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It ‘Vin de Pays’ To Know

Monday 29 June 2009 – 10:07

An interesting bit of news for you.

Come the start of August, Vin de Pays - the wide-reaching term for French wine between table wine and appellation-approved quality wine - will be no more.

In its place will be the new Indication Géographique Protegée system – designed to give current Vin de Pays producers a foot-up to sit alongside existing base appellations like ‘Bordeaux’ – the bottom rung of the ‘Cru’ ladder if you like.

It’ll be interesting to see how this one pans out. Vin de Pays has always been a trustworthy term for quality wines at an affordable price.

Many restaurants’ house wines are Vin de Pays. Not surprising really – they’re simple, reliable and easily enhance the gastronomic experience. If there’s value for money to be had, Vin de Pays is usually a good place to start.

The idea is to level the playing field – to get rid of the ‘cheap’ stigma of regional France and align it with the lesser wines of the big regions.

For the sake of the producers at the bottom of the pile, it’s a nice idea. My only hope is that it doesn’t push the prices up.

Remembering that experimenting with grape varieties not permitted by the local appellation automatically demotes wines that might elsewhere have commanded ‘Cru’ status to the humble Vin de Pays category, provided you do your homework, there are some sublime wines available at a very reasonable price.

The new EU rules will take effect from the 2009 harvest, hitting our shelves as and when the wines are released to the trade.

If you’re interested, there’s an excellent article by Helen Savage that puts some of the new changes into context in a bit more detail.

My Wine of the Week

The image “http://www.majestic.co.uk/Assets/Majestic/Client/products/1/0/1/10171_p.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.Grand Ardèche Chardonnay 2007 Louis Latour, Vin de Pays des Coteaux de l’Ardèche £8.49 or Buy 2 bottles save £1 = £7.99

It might only be Vin de Pays, but this is a stunning wine.

A great example of just how silky and buttery an oaked chardonnay can be, the ‘Grand Ardeche’ is sophisticated and very sensibly priced.

Maison Louis Latour is world-famous for selecting wines of the highest of quality to appear in its negociant catalogue and this is no exception.

It’s got richness, roundness and depth, with the most beautiful nuttiness and toasted character.

It takes character of the best of Burgundy, the volume of a Bordelaise estate and the sheer pioneering spirit of the Languedoc, rolling out at the price of a wine half it’s quality.

Superb.

By John Abbott | Posted in Majestic News, Staff Articles, Wine News | Tags: , , | Leave a Comment

A Fine Old Time

Monday 22 June 2009 – 12:46

It wasn’t so long ago that I found the idea of buying Fine Wine intimidating. It seemed like an old-boys game – a game where you need all sorts of connections to source it, not to mention a chequebook the size of Bordeaux to actually acquire it, and when you did you’d be too scared to touch it for fear of depreciative damage.

There are a good many myths and prejudices surrounding the area of Fine Wine, depriving so many of some of the most memorable bottles of wine ever produced.

Majestic have made buying Fine Wine simple and easy.

Where you would otherwise have had to buy a complete FW case, wooden or otherwise, pay duty to have it released from bonded storage and be worried about whether you could afford to open and see if it was as good as the notes had promised, the Majestic proposition is very simple.

If you just want to try a single bottle of Fine Wine, or contrast two different bottles without the hassle of having to buy an un-split wooden case, you can simply pop a bottle or two in your trolley and include it as part of your normal in-store Majestic twelve-bottle shop.

If you’d like six bottles or more of Fine Wine, online shoppers can mix and match them with the normal Majestic range.

It’s not a secret that we’re seeing a huge increase in Fine Wine sales across Majestic, portrayed most succinctly by the sheer number of cases being despatched by Clayton and Adrian from the Fine Wine Centre in St John’s Wood on a daily basis. They’re destined for Majestic stores across the country, bringing the finest wines in the world to the store just around the corner.

Fine Wine is not just for serious collectors. The earnest vigneron certainly didn’t risk his livelihood to fund the making of a wine destined never to make it into an appreciative glass.

It’s for the everyday wine-lover, looking for a new wine experience once a week. It’s for the meal that you’ve pulled out all the stops for. It’s for putting in your rack and knowing that there’s something special saved for a rainy day.

Fine Wine prices are not simply inflated to make ordinary wine more expensive. They reflect the real price of a new oak barrel, the labour cost of hand sorting the finest grapes and the genuine qualitative value of a superior standard wine. The wine was more expensive to make and can’t you just tell.

