A Spotlight On Our Gorgeous Artisanal Wines
Wine. Wonderful, variable, luxurious. We have chosen some amazing artisanal wines to share with you no matter what your taste or budget.
Let’s talk about our artisanal reds.
Red: Castelforte Amarone Della Valpolicella:
A luxurious more-ish red. Cantine Riondo Winery’s premium wine representing the finest interpretation of the winemaking tradition of the Veneto terroirs in Italy. This Amarone della Valpolicella uses the well-honed method of slow-fermenting partially dried (Apassimento) Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes on skins. This achieves the deep concentration and subtle sweetness of classic Amarone. Veneto's Casalforte follow this with a minimum of 18 months' ageing in oak. The result is a deep ruby wine exuding a complex bouquet of cinnamon, cherry jam and walnut. The palate brings lots of ripe black cherry with notes of vanilla and coffee on the long finish. Try with rich tomato pasta dishes, grilled beef and lamb, game, or mature cheeses, such as our Smoked Cheddar or Keltic Gold.
Red: Gatito Loco Rioja Tinto Organic:
We have all tried a Rioja, but I guarantee you have never have a rioja like this one. The De Alto vineyards and winery craft wines using modern techniques integrated in to this classic region. These winemakers believe this crazy kitty rioja to be an original, pure interpretation of the Rioja Baja vineyards that the grapes are hailed from. Gatito Loco wines are the brain child of de Alto, with the focus being on organic approaches in the vineyard and developing really sustainable, eco friendly practises.
Harvested at night, the grapes are crushed and de-stemmed to 10 ton fermenters where the free run juice is drained off and cooled to 5 degrees to allow for a cold soak of 7-8 days. Some of the tanks are inoculated with selected commercial yeast strains as well as a couple which are allowed to utilise the winery’s natural yeast flora and ferment on their own. During fermentation the initial ferment is kept cool to allow the maximum of fruit flavours and then allowed to warm up towards the end, giving good extraction of vital tannins as well as giving palate weight. The wines are kept on skins for a further 12 days after a 15 to 20 day ferment. This process gives us a standout wine for its red and black fruits and liquorice aromas. Fresh and round with a multitude of nuances supporting the black fruit flavours. Amazing with charcuterie and nibbles.
Red: Recoleta Bonarda:
This is an Argentinian red, much like Malbec, but better. It is a full bodied wine that is great with white or red meats, pasta or pizza. It is soft, juicy and easy going. Plenty of fresh red fruits, cherry, raspberry, redcurrant and cranberry. It's got a good structure with a soft, lingering finish
The wine is made by Mauricio Lorca. He is very much a rising star in Argentina, having worked his way up the winemaking ranks at the likes of Catena and Luigi Bosca. Mauricio is now making his own wines with great success at his winery in Lujan de Cuyo, as well as consulting for many other wineries across Argentina.
Red: Lawson Dry Hills Pinot Noir:
A family vineyard with a passion for gorgeous wines. The original company vineyard was planted in 1982 by Ross and Barbara Lawson, who launched the Lawson’s Dry Hills label some ten years later, in 1992. Today, the company’s wines include Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir, all made from fruit grown in the Wairau, Waihopai, Omaka and Awatere Valleys, Australia. These different regions and carefully selected vineyard sites provide varying characteristics derived from the different soils and microclimates, giving many options when it comes to blending to that much-anticipated Lawson’s style. The dedicated bunch of people that make up the small team at Lawson’s Dry Hills are very ‘hands on’, living and breathing every part of the vinicultural and winemaking process. Their Pinot Noir is turbo charged with notes of raspberries and red domes with a hint of tobacco leaf. Fabulous with everything!
Crisp and light white wines.
White: Ke Bonta Cortese:
For Gavi or Gavi di Gavi lovers, make way for your new favourite This wine is made using the Cortese grape which is used to make Gavi wines. Grown on in the valleys of Piedmont in North-western Italy. Often referred to as Italy's most premium white grape variety or even, 'the white Barolo'. This grape makes wines that are lip-smackingly fresh and crisp with bags of fresh lemon and citrus notes. So if you tend to drink Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc, then we are sure that Cortese is the grape for you. There is a touch of pear and makrut lime leaf with bags of freshness and a zingy, almost fizzy line of acidity to finish. The high acidity of this wine make it a natural pair for more frying dishes such as Southeast Asian curries, however, it’s clean and crisp finish make it perfect with most anything.
White: Levre Piquante Picpoul De Pinet :
A French wine made by the Ormarine, the local oyster fishers (470 members) who wanted a wine focussed on sustainability to sip with their catches. In the Languedocian dialect the word Picpoul literally means "lip stinger", in reference to the wine's zippy acidity. In French proper the translation would be Levre Piquante. Piquepoul blanc grapes are grown on the hills above the Med, just a stone's throw from the world famous Bassan de Thau Oyster Farms! The grapes are harvested in mid-September, fermented at a cool temperature in stainless steel and bottled soon after. Levre Piquante is unashamedly fresh and citrussy. The palate is lively, zesty and impossible to dislike. Open straight from the fridge in the sunshine and match with seafoods; in particular Oysters, as the locals do.
White: Guillaume Gonnet Cotes du Rhone Blanc:
This wine is a love affair with the notion of what “terroir” actually means to the characteristic of a wine. Created by Guillaume Gonnet and his Australian wife Kelly, the Guillaume Gonnet estate was established in 2006. Guillaume Gonnet wines are the realisation of their dream to explore the potential of Southern Rhône grape varietals in varying terroir around the world with minimal interference with the "terroir effect" by following biodynamic agricultural principals, ensuring the wine is the right blend of Southern Rhone varietals: Grenache, Syrah and Mouvèdre, to attain complexity, balance and soft, elegant tannins and following an approach to aging using very little wood influence.
The wines display typicity - the characteristics and qualities of wines produced from these exceptional regions, with a softness and elegance that are the signature style of Guillaume Gonnet wines.
The Robin, a small bird that can often be found in their vineyard, embodies all that drives the creation of these wines - dreams, liberty, and terroir. Notes of white flower peach and grapefruit. Highly expressive and delicious. Beautifully paired with white meat, fish or cheeses.
White: 7 Pulgadas Albarino:
7 Inches (siete pulgadas in Spanish) comes from the Condado do Tea (Tea County) sub region of Rias Baixas, from 5 hectares of Albariño vines on south-facing slopes where the Tea and Miño rivers meet. Standing out for its freshness and softness, tropical hints of pineapple and passionfruit intermingle with citrus and floral notes, the palate soft and lush, extended on the finish with a clean, crisp finish.
Great on its own as an easy-drinking aperitif but on another level with fresh calamari and a sprinkle of lemon, salt and pepper. This is a sophisticated white wine, full of soft peachy notes and bright and clean acidity. Perfect for summer patio sipping.
Rose: Coeur Clementine Rose:
Founded in 2005, Coeur Clémentine is the result of the decades-long friendship of its founders, Steve Veytia and Pierre Arosteguy, and their shared passion for the wines of Provence, and in particular, rosé. Steve, a native of St. Helena, California and Pierre, the 5th generation owner of the oldest family run epicerie in France, Maison Arosteguy in Biarritz, launched their first vintage in 2008 and the wine has gone on to win numerous awards. This Rose is magical that dances along the palate, to be enjoyed as an apero or with poultry, fish and meat. A summer must!
