The ‘Man with the Ax’ is the nickname for the King of Diamonds in Poker-parlance, and in California, Cabernet is undoubtedly ‘King’. Rich cassis fruit and a good lick of oak make this a plush, easy-drinking example of why it is so highly prized.'.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Ripe blackcurrant and wild berry fruit on the nose complemented sweet vanilla oak.

Palate

Rich cassis and black cherry fruit on the palate with a soft, juicy, yet long finish. Framed by the subtle American oak.

Ripe cherry and black cherry, with spicy notes, smooth tannins and a finish of ripe forest fruits.

Tasting Notes

Specifications

Powerful yet approachable!

Tasting Notes

Palate

A marvellous, lean, moustached celebration of the mighty Cab Franc. Meet Captain Francis Frobisher, otherwise known as CABARET FRANK. A celebration to the marvellous, lean and mighty Cabernet Franc grape variety.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Bright notes of juicy red fruits are complemented by blackcurrant leaf notes so typical of Cabernet Franc.

Palate

Smooth, medium-bodied and easy-drinking wine that strikes a lovely balance with its blackberry, plum and dark cherry fruit characters coupled with classic varietal leafy tones.

Production

Made predominantly from Old Vine Cabernet Franc (85%), the balance being a harmonious blob of sibling Cabernet Sauvignon. The grapes are harvested from 'old vines' (45 years) sourced from the single biggest Cabernet Franc vineyard in the world located in Lodi, Central California. The wine has spent just two months on oak to enable the true flavours and characters of the Cabernet Franc (and touch of Cabernet Sauvignon) to shine through.

Alan's Tasting Notes

"Perfect pizza wine - full-bodied and flavoured with sweet cherry fruit and a slight smokiness. Well-balanced and very moreish - and the most interesting packaging - a real handlebar delight!" July 2022

Specifications

Vibrant and fresh, a perfect Picpoul!

Tasting Notes

Gently perfumed ripe melon fruit on the nose. The palate is ripe but retains excellent freshness, balanced by a touch of white pepper spice that is very typical of its grape variety. Deliciously long, the finish shows bright fruit and a clean, saline/mineral edge.

Production

Producer

Cave de l'Ormarine is an award-winning co-operative which produces wines from the tiny Pinet de Picpoul appellation in the Hérault. The l'Ormarine cellar was established in 1922 when vignerons from Pinet joined forces and formed a winegrowers' association.

Today, the Cave de l'Ormarine is a conglomeration of five separate co-operatives from across the Hérault, each with their own specific terroirs and styles of wine. It is proud to have 470 members farming more than 2,500 hectares of vines.Its flagship Picpoul wines are fresh and terroir-driven, and hugely influenced by both the Mediterranean Sea and the Etang de Thau, which act as a thermal regulator for the vineyards. In fact, it is said of Picpoul that, "Son terroir, c'est la mer (Its terroir is the sea)."Cave de l'Ormarine has made significant investment in its winery, and prides itself on the high-quality standard and traceability of its grapes.

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

"Spot on - clean, fresh as a daisy, lovely melon fruit titillated with a touch of pepper and a delightful, saline finish. Perfectly balanced and great for salads, shellfish, and chicken dishes. A bottle of this and a dozen oysters s’il vous plait. Bang on for a tenner - great value - over delivers and proves that coming off the well-worn path pays dividends." September 2022

Specifications

An appealing appassimento style red from the Veneto - produced from classic Amarone and Valpolicella grapes.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Bright berry and black cherry aromas, and a touch of spice.

Palate

The palate has all of Valpolicella's appealing fresh cherry and ripe bramble fruit, along with added weight and complexity from maturation in oak. Supple tannins lead to a finish of delicate sweetness, offset by fresh acidity.

Producer

The illustrious Montresor family moved from France to Italy at the start of the 19th Century and settled in the Veneto region near Lake Garda. In 1892 Cantina Giacomo Montresor was established in Verona, and remains family-owned to this day.

Giorgio Montresor produces a portfolio of wines which increasingly rival the offerings of the region's more fashionable names - harnessing modern technology to craft the best wines from each site, across their 100ha of vineyard, in Valpolicella and Garda.

Production Method

Produced from Corvina, Corvinone and Rondinella grapes harvested from hillside vineyards north of Verona. 'Appassimento' refers to the process by which the grapes are dried for a few months before being pressed and vinified - this technique is more common in the Veneto than elsewhere in Italy. In this instance the grapes are dried for 30 days before vinification, and the wine spends 6 months in oak. The resulting red is rich with some residual sweetness.

A Note on Sustainability

At the end of 2019, Montresor received its organic certification. Some of its wines are already bottled in a lighter weight glass bottle (less than 420g) to reduce carbon dioxide emissions during transport, with the added benefit of reducing the amount of glass to be manufactured.

Over the next two years, solar panels will be installed at the winery to provide some of the electricity required in the production process. Alongside this, Montresor is about to install a water purification system to recover and recycle the water used at the winery.

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Colour

Mora Mora is presented in the glass with a beautiful intense ruby red color.

Nose

On the nose, it offers small red fruits such as blackberries and mulberries in full ripeness. Then there are hints of dried plums and sweet spices such as cinnamon and cloves that give an enveloping tertiary perception.

