Laithwaites Wine Club
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Wine52’s Gaucho Extravaganza
As with every month, my latest installment of Wine52 arrived, sporting 4 wines from San Juan in Argentina. It lies in the shadow of the Andes just North of Mendoza, the region that likely single-handedly brought you a love for Malbec. The Andes meltwater provides excellent irrigation for the vineyards although climate change has caused this to become more of a concern and growers are having to use water more sustainably. The common practice is to dig channels in the vineyards and literally flood…
Jim Barry – An Aussie icon
When you hear about Australian wines there are a few names that should come to mind: Penfolds, Yellow Tail, Wolf Blass, Peter Lehmann and Jim Barry. Jim Barry helped shape the world-famous Clare Valley as a Riesling powerhouse and one of Australia’s greatest wine regions. He was in fact the first qualified winemaker to work in the entire region, taking a job as winemaker and chemist at Clarevale Cooperative soon after graduating in 1946. It wasn’t until 1959 that Jim and his wife bought their…
Apothic – Wines with history
As a Classicist and wine aficionado, this brand appeals for two reasons. Firstly, the Classicist in me likes the name for its Greek origin (Everywhere I saw seems to think it's Latin, which isn't wrong, but go back further). "Apothece", meaning warehouse, harks to the origin and rustic nature of winemaking. Picture barrels upon barrels in large, dark storehouses where early winemakers began tinkering with blends and maturation. It’s also linked to apothecaries, again evoking this image of…
Alcohol Free: Better Late than never
This title is very much a self-confession of over-indulging but making a conscious effort to combat that, finally. When you’re in the wine business, it’s rather difficult to cut down on drinking as you feel you have to try as much as possible to keep up to date and your taste buds sharp. However, as we all know, the alcohol-free industry has been making great strides towards creating drinks that give the right sense, mood and tone that come with having an 18+ drink just without the 18+ element…
Weddings & Wine: The Favours
In my last article I covered the major events of the day (Reception, Meal and Toast), however there is one other important aspect of the day to weave in here, which is of course (if the title wasn’t obvious enough) the wedding favours. Wedding favours are one of those things which seem difficult to decide on and you sometimes wonder if they are even worth it - I’ve seen more than one wedding where the favours are simply left by the grateful guests at the end. One favour you can guarantee will be…
The Easter Waitrose Sale – Buy 6, Save 25%
The sale you know and love is back with 25% off across their wine range. Waitrose is widely said to have the best wine selection around and a recent article from Harpers might just confirm this further (for those with a subscription). So yes, other supermarkets can and do run this sort of wine offer as well, but if you are looking for a selection of really genuinely good wine at a bargain as opposed to the usual Villa Maria’s and Oyster Bay’s, then Waitrose is the place to shop. I’ve selected a…
Why you should choose Naked Wines this Easter
The biggest pull you might think is the £80 voucher we have for Wine Genie, and yes, that floats my proverbial wine-faring boat as well, but it wouldn’t amount to much if the wine case wasn’t any good. Fortunately, Naked aren’t exactly known for their ”bad” wines, quite the opposite! Naked champion the individual producer and support them through their Angels programme to help make wines with passion, feeling, provenance and flavour. As a testament to this, I’ve gone through a case of wines from…
Weddings & Wine: The Key Events
These days, much like everything, weddings have a habit of racking up a nasty bill. Many will be wondering how you can keep wedding costs down, but, the simple truth is that it can be tricky, particularly where food and drink are concerned. I’ve spent a bit of time discussing and leading wine tastings during my days at Majestic Wine so have a good idea of how to manage wine choices, food pairings and head count to bottle ratios on a budget (half a bottle per person is about right). Not to…
Riding around the Hunter Valley
Keen Aussie wine drinkers might know a thing or two about (*Australian outback accent*) “The Hunter”. By which I of course mean the Hunter Valley! Just over a year ago to date I was out in Sydney, and being a wine man if I do say so myself, felt it was the ideal opportunity to go and visit one of Australia’s most renowned regions. It helped it was also the closest region of any note. The Hunter lies just North of Sydney and is Australia’s oldest wine region. It accounts for something like only…
Grapes and libations: Bacchus
Bacchus is perhaps one of the best named grapes out there. An homage to the Greek god of wine and, for some I'm sure, the Bacchanal excess that goes with it! Although perhaps not to the same extent as some of the more lurid tales of the Greeks. Bacchus is in fact a feat of human engineering, a crossing between Muller-Thurgau and a Silvaner-Riesling crossing. These are all German wine mainstays in the grape world and explains why Bacchus has proved so effective in the UK. Our climate is not…
