UK Wine Merchants

Across France much of the landscape and many small villages have stirred into frenetic activity with the start of the annual grape harvest – some areas have been busy for weeks already, whilst others may not start until later in September or even later if they are very high or concentrating on late-harvest (vendanges tardives) or botrytised wines.

Over in Alsace, the Hugel family are producing a daily video diary of the 2009 harvest, so that you can see the process and get some insight into the 2009 vintage potential. Hugel is one of the top names in Alsace and produce some really excellent wines. So far everything is looking very promising with ideal conditions for autumn weather and the condition of the vines – see http://blog.hugel.com/en/harvest/

Some of Hugel’s range can be found in the UK at Adnams and other independent wine merchants.

Alsace on the eastern border with Germany is a surprising region – sheltered from oceanic influence by the Vosges mountains, the Alsace wine region enjoys some of the lowest rainfall in France (just 400-500mm or 16-20 inches per year) and is blessed with a semi-continental climate—sunny, warm and dry. The key varietals – Gewurztraminer and  Riesling produced here can be extraordinarily intense and elegant, and despite the Germanic shape of the bottle (and often the labels too) the wines are dry (unless they are late harvest versions) – for more info on Alsace wines see www.vinsalsace.com/

Too early for your next visit to France then have a look at specialist wine merchants Stone, Vine and Sun who have some new offerings and tastings to tempt:-

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 every budget; at every level we believe these wines continue to offer terrific interest and value for money, at a time when finding such within the euro zone has become harder than ever. That’s why we continue to promote and recommend the wines of Languedoc-Roussillon with such enthusiasm. Now the region has really got its act together too, coming up with a unified marketing strategy under the jolly banner of “Sud de France”, and the creation of a new all-embracing Languedoc appellation, which stretches across the whole arc from east of Montpellier down to Perpignan.

The tastings are in Hampshire and London

Hampshire: 7th May 2009, 6.00-8.30 pm
TerraVina, 174 Woodlands Road, Woodlands, Netley Marsh, New Forest, Nr Southampton, SO40 7GL

London: 21st May 2009, 6.00-8.30 pm
Maison de la Région Languedoc-Roussillon, 6 Cavendish Square, London W1G 0PD

For more info see Stone, Vine and Sun
No.13 Humphrey Farms, Hazeley Road, Twyford, Winchester SO21 1QA
Tel: 01962 712351 Fax: 01962 717545
Email: sales@stonevine.co.uk

North Berwick-based French specialists Devigne Wines and Confit Direct have some interesting Christmas offers on Champagne and some lesser-known French Sparkling wines such as Cremants from Burgundy (Cremant de Bourgogne Chardonnay), Jura (Cremant de Jura Rosé made from the Poulsard grape), Gaillac in SW France (Mauzac and Len de l’El grapes), a Methode Traditionelle from the Cotes de Duras (unusual, in that it is a white wine made from two red grape varieties (Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon) and a low alcohol Petillant de Muscat from St Sardos in the Midi-Pyrenees.

So you could try something a little different for your festive fizz. 10% off a mixed case of sparkling wines,

The other half of the business specialises in gourmet foods from SW France and beyond, including duck and goose products such as confit, rillettes, patés, cassoulet and soups, jams, bottled fruit, tapenade and anchoiades and even snails!

Devigne Wines and Confit Direct

Michael & Patricia Robertson, PO Box 13748, North Berwick
EH39 9AA

Tel: 01620 890860 Fax: 05600 756287

Green and Blue, winners of Decanter’s Small Independent Wine Merchant of the Year Award 2008 stock two wines which are seldom seen in the UK – Entraygues et du Fel AC and Marcillac AC. These wines are really from deepest Southwest France coming from the upper Lot Valley and the Aveyron

2005 Laurent Mousset Entraygues et du Fel’ (£9.10) Like the wines of Marcillac, the dominant variety here is Fer Servadou although Laurent Mousset chooses to add some Cabernet Franc for a bit of added weight and texture.  It is a wine typical of the reds from the southwest corner which we love so dearly.  The red fruit is bright and zippy and although there is some rustic grip (these are not slick, glossy wines), they are essentially light and fairly soft.  These are wines to refresh body and soul and indeed, they used to be drunk instead of water (which sounds like a recipe for a far more entertaining day than those we spend sipping piously on Evian).   Although there is fabulous earth and stone flavours underlying the red cherry and raspberry fruit, this is not a wine to be studied with reverence, rather knocked back with gusto.

2006 Domaine du Cros Marcillac ‘Lo Sang del Pais’ (£8.75) Marcillac is rarely seen outside its own little part of SW France between Rodez and the beginnings of the Auvergne. It’s not because the wines can’t be good, but there’s just so little to go round – only eight independent winemakers exist and the number can’t expand because all the best sites (particularly the incredibly steep south-facing slopes with their dramatic terracotta coloured soil) are already taken.  It’s the combination of soil and the mansois grape that gives Marcillac it’s particular taste, a sort of wild, vibrant, leafy, raspberry and bramble fruit that’s fresh and moreish.

Philippe Teulier makes two styles of wine, his basic, traditional style (which this is) and a oaked version from older vines.  While we love both, the purity of the gamey fruit in this swung it for us on this occasion

South London’s Green & Blue won Independent Wine Merchant of the Year in the Under 12 staff category. The judges praised the tiny two-shop chain run by former Conran sommelier Kate Thal, for its attention to detail, noting the fact that ’staff will even print out a tasting note’ if the wine is for a gift!

