Category Archives: Wine Agencies

Alsace/Germany Celebrating Common Ground with Newcomer & Vine Trail (Part 1 – Alsace)

Newcomer Wines and Vine Trail came together on 15 April at Fare, on Old Street, London, to show five Alsace producers and five German producers from their respective ranges. I’m not sure that the common ground extended only to geography … Continue reading

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“Ugly Ducklings Can Be Swans” (Says Doug Wregg)

Ugly Ducklings can be Swans! That was the title of the tasting given by Doug Wregg at Solent Cellar in Lymington on Friday night. Doug’s company, Les Caves de Pyrene, has proved that statement a thousand times over in the thirty-odd … Continue reading

Posted in Artisan Wines, Grape Varieties, Natural Wine, Slovenian Wine, Wine, Wine Agencies, Wine Merchants, Wine Shops, Wine Tastings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Howard Ripley’s Truly Great German Tasting

On 13 March 2019 Howard Ripley Wines held their biggest ever tasting at the China Exchange in Soho, London. For this tasting, thirty producers’ wines were on show, and I believe that twenty-six of them were actually there to pour for … Continue reading

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Small Importers at Winemakers Club

On the Monday of Raw London 2019, Winemakers Club hosted a tasting of ten importers. I managed to get to taste a handful of wines from eight of them, before heading thirty minutes down the road to Raw on The … Continue reading

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Bordeaux – The Risk Takers (Vine Trail)

This fascinating tasting took place at Carousel on Blandford Street, London, on 6 March 2019. I say fascinating and I’m guessing that might elicit a snigger from those who are used to very traditional, conservative and expensive Bordeaux. However, Vine … Continue reading

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Raw Wine 2019, Part 2

If Raw Wine has changed over the years, it is no more so than in this respect: whereas once the writer or blogger could identify the best producers with relative ease, now it is much harder. Of course, there are … Continue reading

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Raw London 2019, Part 1

Mad March, that time of year when wine importers think we are capable of getting to four or five tastings a day trundles on (no exaggeration, as well as Raw yesterday there were at least four other “unmissable” wine events). … Continue reading

Posted in Artisan Wines, Austrian Wine, biodynamic wine, Czech Wine, Natural Wine, Wine, Wine Agencies, Wine Festivals, Wine Tastings | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Invivo – Spirit of Vienna

During my last visit to Vienna a friend asked me if I wanted to arrange a spirits tasting with a relatively new distiller in the city, but my diary was completely full. As recompense we tasted through part of the … Continue reading

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Vineyards of Hampshire

Vineyards of Hampshire is an umbrella organisation for what is now eight sparkling wine producers from the county, who seem to have got their act together for joint promotion. I say “now eight” because the original seven have recently been … Continue reading

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“…Yellow, Orange and Red” – the Diverse and Wonderful Indigo Portfolio

I used to think of Indigo Wine as a small-to-medium importer with a portfolio focused on Spain, but in truth they seem to have grown rather rapidly into something larger and much more diverse, but without loss of direction. There’s … Continue reading

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