Barrels & Bottles Wine Blog
To contribute to this blog please send email to sales @ barrelsandbottles.co.uk
Results of the WSET Level 2 course at Barrels and Bottles were indeed impressive again this year with all students passing the exam, 6 with Distinction and 4 with Merit.
After the success of 2004 when the OCHOA AWARD winning UK student, Rosemary Dando attended the Coghlans Wine School Course, they again have a candidate for this years award with Nigel Hitchin achieving an exceptional grade. Nigel along with 4 other students will go on to the advanced level course starting in the summer.
Course Tutor Andrew Coghlan said "I was impressed with the dedication of the students again this year. We had a great mix of interested amateurs, restaurant professionals and retail wine merchants. They all applied themselves well to the course and to have 50% achieve distinction level is well above the average expectation of WSET courses"
Congratulations all round to everyone taking the course.
After the success of 2004 when the OCHOA AWARD winning UK student, Rosemary Dando attended the Coghlans Wine School Course, they again have a candidate for this years award with Nigel Hitchin achieving an exceptional grade. Nigel along with 4 other students will go on to the advanced level course starting in the summer.
Course Tutor Andrew Coghlan said "I was impressed with the dedication of the students again this year. We had a great mix of interested amateurs, restaurant professionals and retail wine merchants. They all applied themselves well to the course and to have 50% achieve distinction level is well above the average expectation of WSET courses"
Congratulations all round to everyone taking the course.
Labels: wset
One of our customers was certainly very impressed with our Highfield Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (New Zealand).. so much so that he added an entry to his own blog and declared it the "greatest Sauvignon Blanc on the planet today".
Who are we to argue? I have been serving their Sauvignon Blanc for 3 consecutive years on Christmas Day!
Read how Tim discovered and fell in love with the Sauvignon Blanc.
Who are we to argue? I have been serving their Sauvignon Blanc for 3 consecutive years on Christmas Day!
Read how Tim discovered and fell in love with the Sauvignon Blanc.
Labels: highfield, new zealand, sauvignon
We have certainly bolstered our range of Italian wineries this week with no fewer than 4 new estates joining our portfolio.
Masseria Altemura are first up with their Negroamaro and Rosato wines from Salento. The Rosato is a fabulous rose wine with real depth of character. The wines of Masseria Altemura reflect the family’s dedication to expressing the utmost respect for the traditions of a given territory as well as the family’s deep-rooted production philosophy, which has always been geared towards promoting and giving new life to indigenous grape varieties. Consequently in the Salento area, an extraordinary zone which yields wines of both great flavor and charm
The dessert wine Recioto di Gambellara by Podere il Giangio features a bright golden colour with huge flavours of rich, ripe, zesty lemons. Lip-smackingly tasty.
Three wines from Torre Solaria include Insolia, Nero d'Avola and stunning Primitivo. At a little of £7.00 each these are superb wines to be enjoyed this summer.
From Sicily we can heartedly recommend the Feudo Principi di Butera Syrah with its big appealing notes of cherries, red fruit and sweet spices. Located in the heart of Sicily (The California of Italy), and is the most ambitious investment ever undertaken by the Zonin family: 320 hectares of splendidly exposed land, of which 180 hectares are planted with vines, situated entirely in the Riesi DOC production zone. The Zonin family has owned the estate since 1997.
A whole range of styles and tastes to keep the Italian flair flying high.
Masseria Altemura are first up with their Negroamaro and Rosato wines from Salento. The Rosato is a fabulous rose wine with real depth of character. The wines of Masseria Altemura reflect the family’s dedication to expressing the utmost respect for the traditions of a given territory as well as the family’s deep-rooted production philosophy, which has always been geared towards promoting and giving new life to indigenous grape varieties. Consequently in the Salento area, an extraordinary zone which yields wines of both great flavor and charm
The dessert wine Recioto di Gambellara by Podere il Giangio features a bright golden colour with huge flavours of rich, ripe, zesty lemons. Lip-smackingly tasty.
Three wines from Torre Solaria include Insolia, Nero d'Avola and stunning Primitivo. At a little of £7.00 each these are superb wines to be enjoyed this summer.
From Sicily we can heartedly recommend the Feudo Principi di Butera Syrah with its big appealing notes of cherries, red fruit and sweet spices. Located in the heart of Sicily (The California of Italy), and is the most ambitious investment ever undertaken by the Zonin family: 320 hectares of splendidly exposed land, of which 180 hectares are planted with vines, situated entirely in the Riesi DOC production zone. The Zonin family has owned the estate since 1997.
A whole range of styles and tastes to keep the Italian flair flying high.
An Article by Andrew Coghlan
One of my passions in the wine trade is matching different styles of food with different wines. As we have a leg in both camps of both the wine industry and the food industry, combining our cookery school at Sheepbridge with our wine wholesaling arm, we are in a unique position to make informed comment on both aspects. I have outlined some general principles of styles of wine to match with styles of foods. This is the basis of our new wine and cookery book due to hit the shops in July, so here a quick taster of what is to come later this summer.
