All Wine Info
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France: Alsace
The fascination of Alsace is the kaleidoscope of flavours - from bone dry to very sweet - delivered by unusual grape varieties planted in a very specific terroir. The vineyards are strung in a narrow - less than 3km wide - band running for 60km. north-south along the eastern foothills of the Vosges...
“There’s a complex series of criss-crossed faults among the sub-Vosgian hills, giving a wide variety of soils among the best vineyards, usually at altitudes of 200-420 metres, from schist to...”
A tiering of the Alsace vineyards - mainly based on analysis of the soil and exposure to the sun - was enshrined in November 1975 with the conception...
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France: Beaujolais
"…if red wine can be nubile, this red wine is" - Andrew Jefford, in The New France
“That immediate fruitiness of the Gamay grape, allied to refreshing acidity, moderate alcohol levels - usually 12.5 degrees to 13 degrees - and ability to be served cool (don’t overchill, or you...”
We only offer one (excellent) Beaujolais-Villages: note that there is good land for Gamay outside the Crus, particularly in the north of the...
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France: Burgundy
The Burgundy Pyramid
“Making sense of the complexity of the complexity of Burgundy isn’t easy. Though Burgundy only comprises 5% of France’s vineyard area, it holds 100 different Appellations, 25% of the entire French...”
This table shows the pyramid of quality in Burgundy. Note in particular that only 13% of the wine produced is from 1er or Grand Cru vineyards. (N.B....
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France: Languedoc-Roussillon
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...
“There are two sub regions (Pic Saint-Loup and La Clape) which are allowed to put their names alone on the label. These two are presumably to be up-graded to full appellations in their own right at...”
We occasionally refer to wines from this region showing the influence of the Garrigue, a word which has no exact translation in English. It describes...
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France: Loire Valley
In early February I undertook our annual visit to the wine fair in Angers, escaping the snow which engulfed much of the UK during that week. This is the yearly opportunity for the vast majority of vignerons in the Loire valley to show off their latest offerings to the rest of the world. The early...
“We have found several new wines from a number of our best sources to complement the many perennial favourites. ”
Gordon Coates April 2009
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France: The Rhône
Northern Rhône
“The narrow valley of the Rhône south of Lyon is the spiritual home of Syrah. Here the vineyards crawl up the steep slopes, largely on the west side of the river. As Côte-Rôtie, Hermitage and...”
Southern Rhône
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Austria
Sadly, there isn’t enough Austrian wine! Austria is a country with a strong and historic wine-drinking culture, but it only produces as much wine as a middle-sized region of France, for example the Loire. Export isn’t necessarily a priority for many growers, but fortunately some of the top...
“The vineyards all lie in the east of the country, around Vienna, downstream along the Danube to the west, and in a wide band south to Styria. Best known are white wines, particularly from Riesling -...”
Austria is also the source of some of the greatest sweet wines in the world. Key to this is the Neuesiedlersee, an enormous shallow lake south-east...
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Germany
Germany = Riesling. Yes, the Germans still grow piles of Muller-Thurgau and other white varieties; and they make more than passable, if expensive, reds from Pinot Noir (= Spatburgunder), Dornfelder and even Syrah. But for centuries the most admired wines of Germany, once as highly priced as First...
“The big debate now is how dry you like your wine. The Germans demand dry Riesling as an accompaniment to food. Elsewhere in the world drinkers love the traditional “noble sweet” styles, in...”
A simple guide to decoding the names of the wines: the first word is usually the name of the village, but with -er added. The second is the name of...
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Argentina
Malbec and More?
“We should all be drinking more Argentine red wine. Argentina has only a fifth of the sales of wine (by value and volume) of Chile within Britain. The US is the Argentines’ most important export...”
By far the most successful grape in Argentina is Malbec. It’s original home is in south-west France, and specifically in the appellation of Cahors....
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Chile
Chile is probably the most progressive wine-producing country in the world right now. Look at the evidence of this success story, and the determination to drive this still young wine industry forward:
“• Production doubling every ten years • An increased focus on cooler-climate regions, notably along Chile’s long coastline,...”
Among the reds - and do remember about three quarters of the quality vineyard area in Chile is still given over to reds - the dominant variety is...
