WEAVERS WINES MERCHANT IN NOTTINGHAM, UK
Is a family business stablished over more than 100 years ago. Weavers specialise in a range of wines imported from all over the world as well as a selection of whiskies and spirits. An inhouse service for corporate tastings and weddings is available upon request.
- Alan Trease: Managing Director at Weavers. Join them at their fun and informal wine tasting evenings. Designed for all levels of knowledge they run a number of themed events throughout the year.
- Philip Trease: Responsible for the Wine Club. If you enjoy trying wines that are different and offer great value for money, then why not join the Weavers Wine Club and leave the choice to them. Remember, their Wine Club is about pushing your taste buds.
- Mary Trease: Writes the Cellar News and the online newsletters. Cellar News works along side their wine blog, join it today for free and she will keep you informed of what’s new at Weavers.
- Name: Weavers of Nottingham Ltd
- Type of business: Shop/Wine Merchant
- Adress: Vintner House, 1 Castle Gate, Nottingham, NG1 7AQ
- Tel: 44 (0)115 958 0922
- Fax: 44 (0)115 950 8076
- Established in 1844: Weavers is one of Nottingham’s oldest independent businesses. Established in 1844 by Edward Cossal Weaver, Weavers started life as a Public House. In 1897, George Trease bought the business from Mr Weaver who emigrated to South Africa. Under the watchful eye of Bill Trease, George’s grandson, the business continued to trade as a Public House together with a small wholesale wine and spirits business.
In 1959, the Public House was sold and the company became wine merchants in the property remaining at 1 Castle Gate. Alan became the 4th generation of the family to join the business, and with his father, grew the wholesale business.
- Weavers, 2010 and Beyond: Today, brother and sister Philip and Mary Trease, the 5th generation of the family, are involved in the business. Weavers is a thriving company supplying wines and spirits to private, corporate and trade customers throughout the Midlands and the UK.
They supply the most comprehensive and creative range of wines, spirits and liqueurs from the popular easy drinking styles through to the traditional and more unusual, rare and sought after products.
- Personal Service: Their service is second to none. From hosting wine tasting events to running their successful Wine Club and extensive trade services they are on hand to help you any time.
They pride ourselves on their personal service. Though the advent of email is great, they also like to speak to you in person. Please feel free to pick up the phone and call them. You will not be greeted by an automated telephone service.
- The team of knowledgeable staff: Many of their staff have been with them a long time and they are encouraged to take their Wine and Spirit Exams and taste their wines regularly. This team of experienced and knowledgeable staff are happy to help and advise you on your selection.
Their warehouse team and drivers are pleased to arrange delivery of your wines direct to your door, office or function at a convenient time.
Remember they deliver as far away as Loughborough, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Burton, Mansfield, Newark and Lincolnshire twice weekly on their vans and also deliver to local areas on Saturdays.
They use national carriers for delivery anywhere in the UK.
TRADE SERVICES
- Flexible Delivery: They pride themselves in their stock control and efficient delivery. They deliver to most areas in the East Midlands twice a week and if you have been caught short they can manage to come out the same day.
- Sale or Return: Their products are supplied on a sale or return basis. This is ideal if you want to stock up for a big event or renew a wine list. They will simply collect any unsold stock and credit you for any unopened bottles you return.
- Staff Training: Their product knowededge is second to none. They understand how to sell wines and like to impart this knowledge to you and your staff. They are happy to come and do educational training sessions which are fun and informal (as they believe this is the best way to learn) either on your premises or at their tasting rooms in Nottingham.
- Wine List Design & Printing: They know how to write your wine list to suit your requirements and of course they are happy to print it for you as part of the free service they offer to trade customers. They also spend time monitoring your prices to ensure that you make the best return on your sales. They also have a huge online resource which you can access to help you in staff training .
- Own Label Wine: They have a collection of wines which are perfect to customise to your venue. Because these products taste great they are a great way to endorse your venue. As part of the service they are happy to design and print these labels for you, not only that their minium order is just 6 bottles.
- Tastings and Gourmet Nights: They are always looking at ways to promote their customer venues. After all, the better you do the better they do.
