Vallformosa, is a family owned operation that has been around for 150 years. 

Appearance: Pale yellow with greenish reflections in the glass

On the Nose: Good aromatic intensity of fruity aromas, including green apple and fresh herbs like fennel welcome the nose. These fruiter elements also combine with notes of white flowers and citrus in the bouquet to offer complexity.

On the Palate: Vallformosa Cava is a bright sparkling wine with fine persistent bubbles. The palate is balanced and dry while soft, resulting in well balanced acidity and a fruity aftertaste.

About Cava...

Cava is one of the great sparkling wine secrets of the world and you could call it poor man's champagne because it's made the same way, only with slightly shorter aging time and therefore a little less complexity on the palate. Still, given that it costs a fraction of the price and has had its secondary fermentation in the same bottle that you buy it in, this really is superb value for money.

It can be made with grapes grown anywhere in Spain. These days, producers are allowed to use Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to make cava but this one is from the traditional Spanish grapes, namely, Macabeo, Xarel-lo and Parellada, each of which combines to create a fruity but dry and lightly yeasty fresh taste. A stunner at the price and an extremely fresh, refreshing dry bubbly. Awesome value for money.

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.

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.

Maravedi is the name of an ancient Spanish coin and this wine is an excellent blend of Chardonnay and Airen (an indigenous Spanish white grape). The flavours are smooth and creamy with Chardonnay strutting its flavoursome, approachable taste in every mouthful. It is made from dry farmed, organically certified vineyards in the La Mancha region of Spain, south of Madrid, which is Spain's largest wine region.

 José Luis Ripa is a fan of more 'serious' rosés (think Pibarnon, Trevallon, Tempier and the poster child of extended ageing Viña Tondonia).  His day job is commercial director at a well known winery in Haro, but in 2016 he managed to get hold of some old-vine fruit from the Najerilla Valley, a tributary of the Ebro, and made his first vintage of Ripa Rosado. The wine is mainly Garnacha with a touch of Tempranillo, the must is drawn-off slowly, then fermented and aged for 18-24 months in large oak vats, called bocoyes in Rioja. He only made 3,000 bottles in the first year, he's gradually increasing that, without losing the artisan vision of the project. After all, he has his wife María José López de Heredia to keep him focused!

A little deeper and probably more lactic than the 2019, but a little less exuberant. There are more dried herbs and minerals, with dried grapefruit and a touch of Aperol. Unique in style, which makes you think of a young Lopez de Heredia rosado (and you wouldn't be surprised if you find who makes this). Textured, full and harmonious despite higher alcohol. Cheerful and unassuming at the same time.

-James Suckling

When Erni Loosen rediscovered the remarkable quality and longevity of his ancestors' dry Rieslings, he set about reviving the culture and techniques of his family heritage. The GG Réserve wines are selectively harvested from the best parcels of very old, ungrafted vines in Grand Cru vineyards. They are fermented naturally, like traditional GG Rieslings, but mature for 24 months without filtration or fining on the lees in traditional oak casks. This is followed by a further 48 months of bottle aging before release. This extended maturation period lends the wines an additional dimension of finesse and balance, perfectly expressing the unique terroir of each individual vineyard.

Pinotage is the signature grape of South Africa - a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, created by Professor Abraham Perold in 1925. It is known for its spiced red fruit and smoky aromas, which combine to make a full bodied, deeply fruity and complex red. 

This wine lives up to Pinotage's classic flavour spectrum, delivering layers of spicy interest and a succulent, delicious, complex taste.

Kaapzicht is a fourth generation winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The winery was founded in 1946.

Belasco de Baquedano is a leading winery located in the Mendoza region of Argentina. The winery is lucky enough to have very old vines of original Malbec vines first planted in 1910 - these old vines are the secret to Belasco De Baquedano's success. The old vines consistently produce wines that are full-bodied, juicy and complex with layers of flavour development.

100% Malbec from vines that are over 100 years old.  6 months in oak barrels.

This blend boasts an elegant aromas and flavors of plums, cherry, and violet flowers. It is ripe with strawberries and dark fruit. This full-bodied red finishes with well integrated tannins and moderate oak.

This blend can pair with a handful of dishes but a few we highly recommend trying are: baked ham with a honey, Dijon and thyme glaze or an old fashioned meat loaf.

Southern Right is re-defining Pinotage with this intense classically styled, clay-grown wine, packed with complex berry fruit, beautiful tannins and subtle wood spice. Full ripeness and the longer hang-time afforded by cooler sites, combined with the complex, more classic fruit aromas and structure resulting from clay-rich soil, make this wine a highly individual expression of South Africa?s unique grape variety.

Made with 95% Cabernet Franc and 5% Malbec with fruit from Stellenbosch and Paarl grown only on decomposed dolomite granite, which gives a great acidity and freshness to the wine and adds minerality to the finish. Beautifully ripe and oozing with brooding dark fruit flavours of cherry and blackberry.  

Cabernet Sauvignon (70%) plus Garnatxa, Sumoll, and other autochthonous varieties from Penedes in north west Spain

The Mas Candi vineyard is situated in Les Gunyoles in Avinyonet del Penedes. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes are picked from vineyard planted in 1982, using no chemical fertilizers, antifungal treatments or pesticides. Other varieties come from a 0.5 ha vineyard planted with Mando, Cannonnau (old Catalan Grenache grown in Sardinia), Monica (Sardinia) and Sumoll. Soils are composed of calcareous clay and gravel. Vineyard altitude is 300 metres above sea level, and the climate is Mediterranean.

Grapes are hand harvested in small bins and the wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged for 12 months on its lees before bottling.

Sweet, supple, spicy, warm black cherry and blackberry fruit with a lovely smooth texture and notes of tea, herbs and spice. Warm and ripe and mellow with lovely balance and well integrated oak. Supremely balanced.

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