisky
• In-depth, market-focussed discussion on key countries and regions on both the Milroy’s of Soho and Jeroboams sites
• Mr Christian’s has full menu listings for Notting Hill’s favourite deli and brings a feel of the shop’s character to the internet.

New Web Features

• Reduced delivery costs - £9.95 or free on orders over £200.00 in England and Wales
• Enhanced ‘My Account’ area that allows customers to view their order history as well as manage the wishlist and address book
• ‘Quick-Shop’ feature allows customers to find a product simply by entering the product code from any offer or list
• Click and Collect feature that allows customers to pick their order up from their nearest Jeroboams shop

Each of the stores, incidently, has a live webcam - always fun!

A little chat with John Martin of that wondeful little wine merchant, Cooden Cellars, hanging out down Eastbourne way…

What are your specialisations?

We try to offer the customer a wide choice of wines from all around the world. As well as all the usual countries, we also stock a wide range from Greece.

A country whose wines most people consider to often be poor is actually producing some stunning stuff; you just have to know where to look. Of course there’s no need to look any further than Cooden Cellars, because we have sought them out for you!

We also offer regular wine tasting evenings on a range of themes. We have a wine school where you can take a simple one evening course right through to a full modular course.

We will shortly be starting food and wine matching courses too which will involve cooking the food as well as tasting the wine.

A wine club is also available which offers excellent discounts on our full range of wines and a set of tasting notes are supplied with each case.

Your main loves?

We have a love for any wine that has been made with passion, dedication, has character, and offers a true taste of where the wine comes from.

Which one wine from your list would you offer me as a customer?

One wine we have that stands up to the criteria mentioned above and is a simply stunning value wine is the 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from Tinpot Hut, New Zealand.

Following on from the amazing first vintage (2006) of this wine, this explodes on the palate with all the fruit you could want - lime, gooseberry, elderflower, and more leading to a dry finish.

The winemaker, Fiona Turner, has worked with Matt Thomson on many of the most successful wines made in Marlborough and sourced the fruit for this wine primarily from her own vineyard in Blind River and combined it with grapes from other carefully selected local sites to produce a stunning wine.

What do you offer over and above the supermarkets?

We offer true, helpful, qualified advice. Our wines have all been tasted by us. It is the only way we would sell a wine. Quality control is vital, and you can only achieve this through actually tasting what you sell.

Our wines have real people behind them, not just huge faceless corporations.

We offer wines with real character. They do not have to be expensive, we have wine from £3.99 upwards, but the wine should still offer a good flavour profile and not simply taste the same as half the other wines on the shelf.

Who are your main competitors?

Other independent wine merchants offering a similar service and range to us. After this the high street chains such as Threshers are probably our closest competitors in terms of how the consumer views them and us.

How many web orders do you receive each day?

We have only had our full online buying facility available for a short time, so with the marketing we are doing we hope to increase our online order significantly in the near future.

Cooden Cellars
14 Grand Hotel Buildings
Compton Street
Eastbourne

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?

In the very heart of the Cotswolds Bennetts Fine Wines looks every inch the old-fashioned traditional wine merchant - small, atmospheric shop with stone floors and a slightly hushed atmosphere.
Situated on the High Street of the charming Costwold village of Chipping Campden (Glos), the shop does have an impressive array of top quality (and top price) Claret, Burgundy, Champagne and Port. However delve only a little deeper and there are many exciting finds from regional France, elsewhere in Europe and the New World - especially New Zealand.
I have a particular passion for the lesser-known wines of the French regions, and I tend to judge a wine merchant by their discoveries from non-classic France - partly because some are too dismissive of such wines, and also because whilst there are many fantastic wines here, the merchant has to be selective to choose only the better producers, and this can take some work.
Hence Bennetts Fine Wines passes my test with flying colours - not because of the volume of French regional wines, but because their selection looks excellent. I would not have expected to see a Cotes Roannaises AC, a Gamay from the Upper Loire (Robert Serol £6.99). Great to see Madirans from Chateau de Viella, Pic St Loup (Languedoc) from Chateau de Lascaux and the wonderful Jurancons from Domaine Cauhapé. Another rarity are the Collioure AC wines from Domaine de la Rectorie and Domaine Pietri-Geraud!
Well, if the rest of their list is as thoughtfully and adventurously chosen as these, then this has to be a shop worth visiting and a list worth exploring.
The old-style shop is complemented by an excellent website (see www.bennettsfinewines.com), mail order service, nationwide delivery, bottles open for tasting in the shop every Saturday and a series of wine tasting events held throughout the winter.

