Here at Exel Wines we have always been a big fan of "natural wines", and our new sulphite-free section now enables our customers to discover a great range of "natural wines".
Covering everything from organic, biodynamic and sulphite-free, in recent times there has been an movement away from the mass-produced factory wines we see too much of on supermarket shelves and towards those wines that are as nature intended. Exel Wines are proud to be at the very forefront of the ever-growing demand for more authentic, small production wines.
Sulphite-free wines are, however, perhaps the most controversial and hardest to classify. Nevertheless, with growing interest in leading a more healthy lifestyle, many people are keen to know about the effects sulphites have on our bodies. The truth is that all grapes and grape products contain naturally occuring sulphites in small amounts. However, huge quantities of sulphites can sometimes be added to wines at time of production. In completely unsulphured wine, naturally occurring sulphites are usually present at concentrations of up to 10 milligrams per litre. However, mass-produced commercial wines can contain anything from ten to twenty times this amount. Sulphite-free wines refer to wines that have had not additional sulphites added at time of production.
In terms of the effects sulphur dioxide can have on our health, these can cause a range of problems from a hangover to potentially fatal allergic reactions.More specifically, sulphur dioxide can cause allergic reactions in some people, and it is particularly dangerous for asthmatics even at very low levels.
Obviously, there are different level of sulphites present in different types of wine. For example, red wines generally do not require any sulphur dioxide to be added because they naturally contain anti-oxidants acquired from the skins and stems of the grapes during fermentation. However, conventional winemakers add some anyway. White and rosé wines, however, do not contain natural anti-oxidants because the grapes are not left in contact with their skins after crushing. For this reason they are more prone to oxidation and tend to have larger doses of sulphur dioxide added. Sweet wines receive the highest levels of added sulphites.
Here at Exel Wines, our sulphite-free selection includes wines that contain only natural occuring sulphites in them and those that have very small quantities of sulphites added. However, while we have added a dedicated section on our website specifically to sulphite-free wines, we are very committed in our ethos to ensure that all our wines should be produced with low-sulphite or sulphite-free principles in mind.
Tuesday 11 September 2012
Friday 20 July 2012
Pio Cesare Through the Eyes of David Tomatis
For a unique and intreguing insight to the knowledge that David Tomatis brings from this wonderful vineyard can be found from our video at You Tube here. Our only disclaimer is an apology about the decidedly amatuer video footage!
To recreate the magic at home and conduct your own mini tasting from your favourite selection of Pio Cesare Wines visit us at www.exelwines.co.uk/pio or pop into our shop in Perth
Thursday 21 June 2012
Wine Tasting Evening
We are proud to be hosting a Tasting Evening with David Tomatis, Brand Ambassador, Pio Cesare on Thursday 28 June from 5.30pm-7pm at our shop on 47 South Street, Perth. David is joining us to present six delicious italian wines, which will include the Gavi, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Barbaresco, Barbera Fides and Barolo.
Please call us on 01738 629 979 or pop in to the Exel Wines shop if you would like to sign up to come along and learn more about this fantastic winery founded in 1881, based in Alba, Italy.
Monday 11 June 2012
Decanter Retailer of the Year Nomination for Exel Wines
It is with great pride, and indeed surprise, that we can now announce the nomination for Exel Wines in the Decanter Regional Wine Merchant of the Year 2012. Shortlisted to one of just 6 nominee's from several hundred, you can imagine that we are absolutely thrilled at this recognition of everyone's hard work. For us, the biggest thrill was that we were nominated by one of our clients who obviously felt we deserved such an accolade. So whoever our mystery supporter is, thank you from everyone here at Exel Wines.
Results are to be announced at the Decanter World Wine Awards Presentation Dinner on 5th September so until then, fingers crossed!
Results are to be announced at the Decanter World Wine Awards Presentation Dinner on 5th September so until then, fingers crossed!
Monday 28 May 2012
London Wine Fair Round Up
Just returned from a week long stint at both the London International Wine Fair and the smaller and more intimate Natural Wine Fair. With lots of wines tasted and new things on the horizon, we wanted to give you a quick round up.
