The Weekly Wine

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Sorry to burst into your inbox on a Wednesday but we’d like to take the opportunity to thank you all for your support, derision, patience, purchases, sports chat, music chat and TV series tips. Looking over the course of the year, we don’t seem to have discussed much wine, again!

It would appear that the biggest contributor to global warming could be the hot air that continually flows from 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW or from 126 Arthur Road talking about those goings on. For next year, we’re hoping to talk more about the orange in sunsets, sunrises or wine bottles than we do about orange in the Oval office.

It seems the travel bug is alive and well amongst you all as we have bumped into some of you in so many places; be they pubs, airports, swimming pools, islands in Greece or Richmond Park. We’ll wish you all safe travels and hope to keep bumping into you in places close and far.

We’ll be here today until 6pm if you are in need of some supplies and then we’ll be back on Monday 5^th January.

Our January sale will start then and will be the usual mechanic of six bottles for the price of five on most wines. That equates to a discount of 16.6% and as usual we’ll exclude spirits and anything we have to beg for an allocation of.

So, as we draw the curtains at the end of another year, we’ll wish you all a happy and healthy 2026 filled with laughter and high jinks.

After a year filled with so much idiocy we feel the last word should come from Albert Einstein: “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

Fellow Wine Lovers,

Less than a week to go until Ashes winner Sir Alistair Cook turns 41, Ashes winner Simon Jones turns 47 and Ashes winner Marcus Trescothick raises his bat to the crowd, celebrating 50.  Multi-award winner DJ Armin van Buuren will be 49 and Oscar winner Annie Lennox starts her 72^nd year.  Weirdly, the most famous person celebrating his birthday on 25^th December, Jesus of Nazareth, by all accounts wasn’t born anywhere near December.  In fact, experts over the centuries have offered a variety of dates that he may have been born on but none of them coincide with the Roman Winter Solstice; and then on 30^th December, Ashes winner (2015) Joe Root will celebrate his 35^th birthday and we fully expect he’ll be given the day off work to celebrate.

“That should never happen to anybody. I don’t care what your political beliefs are” – Rob Reiner

“This is a family tragedy, not about politics or political enemies” – Marjorie Tayor Greene

“reportedly due to the anger he caused others through … a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.” – Donald J Trump

Three examples of how 3 people, known to be outspoken, react to another person’s murder.  Rob Reiner now also murdered, seemingly by a member of his own family, showed grace in the aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s shooting.  MTG for once also showed some humanity whilst Trump once again shows zero empathy, typical of his current tenure.  We struggle to imagine any other current political leader who would survive or make such comments – why won’t the Republican party kick this sordid sociopath into touch? 

In booze news, not a lot to report really – everyone in retail is nose to the grindstone, whilst those who are involved in the wholesale agency side of the trade have already packed their cars as they slope off to the Alps for a couple of weeks, their work here now done, next stop 2026.  However, with a nod towards April Fool’s Day, we read that AB InBev, proud producers of Bud Light (?) and sponsors of the Buffalo Bills NFL team have made a beer using snow!  As written in The Drinks Business:

The limited edition beer, named Bud Light Blizzard Brew, “celebrates the great lengths Bills fans will go for one of the NFL’s greatest traditions,” the company said, noting that this season is the last for the Buffalo Bills at the stadium.

The snow used in the brew was gathered from the first snowfall at Highmark Stadium earlier this season. It was then transported to the Anheuser-Busch brewery in Baldwinsville, New York. The brewery team then integrated the snow into the brewing process to create a limited-edition beer sold in custom 16oz cans.

Looks like they’ve found a way to give their beer even less flavour and using free snirt whilst charging more for it – I suppose that sort of innovation got them where they are today.

And our different approach got us where we are today, who’s laughing now, huh?!  Plus, we’re not just here today but everyday until Christmas Eve, when we’ll be closing our doors at 4pm, hopefully to a shop with significantly less stock than we have currently!

To help you decide what to drink over the festive period we’ll have a few bottles open for your delectation this weekend:

Lété-Vautrain 204 Brut NV – £33.00 or 3 for £75

Situated southwest of Reims, towards Paris, this is our house Champagne.  A blend of the usual suspects – Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier and Chardonnay, from a small producer who we think is really delivering the goods.  Ideal apéritif champagne, crisp and dry with complex apple and stonefruit notes, a touch of breadiness and dried fruit to finish – perfect with smoked salmon!

Creation Chardonnay 2021 – £26.99

100% Chardonnay from the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge.  The grapes are hand-harvested before being barrel-fermented in 10% new oak and 90% second and third-fill French oak barrels.  It is then left on lees for another 10 months while undergoing malolactic fermentation.  The resulting wine has lovely fruit characters of ripe pear and yellow peach with a touch of fresh minerality and hints of spice.  We found it to be really rather sophisticated.

