Win a wine lover’s dream holiday to South Africa Buy any [...]]]> Adnams, the respected East Anglian brewer, hotel keeper and independent wine merchant hosts a free tasting weekend on 11/12 June 2010 – AND is also offering a chance to win a superb holiday on a South African vineyard estate (after the World Cup)

Win a wine lover’s dream holiday to South Africa
Buy any 12 bottles of South African wine
to be entered into a draw to win a five-night stay for two people at the beautiful Seidelberg Estate
vineyard in Paarl.

For more info see Adnams Cellar & Kitchen

4 Drayman Square,Victoria Street, Southwold, Suffolk IP18 6G

Other branches in Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Essex and in Richmond, West London.

Buy any 12 bottles of South African wine
to be entered into a draw to win a five-night stay for two people at the beautiful Seidelberg Estate
vineyard in Paarl.

Whilst the increases will only apply to new imports and withdrawals from bonded warehouses after the budget, many merchants will be holding some duty-paid stocks so you should have a week or so to grab a [...]]]> The 2010 budget on Wednesday 24 March is widely expected to increase duty on wines and spirits AGAIN!

Whilst the increases will only apply to new imports and withdrawals from bonded warehouses after the budget, many merchants will be holding some duty-paid stocks so you should have a week or so to grab a few bottles at today’s prices, which might look like a comparative bargain in a few weeks’ time.

Of course the other source of cheap(er) but quality wines has evaporated somewhat with the poor exchange rate for sterling against the €uro – so the cross-channel trip to stock up is no longer as attractive as it once was – According to Majestic Wine who operate warehouses in France (Calais and Cherbourg) and the UK:

When you buy a bottle of wine for £3.99 in the UK, you’re now paying a total of £2.20 in tax including VAT – more than half the cost! Avoid this tax by shopping in France where duty on wine is still roughly 3p a bottle. (pre-budget 2010 figures)

Certainly on their headline offers, their Southbank Sauvignon Blanc from Marlborough, NZ is offered at £2.99 a bottle when you buy 2 in France, and £4.99 a bottle when you buy 2 in the UK. Helpfully Majestic France display their prices in sterling so you do not need to make a complicated exchange rate conversion in your head – and as their list is online you could calculate the likely savings before you go – see www.majesticinfrance.co.uk

Personally I would always prefer a UK independent wine merchant who choses and knows his wines well – although Majestic staff in the UK are usually both knowledgeable and helpful and their list is not dominated by big name brands.

Offering our wines in this way means that we can make purchase cost savings, which we can pass on to you, [...]]]>
Secret Cellar is expanding with a new store in Oxted, Surrey at the end of September 2009, called WineOneHundred, so named as they will stock the 100 best-selling wines at any time:

Offering our wines in this way means that we can make purchase cost savings, which we can pass on to you, and we can keep the wine list fresh and exciting, focusing on those wines that taste brilliant at that particular time. The new store will also offer a decent selection of fine wines, champagnes, ports, dessert wines and beers, with lots to try before you buy…

There will be a Grand Opening Night on 4 September 2009 from 7-9pm – and you can join them for a glass of champagne

Wine One Hundred, 133 Station Road East, Oxted, Surrey RH8 0QE   t: 01883 722 944

As one of Central Otago’s original vineyards, Black Ridge take great care to selectively hand-pick their grapes in order to produce this premium quality, cool climate wine. With rich, intense aromas [...]]]> Majestic Wine has a special online offer of some top-rated Pinot Noir from the Central Otago region of New Zealand, (21 July 09)

As one of Central Otago’s original vineyards, Black Ridge take great care to selectively hand-pick their grapes in order to produce this premium quality, cool climate wine. With rich, intense aromas and flavours of blackberries and sweet black cherries, this wine delivers velvety fruit tannins and peppery spicy edges on a long, persistent finish. The complexity has been enhanced with several years’ bottle ageing.

12 bottles for £95.88 (i.e. equivalent to £7.99 a bottle) – only for ordering online at Majestic Wine

Black Rock Vineyard:- The setting is dramatic, carved from rugged outcrops of schist rock.  Pockets of vines cling to the Central Otago hillside, in a vivid contrast to the barren rock of Central Otago. Grapes are handpicked and the wine is handcrafted to reflect the unique terroir and climate of the vineyard.