Palate

In the mouth, it is warm, juicy, fresh with a slightly hinted acidity. Final with a very light sweetish aftertaste given by the typical fruit of black malvasia.

Vinification

The harvest is carried out in the second decade of September with a manual harvest of the grapes completed in the early hours of the morning, in the coolest hours of the day. After harvesting, the grapes are destemmed and the crushed grapes ferments in stainless steel at a controlled temperature of 22-24 ° C for 8-10 days. The must is subjected to various pumping over and delestage that offer a technological extraction of color and tannins. Subsequently the wine is drawn off in a soft press. After the first racking, again in stainless steel, the malolactic fermentation takes place. Finally, the wine finishes its maturation for 3 months in second and third passage French oak barriques and is already ready to be drunk very young.

Specifications

"Amazingly delicious organic Riesling from Chile. Fresh limes with a mineral and saline undertones with a hint of developed Riesling kerosene - stunningly complex and a real steal at this price!" Alan's personal notes.

Tasting Notes

Expressive Chilean Riesling with a broad appeal.

Nose

Quietly complex on the nose with fresh lime notes combining with a steely minerality and gentle honeysuckle flora.

Palate

The palate is mid-weight and off-dry with persistent flavours of lime, there is a natural salinity which gives contrast yet lovely balance. It finishes clean with a lingering flinty character.

Production

Vines were planted in 1993 at the Fundo Quitralman, Mulchén vineyard in the Bio-Bio Valley, 500km south of Santiago. Grapes are handpicked then placed in a pneumatic press to obtain the different musts, which were kept separate. Once ferment was complete, the wine was left in contact with its fine lees in stainless steel tanks for 5 months, with periodic stirring (batonnage) before being fined and bottled.

Producers

Voted by Wines of Chile as "Winery of the Year 2016", Emiliana is one of Chile's most exciting producers and pioneers in organic and biodynamic winemaking. Since 1998, this Chilean winery has been producing award-winning wines from almost 1,000 hectares of vineyards in prime sites including Casablanca, Maipo, Cachapoal, Colchagua and Bio Bio.

Its spectacular biodynamic vineyard and winery at Los Robles is a model that attracts visiting viticulturalists and winemakers from across the world. Emiliana's innovative and natural-leaning wines are made with great care and attention and the results are inspiring.

Sustainable

Emiliana began its conversion to organic production in 1998, and today 100% of its properties are organically managed. It is the world’s largest organic winery. It holds organic certifications in accordance with the standards of the United States, Canada (NOP), Brazil, Chile, Japan, South Korea, China, and Europe. In 2006, Emiliana was the first winery in Latin America to produce a wine with biodynamic certification. Since then, the use of biodynamic practices at its farms and cellars has been accredited and today 100% of its properties are certified. Emiliana received its Fairtrade and Fair For Life certifications in 2011 and 2017 and has been selling fair trade wines since 2012.

Emiliana was a pioneer in the implementation of the Wine of Chile Sustainability Code certification in 2012. This standard was developed for the Chilean wine sector to support the implementation of sustainable practices at a national level, as well as social and environmental responsibility at Emiliana.

Emiliana is certified to use the Vegan Society trademark, which attests that its wines are produced without any animal-derived products.

Emiliana also produces an annual sustainability report.

Awards

• Bronze - Sommelier Wine Awards 2018 (2016 vintage)

Specifications

Classic fruit-driven Maipo Cabernet sourced from some of the best organic vineyards in the valley.

Tasting Notes

Colour

Ruby red in colour. 

Nose

The nose is intense, with a pronounced presence of blackcurrant backed up with notes of cherries and strawberries as well as a hint of chocolate.

Palate

Medium-bodied and well balanced with ripe black fruits, smooth tannins and refreshing acidity, resulting in a juicy and approachable Cabernet.

Production

Grapes for this wine are organically grown in very deep soils on terraces of alluvial origin with loam to clay-loam textures and abundant stones in the profile that provides excellent drainage. The Alto Maipo zone has ideal conditions for growing Cabernet Sauvignon. The Maipo River naturally regulates the temperatures and prevents extreme cold or frost as well as excessive summer heat. The absence of rainfall in the spring encouraged good fruit set and excellent plant health. It turned cloudy as summer began, however, and rainfall in early April forced an early harvest. The early harvest returned wines that are perfumed, expressive, and elegant. Vinification begins with a 4–5-day pre-fermentation cold soak at 8ºC followed by alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks with native yeasts at 26ºC and a pumpovers program determined by enological criteria. Malolactic fermentation takes place naturally in tanks and barrels, where the wine is aged at controlled temperatures for 12 months. It is neither fined nor stabilized; it is just lightly filtered prior to bottling. The wine is aged for 12 months, 60% in French oak barrels, 10% in a French foudre, and 30% in stainless steel.

Producer

Voted by Wines of Chile as "Winery of the Year 2016", Emiliana is one of Chile's most exciting producers and pioneers in organic and biodynamic winemaking. Since 1998, this Chilean winery has been producing award-winning wines from almost 1,000 hectares of vineyards in prime sites including Casablanca, Maipo, Cachapoal, Colchagua and Bio Bio.

Its spectacular biodynamic vineyard and winery at Los Robles is a model that attracts visiting viticulturalists and winemakers from across the world. Emiliana's innovative and natural-leaning wines are made with great care and attention and the results are inspiring.

