Latest wine news from Surf4Wine

Wine of the Week: Chateau la Tour de By 2004

Mon, 18 Jan 2010 08:49:27 +0000

Quite the prettiest location in Bordeaux, Chateau la Tour de By lies in the Northern Médoc where the vineyards are overlooked by the impressive folly - at the top of which you can survey a great stretch of the Gironde estuary.

When we visited Bordeaux in November '09 (see our current Bordeaux offer) we decided the 2004 was too good to leave behind, exhibiting as it does bold well structured currant and light mint flavours - making it the perfect accompaniment to the Sunday lunch lover who dreams of nothing better than a few slices of prime rare, roast beef (preferably fore-rib!) and a dollop of creamy horseradish sauce.

In fact, that's just what we did this last Sunday - and it's when the picture to the left was taken. So, Sunday lunch lovers everywhere, get your luncheon Claret here.

iPhones, iPads, apps and snow

Sat, 16 Jan 2010 06:12:00 +0000

I'd almost forgotten about this post that I had saved as a draft back at the beginning of January - I think I was waiting to write up with wines tasted while snowed in at home, but that somehow didn't happen. Never ever enough time!

Last night, while catching up on all the furore of the new iPad I downloaded some new apps for my iPhone, including the very nifty PhotoShop Mobile. Found lots of other less useful but highly enjoyable ones too - like Real Racing GTI (this free version sponsored by VM) and ZenBound. But it was the PhotoShop one that had me doffing my cap in admiration for those programming geniuses that develop these clever little apps - so much functionality in such a tiny little bit of software. I just had to share it with you here! Oh, and I definitely can't wait to get me one of those iPad thingy's either - perfect for surfing for wine from the comfort of your sofa

The first pic just shows a very snowy house and garden. The second one is using the PhotoShop application from the app store, working in sketch mode on that same tree you see on the left. Interesting effects with a few deft touches of the pointy figure.

Oh, and the wine was very good too - the recently arrived Crozes Hermitage Georges Reynaud from Domaine de Bruyeres. perfect with that evening's meal of rib-eye steak and garlic butter. Well, we had to keep warm somehow!

Binomio - gonna make you an offer you can't refuse!

Fri, 15 Jan 2010 00:00:36 +0000

Binomio - it sounds like a character from the Godfather movie trilogy, doesn't it?

But actually it is rather stunning Montepulciano d'Abruzzo that we got to try today when Michael Palij MW, it's UK importer, popped into the office to show us some wines and discuss some upcoming promotions.

I'm not going to try and put into words what the winery can do best itself:

'Binomio is the brainchild of two old friends: Stefano Inama from Azienda Agricola Inama in the Veneto and Sabatino Di Properzio from Fattoria la Valentina. The idea was simple and born from their conviction that Montepulciano is a native Italian grape of extraordinary potential. High yields and sloppy vinification had robbed it of character in much the same way as Garganega’s talents had been squandered in Soave. The Binomio vineyard – a stunning plot of old vine Montepulciano planted exclusively with the low-yielding ‘Africa’ clone in 1971 – was purchased in 1999. 2002 marked the completion of the Binomio cellars complete with the latest steel fermentors and a spacious, climate-controlled barrel room. Binomio 2001 was hailed by Wine Spectator as the greatest Montepulciano made and awarded 95 point; vintage 2002 was hailed 91 point. The unique combination of mountainous terroir, old vines, and a strict selection have allowed us to produce a wine which, displays the concentration and complexity for which Montepulciano is famous.''

The thing that struck me most about this huge, intense, brooding red wine was its stunning balance - if this were a new world wine you can imagine many making an over-extracted,massivley alcholic monster. This is super food-freindly and with impeccable balance. It's a fairly new idea, so no real ideas on longevity - but I suspect that it will age magnificently for a good ten years. Or more. Bravo!

Have you tasted this wine? What do you think? Why not rate it on Snooth? Then we can all read about it. Or better still, rate it on Snooth and comment here too!

Who knows where the time goes...

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 13:11:57 +0000

Can't believe where the time goes! (Blog title in honour of a beautiful song by Fairpoint Convention - and title of Sony award-winning documentary my lovely wife co-produced with the irrepressible Bob Harris last year. An award that was one of the high-lights from the last year for us.)

So, another New Year is here already, and snow again. 2009 ended with lots of the white stuff, hampering real life (and at just the time when we needed it least, trying as we were to get Christmas wine and gift deliveries out in time for the festive season!)

