Category — Spain

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

In Spain:-

This spring Time Out has teamed up with the Spanish-based Institut del Cava to offer one lucky wine enthusiast and a friend the chance to win a luxury, tailor-made, bacchanalian adventure to the beautiful Cava region of Spain.

The trip, on which winners will discover the ‘Route of Cava’, includes seven nights in five-star accommodation, chauffeur-driven visits to Cava bodegas, exclusive tasting sessions and delicious dinners in some of the regions top restaurants.

The perfect drink for warm summer evenings, Cava also makes the perfect accompaniment to any meal. ‘Cava’ is actually the Spanish term for the wine cellars and has been adopted as a generic name for high-quality, sparkling wines from Spain. Cava wines may be white or rosé, but never red!

In addition, four runners up will win an exclusive sampling case containg six bottles of assorted Cavas.(closing date 30 May 2008) To order an exclusive Cava sampling case, containing six quality bottles, call 01483 274 666 or email info@aawines.co.uk

In London:
Meanwhile until 15 June 2008 the Insititut del Cava is also offering a BOGOF (buy one get one free) glass of Cava at a rather impressive list of London gastropubs Should this gastropub twofer leave you longing for more, online Spanish wine peddlers, AA Wines, will sell six bottle Cava sampling cases during the same period - see http://londonist.com for more details of the participating grubpubs!

Oddbins has 20% off all sparking wines including CAVA until 8th June 2008, so for example Codorníu Cuvée Raventós Cava Brut NV is now £6.79 reduced from £8.49

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!

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.

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.

It cannot be often that you would find a New Zealand Cloudy Bay and a red wine from Wales on the same list ! But at ND John you can discover the Sugarloaf Vineyards Deri Coch, and even on their website they state “They must be mad with our weather - but somehow they pull it off, and in some style!” - Deri Coch is a blend of Triomphe D’Alsace, Regent and Rondo varieties and has brambly autumn fruit flavours with a delicious sour cherry finish” (£8.50)

ND John Wine Merchants Ltd are an established wine merchants in the South Wales area supplying fine restaurants, hotels, gastro-pubs and clubs.

In 2003, we moved to new premises and opened a large ‘wine warehouse’ bringing our extensive range of wines direct to the public.

The success of this business led to us expanding our retail operation onto the internet to enable people throughout the UK to experience our portfolio of wines from the bargain new world offerings to the more prestigious old world favourites.

In between they offer a decent selection of wines from France, Italy, Spain, USA, Australia. New Zealand and Lebanon amongst others.

ND John, 90 Walter Road, Swansea SA1 4QF
Phone: 01792 644 688 Fax: 01792 646 600 Email: mail@ndjohn.co.uk

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

For something a little different, Constantine Stores is holding a number of tastings in the coming months in Cornwall:-

Malt Whisky Tastingwith Andrew Torrance of Morrison Bowmore on April 24th at the Maritime Museum, Falmouth - Tasting the whiskies of Auchentoshan (lowlands), Bowmore (Islay) and Suntory (Japan) - seven whiskies in total!

SPANISH WINE & FOOD EVENING on 22nd May 2008
at Aguaviva Restaurant, Islington Wharf, Penryn TR10 8AT

Tutored Tasting with Helena Grant - Tasting wines from the regions of Campo de Borja, Jerez, Jumilla, Majorca, Navarra, Rioja, and Toro. 10 wines in total accomanied by a selection of Tapas from Agauviva - Latino Restaurant.

Constantine Stores Ltd, 30 Fore Street, Constantine, Falmouth, Cornwall TR11 5AB Tel: Andrew Rowe on 01326 340226

Majestic Wine is offering 25% off all its Spanish Wine between £3 and £20 per bottle) when you buy any 2 bottles from any of its 48 offerings. This includes some good Rioja (Riscal, CVNE,Caceres), Cava, Ribera del Duero, Galicia etc.

However, do beware that Majestic does impose a 12-bottle minimum order on all purchases, a self-imposed restriction these days - and a hangover from a time when sales of 12- or more bottles was classed as “wholesale” rather than “retail”.

However, they tend to have knowledgeable and helpful staff and a good range of wines with some good bargains. They will also deliver from their store for free!

Majestic Wine - branches nationwide and online!

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.

You would hope that sourcing your wines from their country of origin would guarentee the very best selection. I have no experience of the wines available from Spain in a Bottle but the range at least looks interesting.

We are located and run from offices in the heart of Spain. Spanish wine is our passion and we are dedicated to offering our customers some of the finest wine this country has to offer. All the varieties on offer are authentic, traditional wines created with the most modern of wine making techniques. Our wines are highly recommended and we believe the huge selection of Reds, Whites and Roses will delight every palate. Our selection really does reflect what Spanish people are choosing and drinking here in Spain. These are the wines the people of Spain not only drink but covet. These are the wines the Spanish seek out and keep for themselves. Indeed, these are the wines that define a country.

Prices on the site are listed in Euros, which doesn’t really help us non-Euro Brits. But the range - reds, whites and cavas spread across all the regions - certainly looks interesting.

Sadly though the delivery charge might put many people off ordering. With a minimum order of 6 bottles the delivery charge to the UK is the equivalent of £17 while a 12 bottle purchase will be just over £20. Ordering wines in the UK normally sees a delivery charge of under £10 a case.

See www.spaininabottle.com/

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.

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?

Small independent merchant HC Wines will be holding their seasonal tasting on Sat 8 December 2007 at 7.45pm in York. John Hattam and Andy Clarke ’s motto is “Life is too short to drink bad wine”!. Their selection of interesting wines come from France, Spain, Portugal, South Africa, Australia and Italy.

“….an informal evening with eight wines to try, with an opportunity to buy should you wish.
Cost remains at £6 per head including bread and cheese.
A great opportunity to sort out all your Christmas wines and have them delivered free of charge to your door.”

HC Wines