If you are looking for a treat yourself or for the wine lover in your life, here is a Spanish red that will surprise and please in equal measure. 

This full bodied wine has the dark fruit flavours of a Mediterranean wine but is beautifully balanced by the naturally high acidity of the Mencia grape, which provides a sense of freshness to the wine. This fascinating blend of five grapes is mostly Mencia which makes up 90% of the wine with the remaining grapes being Brancellao, Mouton, Souson and Garnacha Tintorera. The wine was aged for 12 months in old French oak barrels. 

Spain is known for its wealth of old vines, mostly grown en vaso (in the shape of a vase) and low to the ground to keep them anchored since there is no trellis they can rely on for support.

These sturdy vines have hefty trunks and, impressively, produce grapes even when they are 100 years of age and older. The fruit tends to taste extremely concentrated and is not exactly plentiful on these old vines, which can yield as low as one to 1.5 kgs of grapes per vine but the results are worth retaining these beautiful, noble and commanding old plants. 

Here's a surprising fact - nearly one third of Germany's vineyards are planted in red grapes – but until quite recently most of these wines were made specifically with the country's own tastes in mind.

Now there is a generation of winemakers producing riper, fuller bodied Pinot Noirs made in a modern style - and one which takes both Burgundy and New Zealand Pinot Noir styles into account. Winemaker Gerd Stepp is at the forefront of this cultural change and this fabulous Pinot Noir illustrates this in this savoury, smooth and finely tuned Pinot Noir, which tastes like the ultimate match with roast duck or aubergine and then again, is equally beautiful on its own. 

This is a thought provoking Pinot Noir which offers exceptional value for money.

The fruit for this succulent Malbec is 50% from the Uco Valley, with a majority of calcareous soils and 50% from Luján de Cuyo with loam clay soils. The vineyards are located between 950 and 1.400 metres above sea level. In our vineyards, we do not use any herbicide or systemic product, managing it in an agro-ecological way.

The wine is vinified with 20% whole clusters grapes, and the rest is destemmed. Fermentation is in small concrete vats with indigenous yeasts and at temperatures between 24º and 26ºC. Maturation continues in small concrete vats until next harvest.

This is a succulent juicy expression of Malbec (as it should be) with red fruits combining with floral aromas and black pepper. Ripe tannins lead to a soft and opulent finish.

APPELLATION: DHC - Villany wine region

SOIL: dolomite, marl, limestone or occasionally sandy loess

HARVEST: Lots of sunshine and the right amount of rainfall ..

GRAP VARIETIES: Cabernet Franc

WINEMAKING:
HUNGARIAN OAK: 63% aged for 24 months
HUNGARIAN BARRIQUE: 37% aged for 24 months

ORGANOLEPTIC SPECIFICATION
A darker shade of ruby. The nose is of a slightly Mediterranean character, rich in spices, forest fruits and discreet oaky notes. On the palate, dominating fruity characters with some toasty notes, which contribute to the richness of flavours in the wine. This is a wine full of flavours with a long aftertaste. Taste it with pleasure!

TECHNICAL DATA
ALCOHOL:14%
ACIDITY: 4.9 g/l

Calatayud, a small appellation in the heart of Arag6n, Spain. A hidden valley and home to the red garnacha grape. A valley where the working conditions are difficult for the farmers. Rough slate soils, old bush vines planted on steep slopes up to 1,100m, hot summers and cold winters where rainfall is scarce and the wind is
always blowing. Furthermore, they have to deal with a fragmented landscape of small parcels and rarely have a successor for their years of hard labour. It's tough and challenging, and yet, they understand the value of their soil and grapes, each plot providing a distinct character to the grape compared to its neighbour. Las Pizarras (the slate soils) is our range showcasing the diversity of the region. Named after the town or plot the grapes originate from, each wine in the collection expresses its unique character, but all are born out of soil, nature and the right human touch.

FABLA is a language used in several places in the north of the autonomic
community of Aragén for over 1.000 years. Today is used by just 12.000 people.

Harvest: End of September, beginning of October
Clasification: Calatayud DO
Grape varieties: 80% Garnacha 20% Syrah
Vinification: Direct incubation and fermentation for 15 days at no more than
16 degrees Celsius to preserve all the fresh fruit of the Garnacha.
Ageing: 30% of the Garnacha is aged 3 months in barrel

TASTING NOTES
Intense cherry red colour. Typical Garnacha with aromas of ripe red fruit,
prunes, figs and some black pepper and minerality.