Last year ended with us (well, more correctly, ME!) being pretty poor on the blogging front - but no excuses this year! Just need to be more organised and make better use of technology (just invested in extra iPhone batteries and chargers so we can keep everyone updated on all this years excitement, wherever we are)

So, first offer of the New Year: Bordeaux. I don't normally think of Bordeaux as natural Surf4Wine territory as I've always considered that others in the UK wine trade are better placed than us, doing it bigger and better. But bigger isn't always better, and with some new connections and introductions since our move to new offices and warehouse in Hampshire, I've had my head turned.

There are some stunning wines from good to very good recent vintages that just aren't about in the main-stream wine retailers, and which Surf4Wine is ideally placed to introduce you to. So, In November we sent a buying team to Bordeaux to unearth some of them and bring them back for us to introduce to you here. Plus, in April this year we'll be travelling to Bordeaux to be right in the heart of the action as this years Bordeaux en primeur campaign for the 2009 wines kick off - and we'll be telling you all about it right here!

One of my wine predictions for 2010 is that the Bordeaux '09 campaign will be huge, even within the context of a world economy struggling to come out of recession without slipping back into another one - and Surf4Wine will be helping you to get the best wine bangs for your buck throughout 2010 - so stay tuned!

In fact, although Surf4Wine is often perceived as a very new-world orientated wine business, my wine back-ground is very much rooted in the traditional wines of France. I was last in Bordeaux in 1991, lucky enough to spend a week travelling around, tasting and meeting people while based at the beautiful Chateau Loudenne. All part of spending 7 very happy years tasting and drinking some of the finest Bordeaux wines possible while working for one of Oxford University's ancient College's.

Therefore, a fitting title for our first offer of 2010 is very definitely Back to Bordeaux - the best place to get your Bordeaux taste-buds wet ready for the coming 2009 excitement later thus year.

We're Game if you are...

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 17:49:53 +0000

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.

Authentic wine writing, not psychic wine tasting please!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:57:41 +0000

Today is the start of the European Wine Bloggers Conference in Lisbon - even if you are not a wine blogger and just enjoy finding out more about the wines you drink, it is definitely worth taking a look at the various live feeds, tweets and videos (look under EWBC). These guys are looking at the very latest ways to get information from wineries and retailers out to you the wine drinking public with blogs, videos, Twitter and all sorts of other exciting and innovative communications forums.

One of the most important points in this kind of PR is authenticity - be true to yourself and your 'brand'.

Which made for a very special kind of irony when I was sent this link earlier today. Two types of communications on the same day. Couldn't be more different. One a win, one a fail. I leave you to decide which works best...

Who let the dogs out

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 14:29:54 +0000

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.

The Full Monte

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 15:32:03 +0100

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.'

When is Chateauneuf not Chateauneuf?

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 12:02:58 +0100

Two great write-ups for one of our favourite Barossa producers: Spinifex

First up, Matthew Jukes in MoneyWeek talking about the Spinifex Esprit 2006.

'Pete Schell is the guy behind the Spinifex label. He is a quiet chap and a contemplative and very astute wine maker. He set Spinifex in 2001 with the idea of making truly great wines from some of the oldest vines in the Barossa valley. My favourite of his current releases is '06 Esprit - a 34% Mataro (Mourvedre), 31% Grenache, 30% Shiraz, 5% Cinsault blend, which conjures up bonfire nuances, well-hung game and masses of macerated, oozing blackberries and plums. Seemingly tailor-made for hearty, autumnal recipes and able to scare the living daylights out of a Chateauneuf du Pape at twice the price, this is a stunning wine.' (By the way, he also was very keen on the Schwarz Wine Company Nitschke Block @ £21.50)

We look forward to scaring some of our Chateauneuf du Pape producers, it is nearly Halloween after all!

The second review is from Country Life, a magazine with a great track record of fine wine writing with the likes of Edmund Penning-Rowsell as a past wine correspondent.

'Spinifex Esprit 2006 mixes flavours such as mocha, chocolate, fresh tobacco, wild cherry and prunes. Spot on with big-flavoured dishes such as braised oxtail or venison.'

Two great reviews for a wine that is a perfect partner as we move towards the Winter months.