Bennetts Fine Wines
High, Street, Chipping Campden, Glos GL55 6AG
T: 01386 840392 F:01386 840974

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

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

Operational since 1988 Surf4Wine was one of the pioneers of the internet-based mail order wine merchant scene in the UK.

It’s a dynamic little operation and while they admit that the website has lacked in the update department recently a chat with Andrew Chapman indicates that things are about to improve. Not only is an expansion of the Oxfordshire warehouse and offices about to begin a new ‘backend’ of the website is soon to be launched. Coupled with a new staff and a range of new wines things are going from strength to strength for Surf4Wine.

The wine range is world encompassing with a slight slant of favouritism to the new world. There are many gems on the list ranging from Brokenwood, Bremerton and Qupe through to Kim Crawford and Vergelegen. Plenty of gift packs - such as a seasonal six pack rosé case (£36) and gift packs for Father’s Day, a smattering of spirits and some unusual beers completes the range.

Delivery is £7.50 per order regardless of size (up to a case) which is pretty much standard (and at cost). Personal service is vital to the success of the company shown through Chapman’s professional staff and attention to detail. Buy with confidence.

Surf4Wine/Andrew Chapman Fine Wines
Unit T2-27 & 28,
Milton Park,
Near Abingdon,
Oxfordshire OX14 4TA
United Kingdom

A post covering Alsace Pinot Gris (over on John’s French Duck) highlighted Blotto Wines; a wine company new to me, and John too me thinks.

Two hundred wines are listed by this Somerset company on its nicely designed website. Sadly no on-line ordering though. Although only a smattering of wines from around the world (so no specific country specialisations) what is listed is rather interesting. There is a Palomo Peak, Late Harvest Semillon -Riesling from Australia for example, Rock and Pillar Pinot Noir from New Zealand, Kempton Clark Petite Syrah from California and Calderrona Tempranillo from Cigales, Spain.

Each wine is listed with a short description such as this one for the Château Simian, Côtes Du Rhône 2002.

“Superb perfumed aroma from the touch of Cinsault added to the jammy and spicy Grenache and Syrah. Ageing in oak some three to six months and no longer allows the young Grenache fruit to show, to provide enough backbone and to maintain the potential too. A really enjoyable number.”

Various mixed cases are listed for those unable to make a decision (like me!) from the range.

Delivery is free within 15 miles of Somerton, Somerset. Otherwise it’s £7.50 for the first case and £4.50 per case thereafter. Now my only concern is whether the website is kept as up-to-date as it could be. The wine list is dated 2006 and some of the vintages seem a touch older than they could be.

Blotto Wines Limited
Maddison Farm,
Martock Rd,
Long Load, Nr.Langport,
Somerset. TA10 9LA
Telephone 01458 241792

The store just opposite the railway station has a wine bar above. This is Five Reasons Wine, a mighty fine looking shop offering 400 or so wines. All are listed on the website but sadly there is no online ordering.

Owner/manager Irene writes

Our approach is to operate a one in one out policy at our optimum number of 400 wines This means that we aim to ensure that our range is continuously improving over time rather than expanding willy nilly, and our customers aren’t met by a bewildering wall of wine, creating the illusion of choice, but actually risking alienating all except the most dogged wine enthusiasts.

This discipline ensures we can keep in touch with how our wines are tasting, and give knowledgeable advice - following a high quality service rather than largely product-driven/cult-wine-chasing model of an independent wine merchant.

Tastings are at the heart of what we do. We’d like to think we are getting a pretty good local reputation for our fortnightly tasting events.

This rolling wine range has resulted in some choice pickings from New Zealand, Alsace (Zind Humbrecht, Clos Wintzenheim, Gewurztraminer for example), Australia (Coriole Shiraz amongst many choice bottles), the Americas, Spain, Italy and across the regions of France. On the bubbly front the Billecart Salmon and Jacquesson bottles would be my recommendations.

