your guide to online independent wine and drink merchants in the UK.

The Sussex Wine Company will be holding a tasting of Classic Italian wines followed with great antipasti from Lazzati’s restaurant of Lewes. 7pm - 9pm on Thursday 12 June 2008 at Farncombe House, 16 Market Street, Lewes, BN7 2NB Tel/Fax: 01273 477 205 Email: info@thesussexwinecompany.co.uk(£25 per ticket).

The Sussex Wine Company is an independent online wine merchant, based in East Sussex, founded on a few basic but fundamental principals:

1. Value for money at all price points,
2. A personalised service tailored to the need of the individual.
3. Promoting smaller, boutique wineries from around the world.
4. Absolute passion and belief in our products!

You don’t often come across wines from Canada, but a recent dinner with Canadian friends introduced us to the wines of the Okanagan Valley in British Coluumbia - specifically the wines of Mission Hill. The only merchant I can find who stocks their still wines is the Oxford Wine Company who include, amongst others, the Mission Hill Five Vineyards Pinot Gris Réserve, Okanagan Valley 2004 (£11.50) “Fresh clean and aromatic wine with a citrus and fresh peach overtones. Tangy flavours of green apple, pear and almond with a lemony finish.”

The Oxford Wine Company looks to have an interesting and varied list (online and shop) - wines from most parts of the world - a southern French favourite in the shape of Chateau Ricardelle’s Coteaux du Languedoc la Clape “Rated as one of the best value reds by Decanter Magazine, this beautifully crafted Rhone Ranger delivers complex flavours of tar and leather together with sweet briary fruits and a dry savoury finish. “ (£8.40); an interesting Priorato red from Spain with Legitim De Muller Crianza 2002 “A real discovery! Loads of soft,berry fruit flavours with warm spicy overtones. A really complex wine and a bargain to boot! “(£10.99); and a Te Mata Elston Chardonnay from New Zealand’s Hawkes Bay “A complex, rich barrel-fermented style with a Meursault feel. Top class New World winemaking.” (£16.75)
The website has tons of informative comment and news and details of tastings etc.

The Oxford Wine Company is one of the largest independent wine retail and wholesale companies in the U.K. with a stunning range of wine from just over £3.00 to over £500 a bottle. Over 1500 wines and spirits are stocked and the company also specialises in vintage Armagnac, as well as listing in excess of 150 Malt Whiskys.

Oxford Wine Company, Standlake, Witney OX29 7PR
Tel: 01865 30 11 44 Fax: 01865 30 11 55 Email: info@oxfordwine.co.uk

According to our Canadian friends, Mission Hill rather dominates the Okanagan wine scene with its impressive visitor centre (top picture):

“This impressive architectural achievement has it all, from a fine resident chef, to a collection of antique drinking vessels, to a breathtaking view of Lake Okanagan - and, not least, a wide range of excellent wines, including a superb Merlot and a distinguished Bordeaux blend named Oculus.

What we do not get to see or taste in the UK is the production from any of the small independent winemakers, whose production is too small to warrant export (and local demand so high they do not need to!). One such is the Blasted Church Winery which has some of the most original wine bottle labels I’ve seen, and who, by all accounts, make superb wines. (The winery is so named, because they moved an old clapboard church into Okanagan Falls by blasting the building to loosen the nails - and it worked (apparently). Whatever the truth it has given them a unique name and theme on which to build.

For more on Okanagan Falls wines see the Wines of British Columbia website

With English Wine Week coming to a close on Sunday 1 June 2008, there is still time to visit a local vineyard, one of which is likely to be within striking distance as they are peppered across the map from the Isles of Scilly in the Southwest up to Yorkshire and Lancashire in the North and everywhere in-between including the South East and East Anglia.
On Saturday 31 May 2008 Quoins Organic Vineyard(at Bradford-on-Avon near Bath in Wiltshire) will be offering a guided tour of the vineyard which will include a tour of nearby Avonleigh Vineyard) - for more info email to alan@quoins.demon.co.uk

Quoins Organic Vineyard has been developed under Soil Association organic certification. No inorganic fertilisers, herbicides nor pesticides are used.
The vineyard was planted in 2002 and the first crop of grapes was harvested in October 2005 with the first bottles of wine available being sold from August 2006.
We also sell wine from the neighbouring Little Ashley Vineyard - Madeleine Angevine and Schonburger.
Our own wine is sold as single varieties of Madeleine Angevine, Orion, and Rondo.
We take great care to produce wine in a traditional way, working with nature and the seasons to impart exceptional character.

