Category — Online

Starting 4 September 2008 Channel 4 will be showing a 6-part series about an Englishman’s quest to create a biodynamic wine in the Roussillon in the south of France.

A biodynamic wine is on one level an organic wine, with no added fertilisers or artifical chemicals added to the vineyard or in the cellar, but overlaid with “cosmic” considerations such as the timing of various phases of growing the vine and making the wine are influenced by the phases of the moon and alignment of the planets. The most famous examples are the vineyards of the Coulée de Serrant in the small Loire appellation of Savennieres and a couple of Burgundy vineyards.

There is no consensus as to whether this approach makes any significant difference to the wine, or whether it is just a little quirky!

Top wine critic and author, Monty Waldin, has decided to put his money where his opinionated mouth is and pack it all in to make wine biodynamically in rural France. He has just over a year to turn 5.4 acres into top selling organic wine. Renovating an old cabin on his vineyard so he can babysit his vines 24/7, his only company will be his donkey and occasionally his high maintenance girlfriend Silvana when she jets in from Italy. Regarded by peers as a bit loopy because of his views about Biodynamics, and even as the enfant terrible of the wine world (he’s upset the establishment for his harsh criticisms of the wine industry), Monty’s nonetheless forged a successful career and written several award-winning books…But now he’s abandoning life behind the laptop for a new one making his own wine in the French Pyrenees.

As always there is a book to accompany the series - Chateau Montyand respected wine merchant Adnams is stocking the wines - Monty’s Red 2007, Vin de Pays des Cotes Catalanes - “The aromas of young, herby red fruits and a lively, juicy mouthful of charmingly rustic hedgrow flavours.”

UPDATE:-

There’s an article in the Daily Mail (26 Aug 08) “Grape expectations: Wine critic Monty Waldrin’s French vineyard was not the dream he imagined” - an extracts from his book Chateau Monty include:-

“I also had to start thinking months ahead about how to protect the vineyard from the wild boars before harvest.
Winegrowers here would erect temporary fencing to keep the boars out, and as my grapes began to change colour the boars had begun to take a real interest in the ripening crop.
Every morning I could see fresh hoof prints and topsoil that had been disturbed overnight, while whole bunches had had every grape sucked off as if by a powerful vacuum cleaner.

Jamie Goode, writing in the Sunday Express (17 Aug 08) adds: Think of biodynamic wines as “supercharged version of organic,” he says. Work in the vineyard is fitted in around the alignment of the moon and the planets, and growers claim it has improved the quality of their wine. Some of his recommendations include:-

• 2005 Corralillo Merlot Malbec, Vina Matetic, San Antonio Valley, Chile (£12.49, Majestic)
• 2006 Chapoutier Organic Côtes du Rhône, France (£7.99, Waitrose)
• 2005 Bodega Colomé Estate Malbec, Salta, Argentinia (£14.24, Waitrose)
• 2005 Bertie Collection Syrah, Minervois, France (£7.99, Oddbins)
• 2006 Meinklang Pinot Noir 2006, Austria (£9.25, Vintage Roots)
• 2006 Millton Chenin Blanc Te Arai, Gisborne, New Zealand (£10.99, Vintage Roots)
• 2004 Didier Barral Faugeres “Jadis”, France (£17.30, Les Caves de Pyrene)

Jane McQuitty in the Times (16 Aug 08) takes a swipe at the Nicolas wine chain in the UK - French owned and styled and promising to bring a touch of French flair to the UK High Street,

…I have had very few good and almost no great bottles of wine from this off-licence chain (which insists on calling itself “a French specialist wine merchant”). Nicolas’ recent inaugural UK tasting - yup, it took almost two decades - was an absolute disgrace. Alain Favereau, Nicolas’ wine buyer, should be guillotined for selecting the appalling, mostly appellation contrôlée wine included.

