Whilst they can boast representation of vineyards such as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy and highly respected wines from Bordeaux their list does include more affordable and accessible [...]]]> Long established (200+ years) Corney & Barrow are an up-market independent wine merchant in the City of London with shops in East Anglia and Scotland.

Whilst they can boast representation of vineyards such as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in Burgundy and highly respected wines from Bordeaux their list does include more affordable and accessible wines including one of our favourites = Chateau Grinou from Bergerac and their Combe de Grinou range.

At 230 years old, Corney & Barrow is one of the longest established Independent Wine Merchants in the UK. The original shop, opened by Edward Bland Corney, was on Old Broad Street in the City of London, selling a small selection of Port, Sherry and Bordeaux. The Head Office has remained City based ever since.

Corney & Barrow aims to offer carefully-selected, honestly-priced wines that not only deliver quality and value for money, but also a sense of place. We want to offer benchmark styles; wines which we believe to be the best examples of a wine style, country, region or sub-region, whether they are wines to drink immediately or wines to lay down.

They also offer tastings

UK Delivery = £12.50

Corney and Barrow, 1 Thomas More Street,  London E1W 1YZ  t:  020 7265 2400

Also at: Belvoir House, High Street, Newmarket, Suffolk, CB8 8DH t: 01638 600 000

and 8 Academy Street, Ayr, Scotland  KA7 1HT    t: 01292 267 000

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The Wine Room is your doorway to a world of wine. We [...]]]> The Wine Room in Whitstable, Kent is a new independent wine merchant run by Henry Rymill – specialising in biodynamic and organic wine, and being in Kent they also offer a good range of local English Wines – and beers and ciders!

The Wine Room is your doorway to a world of wine. We are an independent wine merchant that specialises in sniffing out wines from all over the world at all price levels that are attractive, interesting and most importantly represent good value.Virtually all the wines are from family owned estates made by people who carefully tend their vineyards and are passionate about the wines they craft. Many of the estates are also run on organic or biodynamic principles because they believe healthier vineyards produce better grapes and therefore higher quality wines.

The wine list looks interesting and is organised by wine style rather than country. Henry clearly knows his stuff and has made some excellent choices. There is a “Cellar Club” with tastings and dinners promised. No online ordering but a good if quirky website.

And they are not alone – traditional merchants [...]]]> Good to see the wine business keeping up with the latest trends – such as independent wine merchants Yapp Brothers who have developed an App (application) for the iPhone and iPod Touch – so you can browse their list of French regional wines in your hand.

And they are not alone – traditional merchants Berry Bros and Rudd also have an App  in the iTunes store featuring their list of fine wines.

Other merchants have facebook pages – such as Playford Ros (in North Yorkshire), Alexander Hadleigh in Southampton, The Bottle Bank in Falmouth, Surf4Wine (online) and southern France specialist  Stone, Vine and Sun.

Without getting obsessive about any particular site or merchant, these technologies and blogs can offer the wine-lover some good insights into the workings and passions of wine purveyors and anything which makes learning about and buying good wine easier.

UKWinesonline also has a page on Facebook

UPDATE:  The Antique Wine Company has also published a App for the iPhone/iPod Touch – see  www.antique-wine.com - “The App allows you to swiftly and discreetly access all of the wine facts you need to become an expert, ensuring that you will have those important gems of information to hand, whether entertaining friends or clients or just looking to choose a fine wine for a quiet moment.”

One of my frequent complaints about wine coverage in the national press, is that the wines most often featured are from the supermarkets and larger wine merchant chains. Inevitably given the wide readership of the newspapers, there is a tendency to concentrate on more obviously popular and readily available wines, keeping both the [...]]]>

One of my frequent complaints about wine coverage in the national press, is that the wines most often featured are from the supermarkets and larger wine merchant chains. Inevitably given the wide readership of the newspapers, there is a tendency to concentrate on more obviously popular and readily available wines, keeping both the majority of readers and advertisers happy.