Readers to their online newsletter ‘Cellar News’ are looking for tastings and events that they run. They will happily invite them to any evening we run in conjunction with you.
WEAVERS NEW GADGET A CORKING WAY TO SAVE WINE - CORAVIN DEVICE
Wine and spirit merchant Weavers is raising a glass to the success of a new money-saving gadget. The Coravin device, which allows drinkers to open a bottle of wine without removing the cork, means the family-run firm can save half-empty bottles opened at wine-tasting sessions.
It comes after Weavers spent thousands of pounds renovating its cellars so that it could host more tasting events. Philip Trease, director of the Castle Gate business, said it used to throw away any undrunk wine. But it can be preserved for a later occasion, thanks to the gadget, which works by inserting a stainless steel needle through a cork to access the wine. Once the needle is removed, the cork naturally reseals.
Mr Trease said: "Before, if we had opened six bottles of wine, that was potentially three bottles going to waste." Asked if the Coravin would help the business save money at its tasting events, Mr Trease said: "Ultimately it will".
The gadget was launched in the United States three years ago. The Trease family were first introduced to it when they went to Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham. After being impressed by the simplicity of the £269 product, they are now selling it at their store.
Sales director Mary Trease added: "I thought it was a bit of a gimmick but, after speaking to chef Sat Bains and other people in the wine industry about it, I was quite excited. "We aren't going to open every single bottle on our shelves but there may be a couple of bottles we can open to showcase to people."
Coravin director Louis De Demandolx, who lives in France, said: "It's a totally new way of tasting wine. "I think it's a true innovation."
For centuries, the cork had to be removed in order to enjoy a glass of wine-that era is over. The Coravin System is a transformational new technology that allows users to pour wine whiling keeping the cork in the bottle, where it's been since it was first sealed in the winery.
Now you can enjoy your favorite and finest wines by the glass whenever you like, and feel confident that your wine will be protected until the next glass is poured. Now you can share and enjoy the same bottle, or bottles on multiple occasions, over weeks, months, or even longer and without wasting a drop.
How do we do it?:
- When the Coravin System is put in place, a thin, hollow needle is inserted through the cork to extract the wine. The bottle is then pressurized with argon, an inert gas that's in the air we breathe. Once the bottle has been pressurized, the wine flows through the needle and pours into your glass. Once your wine is poured, the needle is removed, and the cork reseals itself.
- The Coravin System will work best with natural cork closures, including closures made of agglomerated or multi-piece natural cork. It is not intended for use on synthetic closures since they are unlikely to re-seal completely. If you do use the system with a synthetic closure, store the bottle upright afterwards. Synthetic closures will permit some oxidation, and may result in leakage when stored or poured. The Coravin 1000 System cannot be used with metal, glass or screw top closures.
How It Works:
- Access: A thin, hollow needle is inserted through the cork to access the wine..
- Pressurize and Pour: The bottle is pressurized with argon, an inert gas that has no effect on the taste profile of wine. The wine then flows through the needle and pours into the glass.
- Remove and Reseal: The needle is removed from the cork and the cork reseals, protecting the wine from oxidation, enabling you to enjoy your wine glass by glass, weeks or months later.
Benefits for the wine lover:
The Coravin System allows you to sip, share, and enjoy fine wines without wasting a drop. Go ahead be adventurous.
- Expand your palate: Explore, compare and contrast regions, varietals, producer styles and vintages.
- Create a memorable experience for your guests by offering a variety of food and wine pairings.
- Get more creative with your food and wine pairings and serve both red and white wines with different courses during dinner.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- How does the Coravin System differ from wine preservation systems?: Coravin is a wine system. Unlike preservation systems, which require the cork to be pulled and allow oxygen to enter the bottle, Coravin leaves the cork in place to continue protecting the wine, allowing you to pour from same bottle weeks or months later.
- What testing has been done to prove that the Coravin System actually works?: The Coravin team has been conducted blind taste tests of bottles previously accessed with the Coravin System against control bottles from the same case with master sommeliers, masters of wine, and winemakers themselves. They have not been able to distinguish between previously accessed bottles and untouched controls. Leading restaurants around the world now trust their wine by the glass program to the Coravin System.