Dan Standish in the house

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 11:24:47 +0100

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

Social media - putting winemakers in your living room

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 10:00:52 +0100

There's currently a lot of chatter in the press about Social Media with the likes of Twitter raising even more money to fund their continued expansion (an amazing story really when you consider that, as yet, they don't earn any!), plus David Cameron escaping censure from Ofcom for his Twitter-related outburst on Absolute Radio.

But where all these sites really come into their own is when you can access interesting, informative video - giving the consumer the chance to see the winemaker in action, and hear from his/her own lips their story. Wine is as much about the people that make it as it is about the aromas and flavours in the glass in front of you. Video is a great way to breathe life into the subject, getting you close to the action and as near to possible to the producer without actually being there. Producers aren't the only one to make use of this type of media - Gary Vaynerchuk over at Wine Library TV does it to great effect, and we've been known to turn out the odd video here on Surf4Wine.

Below is a great little video via Decanter magazine of the harvest at Chateau Latour where they catch up with Penelope Godefroy, Quality and Research & Development Manager, as the 2009 harvest kicks off.

Only this morning our Twitter stream was a abuzz with talk of another blogger using video to document his journey through the world of wine. Louis Villard (no relation to the Villards at Chateau Cissac it seems) has just launched his blog spiltwine. First up is a video food and wine tasting that he is taking part in today - worth a look if you like a combination of food and wine in the palm of your hand via your mobile or on the desk in front of you via your PC.

The Mollydooker Shake

Fri, 25 Sep 2009 12:00:25 +0100

Yesterday I blogged about the exciting arrival of the latest vintages of Mollydooker. When I got home last night, and after I'd had a quick glass of the delicious Aunstfield Sliding Hills Pinot - absolutely stunning value at £12.95 and perfect with my last scrapings of Summer truffle on some spaghetti - I was reading more about Sarah and Sparky's amazing Mollydooker wines. I found this video on their web site, and thought I'd share it with you - an interesting slant on letting wines breath and getting the most out of them!

Left handed wine

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 18:39:46 +0100

One exciting announcement in two days would be enough... wouldn't it??

Well, here is a second biggie... We've been eagerly anticipating the arrival of these beauties from down-under ever since we had our allocation confirmed earlier in the year. Sarah and Sparky Marquis make eclectic and much-sought after wines at their cult winery in the McLaren Vale, and have something of a reputation for turning out award-winning, head-turning wines at their previous ventures: Fox Creek, Henry's Drive, Parsons Flat, Shirvington, Marquis Philips.

Into the warehouse this afternoon we took delivery of The Maitre D' Cabernet Sauvignon, The Boxer, Two Left Feet and a tiny amount of their white wine, The Violinist.

As Sarah and Sparky are responsible for 4 of the handful of Aussie wines that have been given 99 points by Robert Parker in the last ten years, you can be sure that those cases won't stay in our warehouse long!

If you are in the mood to try something a bit different, then I urge you to give these exciting wines a try.

Red wine and truffles

Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:34:45 +0100

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...

A tale of two Sauvignons

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:50:17 +0100

Much excitement here at Surf4Wine today as the latest release from New Zealand cult winery Astrolabe arrived - and we coudn't wait to open some bottles and share them with you here!

Astrolabe is named after the famous ship which visited the Marlborough region in the 1800's and sank in the Marlborough Sound - something we don't think will happen to this wine! It is the vision of Simon Waghorn, a hands-on winemaker, relishing his role and nurturing Astrolabe as his own brand and baby and turning out stylish and expressive wines. Simon is one of New Zealand's foremost award-winning winemakers and the wines have developed something of a cult following.

First up, Astrolabe Awatere Sauvignon Blanc 2008. The Awatere Valley is situated at the southern end of Marlborough, which is itself located on the north eastern edge of South Island. The wine's slightly tropical with aromas of passionfruit and lime zest combining with lifted gooseberry. The passionfruit and gooseberry continues on the palate, with a tight, mineral core that supports the ripe fruit well.

Astrolabe Kekerengu Sauvignon Blanc 2008 comes from a single vineyard in the Kekerengu region. A big wine in every sense, not least reputation! Gooseberry, lime peel and currant leaf on the nose, following through to zesty palate with flavours of lime, gooseberry, white currant and green pepper. Dry and flinty finish with bags of ripe fruit. A top drop!

Definitely two wines to please the New Zealand Sauvignon lover... and we've more Sauvignons to add over the coming weeks too. Watch this space...