This week I ‘ave been mostly drinking...

Russell Wallace, General Manager – This week I ‘ave been mostly drinking very little, so let’s make it a good one! That is usually my theory when I am the designated driver. We were dining with some guests at Gleneagles over the weekend, so to accompany a suitably exquisite dinner and company a great wine was called for. Having seen the list, first thought was to go for a nicely aged world favourite in the form of Antinori’s Guado al Tasso, but alas the reality was that a different and much younger vintage was on offer. So it was back to the drawing board. We contemplated a nice Southern French Cahors from Chateau du Cedre, a fantastic alternative to a big beefy Bordeaux. In the end though we opted for the 2006 Henschke Kenyeton Estate, a Shiraz dominated blend also featuring Cabernet and Merlot. When it comes to Aussie Shiraz, for me it can go one of two ways, too heavy in body and oak, and ultimately a wine for a very specific type of food and indeed type of mood. The Keyneton, I am delighted to report went the other route, balanced oak and a full body from the Shiraz but with a more subtle delicate fruity touch from the Merlot which was a surprise as it is usual just a small 10% addition to the blend. I would love to say that the 2006 runs as the best vintage, but from such a consistent vineyard I have to instead settle for the fact that it is, based on average prices, one of the best value vintages. The blend changes from year to year and therefore so does the overall style, but if you have a rich exuberant side balanced by a softer delicate side then the 2006 Keyneton Estate from Henschke is a wine that is drinking to perfection at the moment.

Susan Ross, Logistics Manager – This weekend with the lovely sunny weather (at long last!), I felt the need for something a little different, and with the prospect of maybe having a little time sitting in the garden, I thought Chase Rhubarb Vodka would fit the bill. Chase Distillery make their Award Winning Vodka on their farm in Herefordshire. To make the Rhubarb version, which is a Limited Edition, each bottle being numbered, they slowly cook their (farm grown) Rhubarb and marinade it with the award winning Chase Vodka. The taste is sweet with rhubarb and custard coming through on the palate. It’s extremely smooth, oozes quality and is streets ahead of its mainstream competitors – handmade from start to finish, the proof is in the pudding (excuse the pun!). This is good enough, smooth enough, and with a full flavour, to drink straight over ice. I topped it up with soda water for a long drink as I didn’t want to spoil the taste with anything stronger such as tonic. It would make a great base for a cocktail, especially one topped up with a sparkly, such as Prosecco, Cava or to keep the British theme going, English Sparkling Wine. This is a must for every budding cocktail maker!

Dianne Barrie, Company Administrator – On Sunday evening, Kieran and I ran a wine tasting for one of our local wine societies. The remit that had been given was to sample wines that were slightly off the beaten track and a bit unusual, and as such six wines had been selected to fit the bill. First up was Domno Ponte Nero Rose NV from Brazil. Brazilian wines are becoming more popular these days, and this one certainly proved to be an instant hit with the wine society. Not too dry and not too sweet, it was a perfect balanced wine with lovely soft strawberry and cherry fruit flavours. We were off to a good start! Next, we sampled the Springfield Estate Wild Yeast Chardonnay from South Africa. What can I say? Yum! This is an absolutely delicious wine, and in my opinion this is the perfect example of how a good Chardonnay should taste. It is fermented with natural wild yeast which makes for an incredibly complex yet mellow wine, creamy and smooth – I could have happily stopped right there! But, on to the next one which just so happened to be a wine that I have been very eager to try, Zorah `Karasi` Areni Noir 2011 from Armenia. I was not disappointed, and neither were members of the wine society – this is an exquisite wine. It’s not a wine you are going to glug however – to really appreciate its complexity, this is a wine you will want to take your time over and really savour. As it’s not overly fruity, this is a great wine to accompany food – it has earthy characteristics and herbal notes which I think would really lend itself particularly well to egg-based dishes such as a sun-dried tomato and basil quiche with a lovely buttery pastry crust…mmm. Anyway, on to the next wine! Casa Valduga Villa Lobos Cabernet Sauvignon 2006. A rich and spicy Cabernet Sauvignon again from Brazil. This is a powerful red which reminded me somewhat of Rioja – so if you like Rioja, you will love this one too. The penultimate wine was another I have been very keen to try, Alma 4 Sparkling Bonarda – yes, a sparkling red! Many people are sceptical of sparkling red wines, but I urge you to give this one a try. My first impressions…WOW, I think this could very easily become my new favourite sparkler! It has lovely rich fruity flavours, but is incredibly smooth on the palate. This is the perfect wine to enjoy with desserts such as a chocolate tart. It truly is a thing of beauty! And, last but most definitely not least, was Songlines Estates Bylines Shiraz 2005 from South Australia – it has to be said, this is a firm favourite with everyone here at Exel Wines and it certainly went down a treat with our friends at the wine society – what a finale!

