Possibly the finest of Tasmanian sparklers has finally found its way to these shores and is set to be real competition for Kreglinger. Leaner and yeastier than it's rival, it's a delicious aperetif. find out more
Chateau de Fontenille 2006
£9.49
That rarest of things - emminently drinkable Claret for less than £10! find out more
Jansz, Brut Rose NV
£11.99
Delicate and delicious Tazzie Rose, a worthy pair for the fantastic Brut. find out more
Saturday 4th July: Pacific Rim Chenin Blanc (look out for a great deal on this); Tabali, Reserve Pinot Noir
Saturday 11th July: Summer Fair Highlights - our two favourites from the night
Saturday 18th July: Brand New Spanish Wines
(Shop tastings may be subject to change if we sell all the wines before we get to the weekend!) Tasting Events
Tuesday 30th June: New Zealand Wines Tasting - special guest appearance by Chris Eastman!
Wednesday July 8th: Reserve's Sixth Summer Wine Fair (see below)
Reserve's SIXTH Summer Wine Fair! Wednesday 8th July 2009.
Yes, I’m thoroughly delighted to announce that tickets are on sale now for our 6th Summer Wine Fair
Reserve’s 6th Summer Wine Fair Date: Wednesday 8th July 2009 Time: 6:30 – 9:30pm Venue: The Northern Tennis Club Tickets: £20 per person including a FREE crystal tasting glass to take home AND a voucher for 10% off any wine you order on the night.
Call 0161 438 0101 or email chris@reservewines.co.uk to reserve your place now.
I can’t believe this is the sixth time we’ve done this, and I’m even more thrilled than ever with the selection of wines we’ve got for you to taste. We’ll be showing over 70 wines from every corner of the globe as well as whisky and ale from this beautiful island of ours.
Never been to the fair before? You’re going to love it. We have 18 tables, both in a marquee and in the tennis club itself, each holding a selection of wines for you to try and each one is manned (or womanned) by an expert (or maybe my dad) who can tell you all about the wines. You can try as many (or as few) as you like, and we’ll get you started with some personal recommendations.
Amongst the old friends (both in the bottles and behind the tables) will be a few new faces this year, including Simon with a quite spectacular collection of French classics and Hayden with a whole table of new wines from New Zealand.
I’m also really excited about this year’s innovation: The Games Room. A whole room of games to make wine great fun: Blind tasting, Wine Roulette and much more, all will be revealed on the night in question…
Don’t forget that in order to give you personal recommendations, we will need the following details when you book:
Names, addresses and contact details of all the people in your party Their three favourite wines (no need to be complicated “I prefer whites” will do just fine).
CAPE CRUSADER TASTING - THURSDAY 26th FEBRUARY 2009
It was great to see some new faces at our this brilliant South African tasting, as well as many old friends. Hosted by South African specialist James Yeo, along with his friend Gerrie Wagner from the Strandveld winery, this was a fantastic evening with many brilliant wines!
Tasting climbing a ladder?
No, actually a vertical tasting is a tasting of different vintages of the same wine at the same time. And this is exactly what we did, with a range of vintages from 2003 to 2006 of Jean Daneel's fabulous Chenin Blanc. James explained that Jean is an experimentalist, so the variations between each wine were down not just to age, but also how the wine was made and where the grapes came from. Very few of us have ever had the chance to taste in this way, so it was an eye opener for all, and the differences between the wines were very marked, with each taster having a different favourite!
Here's Gerrie talking about his wine!
Cool climate?
Well yes, in comparison with the rest of South Africa, Elim on Cape Aguilas is definitely cool. Strandveld is the most southerly vineyard in the country, and specialises in elegant whites and cool climate reds - Shiraz, and more recently Pinot Noir. Gerrie has a real belief in the importance of Terroir, and believes that his wines show the character of his land. Unusually, of the two Sauvignon Blancs tasted, the cheaper 'First Sighting' wine won out in the room's palates over the (admitedly younger) Estate Sauvignon. Adamastor is a delicious blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon with some barrel fermentation (right up Kate's street this), and for reds we tasted a Pinot Noir and two very different Shiraz. The First Sighting Shiraz was elegnad and very peppery and the estate Shiraz meatier and much more perfumed thanks to a good slug of Viognier in the blend
NEXT TASTING: NIEPOORT - A DOURO LEGEND Thursday 30th October 2008
Date: Thursday 30th October 2008 Time: 7.30 Venue: Reserve Wine Shop Tickets £15, available now from the shop or on 0161 438 0101
I've never been so excited about a tasting as when I got off the phone after finalising the details of the wines for this fab evening. Dirk Niepoort is surely the Douro's leading table wine producer, and what's more makes truly world beating ports into the bargain.