- What kind of bottles can I access with my Coravin?: The Coravin 1000 Wine System should be used with standard cylindrical shaped wine bottles (e.g. Bordeaux, Burgundy or Riesling). Do not use the Coravin 1000 on bottles containing sparkling wine or Champagne. Do not use the Coravin System on any bottle that is damaged or flawed, irregularly shaped, flat-sided, hand-blown, or etched, as these bottles may break when pressurized with the Coravin System.
- What testing has been done to prove that the Coravin System actually works?: The Coravin team has been conducted blind taste tests of bottles previously accessed with the Coravin System against control bottles from the same case with master sommeliers, masters of wine, and winemakers themselves. They have not been able to distinguish between previously accessed bottles and untouched controls. Leading restaurants around the world now trust their wine by the glass program to the Coravin System.
- What types of bottle closures are best suited for my Coravin System?: Your Coravin System will work best with natural cork closures, including closures made of agglomerated or twin-top cork which will reseal after use. You can pour wine closed with synthetic corks, but this type of closure does not reseal, and oxidation will occur after some time. After accessing a bottle with a synthetic cork, be sure to store the bottle upright as it will leak if stored on its side. Do not use the Coravin 1000 with metal, glass and screw top closures as they may damage the needle.
Features:
- Wine Access Needle:
Non-corning, medical grade needle accesses wine without disrupting or damaging the cork, allowing it to reseal and continue protecting the wine.
Teflon coating – helps the needle glide smoothly through foil and cork.
Durable construction – ensures that the needle will withstand hundreds of insertions through the cork.
Textured grip – allows for quick and safe removal and replacement of the needle.
- Coravin Capsules:
Argon gas – protects the remaining wine from oxidation. Argon is an inert gas that is regularly used during the wine making process, does not react with wine, and has no effect on the taste profile of wine.
Proprietary cap – creates a perfect seal within the system so that even months after initial use, no gas will escape.
Multi glass capacity – allows you to pour up to fifteen 5 ounce glasses of wine per capsule.
- Pouring Mechanism:
Wine-on-release trigger – press the trigger to pressurize the bottle with argon gas, release the trigger and the wine will pour out.
Ergonomic handle – allows you to easily operate the Coravin 1000 with one hand, while using the other to hold the bottle.
Angled spout – directs the flow of wine for a clean and even pour.
- Bottle Clamp:
High tension spring – provides the clamp a strong secure hold on the bottle, ensuring that the Coravin 1000 remains stable while pouring.
Adjustable width – fits on standard bottles in a variety of sizes.
Angled arms – stabilize the Coravin 1000 so that it conveniently stands on its own when not in use.
ADVANTAGES OF BUYING FROM AN INDEPENDEN WINE MERCHANT
Emphasis being place on the quality of products. They can offer a range where the bigger players cannot. We are talking a mixture of small-scale, low-volume, off-the-beaten-track, artisan producers alongside with super-premium classics from those with established and well-earned reputations.
Knowledgeable staff often de owner. They also tend to have a team of passionate, enthusiastic and knowledgeable staff. Get a good relationship with them, allow them to show you new things, they can personalize your wine choice and the road to better drinking begins.
They offer a mailing list which area a great way to find out about a range of regular customer events such as regular tastings; if you’re looking to expand your palate and your drinking repertoire, these events offer the perfect opportunity to try before.
Their web pages are very good (and usually free) source of information.
- Read their wine blog: Keep up to date with all that's going on at Weavers. Follow their thoughts, comments and whats new in tehir Wine Blog written by Mary, Philip, Chris and Don.
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE "SHOP" AND THE "CELLAR"
Weavers Wines comprises a beautiful Shop and a espectacular Cellar.
- The Shop is filled with wines which are ready to drink. Whilst some may benefit for a year or so of cellaring, the message is a straightforward one. These are wines that are to be bought ‘off the rack’ or delivered to your door.
- The Cellar is for fine wines to be laid down. These are fine wines straight from the cellars of their exclusive producers, older vintages and wines sourced by their broking team. The majority of these will be bought in bond for long-term cellaring. A live list of fine wines on their books will be instantly available to those who are regular buyers.