If you’ve ever wondered what a true Fine Wine tastes like, ask your local store manager to show you what he’s got. I promise you, it’ll not only make his day to get the chance to talk about them, but will also introduce you to a world of wine that transcends the drawbacks of duty, exchange rate and short-lived economic cycles.

Starting at £19.99, Fine Wine is now accessible and affordable, and we’re committed to keeping it that way.

My Wine of the Week

Our current 20% off country deals include Fine Wines as well – meaning there are some real bargains to be had, most notably in Italy.

There are so many to choose from. Promis Gaja, Brunello Banfi, Tignanello, Montesodi, Cervaro – names world-renowned for outstanding wines, and with 20% off an already low market price, the Italian superstars are quite amazing value for money.

Cometa 2007 Planeta – £25.00 or Buy any 2 Italian wine save 20% = £20.00

Fiano isn’t such a well known grape variety, but it really should be.

It gives a richness of palate that many chardonnay’s aspire to have, at the same time exuding a warmth of tropical fruits and an array of subtle acidities and colours that delicately wrap around your mouth.

This has become something of a cult wine, and it’s easy to see why. The bottle looks a little odd – you expect the contents to be a strange orange colour – but what comes out is something that you wouldn’t be able to recreate anywhere else in the world.

You can really sense the extra time and effort that went into creating such a special wine – and as relative value goes, it’s worth £20 of anybody’s money.

By John Abbott | Posted in Staff Articles | Tags: , | Comments (1)

Majestic’s 150th store!

Tuesday 16 June 2009 – 14:50

It barely seems like 5 minutes since we celebrated our 100th store (Dorchester, in May 2002 as a matter of fact) and here’s yet another significant milestone in the growth of Majestic. Our 150th store is located on Leith Walk in central Edinburgh, and we had the honour of the Deputy Lord Provost, Councillor Rob Munn, opening the store at 10am yesterday morning.

Majestic Edinburgh Leith Walk

It’s a fantastic unit, with a specially designed area to hold tasting events and temperature-controlled fine wine storage as well as all the usual Majestic benefits: free parking, free tasting in-store every day, free local delivery, free glass and chiller bin loan, and of course award-winning customer service.

Opening a new store is exciting and challenging, so best of luck to Lawrence and his team!

By Richard Weaver | Posted in Majestic News | Leave a Comment

Majestic Wine PLC Preliminary Results

Monday 15 June 2009 – 9:10

Majestic Wine PLC (”Majestic” or the “Company”), the UK’s largest wine specialist, today announces its preliminary results for the 52 weeks ended 30 March 2009.

Download the full statement (PDF format)

Highlights

  • Total sales increased by 2.4% to £201.8m (2008: £197.0m).
  • Underlying profit before tax down 22.3% to £12.7m (2008: £16.4m).
  • Profit before tax down 55.8% to £7.4m (2008: £16.7m) after non-cash impairment charge of £5.3m.
  • Impairment charge of £5.3m taken against the carrying value of goodwill of the French business, Wine and Beer World. It has seen a decline in sales as customers are discouraged from travelling due to the strength of the euro.
  • Encouragingly UK like for like sales for the ten weeks from 31 March to 8 June 2009 were up 2.0%.
  • Ecommerce sales achieved growth of 16% on previous year and now represent 9.1% of UK retail sales (2008: 7.9%).
  • Average bottle of wine purchased at Majestic is now £6.35 (2008: £5.98) with 418,000 customers purchasing in the last year.
  • Final dividend of 7.0p per share, maintaining the total dividend to 9.8p per share (2008: 9.8p).
  • Acquisition of Lay and Wheeler, a fine wine specialist, in March 2009. Good progress with integration and encouraging sales performance since acquisition.
  • Four new stores opened during the year in Hereford, Leatherhead, Finchley and Summertown in north Oxford. Since year end have opened in Shrewsbury and Southend-on-Sea. The opening on Leith Walk, Edinburgh in June will bring the total number of stores trading in the UK to 150.

Commenting on the results Steve Lewis, Chief Executive of Majestic, said:

“The resilience of our core consumer business is encouraging, our market share has held steady and we are confident that Majestic is well positioned to benefit from any upturn in the economy.”

