The Festival that has quickly become loved by not only the local people but visitors from outside of the Cotswolds where we all enjoy meeting food producers, brewers, winemakers and chefs dedicated to fostering, preserving and displaying the very best in food and drink. Join us in [...]]]> 17-19 June 2011 – Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

The Festival that has quickly become loved by not only the local people but visitors from outside of the Cotswolds where we all enjoy meeting food producers, brewers, winemakers and chefs dedicated to fostering, preserving and displaying the very best in food and drink. Join us in celebration of eating and drinking over a beautiful summer weekend.

Wine exhibitors include Aldeby Wines, Some Englshvineyards, local winemerchants (Darcy Wines), and a wine range of beers, ciders and perry.

see www.garden-events.com/cheltenham

From their bustling store in the quintessential market town of Northallerton, North Yorkshire, Mr Lewis & Mr Cooper built a world-renowned gourmet food emporium packed with local delicacies and gastronomic delights of uncompromising quality.

Today the [...]]]> Lewis & Cooper combine an excellent deli and wine store at their shop in Northallerton, North Yorkshire.

From their bustling store in the quintessential market town of Northallerton, North Yorkshire, Mr Lewis & Mr Cooper built a world-renowned gourmet food emporium packed with local delicacies and gastronomic delights of uncompromising quality.

Today the tradition lives on, handed down from generation to generation.

Lewis & Cooper today is a multi award winning independent gourmet food store, packed with the most flavoursome foodie treats, fine wines, delicious gift baskets and sumptuous food hampers, all available to order online .

Attractive, if busy, website, showcasing an impressive range of wines (and foods) from New and Old World – navigate by category (e.g. Indulgent Whites), brief tasting notes and online ordering.

Tastings are offered.

UK Delivery=£10.25

Lewis & Cooper, 92 High Street, Northallerton, N Yorks DL7 8PT   t: 01609 772880

also at 109 High Street, Yarm, TS15 9BB    t: 01642 784 158

and 23 Parliament Street, Harrogate,HG1 2QU

There will be in excess of 100 wines on show at this ‘Trade-Style’ wine [...]]]> York Wine Fair is held in the Guildhall in York on  26 September 2009 with two sessions – noon to 4pm and then 6pm to 9pm.As part of the York Food and Drink Festival which runs from 18-27 September 2009.

There will be in excess of 100 wines on show at this ‘Trade-Style’ wine tasting. Pick up a glass and wander round many different wine suppliers  sampling up to eight wines on each stand. For those who want to learn a little bit more, choose to take a ‘master-class’.

Amongst the wine merchants attending will be local food and drink specialists Field and Fawcett.

Book your tickets through theFestival Booking Line on 01904 466687 or visit www.visityork.org

Italyabroad.com brings you the best wine and food Sardinia can offer in one of the [...]]]> The wines of the Italian island of Sardinia are less well-known in the UK, so for a top opportunity to taste some of these wines you should book in for a Newcastle-Upon-Tyne tasting hosted by specialist merchants Italy Abroad:-

Italyabroad.com brings you the best wine and food Sardinia can offer in one of the best Italian restaurants in Newcastle.
Menu
On arrival: Vermentino di Sardegna
Starter: Filieri Rosato Cannonau Rosato with Antipasto sardo or Fregala cozze e gamberi
Main: Cannonau Vigna di Isalle with Gnocchi alla sarda or Spezzatino agnello piu’ contorno
To finish; Glass of Grappa di Cannoanu aged
The tasting will be held at Sabatini restaurant on the quayside on the 22nd of July starting at 7.00 pm. Places are limited to 25.

Italy Abroad is based in the North East, and looks to be both informative, knowledgeable and entertaining – everything you might want from an Italian specialist in both food and wine – olive oil, antipasti and the rest. Certainly they meet my criteria for a good merchant – offering something a little different with passion and enthusiasm!! There is tons of good information e.g. who has heard of the Lagrein grape – “The Lagrein, a grape widely planted in Trentino and Alto Adige in the north east of Italy, produces tannic, soft wines with real character and they age well. The grape is also used to produce elegant and fresh rose wines.” With a blog, newsletter and tastings this has to be a must visit site for Italianophobes!

For more info see www.italyabroad.com

Unit 6, Stanfield Business Park, Addison Street, Sunderland SR2 8SZ
Tel/fax 0191 565 4884
E-Mail: info@italyabroad.com

Inspired by the traditional fromageries found all over France, Peter Rich opened the first Jeroboams shop in London’s South Kensington in 1985. This shop sold a wide variety of cheeses, each sourced from farms [...]]]> London retailer chain Jeroboams is a well-respected specialist whose interests spread from an up-market deli, whisky retailer and wine merchants.