WEAVERS WINE CLUB
- How the Case Works: Each case is a 12 bottle selection, in which you will usually receive two bottles of each of six different wines. This gives you an opportunity to re-taste a wine or have a spare in case you have taken a bottle to a dinner party.
- Colour Coded Bottles For Your Ease: Each case is a collection of great value and great tasting wines. Every bottle is colour-coded so you can see if you should pair it with food or drink on its own.
- Pushing Your Taste Buds: The objective of the case is to push members’ taste buds. Each case comes with a comprehensive tasting guide to their selection. As ever they shy away from brands and opt for wines that simply taste great. From time to time they play a game where a mystery wine will turn up, all they ask you to do is be open minded and follow the instructions they include. After all, when did you last try a proper Lambrusco?
- Free to Join: There is no joining fee, you can come and go as you please. They believe in total customer flexibility.
- Choose how often you would like the case delivered: Simply decide how often you would like them to deliver your case:
Bi-monthly: The case is delivered at the start of February, April, June, August, October and December.
Quarterly: The case is delivered at the start of March, June, September and December.
- Choose the Style of Case You Would Like: They select three styles all reds, all whites or a mix of both. If you would like them to to match the case more to what you like or have say slightly more reds than whites then please let them know and they will happily tweak the case for you.
- Choose Where You Would Like Your Case of Wine Delivered: Again flexibiliy is the key to our membership, simply let them know where you would like the case delivered and they will do the rest.
- How Much Will it Cost: The cost per of the selection is just (£125 per case, wines usually have a retail value about £155).
Each case comes with a Tasting Booklet giving you wine facts and details on the wines.
Members also receive exclusive invitations to tastings, bonus gifts (like corkscrews) and offers for glasses and other wine related items.
- Join Now It's Simple: To join their club is simple. If you’re new to Weavers simply complete their registration form and select the option to join the Wine Club. Or, if you are registered on weaverswines.com, logon and update your profile via the ‘My Account’ page.
They will then call you for your billing details, and you can then enjoy good wine from Weavers.
- Still Not Sure?: Well why not try our sample half case? We'll send you six bottles of wine that featured in the most recent Wine Club case along with tasting notes so that you can experience what being a member would be like. They'll then give you a call next time a case is due and give you the option to opt in. As before, there is absoltuely no obligation to buy, they're just excited about what they do and want to share it with as many people as possible.
WEAVERS ONLINE SHOP SITE - WINE RETAILERS ONLINE
Based in the centre of Nottingham, Weavers supply a comprehensive and creative range of wines, spirits and liqueurs from the popular easy drinking styles through to the traditional and more unusual, rare and sought after products. Weavers dates back to 1844 and also operates the extremely popular Weavers Wine Club.
- The Challenge: Weavers Wines required a smooth and easy to use ecommerce website with an easy to manage, ever-changing online product catalogue. The website also needed a detailed search functionality to allow end users to find specific products in the shortest time possible. Weavers Wines also required the ability to have featured products displayed on the home page and have an easily editable welcome section.
- The Approach: The e-commerce suite was used to drive, manage and control online orders including delivery details and transaction history.
The product catalogue was created in an extremely flexible format to give Weavers website administrators full control over their seasonal product range.
- The Results: Its fair to say that Weavers Wines has become a friend of the company with frequent visits for their staff to the highly popular Weavers wine-tasting evenings. This is testimony to the work they put in and to the results achieved through the website.
The website has helped Weavers survive and flourish in the highly competitive wine merchants market place dominated by large supermarket or chain operations.
AUTUMN GRAN TASTING WITH URBINA WINES FROM RIOJA
Our tasting season continues. Alan, Mary and Philip, the Directors at Weavers, would like to invite you to a tasting on Thursday 8th October 2015, at the Nottingham Galleries of Justice.
This is great evening, with over ten tables of wines spirits and liqueurs for you to taste, wines from all the corners of the world along with some fantastic new additions.