See www.englishwineweek.co.uk for more info on English Wine Week

Quoins Organic Vineyard
Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire BA15 1NF T:01225 862334
E: alan@quoins.demon.co.uk

Another event to celebrate English Wine Week takes place on Saturday 31 May 2008 at Duncan Murray Wines in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, with free in-store tasting of English wines (noon-2pm) - from Three Choirs (Gloucestershire)and local vineyard Welland Valley, with proprietor David Bates.

We’re a rapidly expanding independent wine merchants in Market Harborough, Leicestershire. Our mission? Well, we want to offer our customers a superb range of wines, beers and spirits that they’ll be hard-pressed to find elsewhere.

We’re especially enthusiastic about Southern French wines: Duncan Murray dedicated (?!) 2 years to tasting the best this region has to offer and getting to know the winemakers. The result is an extensive (often exclusive) selection of fantastically-flavoursome yet affordable wines from an area that still has oodles of potential.

The selection of wines looks very interesting with a number of little-known wines, but all with good information and tasting notes.

Duncan Murray Wines
10 Adam & Eve Street, Market Harborough, Leicestershire LE16 7LT - Tel: 01858 464935

I have to confess that I did not immediately associate the fair county of Essex with vineyards, but Carter’s Vineyards at Boxted near Colchester are clearly a well-established (1990) vineyard of 40 acres.:

We are pleased to be able to offer an extensive range of English wines, which reflects well this region’s suitability for fine wine production. Serve any of these wines to your guests with pride to represent Colchester and East Anglia.

We are delighted to have had our wine recognised at various wine awards and most recently with our King Coel 2003 vintage winning East Anglian Wine of the Year 2006.

Visitors are always welcome to see how the grapes get from vine to bottle at Carter’s Vineyards with a self-guided tour through the vines and a tasting (£4.00). There are also picnic areas and a 1 mile nature trail.

For English Wine Week (24 May - 1 June 2008) they are also offering a complimentary bottle of wine for every 2 adults purchasing tickets for the self-guided tour and tasting.
Carter’s Vineyards
Green Lane, Boxted, Colchester, Essex CO4 5TS
T: 01206 271136 F: 01206 273625
E: enquiries@cartersvineyards.co.uk

Down in Worcestershire near Upton-on-Severn (Elgar and cider country) Titlridge Vineyard is offering a free guided tour of the vines with a tasting of their wines and some local cheeses on Sunday 1 June 2008 at 12.00 noon.

Three varieties of vine are currently in production - Schönburger, Huxelrebe & Seyval Blanc - while a fourth variety, Phoenix, will be cropping shortly. England lies on the northern limits of vine production & the wines we produce here at Tiltridge are clean, crisp & fruity - typical of the English style. Our two small vineyards of 0.5 acre & 1 acre are grown on the double guyot system where the vines are pruned back to two replacement canes each winter. On average, we produce about 3,000 bottles each year, but there are large seasonal variations as the harvest is very dependent on the weather conditions each spring & summer brings.

This is part of English Wine Week, a week long celebration of English wines which runs from 24 May to Sunday 1 June 2008. However, you might need to take this opportunity whilst you can, because over on www.spittoon.biz Andrew is reporting that within 80 years England may be too hot for wine-making, which if true should mean that at some point between then and now conditions should be perfect for making great wines!!

Titlridge Vineyard
Upper Hook Road, Upton upon Severn, Worcestershire, WR8 0SA
Tel: +44 (1684) 592906 / 592266 Fax: +44 (1684) 594142

English Wine Week runs 24th -31st May 2008 and the Purbeck Vineyard near Corfe Castle in Dorset is offering guided tours of the vineyard and winery as follows:
Tuesday 27 - 11:30 Tour of Vineyard and Winery & 5:30pm Tour of Vineyard and Winery
Wednesday 28 - 5:30pm Tour of Vineyard and Winery
Thursday 29 - 11:30 Tour of Vineyard and Winery & 5:30pm Tour of Vineyard and Winery
Friday 30 - 5:30pm Tour of Vineyard and Winery
This looks to be a very classy operation, aided of course by its rather ideal situation on the Isle of Purbeck and within easy reach of Studland, Swanage and the Dorset coast.