Now I am a real fan of French wines, and can point to many really superb and exciting wines which come from France. However, French consumer tastes are quite different to the UK.
The French remain very traditional and conservative in their wine tastes - which means that for those that do take wine seriously, the selection tends to be dominated by Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne and maybe the wines produced locally to where they live. They also cling on to the Appellation Controllee classifications as a guarantor of quality, and hence ignore many excellent Vins de Pays which can be as good or better than AOC wines, but produced outside of the constraints of the appellation system.
I have always been surprised that many French consumers know little of even their local wines (some of superb quality) and who regularly buy petit Bordeaux chateau wines and never wines from overseas.
Truth is, that having never traditionally produced wine. the UK has always imported from overseas. (although there are clear signs of increasing quality white wines being made here now). This has led us to have probably the widest range of wines available in the whole of Europe, including a high proportion of wines from the New World (the Americas, South Africa, Australasia etc). British tastes have been exposed to many more influences and as a result the UK market is more sophisticated.
The problem with Nicolas (and with Oddbins, also owned until recently by French company Castel) is that the French do not understand that the UK market and taste preferences are different to the French - so what works for Nicolas in Paris, does not necessarily work in Nicolas in London.
Nicolas are not alone - I have found very few French wine merchants who can boast a range as rich and diverse as many British independent merchants - they are usually dominated by the BBC - Bordeaux, Burgundy and Champagne, ocassionally a little Rhone and Loire, but little else except for wines made within about 50km. The one exception is in Montcuq (46 Lot, Midi-Pyrenees) where Vins et Saveurs do offer an exciting and quality range from most regions of France - but then this is in an area with many northern European visitors and in-comers!
As with all things about wine, it is a question of taste - and there are many wines which I enjoy which others find questionable and vice versa - so yes the French consumer may have different preferences, but you can rely on many many good French winemakers who continue to develop excellent wines for the UK market!
For seeking out some of the best French wines in France and the UK, Le Guide Hachette des Vins : Coffret en 2 volumes : Le Guide Hachette des vins ; Fromages et vins is an indispensible guide (regretably only in French) - it is a comprehensive annual guide to the French wine regions and wines which are rated by blind tastings - other guides are supported by advertising. This always proved an invaluable “bible” when trying to find good producers in the French regions.

A tasting in the grand surroundings of the Vintners Hall in the City of London has to be quite special. As one of the City Guilds the Vintners Company has a long history, which reminds us that wine has long been an important business in the UK:-

The origins of the Vintners’ Company, like most Livery Companies, are rather obscure. Before the Norman Conquest, neighbourhood groups would meet in their local church - in the case of the Vintners, St. Martin in the Vintry. In medieval London, persons of similar trade lived in the same area and so these local groups soon took on an economic element - the word ‘guild’ comes from the Anglo-Saxon gildan meaning ‘to pay’. There are twelfth century references to ‘lawful merchants of London’ fixing the price of wine - one of the earliest indications of an official group governing trade.

The Vintners’ first charter (15th July, 1363) was in fact a grant of monopoly for trade with Gascony. It gave far-reaching powers, including duties of search throughout England and the right to buy herrings and cloths to sell to the Gascons.

For more on the Vintners Hall and the Vintners Company see www.vintnershall.co.uk

For more recent times Premier Vintners will hold their 2008 Porftolio Tasting there - up to 20 Producers and Winemakers in Attendance
Thursday 9th October @ Vintners’ Hall Time 6.00pm - 9.00pm
Venue; Vintners Hall, 68 Upper Thames Street, London EC4V 3BG

Tickets Single £20.00
Existing clients £15.00
Group (6 tickets for the price of 5) £100.00

A unique opportunity to taste and buy a host of the UK best rated wines for price and class & meet some of our winemakers and vineyard owners

Ticket Hotline: 020 8870 3550 or info@premiervintners.co.uk

For more info see ukwinesonline.co.uk

Majestic Wine and Spanish producer Marqués de la Concordia, who operate a range of luxurious wine hotels in Spain, are offering two free nights accommodation when you buy a mixed case of Marques de la Concordia wines.

