Calvados, Pinot Blanc, mencia,...

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

La Cidrerie, created in 1950 by François Sehedic father, has been specialized in the production of drinks from apples to cider of ancient varieties specific to the Breton terroir and particularly to the prestigious Fouesnant. Marie Laure Séhédic and her husband Christian Daniélou continue today to highlight the area. The cider house holds organic and biodynamic certification.

Traditional cider from Brittany with a funky twist to its bright and inviting nose. A touch of sweetness that finishes nice and dry and is wonderfully rustic in its style. This is true farmhouse cider.

Fouesnant Cider 750ml is the heir to authentic know-how and a long family tradition. Made from orchards located in Pays Fousnantais, this cider is a blend of old varieties and harvested by hand. The apples are sorted manually and the pressing is done when the fruits are fully ripe, from the end of September to December. The fermentation of this cider is slow and it ends with natural fermentation in the bottle for about 2 and a half months, which gives it a fine and digestible bubble Recognised for its bitterness, roundness and persistent aromas of fresh apple, fresh butter and hazelnut. Made from 100% Apple juice fermented. We recommend drinking the Fouenant Cider as an aperitif.

Best Traditional Cider - Australian Cider Awards 2024

This cider is a nod to the traditional English style—dry, but not overly so. We started with a base of cider apples, carefully blending the highly esteemed Kingston Black variety with a generous portion of Brown’s apple, known for its mild sharpness. The fermentation was a slow process, as we aimed for a “keeve”—a tricky technique that didn’t entirely go as planned, but still yielded some delightful results.

The final cider offers a well-rounded apple flavour, complemented by a fresh finish, intriguing tannins, and a hint of funk that adds character. It’s a balanced and enjoyable cider with depth, perfect for those who appreciate a bit of complexity in their glass

Born from the harmony of the soil, apple trees and the climate of the Breton Coast, Cornouaille cider is a golden cider with fruit aromas. To the eye, it presents a golden-orange colour, a generous and fine mousse. On the nose, it offers an aromatic complexity where you can find fruity, floral, spicy aromas. After a supple attack, the mouth is structured with a beautiful amplitude (rounding around a dominant bittersweet). Made from 100% Apple juice fermented. To consume as an aperitif or to accompany salads, fish or seafood. Serve chilled!

The biodynamic orchards are comprised of trees upto 50+ years old containing 40-50 varieties of heirloom apples. The hand-harvested fruit is dehydrated for 4-5 weeks and simply ground and pressed then settled for clarification before fermenting naturally, originating in tank and finishing in bottle. Bubbles develop within two weeks of bottling. It has lovely aromatics of graham and baked apple, followed by elegant bubbles and an off-dry profile on the palate.
ERIC BORDELET

Situated on 115 acres, Wille Smiths is 30 minutes south of Hobart in the Huon Valley, a once thriving apple-growing region that exported apples all over the globe and earned Tasmania the title of the 'Apple Isle'.

Our farm went organic in 1997, thanks to the innovation of current orchardist, Andrew Smith. It was a bold move, transforming the orchard to organic, and involved a lot of new techniques and training to achieve. With a new focus on organic farming and the use of the apples in our cider, they hope to bring back the glory of the 'Apple Isle' days once more.

The cidery is located at the  orchard, meaning the fruit travels the smallest distance possible from tree to bottle. It's a full circle process which all occurs in one place, right here on the farm.

Be in no doubt, this is one of the countries of not the worlds greatest ciders. Bold statement for sure but we think you will agree once you try it. This used to be called the French Blend but the various type of apples have moved it away from a predominantly French blend so they have changed the name. This is a seasonal release and one we are looking forward too. If you have never tried these we cannot recommend them enough - so bloody delicious!

We have been enamoured with the mencia based wines of Spaces northwest since first we tried them. Their beautiful lifted nose spiked with mineral accents that flowed onto graceful pallets raked with fine granit like tannins an earthy savouryness at the edges. They are something akin to cru Beaujolias crossed with the finest reds of the loire and we just cant get enough.

Bodegas Pittacum is owned by the Terras Gauda operation and is situated in Argaza in the heart of Bierzo and made from grape sourced from small plots of organically grown 90 year old vines grown in clay soils on steep slopes.

Glace fruits with crème de mure and raspberry coulis flecked with granitic mineral shards. Mid weight styling come from slippery red fruits and a gentle burst of freshness that comes not from acidity but from a deep mineral vein soaked up from the long roots and rocky slopes. Its like a bowl of mixed berry smashed onto rock and is absolutely delightful. If you have not had the wines of the region or mencia this is a belter of an introduction.

