Tag Archives: Fareham

Zuidam Dutch Courage Dry Gin

Posted on by
Reply

Zuidam Dutch Courage Dry Gin

See Fareham Wine Cellar’s Gin Selection Here

Zuidam are one of the top producers of Gin, Genever and liqueurs in the Netherlands. They are also the only Genever producer that mill all their grains in the traditional method in windmills. Milling by windmill means that there is amost no increase in the temperature of the grain during milling which thus helps preserve the wonderful aromas of the Gin.

Zuidam Dry Gin is their take on a Gin rather than a Genever and they have been steadily changing the packaging. When I first came across their dry gin it was presented in a very modern looking bottle which, quite frankly, looked like a a whole host of other modern gins – this is the bottle on the left below. Then, some time last year the Zuidam Dry Gin arrived in much more traditional packaging in a bottle like the Zuidam Genever. I think this was a definite improvement – it harked back to the roots of Gin from Genever, looked more traditional and definitely stood out amongst other gins on the shelf. This is the bottle on the right below.

And finally, this month, I had a surprise when the newest Zuidam Dry Gin arrived!

Zuidam Dutch Courage Dry Gin

Zuidam Dutch Courage Dry Gin

I have to say I like this. We all know the term Dutch Courage, it is derived from English soldiers fighting in the Thirty Years War in the 17th century who would swore by the warming properties of Gin on the body in cold weather. Apparently them named the drink Dutch Courage. So, not only does the label have historical Dutch connections but a quirky name on the bottle also helps to give a good selling point.

Zuidam Gin Botanicals

Packaging aside, Zuidam Dry Gin is a great small batch Gin. The botanicals used are Italian juniper berries & iris root, Morroccan coriander, angelica root, Spanish oranges & lemons, vanilla from Madagascar, Indian liquorce root and cardamom pods from Ceylon. The gin is aged for 3 months prior to bottling. It is a very clean, fresh gin with citrus and earthy juniper and hints of spice and vanilla. A great Gin for a Martini!!

Related articles
article spinner software applications precisely for the web user.

The Teeling Whiskey Company

Posted on by
Reply

The Teeling Whiskey Company

The Teeling Whiskey Company is a new independent Irish whiskey company. Ever since Cooley Distillery was acquired by American spirits compant Beam Inc. there has been a big hole in the Irish Whiskey landscape for a good independent Whiskey brand. Irish whiskey is fastest growing spirits category in the world but a lot of Irish whiskies don’t offer much choice in terms of styles or flavours. The Teeling Whiskey Company intend to change this by producing small batch whiskeys with great personality and character compared to the mass-market brands.

The Teeling Whiskey Company was founded in 2012 by Jack Teeling whose father, John, had founded the Cooley Distillery in 1987 (the first Irish whiskey distillery lauched in Ireland in over 100 years). Jack Teeling, whose family can trace their Irish whiskey heritage back to 1782, has just released Teeling Irish Whiskey which is a small batch bottling of hand selected casks of grain and malt whiskey matured in old rum barrels. The Teeling Whiskey Company’s whiskey is currently distilled by Cooley Distillery but Teeling apparently in the advanced stages of a feasablilty study to create their own distillery in Dublin where Walter Teeling opened a distillery in Marrowbone Lane in the Liberties over 230 years ago. This would mean that they would be able to make the break from being whiskey bottlers to becoming whiskey producers. Jack Teeling is ably assisted by former Cooley whiskey maker Alex Chasko, who was also Innovation Manager, who brings new ideas such as finishing the whiskey in rum casks.

There are currently three products produced – Teeling Whiskey, a Scotch and Irish Hybrid Malt Whiskey and Poitin (or Poteen). For more information on Teeling Poitin please read my blog post here.

Teeling Whiskey

Teeling Whiskey is a small batch blend of Malt and Grain whiskey with a higher than normal composition of first fill bourbon barrels and higher than usual ratio of malt to grain. The whiskey is finished in ex-Rum barrels that are sourced directly from the Nicaraguan Flor de Cana rum distillery. The blend is aged for 4 months in the rum barrels which bring an extra sweet and smooth flavour to the blend whilst retaining the unique taste of Irish Whiskey. It is bottled at 46% ABV without colouring or chill filtration to preserve mouthfeel and flavour.

Teeling Whiskey Company Irish Whiskey

Related articles
The top bloggers recommend a twitter wordpress plugin for your Wordpress web sites.

