Wine, food, cooking and accessories

Many thanks to Steve Machell for his excellent detective work and information about our open topped bus.

KTF 591 was new to Morecambe and Heysham Corporation in September 1949. Chassis No 9612E4657.

Body was by Park Royal No B33410, seating 30/26.Reseated to 33/26 between 9/199 and 3/1960.

Converted to Open Top 3/1967 and carried advertisement panels for New Heysham Head.

Was transferred to Lancaster City Council 1/4/1974.

Snow has finally settled in Sheepbridge, Chesterfield but this has not detered a party of Russian delegate here for a conference or indeed our plants adding a splash of colour to the winetry scenes outside.

Some years ago we identified the need for new wines to come onto the uk scene, as people were tiring with the fruitiness of German Riesling ( unjustly so in my opinion) and so we began the search for new and exciting white wines with zip and acidity to contrast with our Chardonnay range from France and Australia particularly.

The answer lay in New Zealand, a cool climate New World country with a new and innovative wine industry based predominantly in the South Island, particularly around the town of Blenheim.

Cloudy Bay had long been sought after as a boutique label synonymous with great fruit and quality but had become extremely difficult to purchase.

In the Highfield Estate Barrels and Bottles found an exclusive partner with which to work in the UK, with a licence to sell their wines exclusively in the UK Ireland and Scandinavia.

The philosophy of Highfield is very simple. Grow the best grapes, employ the best winemaking staff and work with the best wine merchants around the world with small quantities of very good product. In the Highfield range are Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Riesling for whites, Pinot Noir for red and a cracking sparkling wine made with 50% pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay.

Working as an agent Barrels and Bottles can ensure that the wines are only sold in the right stores and restaurants to maximize the profile of the brand. All wine merchants that are appointed to handle their region make a commitment to the quality of their customer service and that the brand will not be price cut to devalue its position in the market.

After 4 years of success in the worldwide wine competitions, Highfield has established itself as a sought after brand with elegant wine making and contemporary packaging, a stream of Gold medals in Sydney, Hong Kong and Auckland along with a loyal following of fans.

As consumer tastes alter, we continue to search for new and exciting brands to work with, a search that can take us all over the world, but we hope to find just one more jewel to add to the range, which will sparkle as much as Highfield Estate, Marlborough New Zealand which has become our number one brand.

An article fo City Business Magazine, February 2007

After finally nailing down some of the wine-makers (not literally) we are pleased to annoce the first few wine tastings for the 2007 season. As well as tastings from Spain, Rhone and Burgundy we are featuring a Madeira Dinner showcasing some traditional local cuisine with speciality wines with each course.

We have extended our WSET courses this year and feature a Level 2 and a Level 3 course. WSET Level 2 is ideal for those with some knowledge of wines looking to extend and refine their knowledge and finishes with a multiple questoin exam. WSET Level 3 takes things to the next stage and really tests your palate and knowledge culminating in a blind tasting examination. All our WSET courses feature full self-study notes and tutoring over an intensive 5 or 7 week study period.

Book mark the wine tasting page for further updates and announcements on events throughout the year. All events are at our Sheepbridge showroom (Chesterfield) unless otherwise stated.

Wine Tasting Events

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching and Easter only a month or two away, Chocolate has once again risen on the agenda for those who enjoy a post Christmas treat. Chocolate and wine however is a more unusual combination, with many wine writers and broadcasters insisting that wine and chocolate are not naturally suited partners.

I am most certainly not of this opinion, being involved in both sides of the coin with my hat on as managing director and buyer for Barrels and Bottles, along with my other hat as director of Coghlans, the cookery school with its own range of luxury hand made truffles and a fresh chocolate counter at its Sheepbridge based location.

The secret to success in matching wine and chocolate is very simple. The higher the cocoa content, the richer and darker the wine to match with it. A chocolate containing 50% cocoa works extremely well with full bodied white wines, perhaps something with a hint of spice such as gewürztraminer from the Alsace, such as Michel Fonne Gewurztraminer AC, a full on Chardonnay with a hint of Oak such as Chablis 1er Cru or even lighter red wines with a low acidity such as a soft Merlot from Chile , La Conde Merlot or a Grenache from the South of France such as Chateau Elisabeth Ac Costieres de Nimes which combines the flavours of red and black berries with a hint of spice on the finish.

A higher Cocoa content demands a different flavour match. Take a 60% cocoa content and the bitterness of the chocolate increases and the sugar content decreases. This level of wine can cope with more acidity but still not too much tannin, the natural chemical which occurs in wine. Hence grape varieties such as Pinot Noir particularly from Burgundy or New Zealand, Tempranillo from Spain, Castillo de Almansa Reserva or a rich and creamy Nebbiolo or BARBERA from Tuscany.