For more info on Black Ridge Vineyards see http://www.blackridge.co.nz/

Waitrose Wine are offering 25% off all wines and champagnes when you buy a case and free delivery on all wine offers!

Offer does not include spirits, wine club, gifts and En Primeur See www.waitrosewine.com/ for further details.

Offers will run from 12pm on the 3rd June – Midnight [...]]]> Waitrose Wine Waitrose Wine Offer

Waitrose Wine are offering 25% off all wines and champagnes when you buy a case and free delivery on all wine offers!

Offer does not include spirits, wine club, gifts and En Primeur
See www.waitrosewine.com/ for further details.

Offers will run from 12pm on the 3rd June – Midnight on the 9th June 2009

One example is the whitle Greco di Tufo – Campania, Vesevo 2008 which was included in Decanter’s top 10 wines from Majestic earlier this year. “Another strong and refreshing [...]]]> Majestic Wine Warehouses are offering 20% off any 2 Italian wines throught May 2009 AND a free in-store Italian Wine tasting from 15-21 May 2009.

One example is the whitle Greco di Tufo – Campania, Vesevo 2008 which was included in Decanter’s top 10 wines from Majestic earlier this year.
“Another strong and refreshing white wine from the Vesevo stable near Mount Vesuvius. There’s plenty of crisp, crunchy apples and citrus fruit on show, with slight herbal edges adding a bit of complexity. This is a lovely summer wine that is textured and mineral – very appealing.”
For more info see www.majestic.co.uk

Despite the thirsty attentions of tourists in situ and the Corsicans themselves, [...]]]> Not for nothing is Corsica also known as the Ile de Beauté in french – but beyond its glorious scenery the island also produces some interesting wines, which Yapp Bros are now stocking – and Yapp know their France and french wines:-

Despite the thirsty attentions of tourists in situ and the Corsicans themselves, we have managed to secure and ship some wonderful wines for your (and our) enjoyment over the past five years. Aromatic dry whites, pale rosés for uplifting summer drinking, juicy, spicy reds with lots of earthy fruit interwoven with supple tannins and, not to be overlooked, the luscious, rare sweet Muscat from the Cap Corse that exudes heady orange blossom aromas and a decadent honeyed palate.

The local speciality is probably the Vermentino grape which produces light aromatic dry whites – but the island can also produce good reds – think central Italy which is on the same latitude – i.e about 100 miles south of the French Riviera with a mountainous terrain.

For more info see Yapp Bros

A selection of well-chosen wines from France, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Chile, Australia and New Zealand [...]]]> Online UK wine merchant Naked Wines looks to be offering a fresh approach to wine buying
– the best independent wine merchants offer interesting and seldom-seen wines and help to establish a link between the consumer and winemaker.

A selection of well-chosen wines from France, Argentina, South Africa, Spain, Chile, Australia and New Zealand and good use of web technology with plenty of customer feeback on the wines, a facebook and a twitter feed.

Proprietor Rowan Gormley writes:-

The bad news for small winemakers is that no matter how good their wines are, they don’t sell themselves (until we came along). So they have to either sell the wine to one of the big brands for peanuts. Or they have to buy a suit, an air ticket, and waste their time and money travelling the world selling their wines. So the price of the wine goes up. Which is bad news for you.

We want to change all that.

1. We champion small independent producers, who are passionate about making great wine – and not so passionate about being salesmen
2. We pay them a fair price (we often pay cash on the nail to help their cash flow)
3. And we cut out all the crap between you and them, that you don’t want to pay for, and you can’t taste. Like shops. And mail order. And importers, wholesalers, agents and other assorted middlemen.

Tastings offered

UK Delivery = £4.99

Naked Wines  Sackville House 44-48 Magdalen Street Norwich NR3 1JU t: 01603 281 80
  

Ever since the foundation of the business our determination to source good value wines from classic and lesser-known wine regions and our focus on [...]]]> Offerng a comprehensive range of quality wines from individual producers across the south of France, specialist wine merchants Stone, Vine and Sun have some new offerings and tastings to tempt:-

Ever since the foundation of the business our determination to source good value wines from classic and lesser-known wine regions and our focus on producing high quality lists, has won us national acclaim.

