Chateau La Tour de By Medoc 2014
Regular price £26.95Classic, smooth, dry claret with a bit of bottle age. Notes of cassis at the front leading onto subtle hints of leather and tobacco.
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux, Medoc
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
ABV: 13.5%
Cirò Rosso Superiore Tenuta Del Conte 2018
Regular price £26.95Gaglioppo...no, we didn't know that grape variety either. Now its one we'll never forget.
Tawny-brick red colour, powerful and persistent fragrance. Well-balanced, leathery palate with a back bone of black fruit and grippy, but supple tannins, making this a very versatile wine with meat dishes ranging from game birds to pork and lamb.
Country: Italy
Region:Cirò, Calabria
ABV: 13.5%
Grapes: Gaglioppo
Food match: rich roast pork dishes, pheasant or slow roast lamb.
The wine has a garnet colour that is the typical color of Gaglioppo. The nose shows dark fruit aromas, dried herbs and dried flowers, and intense earthy notes. The tertiary aromas of mushrooms and leather are also evident and well interwoven with the dark fruit notes. On the palate the dark fruit flavours follow through; blueberries, black cherries, and blackcurrants. Smooth and silky in texture. The wine is juicy, and it shows elegance and good integration of all the elements. This wine is the quintessential example of a true Gaglioppo grape!
The wines are made in Calabria in the toe of Italy’s boot, where native varieties reign supreme – Magliocco, Nerello, Mantonico, Greco and the region’s star grape, Gaglioppo.
The Cirò DOC is a picturesque corner of the Mediterranean, along the Ionian coast, in the eastern foothills of the Calabria region, a large peninsula that forms the toe to Italy’s boot. The Parrilla family, who own and run Tenuta del Conte, have been making wine here for four generations, the latest of which to take over the estate are Mariangela, Giuseppe, and Caterina.
In 2011 Mariangela Parrilla took over as winemaker. Mariangela takes a philosophical approach to winemaking, with the aim to let these traditional indigenous grape varieties speak for themselves and their terroir. Her wines are all organic, no herbicides or chemicals are used at any stage of the production process, she opts for spontaneous fermentations using indigenous yeasts, no filtration, and solely stainless-steel and bottle aging. Taking each wine vintage by vintage she lets them evolve and age “according to their own natural rhythm”, making each wine unique. This could be just one year in bottle before release or over 10 years. Not only does she capture the unique character of the grape variety but that of the vintage it's from too.
Together with a handful of other wineries in the area, Mariangela is part of “The Cirò Revolution”, a group formed to promote and protect their territory’s identity. They are dedicated to organic viticulture and minimal intervention winemaking, they make traditional wines, in homage to their ancestors, from native grape varieties.
Pizzorno Select Blend Reserve 2019
Regular price £24.95Black fruits, sweet spice and cedar. Beautifully balanced.
Country: Uruguay
Region: Canelones
ABV: 14%
Grapes: 50%Tannat 30% Malbec 20% Cab. Sauvignon
Food match: Fillet steak
Royal Tokaji Blue Label 5 Puttonyos 2016 25cl
Regular price £23.95Complex and rich with quince jelly, dried apricot and marmalade aromas and flavours.
Country: Hungary
Region: Tokaji
Grapes: Furmint, Hàrslevelü and Muskotály
ABV: 11%
Petit Chablis Domaine de la Motte 2022
Regular price £20.95Fairly restrained on the nose, savoury herbs and citrus on the palate. Well balanced with a suggestion of "hot stone" minerality. A light and fruity wine that marries perfectly with oysters and all shellfish
Country: France
Region: Burgundy, Chablis
Grapes: Chardonnay
ABV: 13%
Vineyards are in the Hautes Côtes, at the top of the slopes just above Domaine de la Motte's Chablis classified plots and so achieve good ripeness. The soil is Portlandian, which is less chalky than Kimmeridgian, and typically produces wines which are less mineral and more fruity, well suited to earlier drinking. Having said that, Motte’s wine has real finesse with good fruit character – very much their house style. Cool-fermented in stainless steel, malolactic fermentation is also in stainless steel and the wine is unoaked.
Niepoort Morgadio da Calcada Tawny Reserve Port
Regular price £27.95Brick red appearance, with a very rich aroma of very ripe fruit (grapes and overripe figs) as well as dried fruits (nuts and almonds),caramel and coffee. On the palate fresh and elegant with good acidity. The long finish is dominated by dried fruits.