The main principle in matching wine is not to match but to contrast. The wine should be used as an ingredient in the dish as a contrasting element, so if a recipe has a high acidity, choose a wine with high fruit content to match to it. Classical faux pas include choosing Chardonnay based wines with Fish such as smoked salmon, or selecting a heavy spiced Shiraz to match with white meats which drowns the flavours.
I am also of the belief that you should drink what you like drinking with what you like eating, its not for me to tell customers what they should drink because its a very personal thing. All I can do is advise which styles go best together and then leave it to personal selection.
Lets take some examples from a typical dinner party menu.
If you have a Smoked and fresh Salmon Terrine served with a balsamic dressing, you have the smokiness of the fish, the sweetness of the fresh salmon and that tart acidity of the Balsamic Vinegar. My selection to balance would be a sauvignon blanc grape variety, probably from the Loire Valley such as Sancerre or perhaps better a Pouilly Fume. The fume has an elegant citric fruit and a hint of vanilla whereas the Sancerre has more of a ripe gooseberry aroma and flavour. Both have high acidity which balances the sweetness of the fish,yet sufficient body or weight to hold against the Balsamic Vinegar.
Other wines which might match would include Australian Semillon, perhaps Cape Jaffa Semillon from the Limestone Coast region which has a deep ripe fruit aroma and a hint of lemon on the finish.
Looking at something for the main course now with a Fillet of Derbyshire beef wrapped in Horseradish mousse with a red wine jus lie. This has very strong meat flavours, the slightly oily texture of the reduced red wine and beef bones stock sauce, the horseradish giving a hint of spice, so overall lots of richness in the dish.
My choice would be from Bordeaux in France, from the Haut Medoc. This side of Bordeaux relies on the heavy Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety, tempered with a touch of the softer Merlot. Chateau de Pez 1999 would be great with its rich texture, a hint of cigar box on the nose and a rich black fruit flavour on the top of the palate. However at £30 per bottle it might make the evening an expensive one so I,m also recommending a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. Casa Lapostolle Alvara Cabernet Sauvignon is full of ripe berries and good tannic structure which balances the oily texture of the sauce. This sells at about £6 so you can always stretch to a couple of bottles.
For dessert I have selected an Apple Tart Tatin with Clotted Cream Ice Cream. This dish relies on the tangy fruit against the creamy ice cream with a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon to give interest on the palate. This matches really well with late harvested Chenin Blanc, particularly from around the town of Anjou. Chateau Des Fesles Coteau du Layon is a delicious dessert wine, rich and fruity with great length and enough umph to stand up to the apple and the buttery ice cream.
Round off the meal with a nice piece of ripe local Stilton. Salty and savoury but just needs a wine with great fruit to balance it. If choosing a port, select a good ruby like Adriano Ramos Pinto Collector Reserva at around £15 which shows deep black fruit on the attack and a hint of spirit on the finish or be alternative and serve a glass of good quality Syrah or Shiraz. Ross Hill Shiraz from New South Wales has good depth at £12 but for real class go the Rhone and enjoy a glass of Hermitage from the finest hillside producing Syrah in France. Although you will pay around £16, the wine will last for some days so could be enjoyed over the week as the stilton becomes riper.
Don't write to me if you need to visit your Doctor for Gout, so everything in moderation is always a good motto!
One of my passions in the wine trade is matching different styles of food with different wines. As we have a leg in both camps of both the wine industry and the food industry, combining our cookery school at Sheepbridge with our wine wholesaling arm, we are in a unique position to make informed comment on both aspects. I have outlined some general principles of styles of wine to match with styles of foods. This is the basis of our new wine and cookery book due to hit the shops in July, so here a quick taster of what is to come later this summer.
The main principle in matching wine is not to match but to contrast. The wine should be used as an ingredient in the dish as a contrasting element, so if a recipe has a high acidity, choose a wine with high fruit content to match to it. Classical faux pas include choosing Chardonnay based wines with Fish such as smoked salmon, or selecting a heavy spiced Shiraz to match with white meats which drowns the flavours.
I am also of the belief that you should drink what you like drinking with what you like eating, its not for me to tell customers what they should drink because its a very personal thing. All I can do is advise which styles go best together and then leave it to personal selection.
Lets take some examples from a typical dinner party menu.
If you have a Smoked and fresh Salmon Terrine served with a balsamic dressing, you have the smokiness of the fish, the sweetness of the fresh salmon and that tart acidity of the Balsamic Vinegar. My selection to balance would be a sauvignon blanc grape variety, probably from the Loire Valley such as Sancerre or perhaps better a Pouilly Fume. The fume has an elegant citric fruit and a hint of vanilla whereas the Sancerre has more of a ripe gooseberry aroma and flavour. Both have high acidity which balances the sweetness of the fish,yet sufficient body or weight to hold against the Balsamic Vinegar.
Other wines which might match would include Australian Semillon, perhaps Cape Jaffa Semillon from the Limestone Coast region which has a deep ripe fruit aroma and a hint of lemon on the finish.
Looking at something for the main course now with a Fillet of Derbyshire beef wrapped in Horseradish mousse with a red wine jus lie. This has very strong meat flavours, the slightly oily texture of the reduced red wine and beef bones stock sauce, the horseradish giving a hint of spice, so overall lots of richness in the dish.