The Purbeck Vineyard was established in the year 2000. The Vineyard planting programme nears completion with some 3,000 vines, the grape culture includes Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and lesser known but increasingly successful English grapes such as Regent, Rondo and Phoenix. Our on site winery enables us to harvest the wine grapes, press and vinify them into wine that truly is Chateau bottled.

In addition to the vineyard there is also a smart 4-star boutique hotel and restaurant.

The Purbeck Vineyard, Valley Road, Harmans Cross. Corfe Castle, Dorset BH20 5HU
T: 01929 481525

Somehow you don’t expect to stumble across a purveyor of fine Champagne based in North-East England - Champagne seems almost too ephemeral for the down-to-earth Geordies, more suitable for sipping by the Thames at Henley than by the Tyne at Jarrow!

So how wrong can you be - let’s not forget that Newcastle has always had a vibrant night life, that the redevelopment of the riverside and the arrival of the Baltic Wharf art gallery and the Milennium Bridge have been great successes - I know I’d rather live in the North East than in London!

Lovely Bubbly (great name for a Champagne specialist):-

We are passionate about Champagne, and so are our partners. We deal with family run vineyards producing quality hand crafted champagnes.

Each one has it’s own characteristics and personality, unlike main stream large brand champagnes which are well known for a reason. Their quality is assured by factory-style or large scale production, which results in loss of character.

What we wanted was a Champagne that reflected the TLC given to it by it’s maker. We found more than one, and you can find them all in the Lovely Bubbly online shop.

What we have provided is a fantastic range of quality Premier and Grand Cru champagnes at realistic prices, coupled with unparalleled events management experience to provide you, the customer, a complete Champagne experience.

They certainly have a good range of fizz, including this spectacular art-deco style bottle Cuvée Juline from Georges Vesselle “Vintage of Vintages”, blended from the finest cuvees that the House of Georges Vesselle has. The wines used are all between 5 and 10 years old, a superb celebratory drink or aperitif.” (£46.85 a bottle). They also have less extravagant offerings from £22.99

So don’t go looking for any of the big name brands - these are carefully sourced from small independent growers, but there is plenty of information and advice on the site to help you choose. The “Champagne Expert” for example recommends that “Champagne is best served at between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius. This allows all the flavours and aromas to properly develop.”
Several of the producers warrant a listing in my French wine Bible - Guide Hachette des Vins de France 2008, which only includes wines which have been selected at blind tastings by wine experts.

Whilst some of their business will inevitably be for corporate hospitality, the site remains welcoming to private customers.

Lovely Bubbly - Henry Studdy House, 139 Bedeburn Road, Jarrow,Tyne & Wear, NE32 5AZ
Phone: 0845 2572754 Fax: 0709 2006711

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

Andrew on www.spittoon.biz has the arduous duty of tasting and writing up individual wines, often as part of a wine and food pairing, Amongst the recent offerings:-

Chateau Laures Blanc - Entre Deux Mers AC, Bordeaux, France from Bordeaux Undiscovered
Howard Park Scotsdale Cabernet Sauvignon, Western Australia from Bibendum
Château Les Tonnelles, 2004, Fronsac AC, France from Bordeaux Undiscovered
Nederburg Chardonnay Viognier - South Africa from Waitrose
Rudesheimer Berg Rottland Riesling Spatlese, 2002, Rheingau, Germany from Waitrose

If you are lucky enough to have more wine than you know where to keep it, or unlucky enough to have a flat too small to hold more than the odd bottle, then Big Yellow has just opened a new self-service wine storage facility in Fulham, London.
Fine wine needs to be kept in good conditions if it is to reach its potential, which means a steady cool temperature, no vibration and little light. That is why cellars in older houses were ideal - except for often being a little too damp for the labels and corks. Certainly modern houses tend not to have a cellar or any space which meets the criteria - central heating which is too warm, the cupboard under the stairs suffering too much disturbance, garages where the temperature varies too much, and no cellar!

This new venture seems to offer a solution (if you are in London):-

We have launched a unique new wine storage service in our new flagship store in Fulham. It’s the UK’s first dedicated self storage wine facility and boasts features to keep your wine collection in perfect condition.
Climate control: The environment is maintained at 15 degrees centigrade (+/- 2 degrees C) and 67% humidity levels (+/- 5%)
Free access to your own personal cellar is available during our store opening hours, with out of hours access also available for a small weekly charge.
State of the art security: Every room is alarmed; the store is monitored 24hr with CCTV and 24 hr security on the premises

See www.bigyellow.co.uk.