Sustainable

Emiliana began its conversion to organic production in 1998, and today 100% of its properties are organically managed. It is the world’s largest organic winery. It holds organic certifications in accordance with the standards of the United States, Canada (NOP), Brazil, Chile, Japan, South Korea, China, and Europe. In 2006, Emiliana was the first winery in Latin America to produce a wine with biodynamic certification. Since then, the use of biodynamic practices at its farms and cellars has been accredited and today 100% of its properties are certified. Emiliana received its Fairtrade and Fair For Life certifications in 2011 and 2017 and has been selling fair trade wines since 2012.

Emiliana was a pioneer in the implementation of the Wine of Chile Sustainability Code certification in 2012. This standard was developed for the Chilean wine sector to support the implementation of sustainable practices at a national level, as well as social and environmental responsibility at Emiliana.

Emiliana is certified to use the Vegan Society trademark, which attests that its wines are produced without any animal-derived products.

Emiliana also produces an annual sustainability report.

Awards

• Silver - 2018 International Wine Challenge (2015 vintage)

Alan's Personal Notes

"Full-on classy damson and cherry fruit - beautifully balanced with a touch of oak. Such a good glass of wine for £9.95 a bottle - organic & vegan to boot!"

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Nose

Crushed laurel on the nose with more than a nuance of residual seaside salt.

Palate

This has a big and textured palate with stone fruit and fennel hints – it is rich and minerally, showing even a slight rocky quality about it. As bracing as the wind through the vines at Waterkloof.

Production

A great introduction to Rioja Crianza - vibrant and appealing with plum and berry fruit backed with subtle spice and vanilla.

Tasting Notes 

An attractive, modern style of Crianza with lifted aromatics of bramble fruit with some pepper and spice. Substantial on the palate, with plummy fruit, ripe tannins and a gently savoury fresh finish.

Production Method

Made from Tempranillo grapes cultivated in hillside vineyards (600 metres above sea level) in the best parts of Rioja Oriental. The vineyards have clay stone soil with some sandy areas. 80% of the vines are trained in the trellis method and 20% are bush trained. The grapes are chilled for several hours before temperature-controlled fermentation in stainless steel. Fermentation lasts for approximately 15 days with twice daily remontage. The wine is matured for a minimum of 12 months in American oak, plus one year in bottle, before release. The winery replaces 20% of its barrel stock, with new barrels, each year.

Producer

Bodegas Ontañón is a 5th generation family-owned and run winery in Rioja Baja (now Rioja Oriental). Here Raquel, Rubén and Maria Pérez Cuevas continue their father Gabriel's work to develop Bodegas Ontañón into one of the most highly-regarded wineries in Rioja. Ontañón has vast swathes of vineyard in this part of Rioja. Whilst wine production in the region is typically very dependent on contracts with grape growers, the Pérez Cuevas family has seen fit to invest heavily in the purchase of its own land and vines. Its 250ha is a testament to the importance it places on controlling grape quality.

The family's vineyards sit high in the Sierra Yerga mountains in the prestigious region surrounding Quel, defying misconceptions that Rioja Baja is one of the lesser sub-regions within Rioja. Many of their vineyards are actually planted at altitudes on a par with, or above, those in Rioja Alta and Alavesa; (La Pasada is their highest vineyard at 800m above sea level, planted in 1979 it is used for Reserva and Gran Reserva wines). The hot and dry Mediterranean climate allows for consistent ripening of the grapes with little disease and this has enabled them to pursue organic production across 57 hectares of vines.

Notes of Sustainability

Currently run by the fifth generation of the Pérez Cuevas family to carry on the tradition of grape growing in the southern part of Rioja, they take great pride in maintaining their vineyards in the most sustainable manner possible as it is their land that supports their family’s craft. As well as farming organically and producing a range of organic wines, Bodegas Ontañón employs a range of other sustainable processes.

These include: controlled irrigation systems to reduce water usage and evaporation; planting vineyards in cooler, well-ventilated areas in order to reduce irrigation requirements and phytosanitary treatments; using plant/grass cover in vineyards to improve soil texture, to reduce tractor working hours and to lower carbon dioxide emissions; using environmentally friendly phytosanitary products that break down quickly and harmlessly; planting several hectares of pine forest near the vineyards in Ausejo and tidying and maintaining the oak forest near the vineyards in Quel. The estate plans to install solar panels at its irrigation installations to generate the electricity they require, and it encourages its worker to carpool from its winery to its vineyards to reduce emissions.

Specifications

A sumptuous, full-bodied red wine!

Tasting Notes

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Nose

Aromatic, zesty nose with notes of apple, lime and white flower.

Palate

The wine has juicy apple and lemon characters, and is textural with attractive minerality. The finish is balanced, with a zesty mouthwatering quality.

Production

The vineyards are south facing and the soil, chalky and mineral, which allows full ripening and excellent drainage. The 35 year old vines are trained Piemonte style on low Guyot trellis, planted with 4,000 - 4,500 vines per hectare and yielding 6600 lt/ha. The whole process of winemaking is undertaken at Araldica's winery, Azienda Agricola La Battistina, in stainless steel tanks. The hand harvested grapes are pressed in a pneumatic press and subjected to a temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel. The wine remains in contact with the lees for 4 months before being fined, filtered and bottled.