When thinking about the wines of Spain it’s hard to look past the wonderful oak aged reds of Rioja, and it isn’t hard to see why. Theyr’e complex but not too heavy, they’re extremely versatlie food wines and have enormous ageing potential.
Urbina is a long established business from the heart of Rioja. We are delighted to have Pedro on hand to present his classic style Riojas.
Urbina Crianza 2008 (Red Label) - £14.50
Cherry red in colour with ripe cassis and black currant aroms, this is an excellent example of a classic style Rioja. Great depth and structure on the palate with a long lasting finish.
Made from a blend of around 95% Tempranillo and 5% Mazuelo y Graciano from Urbina's own vineyards where vines have an average age of around 20 years. The wine was macerated for 28 days in stainless steel tanks before spending 12 months in oak barrels. It then spends a further 6 months ageing in bottle before release.
Urbina Reserva 1998 (Red Label) - £20.80
This blend of Tempranillo (95%) and Graciano and Mazuelo (5%) from 30+ year old vines is aged for 2 years in American oak casks (12 months in new oak, 12 months in 7 year old oak). Savoury on the nose with a distinct vanilla oak bouquet. The palate is elegant and attractive with concentrated, ripe fruit and excellent length. The finish is classy and complex.
Urbina Gran Reserva Especial 1994 (Blue Label) - £28.75
This stunning Rioja Gran Reserva is a blend of Tempranillo (95%), Mazuelo and Graciano (5%). It spends 24 months being aged in oak barrels, (12 months in new, 12 in 3-5 year old oak) and over 5 years in bottle before it is released. It is powerful, richand seductive and exhibits vegetable/tobacco aromas nose. On the palate it is classy and complex with perfect harmony of oak and glorious flavours of prunes, dates and sweet raisins. The mouthfeel is silky and creamy with a very long and full finish. A splendid old vintage.
LA RIOJA WINE REGION
- Rioja: Rioja is divided into three sub-districts (Riojas Alta, Alavesa and Baja) and the varying conditions within each suit different grape varieties. Grapes from all three can be blended together.
- Vines and Styles: Red Rioja is often a blended wine and four grape varieties are traditionally permitted. Tempranillo is usually the most prominent and imparts the fresh fruit flavours, whilst Garnacha (Grenache) provides body and Mazuelo (Cariñena or Carignan) and Graciano are there for warmth and finesse. Once the wine is fermented (usually in stainless steel) and blended, it is almost always introduced to oak (those that are not are classed as joven or sin crianza) and then aged in the bottle. This is strictly regulated. A crianza wine must spend six months in oak and eighteen in the bottle, a reserva has been in oak for a year and will not be released until its fourth year, and a gran reserva is six years old when it goes on sale and has spent eighteen months in oak.
The white wines are made from Viura (known as Macabeo in France), Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca. They are usually fermented in stainless steel and are often meant to be drunk young and fresh, but some examples are rich and perfect for aging.
- Key Vintages: Both 2001 and 1998 are considered to be exceptional vintages and 2003, 2002 and 1999 were all judged to be good. Wines from these years are still readily available.
- Climate and Conditions: The three sub-districts of Riojas Alavesa, Alta and Baja have differing climates and soil types that allow the whole variety of grapes to thrive.
- Rioja Alta: Tempranillo is the main grape of this area. It produces fruit-laden wines, but can lack structure and capacity for aging and is often blended. Graciano is also suited to the conditions. Rioja Alta has around 20,000ha under vine and is the biggest sub-district of Rioja.
Climate and Conditions: The vines here are grown up to 600m above sea level to avoid the blistering heat, but not so high as to catch the punishing northerly winds. Long warm days and cool nights extend the ripening process of the eager Tempranillo grape (whose name is derived from the word for early) and ensure maximum flavours are extracted from it. Clay soils do not reflect the heat but do retain the moisture, and in the Rioja Alta these are beneficial characteristics.