Wine52 showcases Italy’s Abruzzo region
Abruzzo lies in the centre of Italy along the Adriatic Sea. Depending on where you plant your grapes, you can experience two very different climates. On the slopes by the Apennines you can experience warm but short summers and frequent snow in Winter whilst on the coast the weather is generally very warm and Mediterranean most of the year. It is a region best known for Montepulciano which dominates the vineyards. It is also known for fairly high-volume production, particularly on the warmer…
Greasy Fingers - The Ultimate Food pairing
When you hear someone talk knowingly about wine, the declaration of what fine food to pair it with is never far from their lips. Enter Greasy Fingers, the brand designed to remove the pomp of wine and food matching and admit that pairing wine with burgers, pizza or any kind of takeaway is what you actually want. Sometimes something greasy is hard to resist, and you should treat yourself to a wine that deserves it too. It is true that an aged Rioja or Montrachet probably wouldn’t pair so well…
Sustainability focus: Bordeaux
This blog might well be for the real enthusiasts as it is based off my research essay I submitted for my Diploma qualification recently. So, all I have to say is, good luck! But, in all truth, this topic is very prevalent in the wine world and gives a real insight into changing vineyard and winemaking practices. Environmental impacts are fast becoming a key concern for consumer and producer alike as the effects of climate change have increased over the past few decades, if you couldn’t tell (how…
Wine52 Discovers Dão
Wine52 have been on quite the quest to explore Portuguese regions recently, with Tejo and Alentejo cases now behind us. With Portuguese Wine potentially set to trend in the 2024 market too, you can see that Wine52 are ahead of the game. Located inland a little way off from Porto, Dão is surrounded by mountains which cuts off both the cold, wet ocean influence and the warmer conditions from the East. One of the most interesting things about Dão wines is that the dominating eucalyptus forests are…
Balfour – An English Wine Leader
Balfour plantings began in 2002 on the Hush Heath Estate and within a few years had picked up their first award for the 2004 Vintage Balfour Brut Rosé. This was produced in just 10,000 bottles but had given Balfour all the prestige it needed to become what it is today. Not only did it strike gold at the International Wine Challenge, but it was also the first English Sparkling to be served on British Airways First Class and the only English Wine at the London Olympics 2012. As you can see it’s…
The Best January Wine Sales 2024
January is here and, for some, that means a chance to do Dry January and start the year on a healthier footing. In my line of work, Dry January seems distinctly unlikely (not to mention I enjoy the taste too much) but that doesn’t stop me cutting down the frequency at least. This difficulty is compounded by the extremely tempting offers on the market at the moment with Bin-End Clearance and Winter Sales everywhere you look. Still, even if you are trying to avoid drinking, it shouldn’t stop you…
Selfridges Wine Tasting – Christmas delights
On top of the hamper, which you can read about here, Selfridges very kindly offered us to choose a couple of wines which I deemed suitable for Xmas hosting and feasting, and I’ll admit, ones that I was really eager to try myself. Perfect for different occasions throughout the day, these wines should give you some ideas of what to have with your Xmas lunch, pudding and beyond. Don’t make them stick to Christmas events only either. Wine is for every time of the year. In particular I mean that for…
Selfridges’ Christmas Hampers 2023
Still stuck on impressive gifts? Or do you want an all-in-one pack to get you everything you need for Christmas Day? Just look to Selfridges for the ultimate hamper this year. Bring a Selfridges touch home with their great selection of luxury hampers. The collection of hand-picked gift hampers makes mouths water and palates pop. From alcohol and tea bundles to Christmas delights, each basket and yellow box is the perfect way to enjoy this year that bit more. The selection of Christmas Hampers…
Majestic Wine’s Christmas Deals of 2023
This Christmas Majestic have launched two new premium deals, with savings on Fine Wine and Champagne. With their award-winning buying team at the helm, you don’t just find the brands you know and love but hidden gems and quality, artisanal wines from smaller producers that their customers quickly become fond of. Having worked at Majestic myself for a little over 3 years, from store to head office, I’ve got strong knowledge of the range and where the top deals and value for money offers truly…
Wine52 goes to Chile
Skirting away from Hungary and moving to the South American continent, Wine52 are taking us on another World tour, this time in Chile. Specifically, this case focuses on the Maule Valley which lies towards the cooler, Southern end of Chile’s main wine regions. As a result, you can expect some good acidity in these wines. This region was, and still is a high-volume wine region, but has been garnering a recent reputation for quality. Trust Wine52 to scout the hottest spots! One practice here that…
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Laithwaites Wine Club