The range includes wines from the Duero - the Durius Tempranillo 2005 Arribes del Duero”Soft and rich with smooth tannins and heaps of jammy, dark fruit flavours, this wine is as good with food as it is on its own.” and a selection of Riojas e.g.Rioja Reserva 2004 Marqués de la Concordia - “.. complex aromas of ripe fruit, cedar and spice, which develop into a smooth, velvety palate with powerful dark fruit flavours, hints of coffee and an almost chocolatey richness.”

The mixed case offer includes 3 x 4 wines from Duero and Rioja and is offered at £88.00.

This offer which is only available online excludes Travel, insurance, meals and other expenses. Offer ends Monday 25 August.

For more info see Majestic Wine
Apologies - links now updated!

Premier Vintners is an online merchant (London based) which aims to find the largest selection of truly fine wines from around the world and across all price ranges - so they set the bar pretty high in a competitive market. France, Spain and Italy are well-represented, as is Australia.

At Premier Vintners, we only have great wines, if we don’t think they’re truly great, we don’t buy, we have no need too, simple as that. So here’s the deal, this really is a loss leader and we realise we will get a few people come to us only for this one discounted case and probably have no intention of dealing with us again… Well that’s fine, we’ll take that risk, because we know most will come back again and again. Take a look at our list, great wines wherever you look, coupled with genuine value… If you decide to take us up on the offer, Oh dear, too late… You’ll be coming back for more, sorry, but that’s the truth of the matter.

So first time customers can test for themselves whether their claims add up - and the selection on offer certainly looks interesting - both in terms of grape varietals and regions offered, including Airen and Tempranillo (La Mancha, Spain), Melon de Bourgogne (Muscadet, France) Pinot Gris (Victoria, Australia) and Gewurztraminer (Barossa Valley, Australia) - as well as wines based on the classic grapes.
Special Case of 6 white, 6 red, all diferent grape varieties and styles, seven of them World Ranked No1 for their price or varietal from the vintage, three different Trophy Winners, and nine Gold Medals
Normal UK Delivered Price £133.85 NOW: £89.99

Premier Vintners - www.premiervintners.co.uk
Premier Vintners Ltd
Riverside Business Centre, Unit 6, Block E, Bendon Valley London SW18 4UQ
Tel: 020 8870 3550 Fax: 020 8870 3559

Bordeaux Index is running a short sale of some of its stocks of fine wines. Despite its name Bordeaux Index is not just about Bordeaux but also Burgundy, Rhone, Loire, Languedoc, Alsace, Italy, Spain, Germany, USA, Australia, Champagne, Port, Armagnac……..

After the huge success of our two previous sales, we have decided to maintain the same format for this year’s Summer Sale. Initially, the wines are offered at a 10% discount to our list price, offered on a first come first served basis, and we will increase the size of the discount every day for the remaining stocks until the end of this week. The size of this discount will be decided on a discretionary basis daily.

The list will be published on our website here which will be updated approximately every 2 minutes during working hours. Previous sales have sold out extremely quickly, and whilst some people may choose to wait an extra day to attempt to get a bigger discount, others do not!

The sale includes such prestigious names as Artadi, Beaucastel, Chapoutier, Chave, Coutet, Drouhin, Dugat-Py, Eglise Clinet, Giacosa, Guigal, Jadot, Janasse, Mordoree, Pegau, Penfolds, Prum, Rieussec, Sauzet and Zind Humbrecht…

For more info see www.bordeauxindex.com

Just a few weeks after a less-than-glowing review of their wine selection by Tim Atkin the Observer following its acquisition a year or so ago by French owners Castel, we hear that the chain has now been sold to UK-based, and rather small outfit, www.excellar.co.uk.
This is probably good news, as Castel seemed less than committed to the rather original and “quirky” approach which characterised Oddbins in the past, and which won it many awards and accolades for the quality and range of its wines, the knowledge and enthusiasm of its staff and its exciting printed wine lists based on Ralph Steadman cartoons. And, although I think French wines can be great, the French owners tended to populate the list with more French wines, some of them of rather doubtful quality.