Urbina Crianza 2008 (Red Label) - £14.50
Urbina Reserva 1998 (Red Label) - £20.80
Urbina Gran Reserva Especial 1994 (Blue Label) - £28.75
Martínez Lacuesta Blanco Rioja 2014 - £10.60
Martinez Lacuesta Rosado Rioja Spain 2014 - £10.64
Martínez Lacuesta Madurado 6 Meses en Bodega 2014 - £10.94
Martínez Lacuesta Crianza 2007 -
Martínez Lacuesta Ventilla 71 2011 - £24.85
Marqués de Cáceres Blanco Rioja 2014 - £8.95
Marqués de Cáceres Rosé, Rioja Spain 2014 - £8.84
Marqués de Cáceres Reserva 2009 - £16.94
- Rioja Alavesa: Similar to the Rioja Alta, but smaller in terms of area under vine, Tempranillo and Graciano are particularly well suited to the prevailing conditions. They provide the fruit and finesse of quality Rioja. The white Viura is grown here and is sometimes added to the red wines of the area for acidity.
Climate and Conditions: It is hot, but locating vineyards at 400-600m above sea level and planting in clay soils that do not reflect or retain the heat help to create the ideal conditions. Cool nights allied to warm days allows the Tempranillo grape to extend its ripening season and maximise its flavours.
Tobelos Barrel-Fermented Blanco Rioja 2014 - £14.95
Tobelos Crianza 2011 - £13.94
Tahon de Tobelos Reserva 2010 - £24.95
Poco a Poco Tempranillo Bodegas Lagunas de Laguardia 2014 - £9.65
- Rioja Baja: Garnacha thrives here, as does the Mazuelo grape. The conditions in the Rioja Baja ensure they ripen easily and provide softness, weight, warmth and high alcohol content for the finished blend.
Climate and Conditions: It is a Mediterranean climate in this part of the Rioja district and it comes as no surprise that in vineyards as low as 300m above sea level the Garnacha (Grenache) grape, so at home in the south of France, does well. The soil is sandy and alluvial.
Monte Araya Vendimia Seleccionada (Bodegas Medievo) 2013 - £8.65
Tuercebotas Graciano Crianza Rioja (Bodegas Medievo) 2012 - £16.55
Rioja Vega Crianza 2012 (Navarra) - £10.55
THERE IS MORE TO SPAIN THAN RIOJA
When thinking about the wines of Spain it’s hard to look past the wonderful oak aged reds of Rioja, and it isn’t hard to see why. Theyr’e complex but not too heavy, they’re extremely versatlie food wines and have enormous ageing potential. Perhaps the only downside tot he massive popularity of Rioja is that it has the effect of hiding many of the other wonderful styles of Spanish wine which we should all be excited about.
- Navarra, Rioja’s Close Neighbour: Up until fairly recently the neighbouring DO’s of Navarra and Rioja were about neck and neck in terms of quality and popularity. Both benefited hugely from the fact that the damaging Phylloxera crisis arrived in south West France long before it appeared in northern Spain.
When the vine devastating louse did eventually arrive the vineyards of navarra were able to recover relatively quickly but never got back to their former glories with only around a third of the former vineyard area still in use today.
What was Navarras loss was Riojas gain as the region continued to go from strength to strength and now even occupies some of Navarra’s former vineyards. The wines of navarra differ from those of their more illustrious neighbour in a couple of ways. The first is that the main rape variety planted is Garnacha rather than Tempranillo. These tend to be slightly less structured wines and as a result see less ageing in the bottle and in oak. They do however offer fantastic value for money and more often than not a bottle of £10 Navarra will have the beating of a Rioja at the same price. Definitely one to look out for.
- Priorat, the Hidden Gem: If you’ve ever asked Philip about his favourite wines in the shop he will no doubt have given you a long talk about the utter brilliance of both the reds and whites from this criminally underrated region in North Eastern Spain.
Priorat is an isolated Catalunyan DO just inland from Tarragona which is most famous for producing one of the few first-class wine made from Garnacha (Grenache) in the world. The vines used for quality priorat are amongst the oldest in the world and yeilds are unbelievably small. These factors undoubtedly contribute to the sheer power and concentration of the wines.
Prior to the 1990′s the wine making techniques used to make Priorat had barely changed since the 12th Century when the Carthusian Monks first established the priory after which the wine is named. During the 1990′s, as with much of the rest of Spain, Priorat underwent somthing of a cultural and technological revolution with the true potential of the region being recognised. Since then the quality and quantity of wines coming out of Priorat have increased dramatically with over 50 producers now operating. We’re proud to say that we have three of these on our books and I can’t reccomend them highly enough.
