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

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

A new set of Wine Schools is starting off the Autumn with a variety of tastings in 4 major UK cities (outside London, which is already well-catered for!).

Birmingham Wine School - an independent wine education company, not affiliated to any wine merchants or retailers. We run Wine Tastings and Wine Courses for people who enjoy wine and would like to learn more about it. No previous wine tasting experience is necessary.

The courses and tastings focus on enjoying wine and learning about it in a relaxed and informal setting, with friendly people.

A number of formats are on offer - a single evening event, A Saturday full-day course, or a 5- or 10 -week course. So for example in September there is a single evening event looking at Old World v New World - a rare opportunity to taste and compare different styles of wine, supported by expert comment and the shared views of other tasters, novice and experienced. On Saturdays they run an “introduction to wine” course, which also includes a tutored tasting of 12 wines.

So if you, or a friend, really want to find out more about wine in general, or some specific grapes or regions, then this could just be the format which suits - informal and informative with plenty of opportunities for tasting!

The other locations are in Edinburgh, Newcastle-upon-Tyne and Leeds.

See Birmingham Wine School where you will also find details of Edinburgh, Leeds and Newcastle events

How refreshing to see a respected wine critic overturning a long-held prejudice - in this case Anthony Rose in the Independent (2 Aug 2008) :-

Was it only yesterday I was on holiday in Cahors in south-west France’s Lot Valley? So it seems, but it was actually 10 years ago that I took myself there with a case of Châteauneuf-du-Pape just to be on the safe side. The local plonk might be OK for washing down everyday fare, but what if my friends and I fancied something decent to drink? Earlier this summer, I returned to the scene of my criminal lack of confidence to attend something rather grandiosely called the Journées Internationales du Malbec. It was three convivial days of discussion, tasting, wining and dining and I could scarcely believe the progress made by Cahors in the space of a decade.

Now I admit I am partial to the Malbec wines of Cahors in the Lot département of South West France - and I also concede that in the past I have tasted some fairly rustic examples which could best be described as “an acquired taste”. But despite being French and often arrogant, the winemakers of Cahors often now produce wines which whilst obviously “big and tannic” as befits their tradition, can now offer smooth, rounded fruitiness to the palate - which to my mind means that the best of them can easily challenge other classic wines.
In many ways the New World has sparked this change of attitude - the emergence of big, ripe, generous Malbecs from South America has proved a major challenge. The New World wines tend to have buckets of upfront fruit, and a silky texture. I like them, but for my taste they lack some of the depth, intensity and complexity which the best Cahors can offer. “Horses for courses” it may be - but the sensuous pleasure of a mature. plummy oaked Cahors can be hard to beat for serious tasting.

Amongst others Anthony Rose recommends Domaine de Gaudou, Chateau Lagrezette , but my favourite is probably the Clos Triguedina (Waitrose).

For more on the wines of Cahors see www.frenchduck.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!

Joanna Simon in the Times (10 Aug 08) makes an impassioned plea to avoid the British tendancy to serve red wines too warm:-

The old rule that red wines should be served at room temperature is one of the most treacherous pieces of wine lore, unless you happen to like your rooms at a penitential 16C-18C. A few big, young, tannic reds, especially those designed to be aged, may taste rounder and more supple at 18C-20C, but the vast majority begin to lose their freshness and clarity of flavour at these temperatures. They will still be drinkable, but not as good as they could be or as the producer intended.

This idea arose from pre-central heating days and cold cellars, when reds were often needed a bit of acclimatisation before drinking. And as with most decent wines one of the keys is to avoid dramatic temperature change. It has probably become one of the myths about wine - i.e.  that all serious wine drinkers indulge in a respectful ceremonial which also includes decanting and allowing the wine to breathe.

But visit any vineyard and see what temperature the winemaker serves his samples for tasting - he is, after all, trying to present his wines at their best. This is especially true of most everyday wines (the great majority of wines are drunk young), and wines which today emphasise fruit character above the elements of “structure”, “depth” or mineral/vegetable.

Whilst a light, fruity Beaujolais can be served “chilled”, most reds will benefit from being served at the sort of temperature of the empty spare bedroom.

The issue of wine temperature has also been raised recently with a survey which showed that many shelves in supermarkets and chains were too hot or too close to bright light or vibration - all factors which can damage or at least change the wine. However, as most supermarket stock turns over quite quickly this may not be a severe problem.

Wine is an organic product, and betwixt winemaker and drinker there are numerous forces which can change the character and taste of the wine, so that what you get to taste may not be quite as the winemaker intended - sometimes this works to your advantage, other times not. I recall one winemaker in the Loire Valley who refused to ship wine in mid-summer, and she was probably right. Once loaded onto a lorry (uninsulated and with tarpaulin side curtains) the journey to the wine merchant can take several days (one consignment took 8 days from South West France) and may involve other collections and waiting for ferry or customs clearance - potentially in blazing sunshine and high temperatures.

The obverse is that white wines are often served too cold - straight from the fridge - which whilst refreshing, does not always allow the scents and flavours of the wine to reveal themselves.

Experiment a little next time you open a bottle and see how the wine changes.

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!

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Down in leafy Guildford, Arthur Rackham Wine Emporia are holding a BIG tasting of rosé wines on Saturday 9 August 2008 from noon to 6pm.

Increasingly, more and more winemakers are taking rosé wines seriously. No longer necessarily light, frothy and overly sweet, rosé wines now come in a myriad of different styles and flavours. A well made bottle can provide the refreshment of a white wine, with some of the flavours and structure of a red. Some accompany salads, grilled meats and fish, and other summer dishes perfectly, whilst others make delicious aperitifs. All are fun to drink.

There is an impressive selection of pink wines available, New World and Old World and includes some classic Provence rosés from Domaines Ott and Chateau de Pampelonne; a Malbec rosé from Cahors; A Sancerre; wines from Germany, Italy, Spain, Lebanon, Champagne….

For more info see www.ar-emporia.com

The Worcester Branch of the Campaign for Real Ale will hold its Ninth Annual Beer, Cider & Perry Festival from Thursday 14 August to Saturday 16 August 2008 on a site in the centre of Worcester Racecourse.

Being in the heart of cider- and perry-making country there should be a good range of styles to choose from - but not only local producers will be there - from Wales, Kent as well as more local Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Somerset and Gloucestershire. The beers are even more widely sourced - from the Isles of Scilly to Scotland via Northumberland and Cumbria, not forgetting Wales and Belgium!

For more info see www.worcesterbeerfest.org.uk

The Great British Beer Festival at Earls Court is Britain’s biggest real beer festival and brings together a wide range of real ales, ciders, perries and international beers. Organised by CAMRA the Campaign for Real Ale -

There will be at least 450 beers available during the festival including golden ales, fruit beers, stouts, bitters and some international real lagers. As well as a great selection of beer there is also cider and perry, all available in pint, half pint and third pint measures.

5-9 August 2007 at Earls Court, London
For more info see www.camra.org.uk

Majestic Wine has some special offers on Australia until 1 September 2008:
e.g. Buy any 2 Australian wines save 25%:

Wolf Blass Yellow Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2005/06, South Australia was £8.99 now £6.65
Plus - Buy any 2 Australian wines save 25% brings the price down to £4.99

Oxford Landing Chardonnay 2006/07, Yalumba, South Australia £5.99
Buy any 2 Australian wines save 25% . £4.49

20% off ITALY

20% off CHILE

Up to 50% off when you buy 2 bottles of the same Champagne

Up to 33.3% off when you buy 2 bottles of the same Sparkling Wine

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