Borsao Garnacha

Posted on by
Reply

Borsao Garnacha 2011

I have always been a fan of wines from Bodegas Borsao from the Spanish wine-growing region of Campo de Borja eversince we used to sell one of their wines in the 1990s which Robert Parker rated around 95 points, which was pretty unheard of for a wine costing around £5 a bottle. We have just taken delivery of a new (to us) wine the Borsao Garnacha 2011.

Bodegas Borsao is really a co-operative of of co-operatives! Established in 2001, it is a collection of the three of the most progressive co-operative cellars in the Campo de Borja wine-growing region. Grapes come from 620 member growers covering 2,500 hectares, nearly a third of the region’s total.

Bodegas Borsao LocationBodegas Borsao Garnacha

The Denominacion de Origen of Campo de Borja is located in the north west of the  Zaragoza province of Aragon, Spain. It is located between the Ebro Valley and the Iberian system of moutain ranges. The whole region is dominated by the Moncayo mountain which gives the area it own microclimate. The vineyards lie in the foothills of the Moncayao mountain and the region is characterised by having an arid climate with hot, dry days and cool nights – conditions in which Garnacha thrives.

Borsao Garnache Tasting Notes

Currently on sale at less than £6 a bottle, this is a great value red wine. The nose has typical Grenache-y aromas with juicy, bramble, cherry and white pepper spiciness. The palate is soft and giving with good acidity and more subtle spiciness. If this was summertime I would say it would be an ideal barbeque wine, as it is February and freezing perhaps try it with a some banger and mash (preferbably Hampshire Herby bought from Phil’s Sausages!).

And if you like Grenache you must try the top wine from Borsao, the Tres Picos.

Related articles
Try a wordpress plugin membership - your sites will really adore it.

Trapiche Malbec Single Vineyard 2009

Posted on by
Reply

Trapiche 2009 Single Vineyard Malbec – Pre-order

As you may know, each year top Argentinian wine producer, Trapiche chooses three different Single Vineyard Malbecs, from three different growers to represent the best Trapiche Malbec from a particular vintage. It is a great accolade for the growers to be chosen for this honour.

Daniel Pi, Trapiche’s Head Winemaker, and his winemaking team have led the unification of vineyard management and winemaking at Trapiche, and are now recognised as one of the Malbec specialists of Argentina. Each single vineyard is located in different areas in Mendoza and at different altitudes, this variation in terroir leads to three markedly different Trapiche Malbec wines.

This year the Trapiche Malbec growers chosen for this privilege in 2009 are Vina Domingo F Sarmiento, Vina Jorge Miralles and Vina Finca Suarez Lastra (the first time this vineyard has been chosen)

These are available by the bottle and also packed in unmixed wooden boxes of 6 bottles.

This is the first tranche of the Trapiche Malbec 2009s released in the UK and they are in very limited quantities, if you would like any, I would suggest that you should get in quick!

If you wish to place an order please telephone 01329 822733.

Please find details and prices of wines below.

Housekeeping – New Website

We are getting very close to launching our new E-commerce website. You can currently see it and order online from it at www.farehamwinedirect.co.uk. Please feel free to have a look around, even place an order. What is most important to us at the moment, though, is any constructive criticism or ideas.

 

Trapiche Malbec 2009 Single Vineyard – Pre-order

Please note, there is a 5% discount on any order of 12 bottles or more.

Trapiche Malbec Single Vineyard 2009
Vina Domingo F Sarmiento

£26.99 per bottle
£161.94 per box of 6 bottles

Trapiche Malbec Single Vineyard 2009Vineyards
La Consulta, San Carlos, Valle de Uco, Mendoza.
Altitude: 1,030 meters a.s.l. (3,247 ft)
Latitude: 33º49’00’’ South

Vinification
Hand harvesting.
Bunch selection.
Destemming.
Berry selection.
Fermentation with wild yeasts and maceration in
small concrete vats during 25 days, at 25-27ºC.
Natural malolactic fermentation.
Aged 18 months in new French oak barrels.
Bottling ageing during 12 months.

Tasting Notes – Malbec of red-purple color, displaying aromas of leather and truffle with a strong mineral character, where graphite and ink notes stand out. Sweet as it enters the mouth with figs, nuts and almond notes. Long, lingering finish with firm and elegant tannins. A beautiful complexity.