Bodegas La Horra Corimbo 2021 – £29.99

This is the Ribera del Duero estate with the same ownership and technical team as Bodegas Roda.  Similar to Bodegas Roda, they are also at the helm of innovation with the Tempranillo research and are conducting trials with clonal varieties of 243 clones in a designated nursery to find which are best adapted to coping with the extreme heat.  We really enjoyed it, not as polished as a Rioja Reserva possibly but no less delicious for that!  Savoury, spicy game notes complement the forest fruit aromas nicely.  The palate has sweet ripe raspberry fruit, a nice bodyweight and a lovely perfumed spice to the finish. 

All three of these appear in our Christmas Day mixed 6 box (£150) alongside another white and two other reds – could this be the gift you’ve been looking for?

We’ll also have the Krohn Late Bottled Vintage – £21.99.  Krohn ports always seem to punch above their weight for us.  Perhaps the secret lies in the high quality of their vineyards – the magical combination of terroir, locality, aspect, incline and low-yielding vines. Their Quinta do Retiro Novo estate in Sarzedinho, in the Rio Torto valley (where vinification takes place), is all A grade vineyard.  The generous plummy characters, freshness and pure berry fruit are surely the best way to end the day! That’s about it from us, if we don’t see you, have a very Buon Natale and if we do see you and you’re struggling for inspiration, we do still have some of the Foxdenton Estate Christmas Liqueur – £25 which is the bomb in a glass of festive fizz!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

We’ll start with some good news. After 25 years of asking, The Rolling Stones have given Fatboy Slim permission to use ‘Satisfaction’ for a release of dancefloor bootleg ‘Satisfaction Skank’. They even delivered the original stems to him by armoured car so he could build it from the ground up. Possibly a bit late to make the Christmas No.1 slot but certainly something to get Grandma grooving in her slippers!

Whilst we’re on entertainment, there has been much debate over the years about whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie. As we move into that season, we have to admit to being a little surprised to find a remake of Pirates of the Caribbean live on news channels with oil tankers, warships and helicopters. The sound wasn’t great but did we hear a shiver me timbers from the White House?

Netflix is hoping to get Warner Brothers Discovery for Christmas, having launched an aggressive $83 billion takeover bid. Not to be outdone, the Paramount team, which includes Trump’s mates the Ellison family and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, have also upped their bid. This could run and run and we can’t help but wonder if the political connections will win in the end.

If you’re not in the market for a film studio, alternative Christmas gifts we might suggest could be some Foxdenton Christmas Gin (£25) to get you in festive fervour or perhaps Debt Collector Whisky (£50) which comes from our talented chums at Doghouse Distillery. This is a stunning Bourbon style whisky made in London and is from the first release batch of just 1,000 bottles. Vermouth seems to be a bit of a thing lately and the Lacuesta Reserva (£18.99) is a bit of a stunner. From Haro in Rioja, this acacia barrel aged beauty is the perfect aperitif just over ice. Personally, I think I’ll go for a bottle of Jean Gimonnet 2008 La Guette Blanc de Blancs (£58) champagne. It is a great vintage bubbly that has spent nearly 15 years on its lees. Alex is hoping for some new socks but could be tempted with a magnum of Valenciso Rioja Reserva 2018(£58)!

CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS

Sunday 21^st December: 12 NOON – 3PM

Monday 22^nd December: 12 NOON – 7PM

Tuesday 23^rd December: 12 NOON – 7PM

Wednesday 24^th December: 12 NOON – 4PM

Thursday 25^th December – Sunday 28^th December: CLOSED

Monday 29^th December: 12 NOON – 7PM

Tuesday 30^th December: 12 NOON – 7PM

Wednesday 31^st December: 12 NOON – 6PM

Thursday 1^st – Saturday 3r^d January: CLOSED

Monday 5^th January: 12 NOON – 7PM and then back to normal.

Tasting This Weekend

Alex is keen to get his laughing gear around some Port, so we’ll be finishing with a nip of Krohn LBV (£21.99) but before we get there, we shall pull a cork on Christian Bergeret St Aubin 1er Cru (£36.49) a rather delicious little number from the Cote d’Or in Burgundy. Staying in that neck of the woods, almost, we’ll head along to Emma and Christian Sorine for a tipple on their Maranges Vieilles Vignes (£30.00). We’ve tasted this southern Beaune wine a couple of times and found it be a rather smart glass of Pinot Noir – come and have a sample and let us know if you agree.

Lastly, the shortlist for Sports Personality of the Year has arrived and Rory McIlroy is on it. A golfer hasn’t won since 1989, just saying!

Cheers!

Fellow Wine Lovers,

It’s that time again – a month laden with celebrations. 

Monday saw us celebrating the birthday of one of our oldest customers, congratulations to him, have a glass of bubbly.  Come Wednesday, the Champagne flutes were out again, as Park Vintners Limited, aka the wine shop next to the chemist on Arthur Road, celebrated the 15^th anniversary of trading; congratulations to Wayne for keeping the boat afloat for so long, without any noticeable navigational assistance from his First Mate.  Thursday, the new Friday, saw us continuing the flow of bubbles from bottle to bouche as we hosted the perennially popular Champagne & Sparkling wine tasting, a fitting close to our events for 2025 – cheers!  And now it’s Friday, the old Friday, also referred to as Fizz Friday, so there may well be more corks a-popping as we slide into the weekend….