By Majestic | Posted in Majestic News | Leave a Comment

Find a Match in France

Wednesday 10 June 2009 – 15:35

There comes a time in one’s life when it seems as though everyone else is getting married, and for me that happy chapter has now begun, perfectly timed to remind me that my twenties are soon to meet their demise. Over the past few months my close friends and relatives have been either getting married or declaring their engagements left, right and slightly off-centre, with even the most stalwart anti-nuptialist types starting to talk about ‘settling down’. Ignoring the fact that I’m still firmly and stubbornly ensconced in singledom (and thus have little interest in the planning stages, stag parties excepted) some have nevertheless deemed it appropriate to ask my advice on buying wine for their wedding reception. So I ask the obvious questions: What’s on the menu? How many guests? Am I one of them?

WeddingNow, as I’m sure many of my colleagues would confirm, this is where it gets tricky. For any wine lover, the desire to hit a flawless food match always seems to overrule any consideration of cost. In my case, a little knowledge invariably leads to demented ramblings about the recommended serving temperature of Beaujolais and the problems presented by profiteroles, with the typical result being a significant hike in the drinks budget. Unsurprisingly, this rarely goes down well with the soon-to-be-happy couple. The average cost of weddings here in the UK is at an all-time high, with some obscene figures being quoted for dresses, suits, venue hire, car hire, catering… when you add to this the fact that our record levels of alcohol duty have made truly cheap-and-cheerful wines all the more elusive, it’s no wonder my protestations of “treat your guests to something really special” tend to meet with disdain.

YaliI should be making a much simpler recommendation: pop over to Wine & Beer World in France. Alcohol duty rates there are still almost laughably low, and for large wedding and event purchases in particular, the savings can be enormous. So much so, you can choose great quality wines the like of which would cost a lot more if bought in the UK, and still save hundreds of pounds. Our current offer on the excellent Yali Winemaker’s Selection wines at just £1.99 is the perfect example. Both are flavoursome, fruit-driven wines that punch well above their price, with enough savoury complexity to make them a pair of brilliant all-rounders and a cracking match for any wedding feast. There’s no excuse for scrimping on the bubbly, either, with Champagnes from just £11.99.

Plus, visiting France is possibly easier now than ever. Since the start of the year, Eurotunnel have returned to providing up to three Channel crossings per hour serving Calais and Coquelles, and there have been improvements in the daily timetable for ferry crossings from Ireland to Cherbourg. What’s more, after a shaky winter, Sterling has really started to regain its strength against the Euro, which looks set to restore Calais’ status as a bargain shopping destination.

Which is good news if, like me, you need another new hat…

By Gary Bates | Posted in Majestic News | Tags: , , , , , , , , | Comments (2)

A Manager’s View of Wine Uncorked

Tuesday 9 June 2009 – 10:49

Firstly, I guess it makes sense to introduce myself: I’m Emma and until 2 weeks ago, I was the Manager in our Twickenham store.  I recently made the move to Majestic’s Head Office where I now look after our website content – believe me – it’s no mean feat trying to keep track of Majestic’s roughly 800 strong product range!

Whilst I was in Retail, I was asked to be part of the initial roll out of Majestic’s latest initiative: Wine Uncorked.  Thanks to all the fantastic feedback from our customers, we realised that many of you knew a little about wine but largely based your purchasing decisions upon price (and sometimes labels!). Many are keen to learn more and take their knowledge to the next level so this is why we developed the Wine Uncorked concept.

We’re now at the stage where the majority of our managers have been trained to run the Wine Uncorked course which covers everything from Grapes to Glass with a very popular section on Food and Wine matching thrown in for good measure.  Having personally run several of these courses and seen about 30 customers enjoy them, the feedback has been incredible: where else can you have a completely free, informal session with a small group of people with a similar interest in wine?

All the stores are given autonomy over when they run their courses as in the majority of cases, they’re run after normal opening hours to allow a more relaxed environment and the staff give up their evenings accordingly. Without giving too much away(!): we open a range of wines to demonstrate the difference climate can make on wines of the same grape variety and a champagne to demonstrate how sparkling wine is produced with a different method and then we discuss how to get the most out of tasting a wine so that you can make an informed decision about a wine’s quality and provenance as opposed to a simple ‘I like/I don’t like’. The Food & Wine matching section at the end of the session has resulted in me having several customers returning to see me to ask for advice about wine selections for their forthcoming dinner parties and the overwhelming consensus  has been ‘we had no idea you lot all knew so much’. I think these courses offer a fantastic introduction into the fascinating world of wine for our customers where no question is deemed too silly and they also go a long way towards engendering customers trust in our expert advice!

