Category — New Zealand

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

Easy Wine/Wine Of Course probably have the largest range of Bulgarian wine in the UK. A total of 18 different wines at the last count, ranging in price from £4.99 up to one at £14.99!

But there is a lot more available from the company than just Bulgarian wines. The nicely designed website holds vinous treasures from across the globe.

Strengths are in Australia (look out for Vasse Felix, Innocent Bystander and a Sangiovese from Uleybury), California (expensive but Ceago, Hirsch and Shafer are listed), Italy, New Zealand (Dog Point, Akarua and Isobel), The Rhone and Spain. Chile is a little light at just four and there are no listings for Austria or Germany.

We’re an independent wine specialists with shops in leafy north London and beautiful Ongar, Essex. Our goal is to source top quality wines from around the world from producers who are individualistic, small (but perfectly formed), and who represent the best that their respective regions have to offer. We deliver across the mainland UK at no additional delivery charge* and offer monthly wine courses and additional events to suit the casual enthusiast to the hardened connoisseur.

Free delivery across the UK.

Wine of Course (London)
216 Archway Rd
London N6 5AX
T: + 44 (0) 20 8347 9006

Wine of Course (Essex)
135 High Street
Ongar, Essex CM5 9JD
T: + 44 (0) 1277 365116

They certainly caught my eye with free delivery in the UK for all cases of wine. But there is more to Hellion Wines than a generous delivery policy. The company is a specialist in wine from New Zealand.

While the range isn’t huge the quality is unsurpassed offering the delights of Berridge Vineyards, Lowburn Ferry, Ra Nui, Redmetal Vineyard amongst others. Prices are not cheap, but then quality from New Zealand never is; looks like the average is about £12 a bottle.

With an easy to use website, that free delivery and a passionate proprietor all lovers of New Zealand wines should drop by once in a while to see the latest discoveries.

Hellion Wines
193 Wigan Road
Standish
Wigan
Lancs WN6 0AE

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

A beautifully designed website - just a touch of animation/flash to keep things interesting. Did I see somewhere that there are 800 wines on their list? All the boxes are ticked with good representation from Chile, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Australia etc etc. Impossible to pull out just a few recommendations, especially when you take into account the 45 strong range of spirits, various special offers, mixed cases and 40 odd ports!

Prices begin at £5.99. You can down load the price list in a PDF file for printing and off-line perusing. There is also a very entertaining PDF magazine that combines staff recommendations, producer profiles and loads more. All very professionally produced.

Next working day delivery is fixed at a rate of £8.50 per delivery address for all quantities from 1 bottle upwards for those who cant make it to the store. Oh, and don’t neglect the series of wine tastings over the coming months.

Overall a great looking company and worth investigating.

The Secret Cellar
43-45 Church Road,
Tunbridge Wells,
Kent TN1 1JT.
ENGLAND.

Discovered via a recommendation on fellow UK wine blog Grapefan.

New Zealand House of Wine has announced that their pre-mixed cases now include a free bottle of wine! Yep, a free bottle.

We have redesigned ALL of our pre-mixed cases so they each contain a free bottle of wine! For example, our stunning new Pre-Mixed Premium Sauvignon Blanc selection now includes the acclaimed Isabel Estate and Dog Point, and also the much sought-after Saint Clair Wairau Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (very limited availability).

Prices for the cases range from £94.95 for the Sauvignon Blanc case (free bottle is worth £7.91) up to the Premium mixed red and white case at £189.00 (free bottle is set at £15.75).

From the moment the site pops up in your browser you can feel the class and quality of WineDirect. The site is the on-line arm of Hailsham Cellars, an UK Wine Merchant based in Hailsham, East Sussex.

We’re passionate about wine and believe that knowing more about where the wines come from, the grape varieties and wine styles, can enhance your wine drinking experience and embolden you to experiment with the wide selection of wine styles and grape varieties on our list. That’s why we’ve added a lot of information about wine on the site in the Wine & Food and Wine Companion sections and why we are selling great wine books in our Books section.

The wine range is wide reaching - they list 35 wines from often overlooked Argentina, 100 wines from ever-popular Australia and 69 from New Zealand. But it is not just the New World at WineDirect - Spain with a list of 54 wines, Italy (187) and the regions of France (258) hold many interesting wines.

Prices are generally in the £7-£14 range although more expensive wines are of course listed. Minimum purchase is 6 bottles.

Pre-mixed cases, with prices ranging from £65 and upwards, and various regular wine club offerings complete the picture.