So it is to be hoped that ExCellar will be able to reinvigorate the business and bring some vibrancy back into a major UK wine merchant chain. The good news is that one of the people behind ExCellar is Simon Baille, one of the founders of Oddbins. The only concern has to be that ExCellar is a much smaller business than Oddbins, so can they cope with the change of scale  - and the website for ExCellar is really not exciting or easy to use. Good Luck to them - we need some excitement in this part of the market which serves both casual and serious winelovers!

Eastern Europe always seems a little impenetrable for the wine enthusiast - unfamiliar geography and unpronounceable names, combined with a slightly downmarket historical reputation do not help. So a little exploration into the wines of Moravia proves enlightening.

Firstly geography - I confess I could not pinpoint Moravia on the map - but it is the eastern part of the Czech republic, which in turn is located east of Germany and north of Austria - which also provides an indicator of the wine styles you might expect.

Secondly grape varieties include whites made from Gruner Veltliner and reds based on Franken or Pinot Noir. However the little known St Laurent ( a relative of Cabernet Franc) is the most widely planted red variety and Muller-Thurgau the most widely planted white. Other distinctly local grape varieties are used, but can be a little difficult to pronounce.
Increasingly though there are more plantings of more familiar varietals such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon and Cabernet Sauvignon. I hope that the Moravian winemakers do not just jump on the Chardonnay bandwagon - with modern wine making techniques and distinctive grape varieties there is always room to carve out a new niche, in the same way as English Sparkling wine has transcended the somewhat lacklustre earlier reputation of English wine.

Wineberries.co.uk is a newly formed business which imports wines from Moravia in the Czech Republic. Moravia is a region of the Czech Republic in the South of the country.

At present Wineberries.co.uk provides five ranges of wines from the regions of Mikulov and Znojmo.

The Wineberries site is attractively laid out, but we had a few problems with navigation links, and whilst there are tasting notes for each wine, I would have liked to have seen a bit more information which would introduce consumers to the region, its wines and winemakers. However, it is always good to find someone offering something a little different to enrich our winetasting experience, and there just may be some hidden gems waiting to be discovered!

www.wineberries.co.uk

UPDATE:-

The day after I discover one Czech wine specialist, along comes another - WINEGLASS (www.wineglassroa.co.uk) who also offer wines from Moravia, but also spirits and glassware - no images of the glassware, but the spirits include products such as “Black Vodka, Czech Rum, Black Absinth and Slivovice (a plum brandy). Again the website is a little uninspiring but there are promises to enhance it - watch this space.

Magdi and Jerry Cullen established the business in 2004 as a means of bringing Czech Republic’s wines and spirits to a wider audience. Through personal tastings and internet sales the business steadily grew.

Wineglass, 4 Royal Opera Arcade, London SW1Y 4UY
07511 696 542
www.wineglassroa.co.uk

Andrew Jefford takes over the Radio 4 Food Programme on Sunday 27 July 2008 with a look at the English Sparking Wine business. He presents on radio as well as he writes - informative, inquisitive and entertaining - his book The New France: A Complete Guide to Contemporary French Wine (Mitchell Beazley Wine Guides) provided a great insight into the way in which France and french winemakers are developing and improving.

There is little doubt that English Sparkling wine is enjoying a big boost in sales as quality improves and can seriously challenge wines from Champagne.

Andrew Jefford investigates the growing popularity and quality of English sparkling wine and finds out how it matches up to its French counterpart - Champagne and if there’s any truth in the rumours that the French are buying up English chalky downland on which to plant their own vineyards.

He and Suzy Atkin blind taste 4 English sparkling wines and one from Champagne, and whilst the Champagne still wins, the margin is not huge, The runner up and best English sparkling wine was the Ridgeview Grosvenor Blanc de Blancs 2001 - available from South Down Cellars in Hurstpierpoint in Sussex (£21.95) - shop and online.

Suzy Atkin makes a very valid point that whilst many consumers will use Champagne as a benchmark, there are in essence a wide variety of Champagne and Sparkling Wine styles, some of which appeal to some palates and not others. France’s Alsace and the Loire Valley produce some excellent sparkling wine, as does the New World - all slightly different in style. Whilst English sparkling wines are seldom cheap, they are consistently well-made and surrounded by less hype and snobbishness than the French fizz.