Today is the first time we’ve advertised these courses on our website and, by the end of the year, we hope to have them available in most stores. If you want to see more, check out our webpage www.majestic.co.uk/wineuncorked and get a feel for the course by having a look at the video clip above. To find out if your local store is running Wine Uncorked courses, you can use the store locator on our homepage and once you click on ‘store details’ it will tell you whether or not that specific store is running the course. If it’s not, do check the next couple of stores on the list. The evidence to date suggests the courses are rather popular, so I would suggest getting your name on a list at a store near you sooner rather than later!

Emma – Online Commercial Manager

By Emma Pook | Posted in Majestic News, Staff Articles | Tags: , , , , | Comments (1)

Rosé-tinted specs…

Monday 1 June 2009 – 9:18

It would be true to say that there are many things that divide opinion amongst wine consumers. Oaked or un-oaked, ‘malo’ or single ferment, cork or screwcap.

Mixed triviality weightings in the wider context perhaps, but each is important in understanding the nuances of the wine in bottle. An understanding of how a wine is made, and indeed caring about the differences in practice, often informs our wine-buying choices.

We rely on quality levels and appellations to guarantee authenticity, and by learning the rules, the wine-buying game becomes one of strategy, rather than one of chance.

Of course, there are many laws and rules that can be relied upon – but what if the rules changed and nobody told you?

As concerns rosé wines, with exception of rosé Champagne, EU quality status rosé wine cannot be a blend of white wine and red wine. Thus you cannot make rosé if you have simply masked poor white wine by adding a splash of red and vice-versa.

The upshot of this is that each rosé wine is an EU-wide quality guarantee – the rosé colour comes from gently extracting pigment from approved black -skinned grapes. You can mix black and white grapes, and indeed some EU rosé wines contain a majority of white grapes, but they must be crushed and fermented together.

The trouble is, this quality guarantee is about to be overturned by an EU vote in the coming weeks – lifting the restriction on red and white blending.

Understandably, many French and Spanish producers are strongly opposed to the move, citing years of tradition and expertise as having created an international benchmark for rosé, whilst many experimental producers are keen for the move to happen, and quickly.

New World winemakers can blend rosé as they see fit. Indeed, like much so much of the New World winemaking, rosé blending is seen as progressive step from the archaic clutches of the European wine dinosaurs.

The resultant rosés can be a mixture of several different wines and the relaxed rules on sugar addition via chaptalisation make for an increasing number of, in the words of one customer, ‘one-size fits all’ roses.

There is no doubting the popularity of them. The comparatively quick assembly of the product is more cost-effective and ensures that there is maximum grape juice to wine conversion – resulting in much lower costs all round. It’s the stuff 3-for-a-fiver dreams are made off.

The question remains, is the current EU policy really a quality guarantee of well made wines, or is it merely an out-of-touch restriction that is pushing the Old World further behind its counterparts in term of raw output volume?

No-one can deny that Domaine Ott’s fantastic Bandol rosé would not be the same wine if it had a high proportion of low-grade Sauvignon in it. You really do get a sense of the non-intrusive and careful winemaking that have contributed to making it the delightfully delicate masterpiece it is.

Without the restriction, smaller EU producers would surely be tempted to cross-blend when an unkind vintage left the single-varietal output lacking any real quality.

This said, there are plenty of fantastic New World rosés, so the lack of restriction can’t be so bad, can it? Santa Rita make a fantastic rosé – much richer in colour that the typical Provence offering, but not nearly as sugary as so many bland New World examples.

Is heritage being wiped away under a flex of legislative muscle or, with the demise of the sanguine method, is it first blood to a customer-conscious New World focussed on giving consumerism a recession-soothing boost?

Presently black and white, the rules on EU rosé look set to become a new haze of red and white, sweetened with carefully measured economic promise.

Here’s to a comfortable resolution – roll the dice please…

My Wine of the Week

Château Sainte Marguerite Organic Rosé 2008 Côtes de Provence, Cru Classé - £9.99

A recent boom in the UK’s consumption of rosé has caused the market to be flooded with a sizeable amount of patchy examples. Not this one though…

Delightfully fresh and light on it’s toes, it has the mid-palate texture that is missing from so many of its competitors.