This week I ‘ave been mostly drinking...

Susan Ross, Logistics Manager – Last week saw us hosting a wine tasting in our retail shop for Grant Burge wines, presented by Mark O’Bryen, Master of Wine and representative of Grant Burge Barossa Valley Australia.

The wines were superb!  Australia has fallen short in favour over the last few years with the majority of people being put off by big powerful Chardonnay’s full of oak and red wines with alcohol percentages going through the roof!  I am delighted to say that this is not the case with Grant Burge wines.

The whites are lower in alcohol, around 11.5%, light to taste and pretty easy to drink – the perfect wine for lunch or for whiling away an afternoon.  My favourite between the two we tasted was the 5^th Generation Semillon Sauvignon 2011 – very light to taste, grassy but slightly tropical and lots of zingy acidity....perfect now that the sun is actually shining.

The stars of the show, I have to say, and I’m not a red wine drinker in the main and I tend to steer away from straight Shiraz, but Grant Burge is known as “Baron” of the Barossa and he is famed for his Shiraz...no wonder!  Starting off with Benchmark Shiraz 2011, this is real concentrated jammy, slightly spicy, well made and fantastic value Shiraz at £8.81 – the official tasting note says ‘it is a superbly drinkable and delicious wine’ – mmm, they’re not wrong then! I would’ve been happy to stop here for the rest of the evening, contemplating my impending purchases....but, we were “forced” to move onto 5th Generation Shiraz 2012......ah well, you see, with this one you get even more jam, more spice, more concentration – don’t get me wrong the Benchmark is superb. The 5th Generation simply takes the flavours and textures up another few notches (but only for around £1 more in price!).

Next up, Daly Road Shiraz Mourvedre 2010 – again, superb quality, this is single vineyard stuff and I would say that this one is more complex with rich chocolate, dark cherries and slightly herbal, again really concentrated and a “big” wine, but elegant and silky smooth.

It was great to taste all three of these Shiraz in ascending order.  The “problem” at the end of the evening was which to choose, so I plumped for the middle one, 5th Generation Shiraz.  I know I’ll now struggle to see past this wine and I’m pretty certain it will become one of my firm favourites.

Last but not least, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, has to try Grant Burge’s 10 Year Old Tawny. It’s not called Port, because these Ozzies can’t, it’s against the (wine) rules...it, it would be fair to say, rounded off a very pleasant evening and having won (not surprisingly) numerous awards for his 10 Year Old Tawny, some ahead of good old Taylor’s and such like, Grant Burge is as much famed for his “port” (dare I say it) as he is for his Shiraz.  Yes, I will be adding a bottle of 10 Year Old Tawny to my wish list...it kind of reminded me of PX Sherry without the abundance of sweetness, very Christmas cake or toffee apple as someone else described it... but a definite for me (and not just for Christmas!).

Dianne Barrie, Company Administrator – This week it was all about beer…Brewdog beer to be precise. And these guys really know their stuff when it comes to brewing a good craft beer.

A Scottish company established by two 24 year olds in 2007, Brewdog has gone from strength to strength – they now have a fancy new eco-brewery that was built in 2012. With seven or so beers in their core range and around nine limited releases there are plenty tempting beers to choose from. All are very different and distinctive, but there is certainly something to suit everyone.

So, starting with the Punk IPA. This is north-american in style with lovely vibrant tropical fruit flavours and a dry bitter finish…it truly is a taste sensation to be savoured! Then there was the 5am Saint Amber Ale. The description for this beer states, ‘A boisterous and uplifting ale, resonant with the Brewdog raison d'etre of uncompromising quality, full to bursting flavour and excessive use of hops. An indulgent beer of gooseberry and grapefruit flavoured flamboyance.’ We couldn’t agree more, this one is lip-smackingly good! Next up was Alice Porter. This beer is all about the flavour – full of rich, smooth hop flavours with a rounded character and just lovely. Finally, it was time to get serious with Barrel Aged 7.7. What Brewdog did with this lager was to take their 77 Lager, brew a batch which was 7.7% then put it into single grain scotch whisky casks to mature for 18 months. Wow, this is a lager, but not as you know it!