Producer

The La Battistina estate consists of 26ha of mature vineyard including 5ha in Gavi del Comune di Gavi. The property was acquired by leading Piemonte producer Araldica in 2002, establishing their reputation as a Gavi specialist, with the largest vineyard holdings in the region. La Battistina (and the neighbouring 20ha estate of La Lancellotta, from which grapes are also sourced) are renowned as among the best sites in Gavi.

The estate consists of eight separate vineyard plots along one prime south-facing slope - the distinct areas producing very different wines. The vineyard has a unique combination of limestone and clay soil which allows full ripening of the local Cortese grape. This, together with vines of average age 35 years, gives complexity and weight to what is one of Italy's most fashionable white wines.

The majority of grapes go to produce the unoaked 'La Battistina', while 'Nuovo Quadro' comes from a small, plot at the foot of the Battistina hill which lies within the Comune di Gavi sub-zone. The 'La Battistina' range is produced by the Araldica winemaking team, overseen by Claudio Manera and Lella Burdese's son Carlo.

Sustainability

Production at La Battistina has obtained the SQNPI trademark - Sistema di Qualità Nazionale di Produzione Integrata (National Quality System of Integrated Crop Management). Wines and vintages that are now fully compatible with this system have a bee symbol on the label, which guarantees that each phase of production has complied with the strict parameters of integrated crop management. In other words, it is sustainable and eco-compatible, certified by an independent third party.

Specifications

Each vintage, from our base in Cairanne, we are able to select exceptional Grenache and Syrah from the best Côtes du Rhône Villages to make Les Coteaux, which we then enrich with classified wine from Séguret and Sablet.

Tasting Notes

Immediately impressive, this wine reveals its class from the start. Brambly fruit underpinned by subtle oaky nuances, lovely sweet spice - warm star anise with a touch of cinnamon. This classic Côtes du Rhône Villages is enriched with specially-selected parcels from Séguret and Sablet.

Production Method

Common practice in the Côtes du Rhône is to bottle the best cuvées as a single, named, village wine and the rest as more basic Côtes du Rhône Villages. Boutinot’s philosophy, on the other hand, is to start with the intention of making the very best Côtes du Rhône Villages possible by sourcing wine from the vineyards of named villages, and enriching them with a small proportion of barrel-aged wine from Sablet and Séguret.

Boutinot's Côtes du Rhône Villages 'Les Coteaux' is therefore a selection of the best Grenache Noir and Syrah from some of the 17 named Côtes du Rhône Villages. We source wine from a number of growers with exceptional terroir and so have the flexibility to select only the very best fruit each vintage (rejecting parcels which do not meet our high standards). Mostly unoaked, a small proportion (15%) is part-aged for up to 20 months in a few new, but mostly older, oak barrels to bring depth and subtle notes of complexity.

Producer

Boutinot’s love affair with the Southern Rhône spans thirty years of making wine in the region. In 2010, the relationship was sealed with the purchase of a winery and vineyards above the village of Cairanne. Domaine Boutinot’s seven vineyards are planted with classic southern Rhône grape varieties – old vine Grenache Noir and Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan Noir – and they all sit within the Cairanne Cru boundaries, sanctioned in 2016 when Cairanne was granted its own appellation status.

Working with our vigneron neighbours we are helping to revive traditional grape varieties such as Cinsault and Counoise, and in the cellar we prefer time-honoured winemaking methods such as a long cuvasion aided only by natural yeasts, gentle remontage, manual pigeage and patient maturation in a nursery of French oak barrels.

Awards

• A Bronze Medal in the 2023 Decanter World Wine Awards (2020 Vintage)

Specifications

The Portuguese cousin to the ever-popular Albarino.

Tasting Notes

Nose

Bright citrus aromas with hints of mandarin.

Palate

Fresh and lively on the palate with citrus characters, textural stone fruit and appealing minerality on the finish.

Production

Casa de Vila Nova is located in the sub-region of Sousa, the Vinho Verde Demarcated Region in the North of Portugal, the Vinho Verde lands are exposed to the Atlantic Ocean winds and influence. Soils, microclimate, grape varieties and the unique characteristics of the wine culture, distinguish it from all other wine regions of the world. The grapes are harvested by hand in 20 kg boxes that are quickly transported to the winery where the grapes are destemmed then a soft pressing takes place and fermentation in temperature controlled vats.

Producer

Casa de Vila Nova is owned by the Lencastre family, of aristocratic Portuguese lineage (one of their ancestors became the first Baron of Varzea do Douro in the 1800s). This land has been in their family since the 12th century - the ivy-clad tower that still remains from that time is now surrounded by Vila Nova (new house) that was built in the 1700s, and the property was gradually extended over the centuries.

The estate is near the town of Penafiel, close to the eastern border of Portugal's Vinho Verde wine region, around a 30-minute drive east from Oporto. In the late 1970s the family planted vines over 12 hectares - mainly local Portuguese varieties. In 2008 Bernardo Lencastre and his brothers took over the running of the property, revitalised the vineyards and began making Vinho Verde and bottling their own wines - the first generation to do so. They now have around 42 hectares of vineyard.

Here, in the Entre-Douro-e-Minho sub-region of Sousa, their vineyards are influenced by winds from the Atlantic Ocean - creating the perfect climate to ripen varieties such as Avesso, Loureiro, and Alvarinho.