Inspired by the traditional fromageries found all over France, Peter Rich opened the first Jeroboams shop in London’s South Kensington in 1985. This shop sold a wide variety of cheeses, each sourced from farms and cheesemakers across Europe, which were individually matured by the Affineur and brought to perfection by expert staff before reaching the customer.

While the emphasis was initially on cheese, Jeroboams also stocked a range of speciality foods including charcuterie, oils and foie gras. Most importantly, Jeroboams also stocked a wide selection of fine wines and champagnes.

The formula was a success and new shops in London’s Holland Park and Belgravia superseded the original premises. The Jeroboams Cheese Club was created allowing members to receive a selection of seasonal cheeses in peak condition each month or to send them as a gift. A mail order service was established making it possible to deliver a mouth-watering range of cheese selections, hampers, fine foods, wines and Champagnes.

In 1996, to expand sales of wines and champagnes, Jeroboams acquired the London retail wine merchants Stones of Belgravia and re-branded the shops as its own. March 1999 saw Jeroboams acquire Laytons Wine Merchants, the shipper and retailer of fine wines. Laytons, founded in 1934, had built up a reputation both for its innovative approach to buying from the classic wine producing areas of the world. The three Laytons shops were re-branded as Jeroboams. On the back of the expertise derived from the acquisition of Laytons, a Jeroboams private customer sales team was established offering friendly, market-aware advice to those unable to visit the shops and delivering wine to customers throughout the UK.

Jeroboams is the wine retailer with 8 stores across London, Mr Christians the deli and Milroys of Soho the whisky specialist. Each of the websites now has “more background information to help make online decisions more informed as well as improved web features to make shopping easier”.

Good website with extensive tasting notes and online ordering. Each of the stores, incidently, has a live webcam – always fun!

Frequent tastings

UK Delivery = £9.95

Jeroboams,  50-52 Elizabeth Street, Belgravia, London SW1W9PB  t:020 7730 8108

6 Pont Street, Belgravia, London SW1X 9EL t:020 7235 1612

29 Heath Street, Hampstead,  London NW3 6TR t:020 7435 6845

96 Holland Park Avenue London W11 3RB t:020 7727 9359

56 Walton Street, Knightsbridge, London SW3 1RB t:020 7589 2020

20 Davies Street, Mayfair, London W1K 3DT t:020 7499 1015

1 St John’s Wood High Street London NW8 7NG  t:020 7722 4020

13 Elgin Crescent, Notting Hill, London W11 2JA  t:020 7229 0527

We’re an Independent Wine Merchant based in Eastbourne supplying quality wines from boutique producers around the world. We have a comprehensive selection of whisky, spirits, Champagne, [...]]]> From their Eastbourne base the Sussex Wine Company are rather active on the tasting/gourmet dinner front. Their calendar brims with delights, that quickly sell out by all accounts.

We’re an Independent Wine Merchant based in Eastbourne supplying quality wines from boutique producers around the world. We have a comprehensive selection of whisky, spirits, Champagne, organic wines, and luxury goods such as caviar, foie gras and handmade East Sussex organic chocolates. We deliver to the UK and now the EU, offer free (UK) delivery over £100 and feature many discounted mixed cases. We also produce a monthly newsletter with further subscriber offers.

The range is strong on France, Italy and Australia. Other areas are a bit light but offer ‘selected quality’ – Millton Opu Riesling an organic wine from New Zealand or Quinta da Boavista Espiga Tinto from Portugal for example.

For the gourmet the deli section holds many, mostly French, delicacies plus a wide range of caviar for those with deep pockets. Glasses, gift packs and gift certificates complete a good, broad range. Nothing wrong with the website either – easily navigable, clear and with just the right level of details on the products.

UK Delivery = £9.95

Tastings offered

The Sussex Wine Company 47 South Street,Little Chelsea, Eastbourne BN21 4UT    t:01323 431143

The plethora of unusual [...]]]> Not just 15o wines on the list but a fine looking range of deli items too – pasta sauces, olive oils, balsamic vinegars and the like. Italy Abroad is a member of the ASDW (Association of Small Direct Wine Merchants) about which you can read in the Telegraph.

