A long day of writing producer profiles, adding new products and catching up on blogs - plus following the goings on at the start of the European Wine Bloggers Conference via Twitter.

Suddenly realised that I hadn't eaten all day, and given that the fridge was empty a quick dash into Overton to forage for food was in order. We are lucky to have such great foodie havens as Laverstoke Park, Manydown and Newlyns farm Shop (location of Caviste Odiham) right on our doorstep, but in the village itself we also have one of those rarities of the modern high street, a good butchers shop. They sell spell-bindingly good (well, I thought I'd better get a Halloween reference in somewhere!) Game Pies. So lunch was a large slice of this, some amazingly tasty tomatoes (given the time of the year) and a glass of the Chamonix Rouge 2007 that we had open for customer tasting.

'Classic Bordeaux-blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Malbec and Petit Verdot. Cassis and wafts of cedar and cigar smoke lead to a ripe, rich palate with soft tannins and a tasty finish.

I think it is wines like this that really do show what good independent wine merchants are all about - good value, good wines and great advice.

We're having a bit of an Oz wine fix here on the blog at the moment, having just written up two reviews for Pete Schell's Spinifex Esprit.

Pete is one of a new generation of Barossa winemakers making stunning wines blending passion, tradition and sense of place. Tim O'Callaghan who makes the Diggers Bluff wines that I've just added to our Australian portfolio is another.

These two new wines, Diggers Bluff The Watchdog and Diggers Bluff Top Dog, manage to combine the spirit of the Barossa with an innate sense of place, at once being very Australian, but also very different to the vast majority of Australian wines that are out there.

If you haven't had a chance to try any of our recent Australian additions yet, then maybe our new Spinifex and Diggers Bluff wines will tempt you to take the plunge.

Exciting day in the bunker here with the latest arrival of one of our favourite wines: Ridge Monte Bello 2006.

I think we began selling Monte Bello with the 1996, so this is the tenth vintage of our career in selling this remarkable wine from one of California's most respected wineries. In fact, I'd go so far as to call Ridge one of the first growths of the Californian wine industry, given Paul Draper and his teams ability to turn out such impressive wines year after year.

Ridge is an unusual new world winery in many ways, its wine being marketed by the vineyard location from where they are produced - a very old world idea. This puts lots of emphasis on soil, location, micro-climate and a mix of grapes planted there that suits that particular and unique location.

After all, these are the people that stunned the wine world with their success at the 1976 Judgement of Paris tasting (now also a film 'Bottle Shock' starring Bill Pullman, Alan Rickman and Chris Pine), with their 1971 Monte Bello winning first place against some of the very best that California and Bordeaux had to offer. In fact it is testament to the quality of Monte Bello that when the tasting was repeated in 2006 for its 30th anniversary, Ridge Monte Bello again came out top.

Once a 100% pure Cabernet varietal wine, Monte Bello has been Cabernet dominated since 1975 with various other typical Bordeaux varieties included in the blend to add complexity, structure and interest.

Ridge Vineyard's ethos of letting the vineyard do all the hard work, followed by minimal intervention in the winery, lets the fruit do all the talking for them. End result: silky smooth red wines with fine tannins and wonderful fruit concentration.

This 2006 vintage is another great example to add to the pantheon of previous vintages:
'Complex mix of ripe mountain bramble, cassis, and currant fruits; dark chocolate, toasty oak, licorice, exotic spice. Full-bodied, with elegant chalky tannins, sensuous balance, integrated oak. Pure Monte Bello.'

Early October saw Dan Standish from the Barossa (Massena and The Standish Wine Company) visit us for a customer tasting and dinner in the Caviste Overton shop.

In this interview we catch up with Dan and his thoughts on the England Ashes win and wine making in the Barossa.

Dan Standish October 2009

Interview by Ali Booker, freelance journalist and Jack FM presenter 

Great excitement here in the Surf4Wine offices today... two new red wines AND English Summer truffles (Tuber aestivum/unicinatum) have just arrived. Delivered straight from our secret source somewhere in deepest, southern England, we have been anticipating their arrival for a several weeks now. In fact, David Thomas of Caviste (with whom Surf4Wine now share offices and a warehouse), is off fungi hunting in October - so look out for news of his fungi foraging and more food and wine thoughts on his return.

Summer truffles aren't as pungent or as strongly flavoured as winter truffles and these English ones tend to be found on the surface near to certain trees (oak, hazel and beech) as opposed to beneath the ground like black winter truffles. Nevertheless, they are much sought after by cooks and food lovers and add a touch of luxury and flavour when added to eggs, pasta or simple roast chicken. If you would rather have a chef do the work for you, then check out this Telegraph article about truffle hunting with John Campbell, chef at the Vineyard restaurant in Berkshire.

These English summer truffles are actually pretty good value too, certainly compared to their more pricey European winter relations. At £10-11 for a large truffle (approx 50g) these fungal delicacies perhaps make a bit more affordable Autumnal treat. Stocks are limited, but if you would like to sample these rare delights, please buy Summer truffles online here.