One thing I noticed is the embracing of customer feed-back they ask that their customers send in wine reviews and recipes for great dishes to accompany wine for publication on the site. Very Web 2.0!

A relatively new company, one that, and correct me if I am wrong, began life as a shop, opened a website and then closed the shop. Life it exceeding tough for independent wine merchants on the high street; thank the stars for the Internet I say!

The very first thing that strikes me is the excellent delivery charge - just £3.99 for 1,2 or 3 bottles. Plus it is overnight delivery. Superb. Of course you would expect some of the costs to be recouped via higher bottle charges; but I see little evidence of that. There is also a 10% off six bottle deal.

Four Canadian Ice Wine kick off a very interesting, if short, list. Of the wines offered many are of older vintages - unlikely to be found elsewhere - that have reached a ‘drinking optimum’. Tasting notes are quite extensive with quotes from various writers and various personal expressions of the wine in question.

At the moment only France, New Zealand, South Africa, USA and Canada are represented on the list. Prices begin at around £8.99 a bottle, although a majority are in the £20 range. I have three different bottles to write-up, on spittoon.biz, from the range.

One of the best New Zealand specialists the New Zealand House of Wine has secured stocks of the Delta Vineyard Marlborough Pinot Noir 2005.

Why do I mention this? ‘Cause the wine has been acclaimed left right and down-under. The wine is the Air New Zealand Wine Awards ‘Champion Wine of the Show’ - “another outstanding success story by the acclaimed New Zealand winemaker, Matt Thompson!”

The Pinot is listed at £9.75 per bottle which works out at a case price of £117.

This award winning Pinot Noir was just the second vintage from Delta Vineyards which has a 40-hectare block in Marlborough devoted exclusively to Pinot Noir, and the same wine won the Pinot Noir Trophy at the New Zealand International Wine Show earlier this year. Described as a classic Pinot Noir, fruit-driven with a soft silk texture while also having depth of flavour, it demonstrates the excellence being achieved with New Zealand Pinot Noir.

The New Zealand House of Wine lists 600 odd wines of which 120 or so are available in mix-your-own cases. Shame that the full range isn’t available as such. Still various pre-mixed cases are also listed.

(pull)New Zealand House of Wine PO Box 231, Haslemere, GU27 1ZY(/pull)

An award winning merchant with a mighty fine range, well arrange in a spacious store. Although a few under £10 wines can be found, prices are generally above this level; so not a store for those use to supermarket ‘bargains’.

With awards such as Regional Wine Merchant of the Year and, in 2004, Independent Wine Merchant of the Year you should expect a top level of service and an interesting range to boot. The team don’t disappoint. Consumer wine tastings are a regular feature (both free and fee based) and a weekly email covering the latest additions and offers keeps everyone informed of events and specials.

An email today was requesting orders for bottles of fully mature port sourced from an Oxford college for example. Now this might sound elitist but the hushed tones and rarefied atmosphere, that I fine so off-putting and found in many of the top independent merchants, just doesn’t exist here. Sadly the website is a little lacking - there is no online ordering, no fully searchable list just a PDF download. At least this seems to be kept up-to-date with correct prices (others take note!).

The range is world encompassing but strengths include the Rhône, Burgundy, Australia and South Africa with good coverage of New Zealand and America. A smattering of interesting beers and various spirits complete the package. Wine recommendations can be viewed on Spittoon.

The Flying Corkscrew
Leighton Buzzard Road
Water End
Hertfordshire
HP1 3BD
telephone: 01442 412311
fax: 01442 412313

The iconic wine that practically single handedly put New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on the vinous map - Cloudy Bay Sauvignon has a fevered release almost approaching the old Beaujolais Nouveau in excitement. And that time is now.

Arthur Rackham is first away offering Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2006 at £15.75.

This is a very good price. Certainly beating the £25 price tag slapped on by other merchants. While the wine will certainly keep you have to watch the vintage when buying; many times I see Cloudy Bay available but it is the previous years release (or in one case from two years ago!).

Arthur Rackham operate from a wine packed, if slightly chaotic, shop on the outskirts of Guildford. The range is superb. They have a six bottle purchase limit on Cloudy Bay for shop callers only; the wine is not listed on their website.

2006 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc
“Many small parcels of fruit, ripened under ideal conditions, bring layers of complexity to the 2006 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc. The palate has exceptional richness, with ripe gooseberry flavours and a hint of fresh fennel leading to a powerful, crisp finish.”