Ripe apricot, tangerine and peach are interweaved with a light acidity that presents the fruit to your palate, then bows away so as not to impede the main event.

Pale it may be, bland it is certainly not.

Be careful not to over-chill it though – an extra couple of degrees will reveal a complexity that is both surprising and overwhelmingly appealing.

Oh, and it’s organic too.

By John Abbott | Posted in Staff Articles, Wine News | Tags: , , , | Comments (2)

Bollinger Champagne House Visit, April 2009

Thursday 28 May 2009 – 9:15

Richard Hook -  Sanderstead Manager

Richard HookI was recently lucky enough to be invited to visit the Bollinger Champagne house, an invitation no-one should refuse. The 6 of us met Tim and Chloe, our hosts for the day, in Vauxhall and although it is a 7 hour drive to Champagne it didn’t feel like it, though perhaps that was the Bollinger Rosé we drunk on the Eurotunnel. Whatever it was, we all arrived in high spirits and in glorious sunshine. We were greeted by our own personal Bollinger tour guide, Christian Dennis, who took us straight through the impressive entrance to the small walled vineyard at the back of the property. It is here, in the Clos de chaud-terre, along with a similar site across the road, that ancient phylloxera-free vines give very small yields of high-quality juice and, in the best vintages, allows Bollinger to produce the rarely seen Vielles Vignes Francais. We were then shown proof of how times have changed in Champagne, with a small exhibit of vines that were grown in the area in years gone by but are now outlawed. Some, like Pinot Teinturier, are almost unheard of anywhere now, but what a Champagne made from Gamay tasted like is anyone’s guess!

VineyardAfter these little sites of interest we headed past Madame Lily Bollinger’s house to their most impressive area – the cellars. These stretch for miles under the streets of Ay, housing thousands upon thousands of bottles, magnums and jeroboams. Many of these are used for the reserve wines which make up the majority of the ‘Special Cuvée’ non-vintage. Most of Bollinger’s grapes come from their own vineyards, which is highly unusual for a Champagne house, as is the fact that 80% of these vineyards are rated as Grand or Premier Cru. A proportion of the reserve wine is fermented in oak barrels as well, adding a little more of the delicious richness that Bollinger is famous for. The house style is to age the champagne for well above the legal requirement for extra complexity (the Special Cuvée receives at least 3 years ageing, twice the legal minimum), and it shows. It is the fact that Bollinger are still family-owned, that means they can make decisions like longer ageing, better quality fruit and more stringent quality checks, without worrying about the added costs. This comes across in almost every aspect of the business, where every process is meticulously thought through and quality strived for despite any added costs.

Barrels in CourtyardAfter emerging back into the sunny courtyard through the impressive arch flanked by the sweeping staircases, we got back in the cars for the return to our hotel to get changed for our evening meal. And then the rains came, sudden and torrential, limiting visibility and completely ruining the views of the rest of Bollinger’s 163 hectares of vines. This, and a slight overrun on the tour, put our schedule back a little but no matter, we swiftly (you have no idea how swiftly!) smartened ourselves up and returned through the monsoon weather to Madame Bollinger’s house for a meal to surpass all that we had seen so far.