- Sherry, On Its Way Back: They make no appologies for loving Sherry. In their opinion Sherry is the most underrated and undervalued style of wine in the world. It’s one of these wine’s that enthusiasts will tell you is just on the cusp of a comeback but sadly this has been the case for at least a decade.
The fact that Sherry is out of fashion does however keep the price relatively low which is great news from those who appreciate it. Sherry can be made in a vast array of styles from the bitingly dry to the intensely sweet and everything inbetween. It is also an ecellent food wine. A glass of dry fino sherry with a bolw of olives and cured meats on a summers day is one of the best culinary pairings possible. Alternately try the sweet, super sticky Pedro Ximenez poured over vanilla ice cream, amazing.
- Cava, Spain’s Sparkle: Whilst Champagne has always maintained its position as the worlds premier style of sparkling wine the race for second place is traditionally more of a cyclical affair. At the moment it is Prosecco that lays claim to the title of the best of the rest but this has not alway been the case and it was once Cava that people turned to as a cheaper, lighter alternative to Champagne.
As is so often the case Cava was a victim of its own success. As more people began to discver this affordable yet delicious traditional method sparkler ways had to be found to supply the growing market with more and more volume at evermore competetive prices. The inevitable consequence of this is that shortcuts were made, quality suffered and so did the reputation of the Cava brand. Eventually the bubble burst and much like with Aussie Chardonnay and Greman Riesling an entire generation of wine consumers we’re left with the memory of poor quality, bulk wine. Thankfully enough time has now passed that the majority of the bed stuff has left the market and we’re back to the high quality, affordable Cavas that we used to enjoy back in the 80′s and 90′s.
WHAT MAKES A FINE WINE BY PHILIP TREASE - A VERY GOOD OF ITS KIND
What makes a fine wine? This question has been puzzling me for years and to be honest I really do not think there is a cut and dry answer and, as everything in the wine trade, this is all very subjective.
Writing this article on my laptop, I thought I would start by defining the word ‘fine’. What does fine mean? The dictionary response came back as ‘adjective, of very high quality; very good of its kind.’
So this got me thinking. If you have two Sauvignon Blancs, one at £7.00 and, say, a Pouilly-Fumé at the £25 mark, are both of fine wines? If we take the definition ‘good of its kind’ then yes I would say these are fine wines at the stated price point, but can you compare the two, if the first Sauvignon Blanc is from Chile? As a wine buyer it is my job to find the wines that are the best of its kind and advise the customer accordingly.
This then comes back to a question on what the customer is prepared to pay. If your everyday budget for a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc is between around £7.00 and you really enjoyed that wine then, yes I would class such a product as a fine wine. Can you compare this product with the Poulliy-Fumé, would the Poully-Fumé always take first place with customers? Well perhaps to some it would, proving they are willing to pay more for the product. But really this goes back to the dictionary definition ‘very good of its kind’, in this sense you cannot compare the two.
Certain wine regions and product brands class themselves as fine wines, here perhaps they take the meaning to be that of very high quality. If you have been to one of my tastings you have probably heard me address the topic of price vs quality, how can you ever put a price on what you enjoy?
I have been very privileged to taste some of the worlds ‘finest wines’ from First Growth Clarets, sought after New World cult wine, through to very rare releases of top Champagne. Yes I have to agree these products are all of ‘very high quality’ and the phrase ‘very good of its kind’ can be applied. This is the subjective part, just because a wine is hundreds or even thousands of pounds more than perhaps you are prepared to pay, does this this make the wine ‘finer’?
So, from the merchant’s perspective, I have always felt that the term ‘fine wine’ makes a merchant look expensive. The real test for me relates to the customers perspective. Is the wine that they are drinking of very high quality? Is it very good of its kind? Ultimately it is my job to find that wine. If I succeed, and I like to think that we do achieve this for our customers, then this makes us a ‘Fine Wine’ merchant, doesn’t it?