This tends to bypass some of the more interesting offerings, and often will concentrate on the positive, and avoid anything negative by omission. So the arrival of the Wine Gang should be welcomed:-

The Wine Gang has been formed by five of the UK’s most respected wine critics. From left to right: Olly Smith of BBC1′s Saturday Kitchen, Tom Cannavan of wine-pages.com, Anthony Rose of the Independent, Joanna Simon of the Sunday Times and Tim Atkin MW of the Observer.

Our idea is simple: every week we attend a host of tastings restricted to the press and wine trade. But we’re frustrated. Why? Because with the limited coverage wine receives in the media, so much valuable information never reaches the consumer. Now, our independent assessment of at least 200 wines per month empowers you to buy smarter and drink better.

There is one drawback to this plan, which is that wine critics have to be selective about which tastings they attend, and which ones are on offer. A scan of the weekly wine articles often reveals that the same topic is covered in different publications – because the previous week they all attended the same tastings, albeit drawing independent conclusions.
The other drawback is that there is a cost = £19.99 a year. But for anyone who buys wine regularly this is a small investment to make a better informed choice of wine.

For more info see www.thewinegang.com

There are other sources of (free) wine advice – www.spittoon.biz by wine writer Andrew Barrow offers some interesting reviews and tasting notes and particularly looks at the issues of wine and food matching, something which can enhance the enjoyment of both elements.

The trip, on which winners will discover the ‘Route of Cava’, includes seven nights [...]]]> 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

Actually I did manage to sneak in one wine related question… [...]]]> Not directly wine related but over on SpittoonExtra/The Foodie List you will find details of a competition to win a Hotel Chocolate Hamper worth £50. The competition is open to all, not just UK residents.

Actually I did manage to sneak in one wine related question…

The other thing I was struck by was the preponderance of screwcaps–they were on [...]]]> Writing over at ‘Good Wine Under $20′, Dr Debs, has posted an interesting piece on visiting the wine aisles of Waitrose. Comparisons with supermarkets in America abound – particularly interesting is her take on the proliferation of scewcaps –

The other thing I was struck by was the preponderance of screwcaps–they were on practically everything, including wines from Burgundy

The wide geographical spread also impressed, something we here in the UK are so accustomed to we take it for granted. Waitrose of course offers on of the best ranges of the supermarkets but I urge Dr. Debs to venture further across London to discover the multitude of independents and the fine ranges they stock – I think she will be more impressed with the quality of wines, the breadth of range and the level of service we here in the UK have available.

Sadly the url isn’t working, displaying at the time of writing, a page not found error. The advert supplies a few hints -

Find Choosing Wine A Bit Confusing? Frustrated by trawling the supermarket shelves and never [...]]]> The January issue of Delicious magazine has a full page advert for Love That Wine.

Sadly the url isn’t working, displaying at the time of writing, a page not found error. The advert supplies a few hints -

Find Choosing Wine A Bit Confusing? Frustrated by trawling the supermarket shelves and never quite finding the right wine?

Log onto www.lovethatwine.co.uk and let the opinions of other wine shoppers inspire you on the right wine for the right occasion. Each wine is matched to the most suitable foods and occasions, and you’ll even get a good idea of what they taste like before you go out and buy them! Whether it’s a romantic meal in for two or a fun packed party night in with friends, www.lovethatwine.co.uk is your invaluable on-line wine friend.

It would appear to be a variation on the bottletalk concept, which does at least load, only directed at the supermarket wine aisles.

There are 18 different categories that a blog can be nominated for by anyone. So get your thinking caps on and look for best Food [...]]]>

There are 18 different categories that a blog can be nominated for by anyone. So get your thinking caps on and look for best Food Photography blog, the best New Food Blog, the best drink blog and many more. Nominations need to be in by 15th December (midnight EST). Then the judges – not sure who they are exactly – select the top 5 in each category. Then it is back to the people to vote!

The winners will be announced January 5.

Not sure, as editor/writer, if I am able to vote but if I could just nudge you in the direction of Spittoon for that drink category….