The challenge for me and one of my more than willing “helper” friends was to find a favourite, but in the end we decided this was far too hard a task to set ourselves! It was a case of, “Oh, try this one!” followed by, “Oh, this one is really good!” And so it went on…there was just no making up our minds – so at the end of our little experiment we concluded that they are all excellent beers and agreed that we should run the experiment again in a few weeks time in order to validate our findings…well, it’s all in the name of research you understand!

Kieran German, Shop Manager – This week: Clos du Gravillas Sous les Cailloux des Grillons. A blend of seven (organic) grape varieties, spontaneously fermented, no oak. It sounded weird and idiosyncratic, but not too expensive to take a risk, so I gave it a go. A good decision. Deep and dense in colour, with a brilliant violet hue which clings to the glass. It's a pungent wine to the nose, with earth and spice showing. It has enormous flavour with loads of purple fruit flavours, a dab of orange acidity with honey and marzipan on the finish, alongside dry tannin. Nevertheless, a modest 13% abv. Unassumingly awesome. I'll be giving this some focus in the shop.

Exel Wines Heads to London

As always it is that time of year when all the eyes of the UK wine industry start to look towards London and the in Particular the London International Wine Fair.  For the second year Exel Wines will be making the journey, through myself General Manager - Russell Wallace, down not just to sample some new but to introduce the UK to our Brazilian Wine agency Casa Valduga.  For well over a hundred years now this family vineyard has been producing some of Brazil's finest wines.

The few of you that know Brazil even make wine will probably know the country for their middle market sparkling wines.  Casa Valduga takes this one step further producing great sparklers at a great price as well as some top quality wines to genuinely rival Champagne and even a complete range of top quality red & white still wines.

If you are visiting the fair please do visit us at stand O40, but as always these fairs get rather hectic so why not make an appointment and we can guide you through the ranges.

For those of you not lucky enough to take in the sights, smells and tastes of the fair then please allow me to be your guide as I post a round up each day of some of my favourite old wines revisited, new discoveries & vintages, exhibitors so much more besides.

I know one, absolute must for me is a first anniversary visit to my much beloved, sorry no not my wife, instead the Innocent bystander Pink Moscato.  It was at last years fair I discovered this beauty, it was not love at first sight... I glanced the little half bottle up and down, sniggered at the 5.5% alc Vol and mocked the beer bottle closure.  Until of course a fresh bottle was opened some 6-10 feet from me in the cavernous Excel Centre and even from that distance the aromas shot up my nose and went straight for my heart.

Next will be a quick swizz around the various awards tables, to see what is hot and what they have missed!

Monday will also see an iteresting masterclass covering 60 years of Wynns Coonawarra Estate, a vineyard as yet to feature on the pages of Exel Wines, but I am there to see if they will make the grade.

This week I ‘ave been mostly drinking…

Russell Wallace, General Manager - ...Mercedes Eguren Sauvignon Blanc 2012. When the weekend calls for a pleasant light drinking wine to accompany chat, this is often one of my first ports of call for a huge number of reasons. Firstly, the Mercedes Eguren range covers every desire with a totally unique Shiraz/Tempranillo that is soft and fruity, but bursts with power right at the end. If not, then try the hearty Cabernet Rosado, a rose that has both the flavour and the finesse to convert any pink-sceptic! Next reason is the common sense approach employed with these wines, the quality is there in the flavour without a doubt, but the bottles are also useful in giving you a brief overview of the lifeline of the wine. Next up is the presentation (yes I understand this barely matters when it is ultimately a drink to be drunk, but am I the only one that enjoys a pretty bottle, something to catch my eye on the wine rack and something to draw my attention while drinking? Hmm, okay maybe it is just me). Anyway the styling is understated, quite glamorous but more than anything eye-catching without resorting to gaudy or tacky tactics.  Most importantly is quality - the Mercedes Eguren range is one that comes in for under £8.50 per bottle yet consistently achieves top ratings around 90 points (something usually reserved for a wine double this price) and accolades. The style itself is quite different to that of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. It is balanced in acidity with tropical fruits that really linger on your tongue. Personally, I think there is a world more character to this wine than a big name NZ Sauvignon, and every now and then a new little flavour jumps onto a taste bud and gives you a real surprise. Think of it a little closer to a Chablis or a French Sauvignon Blanc in style. 