The pairing suggestion - lamb stew, carrots, courgettes and a couple of black olives

Spritzy young dry Riesling with layers of citrus and liquid honey flavours. Clean and fresh with lemony flavours to burn. It tastes dry, medium bodied and represents delicious drinking now or as a great contender for the cellar. 

Sealed with a screwcap – so this is a no brainer for the long haul in your wine cellar.

 Weingut von Winning was founded in 1849 and revived as a family enterprise in 2007 by the late Achim Niederberger, who brought winemaker Stephan Attman on board to make high quality Rieslings, practicing organic viticulture in its Grosses Gewächs vineyards around the villages of Ruppertsberg, Deidesheim and Forst. 

Food friendly, and complements a variety of dishes. Served slightly chilled, at room temperature or slightly warmed to enjoy the best expression of a layered sake.

Ginjo sake with a rice polishing rate greater than or equal to 60% has a richer palate and have more floral aromas than a Honjozo.

Degree of alcohol: 15.6%

Ingredients: Rice and koji from Japanese rice growing.

13.9% ABV.

The Yuzu is Japanese citrus fruit.  That has a great balance of sweet and sour.  This Yuzu liqueur is made from a base of Original Junmai Saké and locally grown Yuzu is then blended.  (8 whole fruit per 720ml are used)  It is best on the rocks.

Founded by Gaston Hochar in 1930, Chateau Musar lies in a 17th century Mzar castle in Ghazir, just North of Beruit overlooking the Mediterranean sea. One of the great wines of the world Chateau Musar has been run by Gaston's sons, Serge (who studied winemaking under the great Emile Peynaud at the University of Bordeaux) and Ronald since 1959. The grand vin is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault, Carignan, Grenache and Mourvedre with the white wine being a blend of native varieties including Merwah and Obaideh. With glowing reviews from international wine critics, Chateau Musar produces an earthy complex range of wines that age beautifully and Serge Hochar was awarded the first Decanter magazine "Man of the Year in 1984".

Chateau Musar is typically a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cinsault and Carignan. It pours a deep ruby colour with high viscosity. Red cherries, plums, carob and figs dominate the nose with a hint of eastern spice. Kirsch and plums follow through to the palate with blackcurrant and chocolate. The tannins are velvety soft and this wine has a lot of depth and fruit concentration with a long finish.

Graciano is one of Spain’s best kept wine secrets - a red grape with thick skins that is a tricky customer to grow, which means there’s precious little of it about, even in the vineyards of the Rioja, where it is one of the traditional ingredients in the wine of the same name.

This is a dark Spanish beauty with soft fruit flavours, medium body and fresh, long finish.

Vi?a Casa Viva was founded in 1993 in Chile?s Casablanca Valley where a strong maritime influence, and a significant difference between daytime and night time temperatures (diurnal variation) allow for a longer ripening process that results in tremendous balance between acidity and sugar levels.

This Carmenere, the grape that put Chile on the map, is beautifully fragrant with dark fruits complexed by savoury herbal, almost minty elements. The palate is lush and opulent with the silken texture we have come to expect from ripe yet balanced fruit that is grown in this region.

Ippin Junmai Japanese Sake 一品纯米 720ml

ABV: 15%

Region: Japan

Polishing Ratio: 60%

IPPIN’s traditional Sake over 200 years. Nicely balanced medium bodied Sake.Smooth on the palate with a dry and finish.

Serving Termperature
Enjoyable with cold or warm.

Awards
San Francisco IWC Double gold 2017, Silver 2015,2014.

Amabuki Omachi Kimoto

Class: Junmai Daiginjo

Style: Kimoto

Rice: Omachi

Rice-Polishing Ratio: 40%

Brewery Location: Saga

Food Pairings: Dishes cooked with Dashi broth, BBQ.

Tasting Notes: Brewed with yeast cultivated on Rhododendron flowers, using the traditional Kimoto brewing method and Omachi rice, giving this sake a pleasant acidity and bold flavor/Umami.  Pairs well with most dishes and can be enjoyed warm/hot as well.