Green & Blue Lordship Lane, 38 Lordship Lane, East Dulwich London SE22 8HJ T: 0208 693 9250 F: 0208 693 9260

Green & Blue Clapham, 20 – 26 Bedford Road, Clapham. London SW4 7HJ   T: 0207 498 9648 F: 0207 498 9649

Website: http://www.greenandbluewines.com

If you are ever lucky enough to get to the Aveyron, we can recommend some excellent cottages to rent owned by a couple of Californians – see wwww.frenchduck.com

The port cities of Bordeaux and Bristol both played a distinguished role in the history of the wine trade, such that even in the 13th century more than 85 per cent of all imported wine came from South West France and as much as 3,000 tons (750,000 gallons) was being landed in Bristol.
The trade with Bordeaux fluctuated, dependent on our relationship with France (war, peace, occupation) but key names in the UK wine trade were established in Bristol, such as Harveys and Averys. Both Bristol and Bordeaux have the advantaghe that navigable rivers reach right into the heart of the city. In Bordeaux the “Quai des Chartrons” on the Garonne river front. In 2007 the cities of Bristol and Bordeaux celebrated the 60th Anniversary of their twinning.

Sadly little there remains little of that trade physically – no cargo ships leave the Chartrons quayside, and in Bristol only Averys of the long-established merchants remains in the city centre.
However, all that could change with a shipping company (CTMV – Compagnie de Transport Maritime a Voile) starting to use sailing ships to transport wine from Bordeaux, initially to Ireland, but later to Bristol. Initial consignments are of Languedoc wines, which are initially transported by barge on the Canal du Midi to Bordeaux and then loaded onto the sailing ship Belem for the 4-5 day crossing to Ireland. This trip with a load of 60,000 bottles will save over 18,000 lbs of carbon emissions – so a veritable eco-friendly wine.

UPDATE

The Telegraph (25 July 2008) has a report on the same company bringing a “Green Energy” wine to Ireland:-

The first commercial cargo of wine shipped from France by sail since the late 1800s arrived in Ireland on Friday aboard a British schooner, with almost zero petrol costs and carbon emissions.
Some 30,000 bottles of “green energy” wine, arrived in Dublin aboard the 108-year old Kathleen and May – the last wooden hull three-masted topsail schooner in existence – after leaving Brest a week ago with a stop at Penzance.

Each bottle carried has saved 4.9 oz of carbon dioxide emissions compared with a regular shipment. The wines come with the label: “Carried by sailing ship, a better deal for the planet.”

Furthermore the return trip is planned to be with an equivalent cargo of crushed glass for re-making into wine bottles back in France – sounds clever to me!

Joanna Simon in the Sunday Times (1 June 2008) helpfully provides an explanation of the appellation rules for the Cotes du Rhone, which produces such a wealth of good wines, but where the nomenclature can confuse rather than illuminate. You can find a cheap basic Cotes du Rhone for well under £5.00 but get something really special for £10 and over – but the label will often not enlighten you. Furthermore the region is split into two – North and South, which are quite different in style – the north (which is home to Hermitage, St Joseph etc) is more dominated by Syrah, whereas the south (the larger and better known region) tends to be more dominated by blends of Grenache, Syrah and Cinsault.

So, let us begin with Côtes du Rhône. This is the basic AOC and the largest – a status reflected in low prices. The difference comes when the word Villages is added, as in Côtes du Rhône-Villages. It signifies superior land and stricter production rules, and it shows in the quality.

The next step up is to the 20 communes allowed to append their own name, for example, Côtes du Rhône-Villages Séguret, or Cairanne or Rasteau. These can be great value. Finally, over time, four villages – Gigondas, Vacqueyras, Beaumes de Venise and Vinsobres – have been promoted to AOC in their own right, and so have dropped the Côtes du Rhône moniker entirely.

In essence the better wines are made on the higher ground on the sides of the valley, which is where the “villages” and individual appellations are located. Here the soil drains better, there is more breeze to mitigate against the blistering heat which the region can experience.

Amongst our recommendations would be
Any of the wines of E Guigal, real Rhone specialist negociants – e.g. Cotes du Rhone AC from Majestic Wines

Domaine du Vieux Chene where the Bouche family contradict my claim that the best wines come from the sides of the valley – these are superb organic wines from Camaret near Orange (84 Vaucluse, Provence). Justerini & Brooks stock their wines in the UK – try the Cuvée des Capucins (A 90% Grenache 10% Syrah cuvée, really lively red and black forest bery fruits, warm generous and juicy with a lovely bitter sweet touch. Delicious.) £7.55 a bottle

Domaine de Mourchon at Seguret, run by Scot Andrew McKinlay, who has established an awesome reputation for himself in the appellation – try the Tradition 2006 from The Big Red Wine Company – “an enticing freshness with good upfront fruit and great texture and length. Lighter than the 2005 and, as such, more approachable in its youth with lovely sweet cherry fruit (more noticeably red fruit in character when tasted alongside the 2005) and good mouthfeel. A decent tannic structure to give the wine a real lift. Very friendly wine.” £8.95