First thing to note, was the impact that our beautiful Perthshire has on even the London Community. Having indulged in the finest London Tap water for an evening while we settled in, we soon felt the need for something a little more Mineral, and to our delight the local bottled water was in fact...
Monday kicked off with The Real Wine Fair in Holburn, Central London. It was my first visit to this rapidly expanding fair and indeed concept around wine. The premise is a gathering of like-minded wine producers; some organic, some sulphite-free some biodynamic, and all produced by handmade methods in small batches by families who actually care for their land and what they are doing. Tasting those wines from even a relatively small geographical area it is clear what a difference these methods make with some of the most characterful wines we have ever tasted, for example, the Domaine le Briseau Jasnieres "Kharakter."
The name says it all really, a wine so full of everything you could want from a White Wine. Flinty yet warm and sumptuous with honeyed-almonds, it almost combines every character you could ever want from a glass. Food matching.... please, this is a wine to simply contemplate on its own.
Moving swiftly on from one fair to an altogether different beast! The London International Wine Fair covered this year some 15,000 visitors and over 44,000 wines. Sadly, while we tried to cover them all we could not quite manage it.
However, we discovered a few new Rioja wines that will nicely add to our portfolio, including a new Crianza Wine from Bodegas Ortubia, that will come in over the next month at a really attractive price. Also, a new vineyard was found in Bodegas Moraza. Surprisingly 'on-topic', this is a rare fully organic certified wine from Rioja that we are hoping to start bringing into the UK exclusively from late June onwards.
From our existing winemakers, the exclusive Maria Valduga wine went down especially well amongst the well-heeled of the wine fair visitors. With a retail price of £69.99 and a seriously limited availability, we are tipping this to be the new Challenger to the throne of Champagne. A traditional Champagne-method sparkler with an iconic look and a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, in our own in-house tasting against 2 great Champagnes this Brazilian Sparkler from Casa Valduga got a unanimous verdict as the preferred wine.
Another surprising highlight was a delightful discovery in the form of an Oz pink Moscato from Innocent Bystander. Sold by the half-bottle and with a refreshingly light alcohol level of some 5% (truely welcome by the end of a very long 100 wine tasting spree!). From the opening of this beer bottle closure you could smell that something special was afoot. With a nose that carried some 2 metres from glass to nose bursting with summer berries and children's bubble gum sweets.
It was not all wine though, indeed we found some very like-minded innovators bringing some excellent technology to a wine industry struggling to keep in the 21st century. One that we are certain to see featured on Exel Wines before the year ends is the 'Digital Sommelier' technology that will really help our customers in narrowing down their wine choice. Using artificial intelligence and the latest food analysis technology to bring you the perfect wine for your next dinner party, or indeed the perfect meal to accompany a special bottle in your cellar. To keep posted on this, and the new discoveries from the wine fair, please do sign up to our fortnightly newsletter.
And so ends just the very tip of the iceberg that we hope will more than double our current wine listings to somewhere in the region of 16,000 wines, making Exel Wines undoubtedly the finest and best source for wine in the UK.
First thing to note, was the impact that our beautiful Perthshire has on even the London Community. Having indulged in the finest London Tap water for an evening while we settled in, we soon felt the need for something a little more Mineral, and to our delight the local bottled water was in fact...
Monday kicked off with The Real Wine Fair in Holburn, Central London. It was my first visit to this rapidly expanding fair and indeed concept around wine. The premise is a gathering of like-minded wine producers; some organic, some sulphite-free some biodynamic, and all produced by handmade methods in small batches by families who actually care for their land and what they are doing. Tasting those wines from even a relatively small geographical area it is clear what a difference these methods make with some of the most characterful wines we have ever tasted, for example, the Domaine le Briseau Jasnieres "Kharakter."
The name says it all really, a wine so full of everything you could want from a White Wine. Flinty yet warm and sumptuous with honeyed-almonds, it almost combines every character you could ever want from a glass. Food matching.... please, this is a wine to simply contemplate on its own.
Moving swiftly on from one fair to an altogether different beast! The London International Wine Fair covered this year some 15,000 visitors and over 44,000 wines. Sadly, while we tried to cover them all we could not quite manage it.