Prices are generally in the £10plus range with many in the super-fine league of £30+ a bottle. Delivery is free locally in Tunbridge Wells while overnight delivery elsewhere in the UK is £10.80.

FIVE REASONS WINE
7 Vale Road
Tunbridge Wells
TN1 1BS

Based in Manchester are Smithfield Wines; and generously offer free delivery within 25 miles of the centre of the city. Us poor things further afield have to pay £7.50 per case.

Plenty to chose from - the list spans the globe with particular emphasis on Vegetarian wines. Who would have realised there were so many vegan/vegetarian wines available! Kosher and Organic wines are also highlighted in the main list. While the whole world is represented Spain seems to be a particular passion with good representation from across the country.

Prices are, with just a couple of exceptions, firmly in the sub £15 range with a vast majority in the £6-£8 range.

Slightly confusingly the site is spilt into three ’shops’. There is the ‘normal’ general wine shop, a sub-shop dedicated to the large number of vegetarian wines and a third covering gift packs and hampers.

Smithfield Wine
3 Longacre Street
Manchester
M1 2WN

I came across the Museum Wines website while searching for stockists of the delightful Domaine du Tariquet Rosé.

Museum Wines proudly displays the wine on their front page and on their promotions page. But can I find a price or how to order it? No is the answer. The promotion deal looks good - buy 10 Case’s of 6 Bottles and get one free - if you require a large quantity of decent rosé to take you through the spring and summer. No indication of price though.

Outside of France the listings are a little small - just one wine from South Africa, 6 from Spain, 2 from New Zealand, 5 from Australia and so on. But most of these wines are very interesting sporting labels I’ve not heard of or seen elsewhere. Easy then to fill the minimum 12 bottle ordering requirement.

France is better represented with about 50 wines with such delights as Mas de Daumas Gassac Blanc and Rouge and other wines form the Tariquet range.

Museum Wines is based in Moles, Farnham in Dorset but until they provide better details on their website (delivery charges, credit card assurances) and look at how people use their website it may be better to visit in person - they have a retail outlet - rather than use the website.

Following our last visit the Vineking website has been given a bit of a spruce up (well done Eric!). We can only conclude that the Vineking is an independent not to ignore.

I have been following the developments of Eric Lann, The Vineking himself, from hesitant start-up through to fully fledged wine shop. The wine list, fully searchable online, has plenty to explore. The list has been updated with those gaps in the range - New Zealand, South Africa and America - now filled. The Australian range and France are well represented with a smattering from across the various regions and, more importantly, interesting producers.

Tasting events are an important way of discovering a merchants range. The Vineking has regular tastings with Vergelegen, the Loire, California and Champagne/Sparkling planned through the Summer. These cost £30 per person and are held in Reigate.

On all orders up to £300 delivery is charged at £10. Orders of £300 or more attract free delivery for UK mainland.

The Vineking
4 West Road
Reigate
Surrey
RH2 7JT

Retail: 01737 248 833
Wholesale: 0870 850 8997

It couldn’t claim to be the most salubrious street in the capital but it is just a stroll from Tottenham Court Tube to Planet of the Grapes in New Oxford Street. It is also quite an unassuming frontage but it is the wine on the shelves that are of interest, or in the bath… for they have a one in the window.

The website came first, I believe, but there is little information to be found about the two guys who run the company - Matt and Marc. If they were the two chaps in the shop during my visit they seem pleasant, chatty and knowledgeable. Not a large shop by any means, so not frighteningly imposing but it does offer a very interesting range; there were more than enough wines to easily break through my self-imposed £15 limit.

The website though doesn’t seem to offer the full range I saw in the shop; the Chilean Sauvignon Gris and the Spanish Grenache are both absent from the website. There are some interesting wines listed though, a changing collection of end-of-lines and a selection of spirits complement a range of fine wines, decent dessert wines and a smattering of wines from across the world.

Delivery in Central London is free but elsewhere in the UK it is £10. I couldn’t spot a minimum order quantity. No overall specialisation for Planet of the Grapes but a world encompassing range.