The programme is repeated live on BBC Radio 4 on Monday 28 July 2008 at 16.00 or is available online on the Listen Again section of the BBC website for 7 days.

At UKWOL we always welcome and applaud merchants who try something new or interesting and manage to break away from the often bland brands which bombard many shelves. So full marks to LeBonVin, which despite their French sounding name are offering wines from Tunisia and the Lebanon. Its easy to forget that many Mediterranean countries have been growing vines ad making wines for centuries - and whilst in earlier times they may have been made solely for local consumption (or for the invading troops) - good winemakers can now produce good wines in such potentially hot, dry climates by employing modern winemaking techniques.

Lebabon has been recognised for some time, the best known being Serge Hochar’s Chateau Musar in the Bekaa Valley - although probably known best for the feat of producing a wine in the midst of the bullets and mortars which can be a feature of that corner of the Middle East. However, the wines do get decent reviews.

But Tunisia is a completely unknown quantity for most of us. Although many winemakers in the south of France have their origins in north Africa and brought their winemaking skills and traditions with them.

LeBon Vin offers both red (Cabernet, Syrah and Merlot blend) from Chateau Elissa in theMornag Valley and a Chardonnay from Domaine Clipea.

Well situated on the most fertile lands, the quality of the Tunisian wines is rich in alcohol content, without excess of acidity, and soft, with the character of new wines. Today, Tunisian wine continues to boast the high repute that the sun, soil and time-honored Tunisian traditions have conferred on it.

LeBonVin also offers a wide range of wines from more traditional wine regions - and adds a wine from Mexico and a Rum from Venezuela - certainly different!

Le Bon Vin Ltd, 340 Brightside Lane ,Sheffield S9 2SB

Tim Atkin in the Observer (20 July 2008) takes a bit of a swipe at the new owners of Oddbins, and bemoans the way the wine merchant has developed in recent years. Certainly it is not quite as good as it was in its heyday when even as a small competitor wine merchant, I could recommend Oddbins with little hesitation - an interesting range, keen prices and particularly knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff who never disappointed.

OK so nowadays it has lost some of its quirkiness and originality and is a bit more like the rest of the national wine merchant chains - a tad more formulaic and with a narrower range. The staff still seem helpful though (at least in my local branches) and it still feels more like a wine merchants than a convenience store! And they do have some good wines:-

Tim highlights:

I liked the soft, grassy, smoothly textured 2007 Saumur, Réserve des Vignerons (£6.95, 12%) and the modern style, sensitively oaked, sturdy yet polished 2004 Château de Crouseilles, Madiran Premium (£11.99, 14%), made from Tannat and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Interesting because these are both wine styles which are usually difficult to get right, and at these price points have to be worth a try! See www.oddbins.co.uk

Bordeaux Index specialises in trading in the fine wine end of the market, a rarified zone which few of us get a chance to explore. The nearest I have reached was a tasting of some top St Emilion Grand Cru vintages which was unforgettable (and unaffordable!)

Wine enthusiasts sometimes look a little askance at wine investors - savouring the monetary value of the wine rather than the delights of it as a drink - although there is probably an element of envy in that. I have known several customers with impressive and expensive cellars who do get at least as much pleasure from drinking the odd bottle, as they do from the investment angle (and from lovingly admiring the rows of bottles in their cellar). But lets not forget that the value of any particular bottle rests in large measure on how the wine tastes - judged by fine palates who can assess how the wine will develop in the bottle over decades. Hence Bordeaux Index will be incorporating Michael Shuster’s Wine School, which brings together these complementary aspects of the extraordinary liquids contained in fine wine bottles.

Bordeaux Index is delighted to announce that from September 2008, Michael Schuster will be moving his famous wine school to our offices in Hatton Garden. Michael has helped to design the specialist tasting facilities on the top floor of our new building, where his school will be run from….. .Bordeaux Index prides itself on an unstuffy approach to fine wine selection and investment, demystifying the wine buying process for its clients and continuing to deliver expert advice in a straightforward way.