Awards

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Castel del Lupo’s impressive new release was made especially for Boutinot from grapes grown on the south-facing, chalky Ginestra vineyard. Like their Pinot Nero, this PG from the gently hilly Oltrepo Pavese DOC, the ‘Tuscany of Northern Italy’, has subtlety, depth and character. It’s a pure, gently aromatic style, crisp and lightly nutty, with fine citrus and peach fruit characters and savoury, textural finish from 4 months on fine lees.

Nose

A subtle, delicately aromatic and lightly floral nose with citrus and white peach notes.

Palate

The palate has fresh stone fruit and lemony characters leading to a gentle, textured mid-palate and an attractively crisp, saline finish.

Production Method

The Pinot Grigio grapes are organically grown, harvested by hand, and undergo careful selection. Alcoholic fermentation takes place at a controlled temperature (17°C), and the wine is then kept on fine lees for at least four months.

Producer

Castel del Lupo, in the heart of Oltrepò Pavese, dates back centuries - and includes the eighteenth-century Palazzo Pegazzera. In 1974 three entrepreneurs took over this historic estate and began a regeneration process. Giovanni Doglio, whose father and grandfather were both Piemontese winemakers, has over 40 years of experience managing wineries. Recently joined by his daughter Federica, he has worked tirelessly to develop the estate. They have purchased more vineyards (to cover 100ha at around 300m altitude), planted new vines and built a new cellar. The vineyards are now certified organic. The winery's main focus is high quality bottle-fermented sparkling wine, and much of the vineyard is planted with Pinot Noir for this purpose. However, these vines are also the source of fine still red wines.

A Note on Sustainability

A proportion of the cantina’s vineyards are in conversion from sustainable to organic cultivation and will be certified as organic from 2020.

Awards

Specifications

Traditional Rioja Reserva

Tasting Notes 

Nose

A traditional Rioja Reserva from vineyards in Rioja Alta with a nose of warm black fruit, spice and vanilla notes.

Palate

The palate has ripe plum and damson characters balanced by well-integrated oak, supple tannins and gentle cedary spice on the finish.

Production Method

This wine is produced from selected Tempranillo, Mazuelo and Graciano grapes sourced from 30 to 40-year-old Rioja Alta vineyards whose distinctive stony soils are ideal for the long, even ripening of quality grapes. The fruit is hand harvested in mid-October. Each variety is fermented separately in small tanks using natural yeasts at 28-30° C. After 20 days on the skins the wine is gently pressed and racked to stainless steel tanks for malolactic fermentation. The clear wine is then racked to 2nd and 3rd year American and Russian oak barrels for 24 months maturation before blending and bottling.

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

"This is good! Everything I would expect from a well made, traditional Rioja - bright fruit - some vanillin and spice from good oak integration and soft, smooth tannins giving a very well balanced and long finish." Tasted April 2024

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Colour

Aroma

The elegant bouquet is a combination of peach, apple, citrus fruits and blossom.

Palate

The palate has a big structure, with excellent acidity, minerality and sapidity and these characteristics give Carricante a particularly long finish.

Viticulture

Our Carricante is cultivated at about 400 metres above sea level. As it is so prolific, it is essential to focus a lot of attention on training the vines – which we do using the Guillotmethod. Strict pruning is also absolutely key in order to limit production. Grapes are hand-picked in the early part of September.

Vinification

The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand towards the beginning of September. A careful destemming is followed by soft pressing of the grapes. The decantation of the must at low temperature lasts about 48 hours before the start of the fermentation carried out at 17-19 ° C for about 20 days. After fermentation, the wine is decanted and kept on fine lees for about 5 months with frequent battonages.

Specifications

The Rooster, a symbol of pride, courage and honesty, watches over the vineyards. The ancient Greeks believed that the Rooster greeted the sun every morning with its cordial song, which symbolized the victory over the night but at the same time also serves as an alarm clock to mark the beginning of the day for both the animals and the winemakers! 

In Cortese, early morning is a key time to work in the vineyards thus avoiding the impetuousness of the Sicilian sun.

Tasting Notes

What is a wine with no added sulphites? 
Sulfur dioxide is naturally produced by wine during fermentation. In this case we do not add any further. This is possible because during the winemaking process we carry out all the operations meticulously so that it is not necessary to add sulphites.

Viticulture

The grapes are 100% Nero d’Avola from Azienda Agricola Cortese, our organic estate in Vittoria, south-eastern Sicily. The grapes are very carefully selected by hand in the middle of September, brought to the winery in small containers and processed immediately.

Vinification

The prime aim when producing a NSA wine is to keep everything in the winery meticulously clean in order to avoid any possible microbiological growth, except for yeast for the primary fermentation and bacteria for the malolactic fermentation. Fermentation is done in the usual way and we do the pumping over in the early stages of the process. After fermentation, we keen the wine in contact with the skins for 3-4 days, doing some pumping over in order to keep the cap wet. The wine is racked and then stored, with meticulous care not to allow any contact with oxygen.

Specifications

 Gruner Veltliner is every bit as Austrian as the Blue Danube waltz!

Tasting Notes

Colour

Pale lemon yellow with green tinges.

Nose

Delicate aromas of pear, kiwi, apricot and white spice. 

Palate

On the palate stone fruit flavours and white pepper lead to a gently textured, mineral and citrus finish.

