November 23rd, 2011
Château Gaillard’s ‘Touraine-Mesland’ Chenin white wine

Fine Wine Online

Fine Wine Online

Château Gaillard

Château Gaillard

The vineyards of Château Gaillard are situated on the hills that dominate the northern side of the river Loire between Amboise and Blois in the very heart of the appelation ‘Touraine-Mesland AOC’. Since 1978 Vincent Girault has sought to produce wines true to the character of their ‘terroir’ – from 1989, the Château adapted its production to establish true biodynamic methods. With 17 hectares of red grape varieties grown on sandy soil and 13 hectares of white grape varieties on flinty clay, the vines benefit from a southern exposure to the sun in the rich and fertile Loire valley.

This wine is the quite rare, Gold Medal winning, Mesland Blanc, made from the delicate Chenin grape, which the locals call ‘Pineau de Loire’. It is a clean silvery colour, with a  soft dry body expressing a bouquet of exotic lychee and quinces, melting in the mouth with considerable length – ideal with chicken and pork dishes.

 Vin Vino Direct are proud to have Vincent’s Chenin for sale at only £8.50 – click here to order …but we only have some 40 bottles left, so be quick!

GaillardA few words from Vincent Girault;  “To me the world of wine producing can be compared to a pyramid: a pyramid with four distinct levels with each interacting with each other: Firstly the basic level: the land, the soil, the Mother Earth and the terror, as without a good soil you can never produce a good wine.
Next level up the climate, here in the Loire Valley we are very fortunate in having an excellent microclimate very much suited to our type of wine production. Followed by the ideal range of grape types: one or more for each soil type, each variety suiting different circumstances: Gamay, Cabernet, Chenin etc.Finally the wine producer himself, the creator, the architect of his or her own wine. Each of these four factors are important in themselves but cannot act on their own; it is the combination of all four which leads to the magic of a great wine!”

November 22nd, 2011
Chateau Thebaud – Domaine Poiron Dabin, Pinot Gris

WineEarlier this month, a small group of Sommeliers in France referred to our 2006 Pinot Gris from Chateau Thebaud as ‘Un Vin Piege’ – a trap wine on ‘blind tastings’, confusing it for Condrieu (Rhone). With a very small allocation of only 2,000 bottles of each produced each year you need to buy as much as you can – the two wines that we currently import are delectable and are only ever produced in sun drenched years.  We also have the amazing Pinot Gris Rosé available – both wines are only £9.25 

Grower Profile

Jean Michel and Laurent, two brothers own a sumptuous well established Domaine in the Loire – Atlantique, 15kms south of Nantes. Their 60 hectares on the undulating hillsides provide 3 hectares dedicated to Pinot Gris Rosé. The privileged silex and granitic rocky soil, overlooking the Maine Valley gives their Pinot Gris Blanc complexity and expressive exotic fruit of melon and mature pears, with a sensual smoothness on the tip of the tongue.

November 8th, 2011
New Zealand Fine Wine from Quarry Road

 

Fine Wine Online

Fine Wine Online

Te Kauwhata Pinot Gris

Te Kauwhata Pinot Gris

Quarry Road Estate is a small boutique winery located in Te Kauwhata, in the upper half of the North Island of New Zealand.

Te Kauwhata has been a traditional winemaking region of New Zealand, since the New Zealand Viticultural Research Station was established there in 1897. The region boasts a unique micro-climate ideally suited to quality viticulture. On the shores of Lake Waikare, the third largest lake in New Zealand, Te Kauwhata enjoys typically dry, warm conditions through March and April, the key ripening months for grapes. With cool nights and warm sunny days, the vines ripen their crop steadily and without pressure from adverse weather patterns.

The main Quarry Road vineyard was first planted in 1963 by an ex-director of the research station. As the name Quarry Road implies, the vineyard is situated in rocky soils which maximise the terroir of the region. Since its original planting, the vineyard has changed hands and the winery is now being developed by the current owners, Toby Cooper and Jenny Gander. Toby and Jenny have kept production levels limited to only a few thousand cases pa in order to retain the hands-on relationship they have with both the vines themselves and the wines they produce.