So, what to drink with these 'diamonds of the kitchen' (well, diamonds at least according to  French gastronome Brillat-Savarin...)?

Well, as it happens we've just taken delivery of two tasty reds that fit the bill perfectly...

 

Barbera Riva Leone @ £6.95/bottle: From Piemonte, home of Italian truffle's and made from Barbera, one of the region's best known grape varieties.....Dark berry fruits with a core of fine tannins and the typical Barbera acidity that makes these wines so perfect to accompany big hearty autumn meals - perfect with any pasta dish, pheasant and game.

Marmesa Vineyards ‘Cabrillo Peak' Pinot Noir 2007 @ £11.95/bottle: From a single vineyard block in the Santa Lucia Highlands, one of the smallest quality coastal appellations in California, where the south east facing slope, with cobble soils, makes it near perfect for Pinot. A classically structured Pinot, beautifully perfumed with focused flavours of ripe berries, dark cherry and summer hay. Ripe and juicy with a lingering finish of vanilla and pepper spice - great with mushrooms, truffles, game and the richer autumn foods. This outstanding value wine would normally retail at £16.95, but through our extensive trade contacts we've managed to secure a small parcel at a very special price and can therefore pass on the savings to you. Hurry while stocks last...

Summer came to Surf4Wine this afternoon in the shape of our tasty new Cipriano Prosecco - part of a revamped Italian selection we will be unveiling over the next few weeks.

Tasting this lightly sparkling Frizzante chilled white on a warm Spring afternoon in the Overton outpost of  Caviste it made me want to reach for my sun-glasses and head off to find some shade and finish the bottle - alas there was work to be done - and more wines to be tasted to prepare for the launch of our new list.

Barely had Rick and Roz (long-standing Caviste acolytes soon to feature on these pages) finished filling the shelves than bottles were whizzing off them again into the hands of locals ready to be enjoyed over the coming long Bank Holiday.

As for me, well I'm about to turn off my PC, hit the A34 back to Oxfordshire and prepare for a Saturday morning of tasting English wines (jn preparation for English wine week) with an intrepid group of food and wine bloggers that Andrew Barrow over at Spittoon has assembled. There is a trip around Brightwell Vineyard, and then lunch and more English wines to look forward to.

Then home and prepare for eldest Booker-Chapman to celebrate her 18th birthday. First up, a Bar-B-Q for her friends where Mrs C and I are required to leave the house and leave them to party (I think it will be  night at the Cinema with Tom Hanks playing the hero in Angels and Demons for us - with a worried Andrew wondering how soon we can come back and check they haven't drunk my malt whisky...), followed by a family lunch on Sunday for which I still have to decided on menu and wine - and keep fingers crossed for fine weather so we can eat outside!

It's May already, and 2009 is slipping by so fast, it feels as though someone's pushed the 'fast forward' button. Who knew just a few months ago that Barack Obama would make history in the White House? That we'd put the words 'swine' and 'flu' together in the same sentence? That the biggest hits on YouTube would be an unassuming woman from Scotland? And that one of the biggest flops on YouTube would be a grinning Scotsman?!

Change is happening all around us. And it's happening right here at Surf4Wine too. If you've been thinking that we've been a bit quiet recently, it's because we've been working hard behind the scenes. To make change that's worth waiting for.

Surf4Wine is now working with Hampshire-based independent wine merchant Caviste.

For those of you not familiar with Caviste, this award-winning independent wine merchant now has three retail outlets throughout Hampshire (in Overton, Stockbridge and at Newlyns Farm Shop near Odiham), showcasing the best that the small production wineries of the world have to offer, from everyday drinking choices to fine wines. Founded in 2003 by Roseworthy-trained winemaker, David Thomas, Caviste not only specialises in the artisan wines of the Barossa Valley, (including Spinifex, Massena, Rusden, Diggers Bluff, Hobbs and Schwarz Wine Company), but also some of the finest single-domain Burgundy and top-notch Claret. And it doesn't stop there as there is also an intriguing and tempting selection from Italy, Spain, Portugal and some of the best small wineries of South Africa. Plus fabulous sherries, rich and lucious pudding wines, vintage Armagnac and local beers.

Objectives and wines that fit very well with Surf4Wine's mission to bring winemaker and wine drinker closer together to explore the world's best wines!

Watch this space for more information...

Monday evening, first day back in the office after the holiday's for me, first day back on the radio at JackFM for Alison... kids back to school, decorations to come down, emails galore to answer. Last night saw more freezing temperatures and even a sprinkling of snow when we woke up. No doubt about it, red wine is needed.

Supper is sausage's and mash (with -5C forecast tonight we need big, tasty food to keep us warm!), and I really must catch up with wines on the tasting bench... so to put 2 ands2 together here tonight we are having what I hope will be a big-ish red from Bordeaux: Chateau Tour de Biot 2006.