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New Zealand
In global terms New Zealand wine production is tiny - about half a percent of the world’s output - but small really is beautiful there. New Zealand has one of the most exciting, profitable and fast-expanding wine industries in the world. The vineyard area is doubling every 5-6 years, the number...
“New Zealand has such a bright image: there, far cross the sea, lies the home of a friendly population, distinguished by sporting giants; and stunningly empty landscapes with clear and unpolluted air....”
The wines do mirror this vision. There is a purity about the best, with that bracing climate showing through in the glass. Sauvignon Blancs,...
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South Africa
You certainly know when you are in an African vineyard - you are told to watch out for puff adders, and you can see the paths left on the surrounding hills by troops of raiding baboons. I covered fifteen hundred miles around the Cape winelands in April 2009, and it was a hugely stimulating trip....
“Why is or printed list subtitled “Ancient and Modern”? First, because we have to get away from the idea that South Africa is a “New World” wine country. The first grape harvest for...”
Along with that history come notions of national style, a concept difficult to pin down, but unquestionably relevant to Cape reds, which so often...
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USA
California
“Here at SVS we find California tricky. Wine produced in the Sunshine State seems to fall into two camps - the huge sea of cheap, nastily sweetened fruit-juice purveyed by Gallo et al; and the highly...”
The unique feature of California is of course, the grape variety Zinfandel. Related to the Italian Primitivo, this was introduced to the States...
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Our Favourite Selection
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Product Code: BAJ109
Château Barrejat, Madiran, Tradition, 2009
“From 60% Tannat, with 20% Cabernets Sauvignon and Franc, lightly oaked, this is an honest, mildly rustic wine, a perfect foil for sausages or...”
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Product Code: FUR107
Fourrier, Gevrey-Chambertin, Vieille Vigne, 2007
“Scents of crushed red fruit. As ever with M. Fourrier’s wines, this is already open and approachable, with a very ripe core of mature red fruit...”
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Product Code: LFE911
Santa Luz, Sauvignon Blanc, Bin 955, Valle Central, 2011
“Chile is the best place in the world for good value Sauvignon Blanc: though one still has to hunt hard to seek true varietal character at a fair...”
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Product Code: MAT1NV
Serge Mathieu, Champagne Tradition, Brut, NV
““**** Seductive aromas of honeydew melon, pineapple, cream and apple. Classic Pinot-dominant wine of great richness - a real hedonist’s...”
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Product Code: PIG610
Domaine de la Pigeade,Ventoux Classique, 2010
“We have listed Thierry’s red Ventoux Classique (from Grenache, Carignan and Syrah), before but he has moved it onto a different level with the...”
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Product Code: MAD609
Mader, Gewurztraminer, Grand Cru Rosacker, 2009
“The Rosacker, east facing, with very pebbly soil over limestone, is one of the top vineyards in the whole of Alsace. Mid lemon. Delicate floral and...”
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Product Code: FON109
Domaine Fontanel, Côtes du Roussillon, 2009
“Aromas of black cherries with dark chocolate touches. Lively, plum and black cherry favours,. Good ripe tannins. Just slightly (and attractively)...”
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Product Code: TOK606
Royal Tokaji, Gold Label 6 Puttonyos, 2006
“Dramatically exciting Tokay from Furmint, Hárslevelü and Yellow Muscat, given 2½ years in old barrels before bottling, and with a stunning 203g/l....”
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Product Code: AMB307
Domaine des Amadieu, Côtes du Rhône Villages, Cairanne, Vieilles Vignes, 2007
“Retains a good deep colour. Attractive Kirsch aromas. Concentrated, old-viney fruit, redolent of red berries and mulberries, lightly spiced. This is...”
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Product Code: TDB109
Château Tour de Bellegarde, Bordeaux, 2009
“Crafted by the Janaud family at Villegouge near Fronsac, this 100% Merlot cuvée is all aged in barrel; and offers another example of how the superb...”
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Product Code: SOL610
Soldier’s Block, Shiraz, McLaren Vale, 2010
“Sourced from vines planted on land made available to soldiers returning to Australia after World War I. Sun-baked scents over berried fruit....”
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Product Code: BAD111
Badenhorst, Secateurs White, Chenin Blanc, Swartland, 2011
“In The Telegraph Saturday 17th December 2011: “Made from old-vine chenin blanc edged with grapefruit freshness and, bottled under screw cap, with a...”
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