Te Kauwhata Vines

Te Kauwhata Vines

The focus of the winemaking style is to produce wines that truly reflect the grapes from which they were made, with minimal adulteration through winemaking practices. A secondary objective is to produce wines that are tailored to the palates of the customers rather than the industry. The popularity of the wines is testament to the efficacy of this ideal, whilst the more than 20 awards from major wine competitions in the last few years shows that the judges know a good thing when they taste it too!

All the wines made are from grapes grown in and around Te Kauwhata, 95% being under the direct control of Jenny, the viticulturalist. This control allows for consistency of quality, the primary requirement of any boutique winery.

Tasting notes: A rare variety in New Zealand - light glittering colour, vanilla bouquet with a firm body, dry and crispy. Other Quarry Road wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Riesling, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir and Merlot/Malbec – of these, some are relatively new plantings which are just reaching full production.

The quality can be testified by numerous medals and therefore is a wine which cannot be missed. This Pinot Gris can be purchased exclusively from Vin Vino Direct  click here.

We also carry in this range the following amazing wines;

Merlot Malbec, Te Kauwhata, Quarry Road Estate to view click here
Riesling, Te Kauwhata, Quarry Road Estate to view click here
Cabernet Merlot, Te Kauwhata – Quarry Road Estate to view click here
Sauvignon Blanc – Te Kauwhata – Quarry Hill to view click here
Pinot Noir -Te Kauwhata – Quarry Road Estate to view click here
Merlot Rosé, Te Kauwhata, Quarry Road Estate to view click here
Chardonnay – Te Kauwhata – Quarry Hill to view click here

May 21st, 2011
Food and wine matching – the seafood starter…

Seafood

Mussels, oysters, scallops, prawns, potted shrimps, langoustines, crab and lobster (crikey, I’m salivating just writing this!!) are all an excellent excuse to crack open a variety of palate-pleasing whites. Bone-dry Muscadet sur Lie is a perfect appetite-teaser for washing down shellfish and seafood platters.

 For a more sophisticated marriage, Chablis, Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre are great, as is the floral and peach-scented Spanish Albariño.

seafood2New World Sauvignons can also work a treat, especially with spicier Asian-influenced dishes. Crab salads and crab cakes feature salty-sweet flesh which works well with Riesling and Viognier.

Rich lobster dishes or humble potted shrimps cry out for full-bodied white Burgundies like Mersault – or high quality New World Chardonnay alternatives from Australia, New Zealand or South Africa. Otherwise, almost all shellfish and crustacea are sublime with Champagne…and do we have some cracking Champagnes – we have a wide range of prestigious marques available…from the rare 1989 Krug Clos du Mesnil, the opulent 2000 Vintage Dom Perignon, through to the little known award-winning Ayala Majeur Brut Rosé – an expansive collection to indulge yourself with.

November 17th, 2010
French medal winning Domaine de Ménard white wine

Fine Wine Online

Fine Wine Online

ClosduMenardThis Swiss family property in the Côtes de Gascogne region has been a 10 ha vineyard since 1960 and now consists of 110 ha of vines situated in a marine site, baptised the Saint Jacques “Pelerines of Compostelle”. This Domaine de Ménard wine, first produced in 2002  seems to adapt marvellously to the Colombard and Sauvignon grapes, with a perfect balance of each variety expressessing it’s personality. The Colombard shows a powerful bouquet of exotic fruit, vivacity and freshness added by the presence of the Sauvignon.  As well as being a fantastic tasting wine it also holds a Gold Medal from “Au Concours des Vignerons Independants”.

You can order this wine online and it’s very reasonably priced at £7.75  click here

 Tasting Notes: A blend of Colombard and Sauvignon with an immediate aromatic and grapey freshness. An off-dry wine with hints of spice and pear mingle with peachiness on the finish…..and it’s a Gold Medal Winner!

The Area: Côtes de Gascogne is a wine-growing district in Gascony producing principally white wine. It is mainly located in the ‘Departement Gers’ in the French region Midi-Pyrénées, and it belongs to the wine region South West France. The designation Côtes the Gascogne is used for a Vin de Pays (“country wine”) produced in the Armagnac area. The decree of the 13th of September 1968 created the difference between a Vin de Pays and simpler table wine, the so-called Vin de table. The designation Côtes de Gascogne obliges the producers to respect the stricter rules and production standards, which were adopted with the decree of the 25th of January 1982.