The plethora of unusual grape varieties alone makes Italy a fascinating and exciting country to explore wine wise. One way to sample the delights of Italy and the range of wines Italy Abroad offers would be via one of their pre-mixed cases. These range in price from £70 up to £150 or so. There are five different cases to select from.

Red, white and sparkling wines are all listed and available to order by the bottle if the pre-mixed cases do not appeal. A range of organic wines is also available. For a regular two bottle shipment over a year (?) the wine club will be of interest. Cost is £185.

… “Il giro d’Italia con il vino”- was formed, in order to bring to a wider public some of the outstanding small and medium-sized Italian wine makers who, in our opinion, make Italy one of the most interesting wine producing country in the world.”

Every shipment also includes detailed information about the wine’s producers, tasting notes, and food pairing suggestions from Italyabroad.com online recipes. In addition, you’ll receive special offers for more Italian wines at discounted prices, available exclusively to Club members.”

My only complaint is the lack of delivery charge details in the small print. Oh and the fact that the online newsletter hasn’t been updated since December 2005!

We have two very important criteria for inclusion on this list – firstly, the wines have to have [...]]]>   Green & Blue have a shop and wine bar in East Dulwich, have a nicely designed website but I have never heard of Green and Blue before today. There is a focus on Natural Wines.

We have two very important criteria for inclusion on this list – firstly, the wines have to have been made with due care and attention paid to the growing of the grapes. That means no or very minimal chemical intervention and low yields (not pushing the vines to grow as much bland, boring fruit as possible), giving fruit which needs very little intervention in the winery.

Naturally then, most of the wines come from smaller producers, many family owned, who have the sort of respect for their vineyards that we heartily applaud. Those that come from slightly bigger companies all have the same ethos.

There are two prices on the website, one for the shop, the other for the bar. An interesting range indeed which they describe as

As an alternative to country listings, Green and Blue, have gone for grouping wines by style. ‘Crisp – elegant, lighter, dry & subtle’ or ‘Fruity – sometimes slightly aromatic’ are two of the white wine groups while the reds have ‘Spicy – smoky or rustic & earthy’ or ‘Rich – ripe or muscular & powerful’ for example.

The range isn’t huge(2006) with Italy appearing well represented although most countries make an appearance. The ‘Different… something unusual’ sections immediately appeal. Here you will find such delights as Château Montus Pacherenc Sec from Madiran and Sigalas Santorini, from Greece at  or Massaya Classic Red, from the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon  or Domaine Labranche-Laffont Madiran ‘Vielles Vignes, Madiran, France (2006 examples)

The fine wine section has such beauties as Seghesio Old Vine Zinfandel, California, USA  or maybe a bottle of Frogs Leap Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California, USA is more your thing at . A smattering of spirits, dessert and fortified wines complete the tightly formed list. Each wine has a little description attached along with details of the grape varieties and a simple food matching suggestion. Overall a nice site.

Nationwide delivery is offered, but I suspect a visit would be worthwhile. The website also excitingly offers online video with the owner Kate Thal talking about selected wines and grapes!

Tastings offered.

UK Delivery = £5.95

Green & Blue 38 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich   London SE22 8HJ  t: 0208 6939250

[

I have had the delight in attending several of her tastings (held locally to me in Marlow, Buckinghamshire and other up in London) and her passion certainly [...]]]> The indomitable Paula Sinberg runs the Ultimate Wine Company and for a small operation she manages to gather an impressive range of individualistic and quality wines.

I have had the delight in attending several of her tastings (held locally to me in Marlow, Buckinghamshire and other up in London) and her passion certainly manifests itself. They are a mix of the formal – sit down and the informal, pass the wines around and chat with a light buffet in between batches of wines.

Next Tasting – 10 Feb 2011 – French Wines at  Bacchus & Comus
57 Pelham Street, London SW7 2NJ 6:30 – 8:00 pm
for details phone 01628-472214

Range-wise all the main countries are covered although the Austrian listing is quit extensive and Italy is an obvious passion. New Zealand offers has several quality wines I haven’t seen listed elsewhere and, interestingly, Portugal has a very good representation too. Although generally pricey the Californian section is extensive, more so than many other specialists.

In amongst the wines several deli items await discovery; these are often included in the light buffet available during the tastings – another reason for going along to one!

The Ultimate Wine Company,
8 Millbank, Mill Road, Marlow, Bucks, SL7 1UA
Tel: (+44 1628) 472214
No retail outlet. Slightly high delivery charge at £15 per order.