Country: Portugal
Region: Douro Valley
Grapes: Tinta Roriz,Touriga Franca,Touriga Nacional,Tinto Cão,Tinta Francisca,Tinta Amarela,Sousão
ABV: 20%
Recioto Della Valpolicella Classico DOCG Cantina Negrar 2020 50cl
Regular price £22.95The sweet wine of Valpolicella - red nectar in a bottle.
Deliciously decadent dessert wine with rich winter red berry flavours, notes of chocolate, spiced prunes and Christmas cake. Delicious.
Country: Italy
Region: Valpolicella
ABV:12.5%
Grapes: Corvina 60%, Corvinone 15%, Rondinella 15%, others 10%.
Food Match: Chocolate based desserts or cakes or just simply with a good chunk of good quality dark chocolate.
Iona Elgin Pinot Noir 2020/2021
Regular price £29.00Succulent black cherry aroma, bright but delicate and hints of forest floor, with underlying floral and spicy notes. On the palate, the wine is powerful, with silk-textured length.
Country: South Africa
Region: Elgin
ABV: 13%
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Food match
Beef Bourginon with mushroom or braised lamb shanks.
In early 1997, Andrew Gunn, an engineer by training was contemplating his next career move. Having always loved the outdoors, the prospect of farming appealed to him and feeling young and energetic enough to start a new career, left the hustle and bustle of Johannesburg to begin the search for the ‘perfect’ farm.
After months of searching and 40 farm visits later, Andrew and a very tired estate agent stumbled upon a solitary run down apple farm on a mountain top overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. The prospect of a suitable farm in Elgin intrigued Andrew and on driving through the valley, he became excited by the beauty of the area. Surrounded by the Kogelberg Biosphere and Forestry the property had no agricultural neighbours. The rolling hills and the drive up the mountain to where the farm was situated, 420 meters above sea level, overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was love at first sight.
As he drove in and stopped in front of a rather run down Herbert Baker homestead, he felt, “this is where I would like to live”, and the view from the front of the house overlooking the Elgin Valley below, made up his mind.
Domaine Besson Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2021
Regular price £28.95With four generations of the same family making fine Chablis wines, you are sure to enjoy an authentic, high quality and delicious wine from this domaine.
Country: France
Region: Chablis
ABV: 12.5%
Grapes: Chardonnay
Domaine Besson makes a Chablis style that is a little more accessible than some other domaines. These wines therefore can be enjoyed from an early age, unlike some Chablis where to get the best from the wine it is necessary to cellar the wine to allow it to develop.
Zephyr Sauvignon Blanc 2021
Regular price £20.40“About as good as Marlborough gets” according to Tim Atkin. We concur!
Very pale straw with a slight green hue. On the nose, ginger, green apple and crisp highlights of lime. Citrus focussed palate with quenching acidity and varietal elegance.
Country: New Zealand
Region: Marlborough
Grape: Sauvignon Blanc
ABV: 14 %
Zephyr Wines is a family winery based in Dillon’s Point, Marlborough and was started by the Glover family in 1985 after being inspired by other mavericks in the region to convert their farm to vine. They've never looked back and Owen and Wendy Glover, along with son Ben, one of New Zealand’s most acclaimed and talented winemakers, now produce award-winning wines from what has become one of the most established single vineyards in the region. The Gewurtzraminer and a Riesling follow suit in showcasing the more savoury and 'savage' style Zephyr has become renowned for. The critics are proving what we’ve known for a long time: that the Glover’s are styling something special out of Marlborough vines that no-one else has.
Quinta da Pedra Alta Tinto Reserva 2019
Regular price £27.95Concentrated, complex and rich, oak matured Douro red, made from a blend of selected parcels from the best vineyards on the estate.
Country: Portugal
Region: Douro Valley
Grapes: 74% Touriga Nacional, 13% Sousão, 12% Touriga Franca, 1% Fernão Pires
ABV: 13.5%
Lidio Carraro Dádivas Brut Blanc de Blancs NV
Regular price £22.95This Charmat Method brazilian sparkling has notes of citrus fruits, green apple, pineapple, melon and pear, with nuances of white flowers and buttery tones. It is a fruity wine, with a very fine and delicate flavor, with great balance in its acidity, which provides a pleasant sensation of freshness. It has a great sensation of creaminess in the mouth and good final persistence. Striking, delicate, dry and vibrant palate, this sparkling wine carries the Brazilian style with elegance!
