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Château Guiraud fires starting gun with 2016 release
Château Guiraud has taken the unusual step of releasing its Bordeaux 2016 Sauternes and dry white wine ahead of en primeur tasting week, starting 3 April. Guiraud released at 30 euros ex-Bordeaux on Monday 27 March, keeping its release price level with last year.
It is extremely rare for anyone to release this early and Guiraud co-owner Xavier Planty was keen to stress that he still looks forward to welcoming critics and journalists next week.
Planty also said that he valued a ‘sincere’ relationship with consumers and that this played into the estate’s thinking. Some merchants were already offering the in-barrel wine for sale. In the UK, Millesima was offering a case of 12 half-bottles for £184 in bond on 27 March.
Others said that they would hold back. ‘We have not tasted the wine and therefore will not yet promote it,’ said Max Lalondrelle, fine wine buying director at Berry Bros & Rudd. But, he said that the move was a good one overall for Guiraud.
‘It will give a chance for the wine to be promoted on its own, away from the madness of the releases,’ he said. Berry Bros does plan to sell the wine as soon as its team has tasted a sample.
Sauternes and Barsac wines command lower prices in general than the equivalent, top red wine estates Bordeaux’s Left and Right Banks. As a result, Bordeaux’s premier sweet wines have often struggled for recognition during the annual en primeur campaign.
Singer Pink reveals California winery and early love for Châteauneuf-du-Pape
Pink, who’s real name is Alecia Beth Moore, described herself as a big fan of biodynamics and has spent the past four years cultivating an organic vineyard in southern California, after being inspired by visits to leading wineries all over the world.
‘It’s my dirty little secret,’ the Grammy-award-winning singer, songwriter and actress said of her newly finished winery during an interview with wine expert and broadcaster Olly Smith. The pair and producer Richard Hemming MW shared a glass of Pontet-Canet 2010 during an interview at her winery near to Los Olivos just north of Santa Barbara.
After coming off tour in Australia about four years ago, she and her husband set about the vineyard plan, juggling learning about wine inbetween performances.
‘I took online courses. I started at the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). I would get off stage and be, like, oh, I have a test. I loved it, especially the [online] videos.’
Pink, or P!nk, has sold more than 60 million albums worldwide, but appears just as happy pruning vines as performing to tens of thousands of people.
‘The first I wanted to do was learn how to prune. So I got my brand new Beck album, I got my earphones and I went out and spent days pruning. It’s my favourite thing to do. Where else do you get eight hours to work with nature?’
Her estate covers 25 acres and includes an eclectic Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec, Grenache and Grenache Blanc. ‘We are taking out the Malbec,’ she said.
‘We’ve worked with it for three years and it’s not blowing me away. The Cabernet Franc next to it is blowing me away. So we’re replanting. [We also] took out a block of Cabernet Sauvignon that was getting its a** kicked by the wind. We replanted half the bloc and grafted half the bloc to Sauvignon Blanc. So we’ve been working with that for one year and it’s going really, really well.’
The wine is not currently available for sale, but could be in future, she said.
UK ports face standstill after Brexit, warns wine trade
UK ports will be ‘stopped dead’ and wine could be held there for days if a customs deal isn't reached in Brexit negotiations, the Wine and Spirit Trade Association (WSTA) has warned as the government prepares to trigger Article 50 this week.
If customs from the EU have to be declared, there will be significant delays at British ports, turning them into ‘lorry parks’, the WSTA warned. Currently, only imports and exports from outside the EU are subject to customs controls.
But, if the UK leaves the customs union as well as the single market following its two years of Brexit talks, the volume of cargo subject to inspection at British ports will more than double, according to the WSTA. Ministers plan to trigger Article 50, marking the start of negotiations, on Wednesday 29 March.
The WSTA also warned of a risk of a resurgence of alcohol smugglers, if it proves difficult to get wine and spirits in and out of the UK.
‘There must be clear and workable mechanisms in place to allow cross-border trade of wine and spirits from the moment we leave the EU,’ said Miles Beale, chief executive of the WSTA. ‘Anything else will result in huge delays at the ports leading to backlogs and gridlock.’
The UK is the second largest importer of wine by volume, after Germany, and second in value, after the US, according to the WSTA. The majority of wine imports into the UK arrive by boat and are distributed across the country by lorry. On average, the port of Dover alone handles 290 lorries per hour, carrying a range of goods, which works out at one every 12.4 seconds, according to the WSTA.
‘The UK is the most important country in the global wine and spirit trade and criminals will find alternative methods of getting alcohol in,’ said WSTA customs expert, David Richardson. ‘It’s big business for Britain and it’s vital government maintains the free flow of trade between the UK and Europe and reassures industry with an early solution.’