For some reason Spain seems to be alone in offering wines shipped direct from Spain to your doorstep. Personally I think this is potentially a great idea if it allows access to wines which would not otherwise be available in the UK, and providing the prices including delivery are reasonable. But why just Spain, and not Italy or France or Portugal??

The latest such merchant to come to our attention is Excel Wines, an online merchant who ships direct. “We are three expatriates living in Bilbao, Spain: Anna Axén from Sweden, Sandy Tay from Malaysia and Ane Miren Lambe from Ireland. Apart from being good friends, we share a love of fine wines and, living in Spain, we have come to appreciate Spanish wines in particular. In addition, we have met wine lovers both inside and outside of Spain over the years and we have come to the conclusion that the new modern, fine Spanish wines are the best kept secret in the wine world.”
Their list looks interesting but the carriage charges look a bit steep compared to UK delivery - e.g. €58.30 for up to 3 cases of wine - that’s not far short of £50 at today’s poor exchange rate (£1=€1.21). But if there is something special which you cannot get otherwise in the UK, then you may consider it worth it.

More interesting is their Wine Blog which is entertaining and informative - learn more about Spanish rosé (Rosado or Clarete?), and about some new Spanish wine appellations.

For more info see Excel Wines

To celebrate the upcoming Spring Bank Holiday the New Zealand House of Wine is offering an exclusive FREE bottle of Cloudy Bay Sparkling Vintage Pelorus 2002 with every ‘Pre-Mixed’ or ‘Mix Your Own Case’ 12-bottle selection purchased until 26th May 2008! (Offer applies to orders for UK delivery only.)
You can choose from PREMIXED CASES or MIX YOUR OWN 12 bottle selection.
Your free bottle of Cloudy Bay Sparkling Vintage Pelorus 2002 will automatically be included with any qualifying 12-bottle Mixed Case purchase, so no need to do anything except place your order at www.nzhouseofwine.com

The sparking wine from Cloudy Bay is described as “An ideal ripening season, long and cool, producing intensely vibrant flavours. The 2002 Pelorus Vintage has sumptuous aromas that invoke thoughts of a baker’s kitchen… warm brioche and almond flan with lashings of strawberries and cream. The palate is powerful yet elegant with buttery shortbread flavours, a delicate orange tang and the merest hint of white mushroom, leading seamlessly into a very fine finish.”

It’s not a common combination, but when you consider the sheer size and population of China, it was somewhat inevitable that Chinese wine would be added to the ever growing list of imports from the Peoples Republic. Over 18 months ago www.spittoon.biz noted that “Domestic wineries are gearing up to put China’s name on the map of wine culture, helped by experts from home and abroad. So get ready for a chardonnay from Huadong, a cabernet from Changyu or a dragon’s seal from Beijing. Or how about a smooth cabernet sauvignon from Xinjiang?”

Morrisons is claiming to be the first UK supermarket to sell Chinese wine.

The retailer has added two wines from the north west of China to its portfolio: Silk Road Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay both retail for £5.99 and are 100% pure varietal wines.

Grant Eastwood, Morrisons’ licensed trades director, believes China has the potential to make wine that can compete with the world’s best-selling wine-producing countries, such as Australia.

“With their technology and ability, combined with a couple more years’ experience in this industry, they’ll be producing more excellent wines. They remind me of Australia in the early 90s, when they started to put down vines.”

Eastwood added that Chinese wine “could take on the world if only grape-growing conditions were better”.

Trading manager Arabella Woodrow MW described China’s climate - which is very dry with high summer temperatures - as “difficult for grape-growing”, adding: “I’m amazed they can grow grapes at all.”

Along with Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, China’s climate shows promise for Riesling, according to Woodrow. She added that, with quality continually improving, Chinese wine will be able to shake off its novelty image in the UK.

Bordeaux winemaker Fred Nauleau assisted in the making of the Silk Road wines, which are produced from an ethically-run vineyard and winery that is tended by local families with government support. Snow melt from the Tianshan mountains, which border the Taklamakan desert, irrigates the vineyards.