Mostly estate fruit with Poire coming from very old trees scattered throughout the region. 30 varieties of apples, 20 varieties of pears and 8 varieties of Cormes

Aptly described by Eric as a ‘Poire de soif’ or thirst quenching pear cider perfect for aperitif or with seafood and cheeses. So pure, so delicious. Awesome at any time of the day.

Pomarina takes its name from the Latin word for apple; Poma. In autumn, organically-grown apples are carefully selected and harvested from El Gaitero's own orchards and local growers, which are regulated under the PDO Sidra de Asturias

Golden with straw/yellow hue. It's floral, skinsy, deep and open in style. There are sweet, nutty, savoury and bitter elements. Abundant small bubbles add to the skin richness, mouthfeel and weight. The freshness of air-dried-apple granola in the cool of morning jostles with the perfume heft of a muggy wheat field after rain. Skins, then seeds and later, a touch of apple core bitterness gives rim to a mouthfeel of brilliant balance, which holds beautifully and releases with a delicate acetic rinse. Apple poetry!

From soils of gravel, sand and south-facing clay and limestone. The juice is extracted with infinite care in our air-bag press. The slow, gentle pressing avoids crushing the stalks and pips. This is followed by slow, natural fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats, generally lasting from four to 10 weeks.

César Márquez Parajes is a coupage of the most prestigious and unique Bierzo plots. Old vines grown as they used to be, without using pesticides or chemicals that can damage the natural balance of the terroir. Each of the plots is worked separately according to their needs and the harvest is carried out manually.

In the winery, 50% of the grapes used to make César Márquez Parajes are destemmed. Then they are pressed in the old-fashioned way, with feet, so that some of them stay whole during fermentation. Fermentation is spontaneous with the grape’s native yeasts. Once the must becomes wine, it is pressed and placed into 225 and 500 litre barrels separately. After 12 months the barrels are emptied and the different wines are combined.

César Márquez Parajes remains true to its roots. A wine that overflows with natural elegance as a result of the quality of the raw material and the expertise of the makers. Freshness with enveloping smoothness. DECANTER

The super affordable 2021 Parajes really overdelivers in this cool year. It was produced with grapes from up to 45 different plots in nine villages, trying to capture the essence of Bierzo. This regional red mixes soils and altitudes, mostly very old plots and therefore planted with a field blend with a majority of Mencía but also around 10% Alicante Bouschet and 5% whites or other reds like Bastardo, Souson or Estaladiña. It fermented by plot in stainless steel and plastic bins with some full clusters, indigenous yeasts and variable macerations, ranging between 15 and 60 days. Seventy-five percent of the volume matured in 225-, 400- and 500-liter barrels and the rest in a 5,000-liter oak foudre. It's aromatic, floral, perfumed and elegant, with a medium-bodied palate and very fine tannins. It is round and juicy, with very fine tannins and depth and complexity, corresponding to a much more expensive wine. A bargain. He harvested quite early in 2021, and the wines have moderate alcohol. 29,504 bottles produced. It was bottled in December 2022. LUIS GUITIERREZ, Wine Advocate

 

This prestigious offering combines 19 apple varieties, prepared according to an ancestral method of maceration. The nose exhales a mixture of fruity and mineral notes: stewed apple apricot, lemon, honey and mile spices.Ample, balanced palate, boasting intense flavours, brought out by extremely small bubbles.
A premium cider that can be served with a meal or offered as an aperitif and indeed Normand's cheese.Worth ageing. ericbordelet.com

Estate grown field blend of Pinot Gris, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay Musqué, Riesling and Grüner Veltliner. Up to 7 days of skin contact before pressing. Natural co-ferment and maturation in a Pozvek foudré for 9 months on full lees. 100% malolactic fermentation. Bottled in January 2024 unfined and unfiltered.

Amber hue in the glass, this wine is complex and highly aromatic with scents of fresh apricot, musk and lychee. Peach, beeswax and subtle smoky notes. A creamy mid palate with a refreshing saline finish.

Comprising of almost all Mencía with just a dash of Tempranillo and Sousón, this expressive, light bodied wine captures the very essence of Ribeira Sacra, grown on slopes above the River Sil so vertiginous they can only be worked by hand. Flavours of blueberries, blackcurrants, and herbs with fresh, lifted acidity. BARRICA WINES

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Uncomplicated but charming, with plenty of fresh pineapple and mandarin orange fruit. Medium bodied with restrained mid-palate richness. An animating freshness at the bone dry finish that pulls you back for more. From biodynamically grown grapes. Drink now.  STUART PIGOTT, jamessuckling.com

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Mittnacht Freres have been producing biodynamic wines for quite some time and are well known for their refined wines. They own some parcels in the Grand Crus like "Rosaker" or "Osterberg". We are looking forward to introducing more of their range some time soon.