Another surprising highlight was a delightful discovery in the form of an Oz pink Moscato from Innocent Bystander. Sold by the half-bottle and with a refreshingly light alcohol level of some 5% (truely welcome by the end of a very long 100 wine tasting spree!). From the opening of this beer bottle closure you could smell that something special was afoot. With a nose that carried some 2 metres from glass to nose bursting with summer berries and children's bubble gum sweets.
It was not all wine though, indeed we found some very like-minded innovators bringing some excellent technology to a wine industry struggling to keep in the 21st century. One that we are certain to see featured on Exel Wines before the year ends is the 'Digital Sommelier' technology that will really help our customers in narrowing down their wine choice. Using artificial intelligence and the latest food analysis technology to bring you the perfect wine for your next dinner party, or indeed the perfect meal to accompany a special bottle in your cellar. To keep posted on this, and the new discoveries from the wine fair, please do sign up to our fortnightly newsletter.
And so ends just the very tip of the iceberg that we hope will more than double our current wine listings to somewhere in the region of 16,000 wines, making Exel Wines undoubtedly the finest and best source for wine in the UK.
Wednesday 23 May 2012
Trapezio BoBo 2008 Wins Gold at the International Wine Awards
Many congratulations to Trapezio who won a Gold Award for Trapezio BoBo 2008 at the recent International Wine Challenge Awards!
Everyone here at Exel Wines is delighted and this award is truly deserved.
Everyone here at Exel Wines is delighted and this award is truly deserved.
Thursday 3 May 2012
Free Prize Draw!
Free Prize Draw!
Visiting Perth Farmers Market on Saturday 5 May?
Why not visit Exel Wines to have a look at our selection of Fine Wines and pick up a FREE Prize Draw ticket while you are there.
You could win a Magnum of Bodegas Protos Selection 2005 Red valued at £46.80.
More than ten years of painstaking work were needed to bring about our Protos Selección. Careful study and trialling of the grapes of 18 specially-selected vineyards with separate vinifications was carried out before deciding on the final selection for EL GRAJO VIEJO. 70-year old vines and tiny yields have produced a wine of superb concentration, showing that The greatness of a wine lies in the land and the vines from which it is born.
A cherry red colour, with a lovely aromatic palette on the nose and great complexity, revealing almost perfumed scents of ripe fruit, spices, balsamic notes and hints of tobacco and minerals. Rich on the palate, full and powerful but with fine, elegant tannins. Very expressive and vivacious thanks to the lively acidity provided by vines grown in very poor soils at an altitude of 800 metres.
This is just one of the Fine Wines from a range which includes something for every palette and every pocket.
Come along on Saturday and see for yourself.
Exel Wines is at 47 South Street, Perth PH2 8PD. We will be open from 11:00 until 19:00.
Free Prize Draw
No purchase necessary
Contact details must be provided
Draw will take place in the shop at 18:30
You must be over 18 years of age to enter
See you on Saturday!
Visiting Perth Farmers Market on Saturday 5 May?
Why not visit Exel Wines to have a look at our selection of Fine Wines and pick up a FREE Prize Draw ticket while you are there.
You could win a Magnum of Bodegas Protos Selection 2005 Red valued at £46.80.
More than ten years of painstaking work were needed to bring about our Protos Selección. Careful study and trialling of the grapes of 18 specially-selected vineyards with separate vinifications was carried out before deciding on the final selection for EL GRAJO VIEJO. 70-year old vines and tiny yields have produced a wine of superb concentration, showing that The greatness of a wine lies in the land and the vines from which it is born.
A cherry red colour, with a lovely aromatic palette on the nose and great complexity, revealing almost perfumed scents of ripe fruit, spices, balsamic notes and hints of tobacco and minerals. Rich on the palate, full and powerful but with fine, elegant tannins. Very expressive and vivacious thanks to the lively acidity provided by vines grown in very poor soils at an altitude of 800 metres.
This is just one of the Fine Wines from a range which includes something for every palette and every pocket.
Come along on Saturday and see for yourself.
Exel Wines is at 47 South Street, Perth PH2 8PD. We will be open from 11:00 until 19:00.