Susan Ross, Logistics Manager - ...Eguren Ugarte Viura 2012. This is probably more commonly known in the UK as White Rioja and is very much one of my favourites for all-year round drinking. European white wines, in my humble opinion, offer more variety than the usual suspects from the New World and a chance to try something totally different. So here we have it, it's floral on the nose (lovely fresh flowers) and wild fruit. It's light in weight, but has great balance with good acidity married with fresh fruity flavours. A good plateful of scallops with a light creamy sauce would go down a treat with this one.

This is the winery’s second vintage of Viura, so a new venture for them in to white wine production, and they have got it bang on. With a glass in hand, I can picture myself sitting on the terrace of their hotel in the Rioja Alavesa built upon their underground cellars, basking in the northern Spain sunshine and admiring the very beautiful scenery and surroundings this area has to offer.

Kieran German, Shop Manager - ...Glenfarclas, that rich, toffeed, malty, sherryish, slightly spicy, smooth and lip-smackingly luscious Speyside whisky. Of the many fabulous Speyside distilleries (and there are so, so many), few have the consistency across the range that Glenfarclas has. In this age of instant fixes, Glenfarclas’ family owners are benefiting from the far-sighted maturation policies adopted by their fore-fathers, meaning they can sell vintage whiskies dating back to the 1950s and they also have as part of their core-range a 40 Year Old. If you’re looking for old whisky, Glenfarclas shouldalways be your first port of call. However, I digress. This week I have mostly been drinking Glenfarclas 105 because it is a cask-strength bombshell which exudes the Glenfarclas character with great intensity and sophistication. And. I. Loved. It.

This week I ‘ave been mostly drinking...

Russell Wallace, General Manager – This week I ‘ave been mostly drinking…Vintage Champagne! Returning after a couple of well needed weeks away and a very quiet wedding celebration gives me the perfect opportunity to help everyone get to grips with a couple of the big names in Vintage Champagne. I was lucky enough/patient enough to have kept a bottle of Louis Roederer Cristal Champagne aside for just such a marital occasion, and given that it is not exactly an everyday choice it is important to get a little bit of help on these special fine Champagnes.

I am not saying that I am an expert on the matter, rather more useful than that I hope I am an amateur that has been lucky enough to try just a couple of exquisite bottles over the last few months. So starting with the Cristal, I had a 2004 vintage which is sadly no longer available largely due to its roaring success amongst socialites and W.A.G’s. Instead, we have a nice cache of the 2002 vintage still available but selling out fast, or the current vintage on offer the 2005. What is in the bottle? As I am sure you can probably guess a damn fine Champagne all in all. It packs more of a full flavour and fizz than I was expecting.  If you are a fan of NV wines then you will love Cristal. I received this bottle some two or three years ago as a gift and thought I was doing fabulous keeping it for such a long time (the impatience of youth!) and for the right occasion. My patience did pay off but I cannot help but feel where I just a couple more years patient then I would have been richly rewarded by the Champagne – I am just not too sure if my wife would have been quite so patient!

Not in the last week, but over the last six months there have been a few other vintage Champagnes I have graced my lips with. Bollinger has always been my Champagne of choice, so an invite to a Pre-James Bond Bollinger soiree for a try of the new 2004 vintage La Grande Annee was a must attend. I have always found Bollinger to have a truly unique flavour, but was gobsmacked that this was significantly less obvious in their vintage offering. The wine was still light delicate and just divine, and when you bring price into the equation it is simply unbeatable.

At Christmas, I enjoyed the pièce de résistance in the form of the sublime 2000 Vintage Dom Perignon. This really was the wine that opened my eyes to what a Vintage Champagne can aspire to.  Well-aged and from a great vintage (well, in fairness there is no bad vintages when it comes to Vintage Dom), my praise for this perfection in a glass is hard won. I have never been a fan of the mass market over-hype of their owners Moet & Chandon so I was all but ready to cut this wine down to size as another over-priced piece of work. Instead, I find myself humbled by the refined elegance from the bouquet and flavour to the fine delicate bubbles. Do not be mistaken, this is not a washed-out wine – the flavours are full and present, as they are delicate and long lasting.

Susan Ross, Logistics Manager – Time to go to South Africa as the weather here, despite being May, is still far too cold! So this week, I tried Fairview Darling Sauvignon Blanc.