Country: Brazil
Region: Encruzilhada do Sul
Grapes: Chardonnay
ABV: 12.5%
Winemaking: The grapes were harvested separately to balance acidity, freshness and aromatic complexity. Once the ideal harvesting time of each parcel is decided according to the ideal point of maturation, the grapes are harvested by hand and transported in boxes, in the shortest time for their transformation into the winery. After the whole grapes were pressed, the wort was cold decanted and, after it, cleaned. It performed the first alcoholic fermentation in stainless steel tanks at low temperature, between 14°C/57°F and 16°C/61°F and did not performed the malolatic fermentation to preserve its aromas, volume and acidity. It remained under the surlies with conservation temperature of 10°C/50°F during thinning, where several times the batonnage occurred, which gave it volume and amplitude in the mouth. Afterwards, it was made the assemblage between the last 3 harvests to proceed with the second fermentation lasting about 90 days, resulting in a medium-volume in mouth sparkling wine, good creaminess, good definition and integration of fruit, flavor pleasant and refreshing.
Soil and microclimate: Granitic-sandy soil, low organic matter content and excellent drainage.
Vineyards: The vines are managed through the espalier system, with a production of 9 Ton/ha - 2.8 kg/plant. In order to obtain the correct vegetative balance of the plant, green prunings have been applied to establish a good activity of the photosynthetic leaf wall, and the production of grapes per plant has been reduced. Harvest: Manual harvesting with selection of bunches in the vineyard.
Muriel Rioja Gran Reserva 2014
Regular price £21.25Rich in age, rich in flavour. Toasty, vanilla, raisins and dried plum.
Beautiful brick red colour, with a complex aroma of roasted coffee, spices, vanilla, ripe fruits raisins, caramel, and subtle bottle ageing notes of leather, tobacco. Silky smooth tannins, and velvety finish.
Country: Spain
Region: Rioja Alavesa
Grapes: Tempranillo
ABV: 14%
Only made in the best vintages from the best grapes, this Rioja GR has gone through an ageing process of 30 months in new French (75%) & American (25%) oak barriques, followed by a further 3 years before it is released.
https://www.murielwines.com/en/our-brands/rioja-collection/vina-muriel
De Grendel Shiraz 2019
Regular price £21.00Bright purple in colour with a deep violet rim. The nose offers upfront aromas of perfume, violets, glazed gammon, pepper and buchu. The wine presents a smooth entry on the palate, with soft and seamless layers of cloves, nutmeg and warm spices, underpinned by a savoury and meaty finish.
Country: South Africa
Region: Paarl and Firgrove, Western Cape
ABV: 13.5%
Grapes: Shiraz
The De Grendel Shiraz will marry exceptionally well with pork neck steaks served with a cranberry reduction, a traditional glazed gammon during the festive season and, in particular, with game and venison cuts during the colder winter months.
The fruit was carefully handpicked in three batches, with the first batch ripening in Paarl. It was fermented for two weeks in closed conical shape tanks using the more delicate aerated pump-over method, ensuring softer tannins, delicate spicy flavours and a deep colour. The second and third batches from Firgrove were separately fermented using the pneumatic punch-down method four times a day to produce more robust tannins with excellent structure and concentration. The three batches were then blended and allowed to undergo natural malolactic fermentation in stainless steel tanks before being racked three times and transferred into Oak barrels. Barrel maturation took place over a period of 13 months in 10% new American Oak, 10% in new French Oak and 80% in second and third fill French Oak barrels.
Enjoy the Shiraz now or allow it to mature for a further 5 – 8 years.
De Grendel Amandelboord Pinotage 2021
Regular price £23.95Bright purple edge with an intensely dark core. Cherry tobacco and Christmas spice of cloves and cinnamon abound. On the palate, this medium-bodied wine delivers flavours of sour cherry, cocoa, Cedar wood and fresh plums.
Country: South Africa
Region: Tygerberg
ABV: 13.5%
Grapes: Pinotage
Food Match:
Traditional South African fare such as braaivleis (BBQ), wildspotjie (game stew), Cape Malay bobotie (an oven-baked dish of spiced mince and dried apricots topped with an egg-custard), biltong (beef jerky) and samp with beans will be a true delight to enjoy with Pinotage. Non-conformists can try Pinotage with sushi, especially sashimi with pickled ginger and soy sauce to complement the spicy and umami flavours of the wine.
Pinotage in general has an excellent maturation potential of approximately 10 years and the Amandelboord will benefit with bottle aging, ensuring the flavours fully develop and tannins soften and integrate over time.
De Grendel Proposal Hill Méthode Cap Classique Brut Rosé 2018
Regular price £28.00The Proposal Hill Cap Classique Brut Rosé is made from 100% Pinot Noir grown on the western slope of the Tygerberg hill on De Grendel, overlooked by the original homestead built by the first baronet Graaff, the vines enjoying the same view that Sir De Villiers and Lady Graaff treasured all those years ago.