Moving to a higher cocoa content again the grape varieties suited change again and 75 to 80% cocoa demands a powerful rich spiced red wine such as Shiraz or Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec or Carmenere. Wines from Chile are particularly good with the bitter chocolate and my favorite example is Casa Lapostolle Santa Alvara Cabernet Sauvignon, from young vines in this private estate owned by the Grand Marnier and the Louis Roederer Champagne house, so real French aristocracy with great quality New World fruit. You could also try Murphy’s Shiraz from New South Wales, made by Tony Murphy from County Cork, a family synonymous with stout rather than wine, but this shiraz is deliciously rich and velvety with a hint of red and black pepper on the finish and seems to balance the bitter sweet flavour of a really dark chocolate.

Those thinking towards Valentine gifts should look past the difficulties of matching Champagne and Chocolate in favour of enjoying the brownie points of remembering to buy their loved one a memorable gift. How about a bottle of Canard Duchene Rose, with a red fruit and white flowers aroma combined with a box of Coghlans hand made Kir Royal Truffles, perfect for that romantic evening. Wine and chocolate is a personal taste. Experiment with the combinations that work for your own palate, or even come along to a make and taste session at the cookery school and find out more about the chocolate and wine combination.

Article by Andrew Coghlan : Elite Magazine

Christmas Day this year was spent with a magnum of Champagne Taittinger (soft and creamy) for the preamble to dinner.

Served with the full Christmas dinner was Highfield Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand (fruity and zesty) and Ross Hill Mick’s Lot Shiraz from Australia (full-bodied with tangy blackcurrant fruits)

This is about the 3rd year running where the Highfield Sauvignon has featured over the festive period. For the money and the style of wine needed to suit a range of drinkers and the type of food there is nothing which comes close.

We survived the very busy Christmas period after some late nights and much overtime (unpaid I hasten to add) to ensure orders were out in time for Christmas. Many thanks to everyone who used and placed an order on the website and we trust you or the recipients enjoyed the wines and accessories over the festive period.

We are currently working on the 2007 wine tasting event calendar and details of the early event will be posted shortly to the website. We are hoping to provide another feature-packed programme with visiting vintners and guest-speakers covering a wide range of wines from all corners of the winemaking globe.

After the stock-taking has been completed – Glenn and Dave are busy counting the bottles as I sit in relative warmth and comfort typing this blog – a full range of special and clearance offers will be made available to make way for the new 2007 ranges due over the coming months. Existing buyers and subscribers to the newsletter will receive a newsletter with some fantastic deals – other deals will be posted to the website.

Look out for details on becoming your own wine merchant using the Barrels & Bottles infrastructure and a new range of cellar accessories including some very technical scientific hygrometers and thermometers that will even allow you to remotely monitor your wine cellar across the internet!

Happy New Year to everyone from all at Barrels & Bottles

Forget the prejudice and try the wine for yourself! Our Beaujolais Nouveau is by Gilles Ducroux from his Regnie Cru AC vineyards to provide added weight and first rate fruit to counter the typical acidity associated with Beaujolais Nouveau.

Dig out your beret, don a silly moustache, invite some friends round and together enjoy the first vintage 2006 wine from France.

Our efforts to raise money for our nominated charity Help A Hallam Child will take a boost thanks to our association with Sheffield United Football Club (SUFC).

As the supplier of wines to Brammall Lane we have an agreement to get bottles of wines and chamnpagnes signed by the visiting team manager. At the end of the season the bottles of wines featuring the Premiership managers signatures will be auctioned off to raise as much money for this very worthy cause.

This blog will be updated with the results of the auction and the website will feature further bottles as they are signed. For you own fundraising efforts please see the Help a Hallam Child fundraising page

Seasonal update from Casa Lapostolle winery in Chile:

“Spring has arrived in its full splendor in the vineyards of Casa Lapostolle. We already have temperatures of 25°C (77°F)
during the day that go down to 5°C (41°F) at night. This is an ideal situation for the good growth of the vines.
As a result of a few days of light rain, this year budburst has been excellent.

In our “Atalayas” vineyard in Casablanca, it is a pleasure to look at the hills covered with an intense green canopy,
they seem to be waves at sea, where each plot has been planted in a specific position to capture the best of the sunrays.
There, the breeze of the Pacific Ocean also influences that special flavor of the Cuvée Alexandre Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

In the “Apalta” vineyard, we have planted 20 new hectares and it is very good to see that it is growing healthily, some of them
at the foot of the hills and others very near to where we have 50-100 year-old vines that form the base of our icon wine Clos Apalta.
We couldn’t ask for better and we are very happy to be able to share it with you.”

Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle de Bournet
Casa Lapostolle