Arthur Rackham Emporia,
216 London Road,
Burpham,
Guildford,
Surrey GU4 7JS

(pull)Green & Blue 38 Lordship Lane East Dulwich London SE22 8HJ(/pull)
They have a shop and bar in East Dulwich, have a nicely designed website but I have never heard of Green and Blue before today. Sadly the website doesn’t offer full on-line ordering - you have to download and send in an order form.

There are two prices on the website, one for the shop, the other for the bar. An interesting range indeed which they describe as

We have two very important criteria for inclusion on this list - firstly, the wines have to have been made with due care and attention paid to the growing of the grapes. That means no or very minimal chemical intervention and low yields (not pushing the vines to grow as much bland, boring fruit as possible), giving fruit which needs very little intervention in the winery. Naturally then, most of the wines come from smaller producers, many family owned, who have the sort of respect for their vineyards that we heartily applaud. Those that come from slightly bigger companies all have the same ethos.

As an alternative to country listings, Green and Blue, have gone for grouping wines by style. ‘Crisp - elegant, lighter, dry & subtle’ or ‘Fruity - sometimes slightly aromatic’ are two of the white wine groups while the reds have ‘Spicy - smoky or rustic & earthy’ or ‘Rich - ripe or muscular & powerful’ for example.

The range isn’t huge with Italy appearing well represented although most countries make an appearance. The ‘Different… something unusual’ sections immediately appeal. Here you will find such delights as Château Montus Pacherenc Sec from Madiran £13.50 and Sigalas Santorini, from Greece at £16.75 or Massaya Classic Red, from the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon £9.25 or Domaine Labranche-Laffont Madiran ‘Vielles Vignes, Madiran, France £13.15

The fine wine section has such beauties as Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel, California, USA £25.85 or maybe a bottle of Frogs Leap Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA is more your thing at £51.25. A smattering of spirits, dessert and fortified wines complete the tightly formed list. Each wine has a little description attached along with details of the grape varieties and a simple food matching suggestion. Overall a nice site but one that could really do with full on-line ordering.

All orders of £75 or more are delivered free of charge to any address within a 2 mile radius of the shop. Orders of less than £75 carry a £5 delivery charge. Elsewhere in London a charge of £10 will be made on orders under £150. Those over this amount are free. Outside of London, the delivery charge for 1 case (12 bottles) or less costs £10, two or more cases £15. Part cases are classed as a complete case.

Green & Blue
38 Lordship Lane
East Dulwich
London SE22 8HJ

The indomitable Paula Sinberg runs the Ultimate Wine Company and for a small operation she manages to gather an impressive range of individualistic and quality wines.

I have had the delight in attending several of her tastings (held locally to me in Marlow, Buckinghamshire and other up in London) and her passion certainly manifests itself. They are a mix of the formal - sit down and the informal, pass the wines around and chat with a light buffet in between batches of wines. In the schedule I note that coming is an Italian Discoveries tasting (30 Nov London, 2 Dec Marlow).

Range-wise all the main countries are covered although the Austrian listing is quit extensive and Italy is an obvious passion. New Zealand offers has several quality wines I haven’t seen listed elsewhere and, interestingly, Portugal has a very good representation too. Although generally pricey the Californian section is extensive, more so than many other specialists.

In amongst the wines several deli items await discovery; these are often included in the light buffet available during the tastings - another reason for going along to one!

The Ultimate Wine Company,
8 Millbank, Mill Road, Marlow, Bucks, SL7 1UA
Tel: (+44 1628) 472214
No retail outlet. Slightly high delivery charge at £15 per order.

I am sure the two are unconnected but having just been awarded the prestigious Specialist Merchant of the Year Award for New Zealand, the New Zealand House of Wine has just revamped their website.

The International Wine Challenge handed out the award to Kelvin McLeod, a New Zealander, in recognition to the superb range of wines he sells though NZ House of Wine. Operating on the internet (and via mail order) over 600 wines are currently listed. These range from the rare/boutique through to more famous names (Esk Valley, Cloudy Bay, Hunters, Montana). There is a good range of sparkling wines too.

A majority of the wines are only available in full cases (I am sure they have their reasons on the limitations) but 120 can be selected through the mix-your-own approach. There are other pre-mixed cases available too. Delivery is a very reasonable £4.99.

Taking a very hand-on approach has obviously paid dividends as this is the second year in a row that the company has won the Specialist Merchant award. Congrats to them.