Country: South Africa
Region: Durbanville Hills, Tygerberg
ABV: 12.5%
Grapes: Pinot Noir
Food Match: Oysters, fresh from the sea or antipasti.
De Grendel Brut Rosé has all the hallmarks of a traditional, meticulously constructed Cap Classique, with the added allure of being playful and exciting, Hopkins said. Complex and with a weightier palate than the average sparkling wine, this bone-dry rosé has a fine and persistent mousse introducing hints of oyster shell and fresh lavender on the nose. Intense strawberry coulis and black cherry flavours are well-balanced by firm acidity and linger in the exceptionally long finish.
Quinta da Pedra Alta 10YO Tawny Port 500ml
Regular price £26.95This Port has a beautiful red gold appearance in the glass. Expressing aromas of dried cranberry, raisin and rich plum. As well as notes of cedar and christmas pudding.
On the palate this wine is lusciously balanced with flavours of candied orange peel and plum. Followed by a lasting, spicy finish.
Country: Portugal
Region: Douro Valley
Grapes: Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca
ABV: 19.5%
Alpha Box & Dice ‘Enigma’ Barbera, McLaren Vale 2022
Regular price £24.75With the colour of arterial blood, the nose reveals wild berries, rhubarb and custard. The palate is dense, concentrated and brooding opening to a rich mid-palate with cherry-stone fruit and bitter plum and a long finish with a gentle brick-like texture.
Country: Australia
Region: Adelaide Hills
Grape: Barbera
ABV: 14.5%
Food Match: Gamey meats or delicious on its own.
Wildeberg White 2021
Regular price £22.95Wonderfully rich and fleshy from hand harvested bushvine grown grapes in Franschhoek. Wild Yeast fermented. Beautifully poised and elegant. Excellent food wine.
Country: South Africa
Region: Franschhoek
Grapes: Field blend, but mostly Semillon
ABV: 13%
Chicken Biriyani or dishes with Cardamon.
Certified Heritage Vineyards planted in 1905.
Springfield Estate Wild Yeast Chardonnay 2021
Regular price £21.00A deliciously complex Chardonnay from the iconic Springfield Estate in South Africa.
This fresh white wine has flavours of pineapple and pear drops. Deliciously complex in style.
Country: South Africa
Region: Robertson
ABV:13%
Variety: Chardonnay
Springfield Estate goes against the grain in order to make sure the drinking experience is perfect at the consumer end and sustainable at its end. The wines are all about the rocky, unforgiving terroir of Robertson, and stand head and shoulders above most producers for sheer quality.
Niepoort Morgadio da Calcada Dry White Port
Regular price £27.95Gorgeous, deep golden colour. Rich, sweet and nutty nose. Softly sweet and wonderfully balanced palate. Perfect chilled as an aperitif.
Country: Portugal
Region: Douro Valley
Grapes: Malvasia
ABV: 20%
Bodegas Luis Cañas Blanco Vinas Viejas Rioja 2019
Regular price £21.95Normally associated with red wines, the region of Rioja also makes some really interesting and delicious whites.
A fruity and refreshing style of white Rioja. The barrel fermentation gives vanilla and subtle spice aromas, with ripe citrus flavours and a crisp finish.
Country: Spain
Region: Rioja, Alavesa
ABV: 13%
Grapes: 85% Viura, 15% Malvasia
The Region: Rioja is divided into three areas; Alta, Alavesa and Baja. Alta is the coolest and Baja is the hottest. Most Rioja's are blended from all three areas as many bodegas buy fruit from across Rioja to add complexity to their wines.
Travaglini Nebbiolo Coste della Sesia 2020
Regular price £22.95This is a fruity, fresh and approachable Nebbiolo. The nose shows delicate mineral notes with hints of violet, rose and liquorice, while the on the palate the silky tannins and long, smooth finish make this a delightfully well-balanced wine.
Country: Italy
Region: Piedmont
Grapes: Nebbiolo
ABV: 13%
Food Match: perfect with pasta dishes, roasted meat and cheeses.
Nectar Pedro Ximenez Dulce
Regular price £21.95An alternative vanilla ice cream sauce! Super-sweet, raisined goodness, we love this stuff....
Country: Spain
Region: Jerez
Grapes: Pedro Ximenez
ABV: 15%
Chateau La Tour de By Medoc 2016
Regular price £26.95Ripe red cherries, blue berries, bramble, pencil shavings, tobacco, spice and cedar on the nose and palate. Complex and rich, will age nicely for at least another 5 years. If drinking now, do decant.
Country: France
Region: Bordeaux, Medoc
Grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot
ABV: 13.5%