The Colombard Grape: Colombard is an early fruiting white variety of wine grape, better known as French Colombard in North America. It is possibly the offspring of Gouais blanc and Chenin blanc. In France it was traditionally grown in the Charentes and Gascony for distilling into Cognac and Armagnac respectively. Today it is still among the permitted white grape varieties in Bordeaux wine, and in Gascony for Vins de Pays Côtes de Gascogne and the white Floc de Gascogne.

November 15th, 2010
Fine Wines from Australia – Arlington Estate Wines

Fine Wine Online

Fine Wine Online

'08 Arlington Sauvignon Blanc

'08 Arlington Sauvignon Blanc

Our new range of Australian monovarietals from Vince Littores’s three generation family vineyard, Arlington Estate, are aimed to provide the most natural, appealing fruit driven flavours truly representative of Australian wines. Already with an unrivalled reputation internationally they are totally exclusive online to Vin Vino Direct and are the perfect choice to delight the most dedicated Australian wine drinker. Each terroir is represented by a different animal on the label reflecting the unique wildlife that inhabits the nearby river and bush land of the vineyards.

The wine featured here is the sublime 2008 Sauvignon Blanc from our Arlington collection.

Tasting Notes: Light silver colour, aromas of green apples and citrus – a touch of gooseberry, with a good fresh and crisp body.

Winemaker’s Notes: Selected parcels of fruit were harvested in excellent condition and gently pressed to retain the aromatic characters for which Sauvignon Blanc is renowned. The highly clarified juice was then inoculated with yeasts that were selected for their ability to retain these aromas in the finished wine.

This range of wines start from only £7.00 (was £7.50), making them a fantastic price for a quality wine which can only be bought from Vin Vino Direct.

Moorabool Valley

Moorabool Valley

The Region: The Moorabool Valley represents one of Australia’s finest cool climate wine regions with a fast growing reputation for boutique wineries producing premium hand crafted wines.  Family owned and operated wineries dominate the Valley giving visitors the opportunity to meet with the people who tend the vines and produce the wide range of classic and alternative wines on offer.
With a history extending back to 1842, Swiss immigrants chose the Moorabool Valley to plant some of Victoria’s earliest vines. Decimated by the Phylloxera virus in the late 1800′s, the Valley’s renaissance began in the 1960′s with new plantings at Idyll Vineyard and Del Rios of Anakie.Today, a small band of passionate winemakers embrace the challenge of producing superior cool climate wines from the tough limestone and basalt base which forms this region’s unique terroir.
Nestled between Geelong & Ballarat, the Moorabool Valley’s small, family run vineyards provide rich and intense low yield fruit, perfect for crafting into award winning wines….

September 22nd, 2009
Great wines from Mendoza, Argentina – Piedra Luna

Fine Wine Online

Fine Wine Online

Argentinean white wine

Argentinean white wine

Since it’s release in 2003 the Piedra Luna range has gained an important following. Our Piedra Luna wines are grown in the Santa Rosa area near Mendoza in the West of Argentina, close to the Andes foothills. Owned by the Trapiche Estate, outstanding wine techniques are closely followed to ensure total reliability. Peter Bright, a pioneer of modern winemaking in Argentina is at the helm ensuring the maximum potential of the grapes.

 The red Bonarda Tempranillo draws you into the Argentinian mood of sun-kissed strawberries and rasperries – a juicy fruit wine lightly oaked. The Chenin Blanc is intriguingly aromatic with a suggestion of sherbet lemons and Papaya. The Chenin Blanc – Riesling, a first from Argentina, is a medium crispy white offering a New World optional alternative to German wine.
 

These great wines are all at a reduced price of £5.50, which means that you can try them without breaking the bank – the wines we have available are;

2008 Chenin Blanc Riesling – click here

2007 Chenin Blanc Sec – click here

2007 Bonarda Tempranillo – click here

 …another range of exclusive wines from Vin Vino Direct.