Producer

The Sepp Moser Estate was founded by the famous Austrian wine producing pioneer, Lenz Moser. Lenz Moser's son, Sepp Moser, began operating under his own name in 1987, and handed over the direction of this family-owned estate to his own son Nikolaus in the year 2000.

The Sepp Moser Estate comprises of 50 acres of vineyards in two prominent wine regions; Kremstal (22 ha) and Neusiedlersee (28 ha). In the Kremstal, Nikolaus produces an international range of varieties as well as the ever more important local varieties of Gruner Veltliner and Riesling. The reds are produced on the gravelly soils of the warm southern Neusiederslee village of Apetlon. All Sepp Moser wines have been organic (and all estate wines biodynamic) since 2007.

Production Method

The majority of the Gruner Veltliner grapes for this dry white were grown on the steep, rocky terraces of Rohrendorf in Kremstal and the surrounding area. The löss soil on these steep terraces is rich in lime and sediments from the last ice age, and can be up to 35 metres thick! Vines are trained on high trellises, with grapes organically produced and hand harvested. Grapes are destemmed and crushed and the must left to settle for 3-4 hours before pressing. Fermented and aged in stainless steel.

A Note on Sustainability

The Sepp Moser estate produces a wide range of wines every year thanks to its vineyards in two diverse regions. There is one main aim in the cellar: the quality of the grapes shall be brought with as little influence as possible to the bottle. The grapes in the Sepp Moser vineyards are harvested by hand and at the cellar of the Atrium House Nikolaus Moser emphasises gentle vinification and tries to interfere as little as possible with the process so that each wine can develop its own individual style. The fermentation starts spontaneously, and the maturing of the wine takes place on its own.

In 2006, Nikolaus officially moved the estate to biodynamic viticulture – one of the first to do so in Austria – and became Demeter certified. 2009 saw the release of Sepp Moser’s first certified organic wines. Nikolaus is very keen to reduce the amount of copper and sulphur used in the vineyards, and this year saw a reduction of two thirds over what was sprayed previously. He composts all the estates pomace and vine trimmings, and there is an ongoing effort to plant trees around the vineyards.

Specifications

The Can Macià estate near Odena is more inland than Sant Sadurni d'Anoia - with a more continental climate. This means more marked differences between day and night temperatures, causing the grapes to ripen later. At Odena the harvest occurs around two weeks after Sant Sadurni - the extra time spent on the vine, combined with excellent quality fruit from the mature vines on this estate, produces elegant and complex Cavas with crisp acidity.

Tasting Notes 

White fruit and citrus aromas lead onto a complex palate with green apple, stone fruit and a touch of white spice. Bubbles are fine and persistent through to the long finish and gentle savoury twist.

Production Method

A classic blend of Macabeo, Parellada and Xarel-lo - from 35 hectares of vines cultivated on the Can Macia estate, in the Anoia river basin near Odena. Made using the traditional Cava method - the wine is matured for an extended period of 24 months before disgorgement to enhance the complex, fruity aromas.

Producer

The Can Macià estate in Odena - around 50km north west of Barcelona and just 10km from the foothills of Montserrat - dates back 800 years and still belongs to the same family, of which Jordi Casanovas Bohigas is a direct descendant. He, together with his daughter Maria Casanovas Giró, run the winery and estate.

Cava is king here. Mas Macià's first Cava was released in 1936, but much of its production was still sold to other Catalan producers. However, investment in the cellars in 2000 led to renewed emphasis on high quality estate-bottled wines, both sparkling and still.

The Can Macià estate has over 35 hectares of vineyard, along with forests and wheat fields. The family also owns the 54 hectare Can Batllevell estate in Gelida (half-way between Odena and Barcelona) where its limestone soils and Mediterranean climate lead to early-maturing grapes. These estates combined mean that the family has access to Macabeo, Xarel-lo, Parellada, Garnatxa Blanca, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon - with some vines over 50 years old.

At 450m in altitude, the estate is the second highest winery in the region and at the very limit of Cava production.

Sustainability

Mas Macià’s vineyards are now certified organic and the Bohigas family is planning to produce organic still wines initially before focussing upon organic Cava production.

Specifications

A juicy red which is sure to be a hit, a real crowd pleaser!

TASTING NOTES

A ruby red hue with abundant notes of ripe cherries, mulberries, dried fruit, and spice. The palate is juicy and generous.

Producer

Casa Vinicola Botter was in 1928 by Carlo Bot, a wine merchant selling restaurants at the time and remains a family-run winery now in third generation the 1950s, brothers Arnal andzo transformed the company, expanding size and shifting to sales of their bottles. Botter collaborates with most qualified in Veneto, Apulia, Molise, Abr, and Sicily, maintaining a strong relationship that begins in the vineyards and continues through all production cycles until bottling. The focus is very much on innovation through environmentally.

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

Specifications

Specifications

Circle of Life celebrates farming in harmony with nature, telling a story of preserving and regenerating biodiversity. This harmonious combination of 3 classic grape varieties captures the essence of Waterkloof's biodynamic viticultural amphitheatre. 94 points, Decanter July 2023.

Tasting notes

A fine and seamless blend of 3 classic white grapes. Sauvignon Blanc aromas are prominent on the nose, with lime and prickly pear notes. A tight mineral core and creamy mid palate from the Chenin Blanc gives complexity and a persistent finish while a small proportion of Semillon adds texture and depth.