A brilliant mix of the traditional, the modern (and the slightly eccentric), Dirk's wines are not to be missed, and this is a unique opportunity to taste the best of them in the company of Raymond Reynolds, Britain's premier Portugese importer (and winemaker to boot!)
Highlights include Redoma Tinto 2002, hid Dry White Port (widely recognised as the best in the business) and, of course a couple of outstanding Vintage Ports
Christmas is fast on the way, so get your port cellar stocked up here! Tickets sell fast, so don't delay and call 0161 438 0101 to get yours!
Here's the full list of what we'll be tasting (all wines are Dirk Niepoort): Table Wines Redoma Branco (white) 2007 Redoma Rose 2007 Drink Me (red) 2006 Redoma Tinto (red) 2002 Ports Dry White Port LBV 2004 Colhieta 1998 'Secundum' Vintage 2000 Vintage 1987 (to be tasted from Magnum)
How good is that!
SUPER-EXCLUSIVE McLAREN VALE TASTING
On Tuesday 14th October, we will be visited by Steve Pannell, one of the brightest stars of Australian Winemaking. He'll be here for a mini-tasting between 8 and 9 for a very limited number of people.
Tickets are £5 per person and available from the shop on 0161 438 0101
Steve spent some time winemaking for the Hardys group before experiencing a year with Vajra in Barolo and Domaine Dujac in Burgundy. His wines are some of the most interesting (and best) in the McLaren Vale and this tasting is a unique opportunity to talk to him about his life and wines.
The wines will be chosend from Pronto Bianco (a blend of Pinot Gris, Riesling and Sauvignon), Pronto Tinto (Grenache, Syrah and Touriga), Shiraz/Grenache, Shiraz, Grenache and Nebbiolo.
Autumn Tasting Season
Thursday 25th September: The Delights of Tuscany
Thursday 31st October: To be confirmed
Thursday 27th November: Christmas Fair (date and venue to be confirmed)
THE DELIGHTS OF TUSCANY
The last Thursday in September saw a visit from Tuscan expert Bruce Kendrick to the store, along with some truly top class Italian wines. We were taken on a tour around Tuscany to each of the key regions, and to some tiny but incredible vineyards!
The evening warmed up with a couple of whites. First a Trebbiano di Toscana (we think), fresh and crips, then a more complex and elegant Vermentino made by the Allegrini family (of Valpolicella and Amarone fame)
For the first couple of reds, discussion centred on the importance of reduced yields to produce quality wine. In the past, Tuscan vineyards would be planted with around 2,500 vines per hectare, but nowadays the figure is more like 7,000, resulting in far lower yields per vine and much higher quality wine. Some of the wines sampled later in the evening were made from vineyards which produce as little as one bottle per vine!
With a couple of exceptions, the reds we tasted were made of 100% Sangiovese, but the stylistic and flavour differences were really pronounced. Tuscany is a wide region, Bruce explained, with many different microclimates, soils and (confusingly) names for the Sangiovese grape! The wines ranged from a light, fruity style from Montalcino (Rosso di Montalcino) to big, rich wines like the Fontdodi Riserva.
As well as the pure Sangiovese, we also tasted a blend of Sangiovese with Cabernet and Cannaiolo (that's Gamay to all you francophiles) and a Cabernet/Merlot/Cab Franc blend, again from the Allegrini family called 'Sondraia'. This wine is made on land bang nextdoor to the legendary Sassacaia vineyard, and shows immense quality (and in comparison with Bordeaux, value for money) full of rich fruit, plums and sweet cherries.
Tuscany 2004 Tuscany has had a number of good vintages recently (all hail global warming?) but none compare to the stunning 2004 vintage. We were lucky enough to taste two top quality wines from that harvest - Fontodi's Vigna del Sorbo Chianti Classico Riserva and Isole e Olena's legendary Cepparello. The (incidentally organic and biodynamic) Fontodi was the evening's favourite - tight, poised and dapper, in contrast with the Cepparello which perhaps had not quite settled down yet, but was more herbal and broad. Both are undoubtedly top class and will keep for years and years!
At this point of the evening, discussion turned to the merits of screwcaps (a regular topic for our in-store tastings), with Bruce extolling their virtues with some passion. The key question for some tasters was the effect of the screwcap on the ageing process, with Bruce explaining that screwcaps lead to more consistent and slower ageing, with fresher fruit character being retained.
A sweetie to finish The evening was rounded off by an award-winning Vin Santo from Cappezzana (their 2001 riserva). Vin Santo is made in a unique fashion with the Trebbiano di Toscana grapes being dried on racks in lofts before being aged in sealed oak barrels which are kept in warm lofts for years. Rich and figgy, this wine was a real surprise - and a huge success, despite Bruce's frankly unprintable story about it!