This Appellation 'Cremant D'Alsace" is made using the traditional method with a secondary fermentation in bottle. It's aged for 32 months before disgorging.

Subtle sparkling with notes of pears, apples and peach, on a festival of light and very elegant bubbles. The palate is dry, notes of granny smith apples and hazelnut, built around a nice, ripe acidity. Delicious festive number !

The bottled 2022 Lousas Viñas de Aldea is aromatic, extroverted, open and immediate, floral, perfumed and expressive, with a juicy and round palate. It's fleshy and round, still with 12.5% alcohol on the label but possibly a tad riper than the 2023 sample I tasted next to it. It's a very approachable vintage for this cuvée. 25,200 bottles and 360 magnums produced. It was bottled in November 2023. LUIS GUTIERREZ, The Wine Advocate

There are some incredible things happening in Spanish wine right now and one of the producers at the heart of this revolution are Envinate. A project between four winemakers who met studying oenology in Alicante in the mid two thousands bonded around a shared ideology and desire to explore and express the underappreciated terroirs of Western Spain. Envinate has since risen to become one of the icons of 'New Spain' a movement which is has reached a crescendo in recent years as young producers strive to craft wines that showcase a patchwork of Spanish terroirs, using indidgenous grapes farmed fastidiously and rendered into wines without artifice.

Known more as a cutting-edge cider maker, Eric Bordelet was a top sommelier at Arpege in Paris, before returning home to Normandy in 1992 to take over the family business. He biodynamically grows more than 20 apple varieties and 15 pear varieties. JASON WILSON, Vinous

Eric Bordelet approaches Cider-making with the same intensity as a passionate oenologist brings to winemaking. Bordelet worked as sommelier in the leading 3 star Parisian restaurant, ‘Arpege’ where he became deeply familiar with the top winemakers and wineries of France. In 1992 he took over the tiny patch of family farmed orchards in Charchigné, in the heart of Normandy’s premium Cider producing area. Since then he has set about rescuing the ancient ‘heirloom’ varieties of pears and apples that produce tiny quantities and amazing flavour.

Produced from pear trees estimated to be about 300 years old. Poiré Granit has 25-80 grams of sugar per liter, yet it doesn't taste particularly sweet.  This is due to the tannin and acidity, which Bordelet says is twice as high as the apple! Stunning as aperitif or with cheese or desserts. With just 4% alc/vol this can be enjoyed any time. Cider simply doesn't get better than this !!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

One reason I never miss a chance to visit Jean Dirler and his family is that the Dirler-Cadé estate in Bergholtz makes outstanding wines from several different Alsace varieties. Its Sylvaner, a grape often treated as an afterthought in Alsatian wine-production circles, is especially noteworthy. I do not feel that I am exaggerating when I describe it as a world-class wine the fact that it ages extremely well is an added bonus.

The Rieslings in particular are exceptionnal: impressive saline tension for the Kitterlé, all about vigor and smoky brightness for the finish, straight wine, sharp, profound, with an extraordinary persistence and intensity. The Kessler, offers a myriad of vibrant flavours, the finish is overflowing with energy and anise brightness. Very young, the Searing offers a dazzling breath of light, and the Spiegel displays a radiant fruit and a vibrant, intense persistence- it's a stunning wine. IAN D'AGATA

From a sorting in the Grands Crus Kessler & Saering and in the lieu-dit Belzbrunnen - 2.3 g/l residual sugar

The 2022 Sylvaner Vieilles Vignes opens with russet pear peel, suggesting ripeness and texture, which duly follow the palate, which is slightly crunchy with phenolics. These take the place of more freshness on a smooth, concentrated body with supple edges of pithiness. (Bone-Dry) ANNE KREBIEHL MW, Vinous

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The vines for this 2021 Pinot Blanc Clos Sand were planted in 2013. It was first vinified as a single vineyard in 2018. This is a granitic site, at 400m of altitude, enclosed by forest, looking south-east. Matured in a mix of stainless steel and used 300-liter barrel, because there was not enough wine to fill a foudre , this spent 11 months on gross lees. The nose is shy, with mere suspicions of lemon. The palate is sylph-like but wonderfully juicy and rounded in its concentrated slenderness. It has the richness of yeast and strikes a beautiful balance. Very elegant, finishing with pristine lemon purity. (Bone-dry) ANNE KREBIEHL MW, Vinous

Aged in small apple brandy casks for over 12 months, this rich and generous liqueur is a result of blending pressed French and British heirloom apple varieties with our apple spirit.

Complex and well-structured with baked apple and spice, balanced with firm tannins and cask influence.