…..There’s something very complete about our annual offer of wines from the Languedoc and Roussillon: with whites, rosés and reds, and wonderful fortified wines, the Vins Doux Naturels which are such a speciality of the region, there should be something for all tastes. Secondly, there are wines for every budget; at every level we believe these wines continue to offer terrific interest and value for money, at a time when finding such within the euro zone has become harder than ever. That’s why we continue to promote and recommend the wines of Languedoc-Roussillon with such enthusiasm. Now the region has really got its act together too, coming up with a unified marketing strategy under the jolly banner of “Sud de France”, and the creation of a new all-embracing Languedoc appellation, which stretches across the whole arc from east of Montpellier down to Perpignan.

Attractive and informative website with online ordering and good tasting note – shop/warehouse to visit!

UK Delivery = £5.50   

 Tastings offered
 Stone, Vine and Sun No.13 Humphrey Farms, Hazeley Road, Twyford, Winchester SO21 1QA   t: 01962 712351

With spectacular landscapes, clean air and a sweeping coastline, Galicia has an array [...]]]> Galicia in northern Spain is a little known area with its wines and food even less known. But now independent wine and food merchant  Flavours of Spain has extended its range of fine wines with two UK exclusives from Galicia :-

With spectacular landscapes, clean air and a sweeping coastline, Galicia has an array of culinary treats from the land and the sea to offer. While our heart land is Galicia, our motto is quality and, above all, exceptional flavour; with this in mind we source the finest Spanish foods from small and family run-businesses with an emphasis on seasonality, sustainability, freshness and organic production methods. Discover the unique taste of Galicia and the best of Spanish produce with Flavours of Spain.

The Pedralonga Barrica is Galicia’s first limited production biodynamic wine, made from Albariño grapes, which are uniquely suited to the Atlantic climate of the Rías Baixas region and handpicked from 25 year old vines. Only 1,200 bottles are produced each year by the Alfonso family, which has followed traditional lunar phases and biodynamic principles for generations of winemaking.

For red wine lovers, the Pagos de Galir Selección Rosa Rivero is considered by many leading experts to be an essential addition to any collection or cellar. A multiple award winner, including the gold medal at the International Wine Salon 2005, the Pagos de Galir is made from Mencía grapes handpicked from Galicia’s sun-soaked Valdeorras region and was recently awarded 86 points by the Peñin guide of Spanish wines.

Teresa Holmes, director of Flavours of Spain, said: “The Pedralonga Barrica is a very unique and flavoursome wine with an intense bouquet of green fruit and mountain herbs. It is fermented for six months in French Allier oak barrels, which is reflected in its elegant and smoky flavour.

“By comparison, the Pagos de Galir is a very rich and rounded red wine with an aroma bursting with raspberries and red fruit. The wine spends twelve months in oak barrels, and a further twelve months in the bottle before reaching the market, ensuring an unrivalled quality and depth of flavour.”

Flavours of Spain Ltd, The Old Dairy,Brewer Street
Bletchingley,Surrey RH1 4QP

Telephone/Fax: 0870 330 2879
Email: enquiries@flavoursofspain.co.uk

also at London’s Borough Market on Saturdays

However, don’t overlook some exciting Spanish white wines (also 25% off any two bottles) which offer something completely different from Chardonnay and Sauvignons – despite being a predominantly hot [...]]]> Majestic Wine Warehouses have a new offer for March 2009  = 25% off any 2 Spanish wines, which includes a wide range of good Riojas.

However, don’t overlook some exciting Spanish white wines (also 25% off any two bottles) which offer something completely different from Chardonnay and Sauvignons – despite being a predominantly hot country, Spain can produce some great and different whites e.g. the surprisingly fresh and aromatic Vina Esmeralda from Torres -

“Made from a blend of Moscatel and Gewurztraminer, the seductive, well-defined aromas of honeysuckle, ripe pear and custard apple intermingle with sweet vanilla spice. Fresh and lively on the palate with an aromatic richness that finishes with nuances of cinnamon and cloves. Sublime served with seafood, fish and especially paté.”

or

Marques de Riscal Blanco from Rueda -

A light, delicate white wine with an intensely aromatic bouquet (courtesy of the Verdejo grape variety) and bursting with fruit. The acidity is well balanced to give a crisp finish.

For more info see www.majestic.co.uk