Free Prize Draw
No purchase necessary
Contact details must be provided
Draw will take place in the shop at 18:30
You must be over 18 years of age to enter
See you on Saturday!
Monday 23 April 2012
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Tuesday 28 February 2012
MASSIVE!
Catch our MASSIVE bargain of 10% discount off our whole portfolio throughout March – that’s over 7,000 different wines! Free delivery*
Visit www.exelwines.co.uk and enter voucher code: CLUBVINS2012
Share it with all your friends and have a blast!
*Free delivery on all orders of twelve bottles or more.
Friday 3 February 2012
South Bistro Scotland 'Wine Unplugged' Trade Fair 2012
South Bistro Scotland is delighted to announce that our ‘Wine Unplugged’ Trade Fair 2012 will take place in the Hotel du Vin, Glasgow on Wednesday 11 April. With winemakers from Trapezio, Protos, Mas Daumas de Gassac, Aigner and Domaines Baron de Rothschild attending, it is sure to be a fantastic event and one not to missed! Please note that this free event is open to registered trade only, however there will be an opportunity for our individual customers to join us for a wine event we will be holding later in the year – more details about this will follow in due course.
If you are a restaurateur or a wine retailer please follow the link to register for our ‘Wine Unplugged’ Trade Fair 2012.
Monday 30 January 2012
Trapezio's BoBo Gains Further Accolade
In December 2011, Tim Atkins and Oz Clarke visited the home of Trapezio, La Promesa Country Estate located in the Agrelo zone of Argentina where they tasted Trapezio's BoBo 2007. As a result, Tim Atkin chose this as one of the best five wines of Argentina!
Of course, this is not the first time Trapezio has won such acclaim for it's wine. During 2011 alone, BoBo received Gold for its 2008 vintage in the AWA Argentina Wine Awards 2011; was awarded Best Wine of New World by Awards Expowine China 2011, again for the 2008 vintage; and also ranked 83rd out of 3000 wines by Magazine El Conocedor.
In addition, Trapezio ++ Plus received the award of Best Red Wine by Awards Expowine China 2011 for the 2008 vintage; awarded Bronze by Decanter Wine Awards 2011, again for the 2008 vintage; and Silver by AWA Argentina Wine Awards 2011 for both the 2007 and 2008 vintages.
The accolades in 2011 didn't stopped there however, with Trapezio also receiving many other prestigious awards from the Wine Guide Descorchados 2011 and 2012, and Magazine El Conocedor for Trapezio Rosado 2010; Magazine Cuisins & Vins, Ranking Wine Enthusiast 2011 and Magazine El Conocedor for Trapezio 2008; as well as Patricio Tapia for the Wine Guide Descorchados 2012 and Decanter Magazine Marzo 2011 for Trapezio ++ Bianco 2009 and 2010.
We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Trapezio for being awarded all these very well deserved accolades during 2011!
Of course, this is not the first time Trapezio has won such acclaim for it's wine. During 2011 alone, BoBo received Gold for its 2008 vintage in the AWA Argentina Wine Awards 2011; was awarded Best Wine of New World by Awards Expowine China 2011, again for the 2008 vintage; and also ranked 83rd out of 3000 wines by Magazine El Conocedor.
In addition, Trapezio ++ Plus received the award of Best Red Wine by Awards Expowine China 2011 for the 2008 vintage; awarded Bronze by Decanter Wine Awards 2011, again for the 2008 vintage; and Silver by AWA Argentina Wine Awards 2011 for both the 2007 and 2008 vintages.
The accolades in 2011 didn't stopped there however, with Trapezio also receiving many other prestigious awards from the Wine Guide Descorchados 2011 and 2012, and Magazine El Conocedor for Trapezio Rosado 2010; Magazine Cuisins & Vins, Ranking Wine Enthusiast 2011 and Magazine El Conocedor for Trapezio 2008; as well as Patricio Tapia for the Wine Guide Descorchados 2012 and Decanter Magazine Marzo 2011 for Trapezio ++ Bianco 2009 and 2010.
We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Trapezio for being awarded all these very well deserved accolades during 2011!
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