Our take on the traditional aperitif from North-West France – enjoy as such or serve with blue cheese or dessert. WILLIE SMITH

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

Merenzao is the same variety as Trousseau (and Bastardo in Portugal) and was probably brought to Ribeira Sacra by the Cistercian monks who set up camp here in the Middle Ages. Algueira’s Merenzao vines have an average age of 80 years and are rooted in a steep slope of gneiss, quartz and slate in the Amandi Gorge. The fruit sees a wild yeast, 100% whole-bunch ferment, is pressed by foot and aged for 12 months in old oak and some local chestnut vessels.

The result is an extraordinary, unique wine with a complex perfume of finely detailed fruit characters that recalls wild cherry steeped with blood orange, rose and a tincture of wild herb. There’s more colour and muscular density from the solar year, yet it remains super lucid and tender and finishes long, leaving behind a lick of elegant tannin and a perfume of sweet red berries and smoky minerals. This is one tasty Bastardo!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

The 2020 Finca Capeliños comes from a warm year, but the grapes have been harvested earlier in recent years to achieve moderate alcohol and macerations have been shortened to get wines that are more elegant and harmonious. The 2020s are quite open and expressive, and the Capeliños displays impressive notes of violet pastille and a faintly Mediterranean note of aromatic herbs. (96) LUIS GUTIERREZ

This is from a plot planted with the classical field blend found in the old vineyards, mainly Mencía with a myriad of other varieties-Caíño, Sousón, Brancellao, Merenzao, Negreda, Garnacha, Mouratón... The full clusters fermented with indigenous yeasts, and the wine matured in 225- and 500-liter oak barrels for one year. This is explosive with a baroque, exotic and decadent nose redolent of flowers, soy sauce, violet pastille, spices and herbs. It's a little spirity (it's 14.2% alcohol), which probably adds to the showy profile. The palate is a little more backward-it's structured and has abundant, fine tannins, still a little hard. 800 bottles produced. (97+) LUIS GUTIERREZ

More product information will be added here soon! In the meantime, if you do have any questions at all about this product or others in our store, you can contact us by phone or email. Our friendly and experienced team are always happy to assist - we love drinking, selling, talking about and being in and around wine!

There are only a select few, perfect locations, to grow great wine on this big blue orb of ours and those are between 30 and 50 degrees north and south latitudes. Those regions need to provide just the right temperature, humidity, heat and climate to grow high quality grapes. We are absolutely spoilt for choice when it comes to the northern reaches with the whole of Europe at our disposal, but travel further south and things are a little different.

While New Zealand and Tasmania provide us with plenty of choices (and we would be remiss not to include them) the southern reaches sitting on and just below the 40 degrees latitude offer a up a wholy unique drinking experience.

While grapes like riesling, cabernet and pinot noir are familiar to us, a number of the wines in this months pack aren't seen so regularly on your local wines list or on the shelves of your corner wine store. From Malbec's in Argentina to the infamous Pinotage and the more classic varietals like Chenin in South Africa this is an exploration of all that is good in these great southern lands of ours.

Where do we start with such an awesome selection of interesting wine? It's hard to decide we might just do a quick run down by country.

South America is relatively new to the wine scene but has come along in leap and bounds. WE start with a couple of classics with the Finca Los Moras Malbec and the Santa Ana Cabernet. These are text book varietal wines with plenty to love in their up-front fruit and modern styling. For something a little different we through in the Bouchon pais. For those who do not know, Pais is an old variety that is Chile's answer to pinot noir. With a little more bite and a wild flourish this a great introduction to this fascinating wine.

Closer to home in New Zealand we have few classic drops with the Palliser Estate Pencarrow pinot. A wine you would be hard pressed to find with the structure, concentration and complexity at the same price. Off to Hawkes Bay for some stonking Chardonnay from Bilancia fame and some of the world most underrated syrah from stars Te Mata. What a treat!

Just in our backyard, Tassie continues to pump out some of the best wine in the country and while we would never miss out on showcasing another great pinot there is some real winners with pinot gris and riesling on the rise. The Moores Hill gris is a freat example of textural and vibrant gris from the Apple Isle with the Riversdale riesling hot on its tale.

And for something a little different we have got the latest release Willie Smiths Cider. This is an absolute belter, and we couldn't help but included it once we were told it had been released. Perfect timing! We will take that one!

Last, and something we don't see much in Aus is a cracking selection of wines from South Africa. Long-term customers may recognise some of these wines and as far as we are concerned, they are some of the best modern day Cape wines to make it over. The Bare Bones cinsault is a zippy red full of energy while the Winery of Good Hope pinotage is a juicy and fun take on this classic red variety,

And what would a selection of wine from South Africa be without a chenin blanc. The Secateurs is clean and crunchy with a plush fruit profile that is cleaned up by chenin's zippy acidity.
All in al a pretty awesome and exciting collection of stellar wines from the great south!