“Trapiche have used the grapes from this grower on more than one occasion for their
series of three top-named Malbecs, and you can see why. The wine is rich and
aromatic, with lovely sweet, toasty.” 92 Points, Tim Atkin Top 50 Argentinian Wines 2012

90 Points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate 

********************

Trapiche Malbec Single Vineyard 2009
Vina Finca Suarez Lastra

£26.99 per bottle
£161.94 per box of 6 bottles

Trapiche Malbec Single Vineyard 2009

Vineyards
Altamira, La Consulta, San Carlos, Valle de Uco, Mendoza.
Altitude: 1072 meters a.s.l.
Latitude: 33º 44’04’’ South

Vinification
Hand harvesting.
Bunch selection.
Destemming.
Berry selection.
Fermentation with wild yeasts and maceration in
small concrete vats during 25 days, at 25-27ºC.
Natural malolactic fermentation.
Aged 18 months in new French oak barrels.
Bottling ageing during 12 months.

Tasting Notes  – Malbec of red intense color, revealing aromas of cherries and black fruits such as raspberries and blueberries with violet notes. Fresh and ample as it enters the mouth with orange peel notes. Gripped, juicy and elegant tannins. Long and very perfumed finish.

“Altamira tends to produce slightly fresher wines than most parts of Mendoza, and that’s certainly the case here on this grower-sourced wine. There’s lots of coffee bean oak, but the wine is profound, concentrated and refreshing. The old vine richness really shines through, as does the finesse of the tannins.” 94 Points, Tim Atkin Top 50 Argentinean Wines 2012

92 Points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

********************

Trapiche Malbec Single Vineyard 2009
Vina Jorge Miralles 2009

£26.99 per bottle
£161.94 per box of 6 bottlesTrapiche Malbec

Vineyards
La Consulta, San Carlos, Mendoza.
Altitude: 970 meters a.s.l. (3,183 feet).
Latitude: 33°45’ 122” South.

Vinification
Hand harvesting.
Bunch selection.
Destemming.
Berry selection.
Fermentation with wild yeasts and maceration in
small concrete vats during 25 days, at 25-27ºC.
Natural malolactic fermentation.
Aged 18 months in new French oak barrels.
Bottling ageing during 12 months.

Tasting Notes – Malbec of deep red color with black tones, revealing sweet aromas or ripe plums and cherries with refreshing balsamic notes. Great concentration of red fruits with notes of milk chocolate. In the mouth, it is sweet and juicy with nuances of white chocolate truffle. Long finish with velvety and concentrated tannins.

“This is a real blaster of a Malbec, showing power, concentration and subtleties. The bouquet is full of graham cracker, cola, monster berry and moss notes, while the pure, driving palate deals flavors of toasty blackberry, spice, mocha and more. The lengthy but mellow finish hums like a fine-tuned machine. Drink now-2018.” 95 Points, winemag.com

91 Points Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

********************

See Trapiche Malbec and all of our other Argentinean wines here. We also stock Trapiche Malbec Collection Roble and the Trapiche Malbec Gran Medalla (a superb Malbec released to celebrated 125 years of wine-making at Trapiche).

Related articles
Make your WP blog into a cash producing device by way of Wordpress a wordpress plugin forum extensions.

Fareham Wine Cellar Blog Test 2

Posted on by
Reply

Fareham Wine Cellar is a traditional, independent Wine Merchant situated in the historic High Street of Fareham in Hampshire, United Kingdom. Our shop can be found a few minutes from the M27 between Portsmouth and Southampton.

The professional sales staff is always available at the shop to provide information about wine and food matching, recommendations for anniversary, christening or wedding gifts and any general wine inquiries. In addition to over 800 different wines ( including Sherry , Madeira and a wide selection of Port) , there is an extensive range of spirits including Cognac , Armagnac , Whisky and Rum , as well as some more obscure spirits and liqueurs .

a free wordpress plugin are downloadable now.

Fareham Wine Cellar Test Blog Post

Posted on by
Reply

Fareham Wine Cellar is a traditional, independent Wine Merchant situated in the historic High Street of Fareham in Hampshire, United Kingdom. Our shop can be found a few minutes from the M27 between Portsmouth and Southampton.

The professional sales staff is always available at the shop to provide information about wine and food matching, recommendations for anniversary, christening or wedding gifts and any general wine inquiries. In addition to over 800 different wines ( including Sherry , Madeira and a wide selection of Port) , there is an extensive range of spirits including Cognac , Armagnac , Whisky and Rum , as well as some more obscure spirits and liqueurs.

Related articles
The web's most advanced content spinner software.

Champagne Forget Brimont Vintage 2002

Posted on by
Reply

Champagne Forget Brimont Vintage 2002

Champagne Forget Brimont 2002 VintageChampagne Forget Brimont Vintage 2002 Tasting Notes

Champagne Forget Brimont Vintage 2002 is a pale golden colour and  has fine, small, persistent bubbles. The nose has slight floral notes and some biscuit and yeast aromas. The palate is very fresh, given the age, and has very good acidity and a very pleasing mousse. The are flavours of apricot and green apples leading to slightly biscuit-y finish. A very clean, fresh and elegant vintage Champagne. A blend of 50 % Pinot Noir and
50 % Chardonnay.