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As we slowly approach BBQ season we thought we would begin to showcase some of our brighter wines. Both of these peppery and fruity Aussie Shiraz's go great with food or just by themselves.
Mitolo Jester Shiraz, McLaren Vale 2013
Deep, dark red. Pure and unobstructed by new oak, the nose is lifted with dark fruit flavours of blackberry, mint chocolate and anise. Dustings of white pepper spice, vanilla, and black olive tapenade provide an intriguing savoury counterpoint to the more primary fruit characters. The palate is concentrated with a luscious rolling texture and packed with fresh blackberry, dark chocolate and liquorice flavours. The wine is juicy and plush with silky tannins that linger, providing a drying, savoury finish.
Tyrrell's Lost Block Heathcote Shiraz 2013
Dark, vibrant purple-red colour. Aromas of ripe cooked plums and elegant peppery spice. Fresh black cherries and dark chocolate on the palate: rounded tannin structure comes from time in older French oak.
Come and give them a go, they're as smooth as silk!
Cheers!
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Finally some sun! It's been far too long but it's finally making an appearance again! Now that everything's starting to warm back up again that means we can enjoy something nice and cold and possibly even white...
Errazuriz Aconcagua Costa Sauvignon Blanc 2014 @ £11.95 p/bt
Of a lovely pale yellow colour, with greenish reflections, the Aconcagua Costa single vineyard Sauvignon Blanc is elegant and austere. Citric aromas of grapefruit and lime laced with notes of passion fruit and subtle hints of herbs and a leafiness are predominant on the nose. This very big wine feels dry and edgy on the palate, with great acidity and a light mineral flavour that gives it nerve and freshness.
Torres Tormenta Sauvignon Blanc 2015 @ £9.95 p/bt
A wine of massive aromatic intensity and character, exploding with tropical notes (passion fruit and mango) with citric and woolly hints. On the palate the wine has a crisp but full-bodied mouth-feel giving way to more layers of flavour such as of passion fruit, lime, gooseberry and grapefruit. The finish is very long and velvety. Outstanding.
Delta Vineyards, Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2015 @ £12.95
A wine with great concentration and a classic spectrum of flavour. It has a depth of blackcurrant notes and blackcurrant leaves on the nose with hints of peach and passionfruit. The palate is textural and mouthwatering with passionfruit and mineral flavours. Fresh acidity with underlying green herbal notes adds focus to the wine.
All of these are available cold so come on down and grab a bottle!
Cheers!
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Sometimes we just need something big and rich to warm us up and get us through these windy spring days. How about something Argentinian? What about a Malbec?
Kaiken Ultra Malbec 2015 @ £12.95
Brilliant, deep ruby-red, with a wonderful display of rich aromas.The nose is enticing and spicy with black fruit aromas of blueberries and blackberries. Good structure and soft tannins lead to a finish that is fresh, complex and long, with fruit notes and subtle undertones of rosemary, thyme, and dry flowers.
Colome Estate Malbec 2014 @ £17.95
Deep bright red with a magenta hue. Aromas of black and red fruits including blackberries, blackcurrants, raspberries and cherries, with touches of violet floral notes and hints of spices and minerals. Fresh and fruity on the palate with muscular structure and round, velvety tannins. A fine, delicate yet lengthy finish.
Chakana Ayni Malbec 2014 @ £21.95
This gorgeous Argentinian juice has a ripe, opulent nose, with notes of prunes, peaches, dark cherries, damsons and musky flowery blossom. The palate is full-bodied, with some warm notes of very ripe fruit flavours lending to those round, saturated tannins. A huge, tasty, hedonistic Malbec.
All of these are available to taste at any time so please come and give them a go. We promise you won't be disappointed. Cheers!
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New Bill to make British embassies serve English wine
Britain’s Diplomatic Service should do more to support English wine – and Welsh wines – at official functions overseas, according to Nusrat Ghani MP. Her Sussex constituency includes several English wine producers.
MPs approved Ghani’s bill to be introduced into the UK’s lower parliamentary chamber, the House of Commons, this week. She described it as one of the first ‘Brexit bills’, coming as the government prepares to trigger Article 50 and launch the two-year process of leaving the European Union.
‘In a post-Brexit world, we must do all we can to get behind industries that show the sort of potential of our wine industry,’ said Ghani. But, the bill would probably need government support to make it into law. ‘We are delighted that this subject is being debated in Parliament,’ said Barry Lewis, CEO of United Kingdom Vineyards Association.
‘English wines seldom feature on the diplomatic service wine list, and it stands to reason that as the representatives for the UK around the world, embassies and high commissions should as a matter of course buy in English and Welsh wines for their functions,’ he said in a statement published on Ghani’s website. Homegrown wines are already a strong feature at government events in London.