My choice would be from Bordeaux in France, from the Haut Medoc. This side of Bordeaux relies on the heavy Cabernet Sauvignon grape variety, tempered with a touch of the softer Merlot. Chateau de Pez 1999 would be great with its rich texture, a hint of cigar box on the nose and a rich black fruit flavour on the top of the palate. However at £30 per bottle it might make the evening an expensive one so I,m also recommending a Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile. Casa Lapostolle Alvara Cabernet Sauvignon is full of ripe berries and good tannic structure which balances the oily texture of the sauce. This sells at about £6 so you can always stretch to a couple of bottles.
For dessert I have selected an Apple Tart Tatin with Clotted Cream Ice Cream. This dish relies on the tangy fruit against the creamy ice cream with a hint of nutmeg and cinnamon to give interest on the palate. This matches really well with late harvested Chenin Blanc, particularly from around the town of Anjou. Chateau Des Fesles Coteau du Layon is a delicious dessert wine, rich and fruity with great length and enough umph to stand up to the apple and the buttery ice cream.
Round off the meal with a nice piece of ripe local Stilton. Salty and savoury but just needs a wine with great fruit to balance it. If choosing a port, select a good ruby like Adriano Ramos Pinto Collector Reserva at around £15 which shows deep black fruit on the attack and a hint of spirit on the finish or be alternative and serve a glass of good quality Syrah or Shiraz. Ross Hill Shiraz from New South Wales has good depth at £12 but for real class go the Rhone and enjoy a glass of Hermitage from the finest hillside producing Syrah in France. Although you will pay around £16, the wine will last for some days so could be enjoyed over the week as the stilton becomes riper.
Don't write to me if you need to visit your Doctor for Gout, so everything in moderation is always a good motto!
Burgundy exports up 8% in 2006 : by Hervé Lalau
Although France’s wine industry had few other reasons for overt celebration, Burgundy wine enjoyed a particularly successful year in 2006, with sales up 8.7% in volume and 8% in value, confirming the 7% progression observed in 2005. 96 million bottles were exported, 8 million more than in 2005, with a total value of €590 million, up €46 million on last year.
Beyond the global expansion, it was the individual markets that caused optimism. Of the 15 countries that account for 93% of total sales, only Germany showed a slight decline in purchase volume. The three largest markets, that together purchase over 60% of total exports, all showed growth: the United Kingdom was up by 3%, the United States by 11.5% and Japan by 6%. Canada showed the strongest growth among the major markets at +28% and is now the fifth largest export destination, overtaking Germany and the Netherlands.
Of the rest, only Belgium, which grew at +6%, is larger. Apart from Switzerland, which fell two notches in the rankings, the northern European markets of Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and Norway round at the pack. China, which doubled its uptake last year, is now among the top 30 importers.
Story from Wine Business International
Although France’s wine industry had few other reasons for overt celebration, Burgundy wine enjoyed a particularly successful year in 2006, with sales up 8.7% in volume and 8% in value, confirming the 7% progression observed in 2005. 96 million bottles were exported, 8 million more than in 2005, with a total value of €590 million, up €46 million on last year.
Beyond the global expansion, it was the individual markets that caused optimism. Of the 15 countries that account for 93% of total sales, only Germany showed a slight decline in purchase volume. The three largest markets, that together purchase over 60% of total exports, all showed growth: the United Kingdom was up by 3%, the United States by 11.5% and Japan by 6%. Canada showed the strongest growth among the major markets at +28% and is now the fifth largest export destination, overtaking Germany and the Netherlands.
Of the rest, only Belgium, which grew at +6%, is larger. Apart from Switzerland, which fell two notches in the rankings, the northern European markets of Denmark, Ireland, Sweden and Norway round at the pack. China, which doubled its uptake last year, is now among the top 30 importers.
Story from Wine Business International
After 3 years with the same look, the Barrels & Bottles website has been dragged into the 21st century with a complete redesign.
We hope you agree the new look is cleaner, easier to navigate and a little more fun and cheery. We will shortly be listing a gamut of new wines and re-photographing most of the images that are there.
The new site now enables us to tell you what other people have been buy - allowing you to stay at the cutting edge of wine trends. The new arrivals feature shows new listings as they arrive so you never miss a new wine or range ever again.
We have made extensive use of Actinic v8 design layout software to create the new look - we hope you agree and enjoy the new look.
We hope you agree the new look is cleaner, easier to navigate and a little more fun and cheery. We will shortly be listing a gamut of new wines and re-photographing most of the images that are there.
The new site now enables us to tell you what other people have been buy - allowing you to stay at the cutting edge of wine trends. The new arrivals feature shows new listings as they arrive so you never miss a new wine or range ever again.
We have made extensive use of Actinic v8 design layout software to create the new look - we hope you agree and enjoy the new look.
John Higgins
Barrels and Bottles
Unit 5b Broom Business Park, Bridge Way, Sheepbridge
Chesterfield
,
Derbyshire
,
S41 9QG
England
01246 453399
Home Page
