Barrels & Bottles Wine Blog

Not really a wine related blog entry this but we never said this would be wine only so there :)

We have just taken delivery of some "chair mats" .... these are designed to go beneath office chairs to prevent damage to the carpet due to constant sliding too and fro. Apart from some very nasty spikes (to embed into the carpet) they are simply a big sheet of flexible plastic.

Unless you anchor yourself vertically above the chair it is like typing on ice - you would imagine. Hopefully the lardy weight of said typist will eventually create indentations for which the wheels of the chair to locate in to

Funny how things seem to all arrive at the same time. After several months of searching for replacements to McGregor, Groot Eikenbosch, Vriesenhof and Bouwland we have finally tracked down 2 excelelnt vieyards in South Africa.

Mischa Estate (Wellington, South Africa) is a relatively small estate producing some top quality wines. Their Shiraz blew us all away on first tasting. Big spicy fruits mingle on the palate and create a truly lip-smacking wine. South African Shiraz often receives bad press but is really misunderstood. It is not the same wine as those from Australia or indeed the Syrah's from the Rhone Valley. South African Shiraz is mix of these two styles - having the fruit of the Australians but the depth and complexity of the French.

Check out the Mischa Estate wines and see what you think and let us know?

Hot on the arrival of the Mischa wines are the range from Franschhoek Vineyards in the Franschhoek Valley of South Africa. We are listing their Forge Mill range of wines as the embodiment of quality and excellent value for money.

Prices start at just £5.50 for the typically grassy Forge Mill Chenin Blanc - a true summer wine with light and fresh fruits and enough money in your pocket for an ice-cream ... assuming you can run to the ice-cream van when you hear it's melodic tunes piercing the quiet afternoons!

The Forge Mill Pinotage is our favourite with quite a softness coming from its time in contact with the Frenck oak

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Traditionally, according to my brother and Mark Price, the Chatsworth Horse Trials has been one of the hottest days of the year. Of course there is not science behind this... just the fact they have come back from the show with sun-burn and not a drop of champagne!

This year saw one of the heaviest downpours of rain all year! All week has seen brilliant sunshine and high temperatures - great weather to be at one of the Country's finest homes and park. Hopefully the open-top bus will not get bogged down in the mire of mud that is bound to happen on open grass fields.

The top deck may not be too popular today but the downstairs is proving great shelter from the rain... with the odd glass of Champagne and wine to help things along of course.

We are holding a free prize draw to win a JEROBOAM of Champagne Taittinger. If you fancy a great day out then bring your wellies and join Mark and Andrew onboard the bus and enter our free draw. Umbrellas are optional!

We are pleased to announce the new listing of the wines by Domaine Michel Fonne of Alsace, France.

For many generations Barth Rene has produced Alsatian wines of unparalleled quality. The Barth Rene vineyards account for a total of 12ha and are planted with all 7 of the Alsatian grape varietals. Following in the footsteps of many generations Michel Fonne studied winemaking in Dijon and Damery. It was in the latter that he learnt the méthode champenoise that has allowed him to craft Barth Rene’s world renowned Cremant d’Alsace.

The Gewurztraminer by Michel Fonne shows intense bouquet displays rich aromas of fruit, flowers and spices, slightly sweet with good ageing potential.

My personal favourite has to be the Michel Fonne Pinot Blanc from the Bennwihr vineyards of Alsace. Big rich and strong flavours that typify the Alsace region making it a perfect wine with food and an aperitif.

Barrels & Bottles are proud to supply Sheffield United with our open-top London Bus for their victorious parade to celebrate promotion to the Premiership.



The parade is scheduled for today (Wednesday 3rd May 2006) between 5.00pm and 7.00pm around the streets of Sheffield.

Full details of the parade can be viewed on the BBC website

The bus is a recently restored 1949 AEC Regent 3 Red London Transport open topped bus. This was rescued and lovingly restored over the past 3 years to operate as a Champagne and party bus at events such as Royal Ascot, The Derby and motor racing events. The open top has no fixed seats making it perfect for the Sheffield United promotion parade.

See further images from the SUFC open top parade