Fareham Wine Cellar, has been importing wine directly from Forget Brimont for nearly 20 years and we are big fans of this family owned Champagne House. All of their wines are made from grapes that are from 1er Cru and Grand Cru vineyards. Until recently Brimont was classified as an Récoltant manipulant (RM) or Grower’s Champagne which meant that they only produced Champagne from grapes they had grown themselves. However, having become more succesful, and with recent expansion, they have to buy grapes in from other growers (like the majority of the larger brands) and are classified as a Négociant manipulant (NM).

Find this wine at our website here.

Related articles

a free SEOPRessor and Wordpress = cash!

Louis Jadot Volnay Premier Cru Clos de la Barre 2010

Posted on by
Reply

Louis Jadot Volnay Premier Cru Clos de la Barre 2010

We have just taken delivery of our Louis Jadot 2010 wines bought En Primeur and I am glad to see that one of the wines, the Louis Jadot Volnay Premier Cru Clos de la Barre 2010, which was one of my personal favourites of the vintage, has been picked, in a Volnay 1er Cru Wine Tasting, in the latest issue of Decanter Magazine (March 2013), as one of only two outstanding wines and rated 95 points.

Louis Jadot Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Barre 2010

It’s great to know great minds think alike sometimes!!!

This beautiful walled vineyard is only 3.3 acres in size, but produces one of the great Volnays. In Burgundy the term Clos, as in Clos de la Barre, is usually used to describe a vineyard that is enclosed by a stone wall. As Louis Jadot have control of the entire vineyard, it is also known as a Monopole (literally a monopoly). There is quite a high proportion of old vines in this vineyard which adds to the complexity of this wine over some other Volnays.

And here is the review from Antonio Galloni writes in Wine Advocate,

“The 2010 Volnay Clos de la Barre is a huge, implosive wine loaded with fruit. This explosive Volnay bursts onto the palate with black cherries, tar, licorice, smoke and incense. The aromas and flavors take on a decidedly exotic quality as the wine sits in the glass. This is another wine with a bright future. Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028.” 90 – 93 Points.

Related articles
Enhanced by Zemanta
Install a free wordpress plugin while it is still completely free.

New Cloudy Bay Wines

Posted on by
Reply

New Wines from Cloudy Bay

I don’t think Cloudy Bay particularly needs a massive introduction, most people that know about wine will have heard of them but most people only really know their Sauvignon Blanc, their Chardonnay and, at push Cloudy Bay Pelorus, their sparkling wine. Few people know that they make a Pinot Noir, let alone a Central Otago Pinot Noir or the fabulous Te Koko, a barrel-fermented Sauvignon Blanc made using naturally occurring yeasts. There are also a couple of wines that are available in even smaller quantities, the aromatic Cloudy Bay Gewurztraminer and the sweet Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling dessert wine.

Cloudy Bay Gewurtraminer

Cloudy Bay GewurztraminerThis Gerwurztraminer is an off-dry aromatic white wine made with grapes sourced from the Mustang Vineyard, in the Brancott Valley. Marlborough. It is fermented using indigenous yeasts in old French barrels (a bit like the Te Koko). With aromas of lychees, ripe citrus fruits and rose petals leading on exotic musky flavours and hints of dried fruits and spices on the palate. The rich and aromatic style makes this a natural companion to spicy Chinese and Asian cuisine.

Cloudy Bay Late Harvest Riesling

Cloudy Bay Late Harvest RieslingThe Late Harvest Riesling is only ever available in tiny quantities, it is one of the wineries best kept secrets. The Riesling grapes are sourced from vineyard in the Fairhall and Brancott sub-regions of Marlborough. Grapes are hand-harvested, with two sweeps of the vineyard, so that only the best botrytis cinerea affected bunches are selected. However, there is also a small portion of non-botrytis affected fruit used in the wine which helps to maintain the natural acidity of the wine – the correct balance of sweetness to acidity is one of the key factors in a dessert wine. It has elegant fruit with notes of ripe peach and apricot and a touch of honey. Nice zesty acidity to support the sweet fruit. Try it with fruit desserts or even blue cheeses.

See our Cloudy Bay and other New Zealand wines here.

a wordpress plugin directory are downloadable now.