Michael Shuster’s book Essential Winetasting: The Complete Practical Winetasting Course (Mitchell Beazley Drink)is based on his courses, won all three major British wine book awards for the Best Drink Book 2000: The Andre Simon, Glenfiddich and the Prix du Champagne Lanson awards.

For more information on Bordeaux Index and Michael Shusters Wine School - see www.bordeauxindex.com

Just to put things into context, here’s a few facts and figues from Bordeaux Index:-

Our most popular wine for investment in 2008: Mouton Rothschild 1982 (£11,000 per case of 12 in bond)

Our most expensive bottle of wine: 1990 La Romanée-Conti - DRC; £8,000,in bond

Our most expensive bottle of champagne: 1995 Krug Clos D’Ambonnay -£1,995, in bond

The wine region to watch in 2008: Champagne

Busiest time of year for wine market: Spring/Autumn

Biggest annual spend for a client: £2million plus

Liquid Assets: Uncorking Profits in Today’s Global Wine Market

Cadman Fine Wines has two new exciting releases timed just right for the summer.

Firstly a Pouilly Fumé from Tinel-Blondelet (a cracker, exhibiting super aromas of gun smoke backed up by moreish citrussy flavours. Quite simply, Loire sauvignon at it’s best. The mouthwatering 2006 vintage is drinking absolutely beautifully right now.)
And from the much heralded Domaine Fondreche (in the Cotes de Ventoux, Provence) things just keep getting better and better. “Well known for its production of great value spicy reds, we are now delighted to be able to offer a wonderful little gem of a rosé: the l’Instant, 2007 - offering delightful strawberries and cream aromas with a little spice and minerality adding interest - a classic, vibrant southern French Rose”
“Fondreche…a source of sensational wines that still sell for incredibly fair prices…Shrewd consumers should have been stocking up on these wines for a number of years as they represent terrific values.” Robert Parker, The Wine Advocate

The choice is yours, but at these sizzling summer prices, with savings of up to £24 per case off the Pouilly-Fumé , it really would be a shame to miss out on either of these gems…

For more info see Cadman Fine Wines
Domaine de Fondreche
Domaine Tinel-Blondelet

A difficult time to launch a new wine business, especially as I note that the energetic Andrew Chapman at www.surf4wine.co.uk is not currently trading. But if you can offer something different that coincides with consumer trends, then it can be very successful - and Will Shepherd’s new wine website www.willswine.com may just have got it right in asserting that there is too much Australian Chardonnay and cheap French Cabernet Sauvignon (?) available, and offering something a little different.

Will’s Wine sells wines from lesser know regions of France and Italy, as well as Hungary, with plans to sell wine from Slovenia and Uruguay in the near future. Their wines are made from grapes including Tanat, Petit and Gros Manseng, Cot, Olaszrizling, Cabernet Franc and Manzoni.

Will’s Wine believe that for just a few pounds more, these wines are much more enjoyable than most supermarket offerings. We are promoting something different and more fun!

The list is a bit embryonic at the moment with new arrivals planned from Australia, Uruguay and Slovenia to add to the initial selection of Italy, Hungary and France.

www.willswine.com

Another online wine (or rather drinks) merchant - with an amusing strapline of “Drinks on the Mouse” offers an interesting mix of alcoholic beverages (including wine, cocktails, beers and spirits) plus drinks accessories and a lot of information. There is also a video diary of English winemaker, Simon Coulshaw at his Domaine des Trinites in the French Languedoc - his wines (Faugeres AC, Coteaux du Languedoc AC and a Viognier Vin de Pays d’Oc) are available to purchase on www.thedrinkshop.com

This is a great site for anyone who is looking for something alcoholic and wants to learn how to mix that extra special cocktail or buy spirits and stock up with the best known brand names and highest quality, specialty distillers around the world. Every spirit and cocktail mixer you can think of is here with a very simple and intuitive website that the Drink Shop has created.