The Special Cuvée on arrival whetted our appetite, but was purely an amuse-bouche for what was to follow: Firstly the Grande Année Rosé 2002, yet to be released in the UK, showed off their trademark power and complexity and left us dreaming of what it might be like in 5 years time. If the fois gras with lobster that accompanied the Rosé was great, the turbot that followed it was sensational, matched only by the Grande Année 2000 that came with it. The Pinot Noir that dominates Bollinger blends really shone through here, giving a champagne of real depth and body. The next bottle opened was to be the RD ‘97. The RD (Recently Disgorged) is a style unique to Bollinger, whereby extra minimum maturation time (8 years as opposed to 5 for Grande Année) is followed by a lower dosage (making the RD technically extra-brut rather than brut as the rest of the range is). This champagne is, as the name suggests, only released when ready, hence the most recent vintage being ‘97, while Grande Année 2000 has already been released. There was a mix-up however and the Grande Année ‘97 was opened instead. This was quickly spotted and the RD ‘97 appeared as well which was a terrible shame for us as it meant we had to drink both bottles side-by-side, a practise that almost never happens. The Grande Année was all weight and creamy, dreamy, fruit-filled power, whilst the RD seemed somehow tight in comparison, a lighter style that was waiting to come to the fore but couldn’t match up to its big brother. Until the cheese came that is. What a difference; suddenly the Grande Année was overpowered, lost beneath the protein in the cheese, and yet the RD rose to the occasion, opening up its mysterious myriad of secret flavours than soon brought the room to silence. Now we realised why the 2 similar but yet so different champagnes rarely meet. We did speak again, or at least made lots of yummy noises, when the symphony of desserts arrived with a bottle of Bollinger’s most recent baby, the Rosé NV. The addition of 5% red wine to the classic Special Cuvée blend gives almost unbelievable flavours of strawberries and blackberries combined, the flavours dancing in the mouth and lingering on and on. We retired happily to our hotel, still tasting the rose the next day – or was that the extra 2 bottles we drunk on the way home? A flying visit it may have been, but it will live long in the memory – and the Eurotunnel will never seem the same again either!

From 28th May 2009 – 8th June 2009 Bollinger Grande Année 1999 is on an improved offer – single bottle £75.00, buy two or more £44.99 per bottle!

By Majestic | Posted in Staff Articles | Tags: , , , | Comments (3)

Vineyard tours of Chile

Tuesday 26 May 2009 – 8:56

Graeme Shepherd – New Barnet Manager

Nothing short of spectacular. Chile is geographically protected with the Atacama Desert to the north, ice fields in Patagonia to the south squeezed between the Andes and the Pacific Ocean. This varied land provides ideal conditions for wine production. Chile was protected from the dreaded Phylloxera louse that decimated vineyards in the 19th century that changed wine production forever.

MountainWe arrived in Chile with most of the harvest being completed although some vineyard parcels of the slow ripening red signature grape of Carmenere still had to be gathered. As one of seven Majestic Managers I was lucky enough to be invited to South America by Wines of Chile for an unforgettable adventure. Although Majestic staff are well trained by completing their Wine exams there is nothing that can replace seeing the production process first hand and the passion that is transferred in-store. We visited twelve fantastic wine producers, their wineries and vineyards. These producers varied from large companies to family affairs. The highlights of my trip are detailed below.

Day 1
Concha Y Toro (CYT)
CellarA massive wine company that displayed the huge regional differentiation between wines made in different valleys. The most famous brand from this company is Casillero del Diablo – Cellar of the Devil. Let me assure you that the cellar is indeed rather tense. All very much centred for the tourist. We tasted their various wine ranges with Frank Griffoul CYT’s ‘Wine Tasting Coordinator’. My personal favourite was the terrific Winemaker’s Lot Chardonnay.

Perez Cruz
On the same day we visited Vina Perez Cruz in the Maipo valley with an impressive new wooden winery designed to: “harmonise with the environment and avoid an abrupt intrusion into the rural landscape”. This winery is entirely different from the CYT visit. It’s owned by eleven sons and daughters of the founder – must be hard to have so many bosses! This is where we tasted the first of many impressive Carmeneres with ripe red fruits, spice and liquorice. We stock their Limited edition which is fantastic value for money and the sheer quality is astounding.

Day 2
MontesVineyards
Montes was started in 1988 with four partners with the founding philosophy to produce premium and ultra-premium wines. This has continued. The winery itself is based on Feng Shui where all the basic elements allow harmony and positivity. Even in one of the barrel aging rooms there was Requiem music playing. We stock the Montes Alpha Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay which are firm Majestic choices. The Cabernet Sauvignon is in particular what Chile is famous for with blackcurrants and well integrated French oak. Attached to Montes’s wines are numerous awards, Robert Parker and Wine Spectator Points.

We had lunch on the hillside of the Montes vineyard where we had traditional Chilean cuisine and breathtaking views to take in.

Casa Lapostolle
Casa Lapostolle is an awe inspiring location, winery and house. The winery was built by drilling down 6 stories into a mountainside. Owned by the Grand Marnier family there is the undoubting air of success and sophistication here. Their objective is to produce world-class wine with French expertise. The flying winemaker Michel Rolland is even involved here. We were given a tour by one of the winemakers Jerome Poisson. Powerful, fruit forward wines are produced and stock the Cuvee Alexandre Merlot and Pinot Noir. If you want to find out the possibilities Chilean wine can achieve these are certainly wines to consider!