It's a straight AC Bordeaux made by Gilles Gremen coming in at a very un-Bordeaux 13.5% alcohol. Quite smooth with nice juicy/ripe fruit. 'Dusty' blackcurrants and a hint of tobacco. Green-edged, but not unripe (more like leafy) fruit on the palate. Easy-going and pretty good. I'm not a huge fan of Bordeaux at this level as I'd prefer something from Spain or the New World at this price point, but this wine manages to do a good job in its class.

Why not write your own review/tasting note for this wine, or others you taste, via Snooth? We have!

Find out more about Snooth, the social networking site for wine.

Having arrived at the fair much later then planned on day one, I really only had time for two 'meet-the-winemaker' interviews for our Blog (hear my chat with Charlie Melton), and get the latest gossip from the Liberty stand.

But, I did manage to taste a few wines - more to do today - and I couldn't resist blogging about this one in particular as it is both from an old favourite in terms of producers from our list, and made from a grape variety I hadn't herd of until yesterday.

A. Mano Aleatico Passito 2007 is a red sweet wine made form the Aleatico grape variety. Lovely dark chocolate notes, ripe plums and hints of dark berry fruits. Really interesting bitter-sweet finish that, I think would make this wine a great partner to that most difficult of food-stuff, chocolate.

Nice to taste something new, and a very good reminder of one of the reasons that Italy is so interesting as a wine producing country. Namely, it has a whole host of native grape varieties to tempt and intrigue us with. More like this please...

Apologies for photo quality. I didn't want to be bothered lugging a camera to London as well as an MP3 recorder and laptop, so this is taken with my iPhone. I love my iPhone, and I was happy to see it could handle the odd photo situation too.

Now I'm off on a train again for the hard slog back to London Excel and day two of the fair. It's a pretty torturous experience getting to the fair - Wantage to London is the easy bit with Paddington only a 45 minute train ride away. It's the bit from Paddington to Tower Gateway, and especially the DLR train ride to London Excel that is the real killer. At least I have 'Spooks' on the iPod part of the phone to keep me company - oh, and a few more blogs to get up too!

I was just surfing the web and came across this story about Welsh Whisky on the BBC news web site.

It certainly looks interesting - anyone tasted it yet?

We shall be investigating further and hope to report back soon.

• Mollydooker The Scooter Merlot 2006 £14.50
• Mollydooker Goosebumps Sparkling Shiraz £28.99
• Mollydooker Blue-Eyed Boy Shiraz £28.50
• Mollydooker Two Left Feet 2006 £14.50
• Mollydooker The Boxer 2006 £14.50
• Mollydooker The Violinist Verdelho £14.50
  [ETA December, very small supply, order now to secure for Christmas]

The first sunshine in goodness knows how many days saw the hot line between secret hollowed out volcano that is Surf4Wine HQ and the Chapman house come into immediate use. Mr C to Mrs C 'do you think we should have a Barbecue tonight?' 'Whatever' came back the cheery reply '... so long as you do the cooking'. Excellent me thinks I. But first things first... what to drink? (Funny how that is always the first thing on my mind... oh well)

Well, Mrs. C. is currently not drinking, so what should a boy do for a drink for one? Opening a bottle for one seems a bit extreme mid-week. I could obviously chose NOT to drink it all and lave some for tomorrow, but as we are off to sunny Devon that didn't seem practical either. M'mmm... I know. Beer! But which beer to drink?

Well, just arrived in the warehouse that very same afternoon were a clutch of new beers (See Andrew B's Blog post from yesterday). One in particular I had been keen to try ever since I saw it's reappearance on our beer suppliers list: Mahou beer from Spain. In fact, Mahou Five Star beeris Spain’s best selling domestic beer brand- don't say you don't learn something new with each Blog post ;). It was a staff as well as customer favourite when we last stocked it and it only disappeared from our list when we couldn't obtain anymore. Glad to see it back - but would it taste as good as I remembered?

I should have worried, Mahou **** lived up to expectations: Lovely crisp refreshing taste, not too heavy or gassy. Perfect for drinking while I watch the prawns on skewers gently turn fro pink to light gold. Went perfectly with the garlicky, lemony prawns - and didn't lave me with too much of a bad head next day (well, being a mid-week light-weight I only had a couple - it's no fun drinking alone!)

Mahou beer from Spain available by the case @ £34.50 for 24 x 33cl

• Tui IPA from New Zealand - 'classic beer, big reputation' £27.50
• Mahou - Spain's top selling brew £34.50
• Little Creatures Pale Ale - from Fremantle, Western Australia £39.99
• Speight's Gold Medal Ale - 'Pride of the South', another from New Zealand £30
• Mac's Gold - 'Naturally Brewed', another from New Zealand £30.50
• Fischer - packaged in a swing top, this is a fave from France £30.50