Specifications

A great wine with character, elegant and typical, honouring the historic grape variety and king of the southern Rhône Valley: Grenache Noir.

Tasting Notes 

Specifications

a

Tasting Notes 

Appealing black fruit aromas and hints of sweet spice lead to juicy plum, raspberry and liquorice characters on the palate. The finish is elegant and poised with ripe tannins.

Nose

On the nose, one finds really enticing sweet cherry fruit, with dry, fine tannins. 

Palate

The palate is complex with juicy bramble fruit, black pepper, and lifted, savoury characters. There is a good amount of fruit-driven intensity with a vibrant, complex, spicy palate, and the oak provides some sweetness and a lick of vanilla and cream soda. An archetypal young rioja, just brilliant! 

Estate

This large, family-owned estate draws from 800 hectares of elevated hillside vineyards in some of the best zones of Rioja Baja. Thanks to a combination of the high quality of the grapes from these vineyards and modern vinification cellars, the young, unoaked wines are fresh and vibrant with good richness of fruit for wines at this level.

200 hectares of estate vineyards near Alfaro provide the basis of the Artesa range and the best of these, at high altitude (500 to 600 metre), with mature vines and poor, stony soils, have been converted to organic production. Fermented in stainless steel, and matured for 6 months in new American oak barrels, the wine produces fresh redcurrant and cherry aromas together with woody, herbal notes.

Specifications

Tasting Notes

Bouncy, crunchy Gamay, this is an irresistible fruit bomb packed with fresh, primary fruit aromas and the delicious soft red berry flavours of gorgeous Gamay at its best.

Production Method

Gamay loves the granite/siliceous soils of the vineyards in the hills to the northwest of Lyon in eastern France. Grapes were hand-picked deliberately early to maintain freshness. In the cellar, they are vinified using traditional carbonic maceration techniques (where fermentation is started by the weight of berries in the vat, crushing those below) followed by a short cuvasion to maintain the up-front, juicy fruit character.

Producer

Like all good stories, that of Boutinot France is both long and a little bit complicated! Boutinot began as a tiny importer in 1980, specialising in French wines. Paul Boutinot himself began by personally selecting the wines from France, back in the UK he would unload the trailer by hand. And deliver the crates of wines to customers himself. But good things grow and by the end of the decade we had become a bigger and better company. A company that not only sought out great wines but made them too. After 10 years later, Boutinot France started in January 1990. The first office was in the middle of the vines in Julienas; perfectly located to navigate the Beaujolais and Macon regions on the quest to make beautiful wines.

Samantha Bailey, who started as a wine enthusiast, was there at the beginning of this adventure. Since then, she has grown into our Master Blender and has key responsibilities: building long-standing relationships, tasting, understanding the terroir and appellations, and pushing the boundaries. She is at the heart of the whole process from blending to quality assessment, making sure there is always a Boutinot touch in every cuvée. We are proud to also count Guillaume Letang and Julien Dugas in our winemaking team. Guillaume oversees the South of France and Languedoc, whilst Julien looks after our property in Cairanne. Together they have the local knowledge to select and blend the very best wines from throughout. Eric Monnin oversees every aspect of production and makes sure everything our winemakers blend and source is top quality.

Today, Boutinot’s French office has recently relocated to Macon, and has over 20 employees who take care of production across the whole of France, covering fresh whites and rosés from Gascony, mineral wines from Burgundy, and joyful varietal wines from Languedoc among others. We don’t use any single model to source our wines; instead, a combination of sources are used, from large-scale, high-quality co-ops to small, family growers and single domaines, as well as our own vineyards in Cairanne and Saint-Vérand. Drawing on the expertise of our four winemakers and a network of partner growers, we seek to deliver the highest quality-to-price ratio possible for every wine.

Alan's Personal Tasting Notes

"Another delight. Medium to full-bodied with lovely ripe fruit, some spiciness, and a silky smoothness that lets the flavour linger and makes this a long-lasting mouthful. Got the weight and length of a much more expensive wine than it is. Delicious and keeps on giving until the last drop! Paired beautifully with our Venison Steaks." Tasted February 2024

Specifications

An attractive, softly sparkling, organic Italian sparkling Rosé from Prosecco country. An irresistible bottle of bubbles - great to get the party started!

Tasting Notes

Colour

Soft light pale pink

Nose

The nose is delicate and fruity, led by aromas of ripe strawberries and raspberries. 

Palate

The palate is fresh and tart, full of gooseberry and redcurrant notes. 

Terroir: The Land of Prosecco and of the river Piave

Organic – for the Love of this Soil

History 

The vineyards here have been passed down through the generations since 1891. The 'Jara' name comes from the gravel that covers the vineyards and provides heat to the vines overnight – as they do in Chateauneuf-du-Pape. 

Specifications

Tasting Notes

With the faintest whiff of biscuity oak this bright, tangy Barossa Chardonnay is an absolute delight. It has that classical Barossa charm, elegance, poise, tang and naggingly more-ish elusive something-or-other which makes one wonder why there isn't more Australian Chardonnay.  

A really pretty and perfumed example of the Frappato grape from south-eastern Sicily.

Tasting Notes

This organic red has delicious floral and red berry characters and is surprisingly fresh and delicate given the hot climate.

Nose

Delicate and lightly floral aromas of strawberry, redcurrant and wild berries, with hints of aromatic herbs.