Champagne Forget Brimont

Posted on by
Reply

Champagne Forget Brimont

Champagne Forget Brimont is a small, independent Champagne house located in the commune of Ludes (population less than 700) in the Champagne wine-growing region. Ludes is located approximately 10 kilometres to the South East of Reims in the Parc Natural Régional de la Montagne de Reims. Tere are 6 or 7 other Champagne Houses situated here, the most famous being Champagne Carnard Duchene.

Champagne Forget Brimont is owned by 6th generation Champenoise Michel Forget (there is an alternative Champagne Michel Forget label) and was established by his antecedant Louis Forget at the start of the nineteenth centruy. Another relative, Eugène, was the first to establish the Forget Brimont brand in the 1920s.

Forget Brimont Vineyards

Champagne Forget Brimont owns 15 hectares of vineyard in the Montagne de Reims wine growing area that are all either Premier Cru or Grand Cru rated vineyards on the Échelle des Crus (literally “ladder of growth”), the system that determines grape prices. Their Grand Cru vineyards are located in the communes of Verzenay and Mailly-Champagne whilst the Premier Cru vineyards are located at Ludes, Chigny-les-Rose and Villers-Allerande. Pinot Noir is the dominant grape variety.

Until fairly recently Forget Brimont was an Récoltant manipulant (RM) or Grower’s Champagne which meant that they only produced Champagne from grapes they had grown themselves. However, having become more succesful, and with recent expansion, they have to buy grapes in from other growers (like the majority of the larger brands) and are classified as a Négociant manipulant (NM). The bulk of their production does still come from their own vineyards and they currently produce 280,000 bottles per year with over 50% destined for the export market.

In the Cellar

As with all Champagne houses the Forget Brimont Non-Vintage Champagne is their “bread and butter” wine and at Forget Brimont it is always a blend of three different vintage wines. One of the best assets Brimont has is their cellars which are dug out to a depth of 15 metres into the chalky, Champenois soil. This ensures that the cellars remain at an ideal, constant temperature of 10.5C all year round, which is perfect for ageing their wines. The Non-Vintage Champagnes are aged for a minimum of two years prior to release whilst the Vintage Champagnes are aged for between three and ten years before release.

Champagne Forget Brimont Wines available at Fareham Wine Cellar

 

Please follow the links below for more information and prices.

At Fareham Wine Cellar, we have been importing Champagne Forget Brimont into the UK for nearly 20 years and we believe the wines really are of the highest quality.

Champagne Forget-Brimont 1er Cru Brut – available in bottles, half bottles and magnums. The main expression of the house style. A blend of the three Champagne grape varieties – 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay. Fresh and clean with aromas of green apples and blossom, slightly nutty. Rich and refined finish. Great wine for the price. Silver Medal Winner at the London International Wine Challenge.

Champagne Forget-Brimont 1er Cru Extra Brut - the driest style in the Brimont range. Crisp, dry with good minerality and acidity. Aromas of lemon, brioche and blossom with more floral and pear notes on the palate. 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay. Allegedly Mr Brimont’s favourite cuvée. 5 star rating from Decanter Magazine.

Champagne Forget-Brimont 1er Cru Rosé - available in bottles and half bottles. Loads of strawberry and raspberry aromas, clean and fresh and apply on the palate. 40% Pinot Noir, 40% Pinot Meunier and 20% Chardonnay. Silver Medal Winner at the London International Wine Challenge.

Champagne Forget-Brimont Grand Cru Brut Rosé - Richer, mellower and rounder than the 1er Cru Rose due to a higher proportion of Pinot Noir in the blend – 76 % Pinot Noir and 24 % Chardonnay. Lots of red fruits on the nose (blackcurrant and redcurrant) with a fresh and elegant finish.

Champagne Forget-Brimont 1er Cru Blanc de Blancs - “Round and very effervescent, offering lemon and honey flavours, with a hint of licorice. On the sweeter and richer side. Drink now.” 88 points, Wine Spectator. 100% Chardonnay. Aromas of brioch and peach with a fresh and creamy palate.

Champagne Forget-Brimont Cuvée Prestige Millesime Vintage Brut - Complex nose, dominance of fruit compote and mushrooms. Elegant and racy. Brioche, roasted bread, dried fruits and nougatine. Perfect balance, finesse and length. 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay.

Champagne Forget-Brimont Grand Reserve Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru - Nose of freshly picked white flowers (acacia and honeysuckle blossom), fresh citrus fruits (grapefruit). Lively and balanced. Honeyed flavour and aromas of hot brioche on the palate. 100% Chardonnay.

The internets most advanced autoblogging samurai.