This family run producer owns vineyards in four different areas of the Western Cape to allow them to produce a wide range of wines from grapes grown in the best of conditions.  The Darling area, just an hour’s drive from Cape Town, benefits from being one of the closest to the cooling Atlantic and is known for the exceptional quality of its Sauvignon Blanc, the variety which initially spearheaded the wine growing progress of this area. 

Fairview Darling Sauvignon is full of tropical flavours, rich in taste and well balanced.  This is an ideal wine for every day drinking as well as sharing with friends at those al fresco parties.  Well made and great value at £8.47 per bottle or £57.74 per case.

Dianne Barrie, Company Administrator – We saw some sunshine here in Scotland last week (yes, I realise it’s a rare occurrence, but you have to make the most of these brief moments while you can!), so this warmer weather encouraged me to finally make the move from my deeper, richer red wine choices of late to a more delicate and lighter white wine style. And, this week, my choice was spot on with Pascal Jolivet Sancerre Blanc.

This is a beautifully balanced wine that is subtly fruity with predominant floral notes – think summer meadow flowers! It’s what I would call a ‘grown up’ sort of white wine – smooth yet with a powerful minerality. Pascal Jolivet Sancerre Blanc is also a great wine to accompany food, especially with lighter flavoured fish dishes as the delicate flavours really complement each other. This wine really is a summer classic, and definitely one I will be adding to my picnic basket this summer!

Kieran German, Shop Manager – This week I’ve mostly been drinking Chiantigiane Chianti Riserva, which is rapidly becoming my ‘go-to’ chianti. Here’s why: It is 2007 vintage, having had over twenty months in barrel before being bottled. Accordingly it is a wine which has aged very nicely and is now coming into its own. It is a beautiful deep garnet colour with a purple hue to the rim now showing some maturity. The wine has relaxed, with rich blackberry and forest-fruits aromas bursting from the glass effortlessly. On the palate, depth of flavour is complemented by a medium body and faint acidity – tastes of the forest floor (more berries, cherries and oak presence) mingle harmoniously. On the whole, this is a wine of some sophistication and truly rewarding flavour, yet versatile enough to drink alone or with food. For the price (£10.63) it is a steal.

Old Perth Whisky Launch at Exel Wines

A couple of weeks ago we had a rather special event at Exel Wines. We were exceedingly proud to host the launch of the revived Old Perth whisky. This whisky has been recreated by local whisky blenders Morrison & MacKay modelled on the legendary whisky formerly produced by Perth vintners of old, Peter Thomson Ltd. They’ve done a fantastic job. Old Perth is a blended malt in the Speyside style, containing malts from the noughties, the nineties, the eighties and even the seventies! On Thursday 18th April our shop was full of whisky-lovers and local worthies to celebrate the return of Old Perth whisky, and taste a wee dram (or several!).

The evening was a great success. To commence proceedings, Peter MacKay of Morrison & MacKay, led a tasting of the Old Perth, explaining how his company had brought the whisky back to life. We were then honoured to welcome Michael Thomson, former director of Peter Thomson Ltd., who was responsible for blending and selling the old incarnation. Michael spoke engagingly on the heritage of this particular whisky and the history of blending in Perth. Michael brought a wonderful circularity to the evening as both Exel Wines, as a Perth-based vintner; and Morrison & MacKay, as Perth-based whisky merchants, have picked up where Michael left off. It was great to do so with his encouragement and support. The evening continued with a tasting of Càrn Mòr single malt whiskies led, once again, by Peter. 

A bit of history: Perth is a city with an unrivalled heritage of whisky blending. World-famous blends originated here: Bell’s, The Famous Grouse and Dewar’s White Label are all Perth blends. Old Perth Scotch sat comfortably among esteemed company. With the incorporation of Peter Thomson Ltd. into Haddows Old Perth was taken out of production, meanwhile the other Perth blends were gradually appropriated by multi-national drinks corporations and they became removed from their town of origin. Perth, once a centre of great whisky blending repute, no longer had a whisky to its name. It is, therefore, befitting that Old Perth has been resurrected in the year that Perth was granted its ancient city status, and that the company behind this renaissance is based locally.

We would like to congratulate Morrison & Mackay on their excellent whisky, and thank them for including us in their relaunch. We also deeply appreciate Michael Thomson joining us for the event.