With a glance at headlines, it doesn’t look like there are many other reasons to bring out the bubbles unless you happen to be a famous Frenchman called Nigel.  Reform UK have just seen their coffers swell to the tune of £9 million, courtesy of Chakrit Sakunkrit, the Thai cryptocurrency investor, more commonly known in the UK as Christopher Harborne.  As leader of this party, we would imagine Nigel has the pin code for the company credit and will, much like his pal across the pond with his Qatari jet, use this donation in a rigorously ethical manner!

And we’re not talking sport this week, because we’re bored of Arsenal being Arsenal and Tottenham being Tottenham, whilst AFC departed the FA Cup over a month ago.  Cricket chat is verboten, too emotionally charged, whilst Harlequins are just a 15 man Spurs.

In 3 weeks’ time, the Wincanton Mares’ Handicap Chase will have gone off at 12.53 and any excesses of the previous day will be being washed away by pints of Guinness in plastic glasses and horizontal drizzle – at least, that’s the plan.  Yep, you’ve been warned, less than 21 days until Christmas, is shopping time running out?  If you think it might be, we might be able to help…

As ever we have put together some Seasonal Selections that look something like this:

Our December Selection – £100

• Jacques Bruére Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique 2013, Robertson, South Africa
• De Wetshof Bon Vallon Chardonnay 2024, Robertson, South Africa 
• Wairau River Pinot Gris 2022, Marlborough, New Zealand
• Geoff Merrill Bush Vine GSM 2016, McLaren Vale, Australia
• Herència Altés Cupatge 2023, Catalonia, Spain
• La Cantina Pizzolato Pinot Nero 2024, Veneto, Italy

Our Claret Selection – £130

• Château Cardinal 2015, Montagne-St-Émilion
• Château Clauzet 2017, Saint Estèphe
• Château de la Coste 2020, Margaux
• Château Grandis 2015, Haut-Medoc
• Croix de Marsan 2020, AC Bordeaux
• Château Mayne Viel 2020, Fronsac

Our Christmas Day Selection – £150

• Lété-Vautrain 204 Brut NV, Charly-Sur-Marne, Champagne, France
• Creation Chardonnay 2021, W.O Cape South Coast, South Africa
• Terlaner Classico 2024, Alto Adige, Italy
• Bodegas La Horra Corimbo 2021, Ribera del Duero, Spain
• Clos Henri Pinot Noir 2022, Marlborough, New Zealand
• Crociani Vino Nobile di Montepulciano 2021, Tuscany, Italy

Our ‘Posh’ Selection – £250

• Champagne Tarlant Zero Brut Nature NV, Champagne, France
• Boekenhoutskloof Goldmine 2024, Western Cape, South Africa
• Sylvain Dussort ‘Cuvée des Ormes’ 2021, Burgundy, France
• La Fleur de Bouard 2014, Lalande de Pomerol, France
• Sokol Blosser Dundee Hills Pinot Noir 2022, Oregon, USA
• Sesti Brunello di Montalcino 2019, Tuscany, Italy

There you go, something for everyone we reckon – tasting notes are attached to this email for further delectation!

With talk of wine and celebrations, here’s what we’re going to open this weekend.  As we are still only 15, we can only drink soft drinks but you lot might enjoy:

Jacques Bruére Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique 2013 – £20.99

Whilst hailing from Roberston in South Africa, this traditional method wine is named after the Brewer family’s Huguenot relatives from the Loire Valley.  Rich, yet elegant after spending the best part of 9 years maturing on its lees, the wine has a citrus character counterbalanced with creamy yeast notes and a complex finish with real finesse.  A fabulous way for you to celebrate our Birthday!

And then, two new listings to tantalise your tastebuds with:

Boekenhoutskloof Goldmine 2024, Western Cape, South Africa – £26.99

Crafted from Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Semillon, and Viognier, this wine reflects both precision and personality, a worthy partner to Chocolate Block.  The Chardonnay was aged in French oak barriques whilst the other three varietals were matured in a combination of seasoned oak foudres, concrete eggs, and clay amphorae.  This gives a layered and complex wine, medium-bodied, elegant, and vibrant, with quince, poached pear, and nectarine with hints of bruised apple and baking spice and a clean, mineral-driven finish.

Montresor Capitel della Crosara Valpolicella Ripasso Superiore 2021 – £20.99

Made using 70% Corvina, 20% Rondinella and 10% Molinara all of which come from the Capitel della Crosara vineyard, in the heart of the Valpolicella Classico region and which gives its name to Montresor’s top Amarone and Ripasso wines.  Made in the Ripasso method, which involves adding the unpressed skins from the dried grapes, which were used to make an Amarone, to a young Valpolicella wine to impart extra flavour and body.  What we end up with is a nose rich with aromas of fresh morello cherry, ripe plum and hints of dried fruits. Similar characteristics appear on the palate complemented with some crunchy black cherry fruit and hints of spice/liquorice.

That’s probably enough from us for now, it’s cold outside, why not come in for a taster!