Figures from the UK government’s hospitality cellar show that more than 350 bottles of English and Welsh wines were opened at official functions in the 2015 to 2016 tax year. English wine is an official reception wine, while other bottles opened for guests during that period included Ridgeview Grosvenor Brut 2009, Breaky Bottom Brut Reserve and Camel Valley Brut from the 2008 vintage and Nyetimber Classic Cuvee 2007.
EU holds back from enforcing calorie labels on wine
There’s no reason why wine producers should not provide more comprehensive information on ingredients and nutrition, says a new report published by the European Commission.
But, Commission officials announced this week that they wouldn’t impose tighter labelling rules on wine, beer and spirits – for now. Instead, producers will be given a chance to take more ‘voluntary’ action.
Nutrition and ingredients labelling remain controversial issues in the wine world, although there is evidence of growing support for calorie counts. Alcoholic drinks above 1.2% abv have a special exemption from EU food labelling rules that means producers don’t have to list nutritional information, such as calories, or ingredients – unless the ingredient is a proven allergen, like sulphites.
Producers have one year to develop a ‘self-regulatory proposal’ that improves the amount of information available to consumers, the European Commission said. European commissioner for health and food safety, Vytenis Andriukaitis, said, ‘This report supports the right of people in the European Union to be fully informed about what they drink.
‘It does not identify any objective grounds justifying the absence of the list of ingredients and nutrition information on alcoholic beverages.’
Some producers and retailers support calorie labelling on wines, in particular. In the UK, which has often led the way on nutrition labelling in general and remains part of the EU for at least two more years, the Sainsbury’s and Waitrose supermarkets have supported calorie counts on bottles in recent years.
Others support providing information online rather than on the label. With Brexit in mind, it is worth pointing out that the UK government has joined calls for better calorie labelling in alcohol in recent years – although it has also preferred a self-regulatory approach. ‘Now the challenge is on us, and we embrace the responsibility,’ said Ignacio Sánchez Recarte, secretary general of European winemaker body CEEV.
Prosecco DOC chief to ban Glyphosate chemical spray
Stefano Zanette, president of the Prosecco DOC council, said that he wanted to voluntarily ‘eliminate’ the use of one particular herbicide and two fungicides in the Italian sparkling wine production zone. It is part of the council’s strategy to improve Prosecco’s sustainability credentials.
‘Even if permitted by law, these elements seem to have become a source of concern for both local residents and consumers,’ said Zanette. ‘I am committed to ensuring that the ban of these active ingredients is binding, i.e. mandatory for all producers in our denomination.’
He named the three products as the Glyphosate herbicide and the Folpet and Mancozeb fungicides. None of the three chemical sprays named are forbidden under European Union rules.
Zanette added, ‘In the very near future, Prosecco DOC plans to obtain a certification that will initially guarantee the sustainability of individual wines and will ultimately guarantee the sustainability of the entire Prosecco denomination.’ Glyphosate, one of the world’s most widely used herbicides, has caused significant debate. EU members states could not agree on its future during meetings in 2016 – following a three-year review of evidence.
This week, the European Chemical Agency said Glyphosate was safe to use. But a final decision will rest with EU member states later this year.
A World Health Organisation study said in May 2016 that the weedkiller was unlikely to pose an increased risk of cancer in humans, although earlier WHO research separately suggested the risk might be real.
The European Commission said last year that Glyphosate could continue to be used during its review period under certain conditions, including minimal use if near to public parks or playgrounds. Monsanto, which produces Glyphosate, has repeatedly stated that its product does not pose a health risk.
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There's no need to panic! We have got you covered! Mothers day gifts are no problem with our selection of Champagne. From half bottles all the way up to Methusaleh (6L!) there's something for absolutely everyone.
Pol Roger Brut NV @ Half £19.95 Bottle £34.95 Meth £650
A truly beautiful example of a champagne from a very famous name. On the nose, the champagne is dominated by aromas of white flowers, green apples, brioche and a trace of some kind of minerality or steeliness. On the palate there are notes of stone fruits a certain nutty appeal and a hint of honey supporting the freshness of the acidity.
Andre Clouet NV Rosé Champagne @ Bottle £29.95 Mag £59.95
As ever with Andre Clouet, a generous and fine juice. Another Champagne from Clouet that reaches heights of structure and opulence yet remains focused and true to its name. Plenty of bold red fruit and very obviously a Pinot Noir. Yet all the pleasure points that make Champagne so special are woven throughout.
Janisson Baradon Grand Reserve Magnum @ £49.95
Beautiful light yellow, almost straw colour. Big nose of fruity aromas with a gorgeous mousse on top. Stout and sharp mouth all at once. Pleasant and decorated with a fruity flavour coating the mouth. It is a characterful and lively wine that reflects its terroir, which will bring you back every time. A quality unbeatable for this price.
These and even more styles are available so come and have a chat and we can find exactly what you're after.
Cheers!