Palate

The palate has vibrant red berry characters balancing fresh acidity.

Producer

Is there a more dynamic place to make wine in Italy than on Mount Etna in Sicily? Cantine Nicosia is based at the foot of Etna, on the east coast of Sicily, where Carmelo Nicosia, along with his sons Franceso and Graziano (5th generation), have developed their family business into one of the area's most important wine producers. Their Trecastagni winery is where tradition meets ultra-modern technology.

Trecastagni, at the base of one of the extinguished craters dotting Mount Etna and at an altitude of around 700m, is home to the ancient vineyards of Monte Gorna, with their distinctive lava terraces. The vineyards have been completely restructured and replanted, focusing on the native varieties used for Etna DOC wines: Nerello Mascalese and Nerello Cappuccio for the red, and Catarratto and Carricante for the whites. The extraordinary wealth of minerals found in Etna's volcanic soils can be credited with the very rich flavour and unique character of the wines produced here.

Just a few miles from the southernmost tip of the Italian peninsula is the lively agricultural center of Vittoria and the Contrada Bonincontro district - home to the large and impeccably groomed Cerasuolo di Vittoria vineyards planted exclusively with Nero d’Avola, Frappato and Syrah.

Production Method

Frappato grapes are grown on sandy soil situated at approximately 200m above sea level. Grapes are hand-picked in September. The grapes undergo maceration and fermentation for approximately 10-15 at a controlled temperature of between 22-24°C. The wine is aged in stainless steel vats and 2 months in the bottle.

A Note on Sustainability

A proportion of Cantine Nicosia’s vineyards are certified organic by SIDEL, and its wines are certified as vegan by the Istituto Certificazione Etica e Ambiente.

Specifications

A vibrantly fruity, organically produced, red from this characterful indigenous Austrian variety.

Tasting Notes

Fruity and perfumed nose showing blackberries, white pepper and spice. Bright sappy palate with fresh acidity, crunchy redcurrant and raspberry fruit, and layers of spice, liquorice and herbs.

Tasting Notes

Crisp, flinty notes with a hint of yeasty lees on the nose. The palate is fresh and savoury with the breadth of a warmer vintage and a ripe, almost tropical (starfruit?), character to the fruit. A lovely Muscadet.

Production Method

The vineyard lies on one of the best sites in Nantais at Saint-Fiâcre. Here the soils are layered with orthogneiss, a cracked, mineral-rich rock through which the vine roots weave and nourish the vine. Made traditionally at this small estate, the grapes were hand-picked, lightly pressed to retain their delicacy and purity of flavour, and fermented at cool temperatures to preserve their aromas. The wine was left on its fine lees until the following spring to add complexity and extra richness.

Producer

Domaine de la Combe (formerly Domaine les Grands Presbytères) in the village of Saint-Fiâcre, is nestled in the cradle of the Muscadet appellation between the two rivers of Sèvre and Maine. The slopes of these river valleys give the vines unique exposure. After centuries of erosion they grow on a terroir of schist, gneiss and mineral rich orthogneiss, a soil composition that means Saint-Fiâcre is considered one of the best sites for Muscadet Sèvre et Maine.

Wines are made from vines of different ages. The oldest were planted in 1950s - a rarity in an area where most are dug up after 40 years - whilst the most recent plantings date from 2016. Not only are new vines being planted when necessary, but the planting density is being increased from 7,000 to 7,700 vines per hectare to force the roots deeper into the rocky soils.

After working in vineyards across the world, Pierre-Henri Gadais returned to his family's domaine in 2016 to take over from his father, Christophe, who had taken it over from the previous owner - Nelly Marzelleau - in 2009. Passionate about the expression of terroir and protecting the environment, Pierre-Henri is in the process of converting the vineyard to fully organic viticulture, aiming for full certification by 2021.

A note on Sustainability

Since 2018, the domaine has been in conversion to fully organic farming and is scheduled for formal ECOCERT certification in 2021. Furthermore, vats are cleaned without the use of chemicals, waste is sorted for recycling and Domaine de la Combe’s bottles are made from 100% recycled glass.

Specifications

Only 7 miles along the road from Châteauneuf-du-Pape but not as well known globally so represents much better value!

Tasting Notes 

Calm expression of an animal capable of enormous effort and equally stubbornness. The donkey represents the soul of working in the fields, a source of life and wealth.

Tasting Notes

Colour

Aroma

The characterful bouquet is a little spicy and reminiscent of jasmine, aromatic herbs and nutmeg, with delicate touches of white peach. 

Palate

On the palate, there is a strong mineral backbone, perfectly balanced with lively acidity. The finish is long and complex with delicious almond flavours.

Viticulture

Our Catarratto grapes are cultivated on slopes at around 400 metres above sea level. Grapes are hand-picked in mid-September in small baskets. Picking takes place in the cool early part of the morning in order to keep the grapes as fresh as possible.

Vinification

The vinification of Catarratto Lucido is carried out on the principle of minimum intervention in order to achieve maximum quality in the finished wine. Grapes are de-stemmed and very softly pressed with a pneumatic press. The must is decanted at a low temperature for about 48 hours before starting the fermentation, which takes place at 17-19C° for about 20 days. After the fermentation is finished the wine is racked and kept on fine lees for at least 5 months, with frequent battonages.

Specifications