Day 3
Ventisquero
A far more informal presentation from Vetisquero was given in a hill lodge in the Colchagua Valley. We stock this winery’s Yali range exemplifying quality and consistency. The sauvignon blanc is a zingy number with citrus fruits whilst the cabernet carmenere has red fruits intermingled with vanilla, spice and all things nice. The company is very much involved in sustainability especially with the Yali wetland which is a huge source of flora and fauna. You can enjoy these wines without feeling any environmental guilt.

Cono Sur
BikesCono Sur is a subsidiary of CYT but has retained its independence and makes wines that are a little bit too experimental for the mainstream company. On the labels of some of their wines there are bicycles which are often used by vineyard workers. We had the opportunity to cycle around their main vine plots but had to navigate around the geese that are used as natural pest controllers. We had the chance to help out in the winery as well by ‘punching down’ fermenting grapes.

Cono Sur were the first to demonstrate quality Pinot Noir can be produced in Chile. Many valleys are used by Cono Sur which are best suited for the particular grape varieties they grow. The emphasis is to retain their varietal character. We stock many of Cono Sur’s wines but their Viogniers are superb. It is fast becoming the new fashionable grape displaying peach and apricot aromas with excellent acidity.

Day 4
Casa Marin
Personally this was my favourite visit. A family created operation by Maria Luz Marin. The vineyard is in the San Antonio valley and only 2 1/2 miles from the sea influencing the wine greatly. The mantra of this venture is to let the wine reflect the terroir or where it comes from.

When I tasted the two different sauvignon blancs and two pinot noirs this terroir philosophy is confirmed – same vineyard and techniques but different plots. There will be subtle differences in soil type, sun exposure etc. but on the palate it was amazing. Maria Luz even gave us a tour of the winery where we were fortunate enough to try the current vintage’s tank samples.

On the vineyard there is even a Sauvignon Gris grown which is rather rare especially for Chile. When Maria Luz was asked why she had chosen this variety the answer was simple: I love it! We currently stock the Cipreses Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc that has a New Zealand element but added complexity with extra minerality.

Undurraga
UndurragaOn the last day Hugo and Danilo from Undurraga invited us all for dinner on our last evening in Chile. We have recently started to stock their sparkling brut from the Maipo valley at Majestic but I hadn’t have the chance to try it yet. I was impressed mainly when you consider the value for money. A light, elegant, dry style great for entertaining. There are not very many sparkling wines from Chile but I expect in a couple of years we’ll see more on the market.

Overall this was an amazing intense experience. The underlying message is that Chile is changing. Winemakers are discovering different areas and are continually experimenting achieving the best that Chile has to offer.

By Majestic | Posted in Majestic News | Tags: , , , , , , , , , | Comments (1)

Chilean Winery Visit.

Friday 22 May 2009 – 11:58

Christine Mitchell – Bearsden Manager.

After a mad dash at Madrid Airport to catch our flight to Chile and dealing with missing luggage at Santiago airport, we eventually arrived in one piece at Casa Real, the hotel at Vina Santa Rita to be greeted with a nice cold glass of Sauvignon Blanc. Casa Real is an old colonial house built in 1880- which is pictured on all the Santa Rita labels, so we enjoyed having dinner in the luxurious dining room with its’ dark wood furniture, old candlesticks and paintings on the walls.

BarrelsOn day two, we had a tour round the winery, a tasting of all Santa Rita’s wines with the winemaker and an amble round the Museum on the grounds of the winery. The Museum is a collection of Chilean artefacts through the ages. After a full morning, we were escorted to the Restaurant Dona Paula, again at the Winery to be served with the biggest portion of Pork Belly that any of us had seen! Full marks’ goes to Thomas who managed to eat all of his and most of mine plus dessert!

Casablanca ValleyIt was then onto the Casablanca Valley where many of the large Vineyards are situated because of its cool climate. It’s where a lot of the fresh fruity white wines of Chile are made due to the prevailing winds of the Pacific as the valley itself, is close to the coast.

VineyardWe had a fantastic experience and the people at Santa Rita were so generous to give up their time to entertain us. We appreciated being shown the country and as much as we all love wine, they treated us to a holiday rather than a business trip.

By Majestic | Posted in Staff Articles | Leave a Comment