Thursday Club with talk RADIO: Off the beaten track with The Wine Society

This week on the Thursday Club with Mike Graham on talkRADIO, we have a special guest! Helena is away, so Mr Freddy Bulmer is stepping in, presenting some fabulous, off-the-beaten-track wines. Freddy is a buyer at The Wine Society and is responsible for Australia, New Zealand, Austria, Eastern Europe as well as beers and cider. What a great job! Here are three Society wines that he’s handpicked for you from places that deserve a little more attention.

Villa Melnik Syrah, Bulgaria 2018

A brilliant value example of this superstar grape, grown in this instance in south-west Bulgaria! This is full bodied and bursting with fig and juicy blackcurrant flavours. There’s a peppery twist which gives this bargain bottle a warming bit of spice, and combined with the full, fruity flavours this makes it a perfect choice for Autumnal drinking. Worth veering of the beaten track for!

Find it here for £6.75

Xinomavro Jeunes Vignes, Thymiopoulos, Greece 2019 

This Greek red grape variety is little known in the UK but is well worth getting excited about! Coming from the north of Greece, not too far from the city of Thessaloniki, this medium bodied wine is similar to France’s pinot noir in some respects and northern Italy’s Barolo in others. Quite simply this has to be one of the best value wines available in the UK at the moment and it’s sure to surprise and delight all who fill their glass with it! Not to mention Apostolos Thymiopoulos, winemaker extraordinaire, is one of the nicest people in the wine world!

Find it here for £11.95

Nibiru Grundstein Rosé, Kamptal, Austria 2020 

This fresh, raspberry-sorbet-laden rosé comes from the beautiful rolling hills of Austria, around an hour west of Vienna. Made from an inspired blend of local grapes zweigelt and blauer portugieser, this has a delicious hint of freshly picked herbs and vivid red berry fruit. Light, bright and impossibly refreshing, this is the perfect rosé for drinking into Autumn as the summer comes to an end.

Find it here for £13.95

You can listen to previous episodes of Mike Graham’s show on talkradio TV here. For more infomration on the The Wine Society, click here!

Fantastic Wine Gifts, Subscriptions & Experiences

We love our wine and have been spoiled for choice this year with the wonderful bottles we have tasted. Here’s a selection of some fantastic gift packages, experiences and subscriptions that really caught our eye and out taste buds, that have that extra wow factor, making them the perfect wine gift.

Wine Gift Packages

Feel Good Grapes: Brilliant Biodynamics Box

See for yourselves the upside of this winemaking ethos with this curated collection of 6 biodynamic wines. It feels great to know that the winemakers are bending over backwards to get life back into their vineyards, but it also means you get to taste fabulous, vibrant wines.

Find here: £100

Hattingley Valley - Trio Gift Box

A hatt-trick (see what we did there?) of outstanding, award-winning sparkling wines from one of the countries most awarded wineries. It includes the Classic Reserve, the Rosé 2015 and the stunning Blanc de Blancs 2013. Together, these would have been £133.50 so there’s a great saving there too. The perfect present! 

Find here: £96.47

Bellini Case  - The Wine Society

The world’s oldest, not-for-profit wine club The Wine Society is offering a huge range of gift packages, from their ‘Christmas tidings’ case, to the ’Champagne and Chocolates Case‘ and this, the ’Bellini Case‘. The Bellini case includes The Wine Society’s own excellent quality, family-produced Prosecco, together with both a rhubarb and a white peach fruit nectars from the Van Nahmen range.

Find here: Full range of gifts from £22 to £145

Celebrity Wine & Food Hampers

Pop icon Kylie Minogue and Graham Norton have released their first-ever Christmas Hampers. Kylie’s “Wild Rosé” and “Lovers” hampers feature her best selling wines, alongside culinary delights and gifts hand-picked by the Kylie herself. Graham’s Christmas hamper is for white and bubble lovers, celebrating his best-selling Sauvignon Blanc and Prosecco, accompanied by delicious food. 

Find here: From £125.00 

Barbadillo En Rama Sherry Gift Set

Pastora Mananilla Pasada En Rama is no ordinary Sherry. It was resurrected by Barbadillo back in 2015 to replicate what Sherry used to be traditionally. Bottle ‘en rama’, which means raw, this Manzanilla has had no filtering or finishing, so it keeps as much flavour and freshness as if it had just been drawn straight from the cask. You’ll get a bottle of Barbadillo Pastora En Rama, two tins of delicious Perello Gordal Pitted Olives, two sherry glasses and a gorgeously retro style box, where you can use the lid as a wall hanging! 

Find here: £35

Subscriptions

Port.Club Port subscription from Churchill’s

Port is not just for Christmas! Port.Club from Churchill’s is the ultimate gift subscription for the port curious and port lovers alike, offering a delicious, decadent quarterly surprise. Included in the membership is access to unique travel and educational experiences both in Portugal and online. The Port Packs all come with one everyday port, one special occasion port and one unique club port, selected and blended by Churchill’s founder and head winemaker Johnny Graham. As a special launch offer, anyone who buys a membership will receive one additional pack to gift to someone for Christmas worth £70! It’s an awesome way to get into one of the world’s finest and most underrated wine styles in a relaxed, totally accessible way. 12 months price £240. Quarterly price £70.

Find here: From £70

LITTLEWINE Club

This brand new company was formed by established wine trade members with a passion for organic and naturally made wines. They’re offering 4 subscription packs from £50 a month: Roots, Grower, Backstage Pass and Cosmos, with added perks such as access to winemaker tastings. Little Wine use eco-conscious packaging and gift-wrapping too, which is a bonus for us and the earth!

Find here: From £50 a month 

C&B Wine Odyssey

From one of the UK’s oldest established wine merchants who really know their stuff, send someone on a wine odyssey, with 6 bottles delivered straight to the doorstep on a pre-selected day of the month and the choice of 6 or 12 monthly payments. Subscribers also have access to tasting notes, recipes, producer videos and lots of other fun and educational content.

Find here: £160 & £240

Experiences

Champagne Experience Gifting Vouchers

Searcys have launched a range of 30-plus gift experience vouchers for use across their iconic venues, from dinner at the Gherkin, afternoon tea at Blenheim Palace or lunch at the stunning Bath Pump Rooms, among other venues all over the UK. From beautifully gift boxed single bottles of champagne to extravagant staycation tasting experiences, there’s a huge range for an epicurean. See all their gifting options and experiences below.

Find here

Wine Tasting Tour & Experience at Oastbrook in Sussex

Oastbrook is next to Bodiam Castle in the beautiful countryside of south-east England, where Wine Tasting & Vineyard Tours take place from spring to October 2021. Every tour includes a couple of hours with your very own winemaker guide, America, taking in the stunning boutique vineyards and organic farmland. Each experience rounds off with a tasting of Oastbrook wines in the heart of the picturesque Estate with complimentary handmade local cheese, biscuits and chutney. Book the tour or get the gift voucher for £25pp from Oastbrook.com. You could add a bottle of their Sparkling Rosé 2014 too for £38 while you’re at it!

Don’t forget to check out our Christmas wine, gin and whisky recommendations!

The Wine Society: Top picks for Spring & Summer 2019

As wine writers, we get invited to a lot of press tastings, where we are lucky enough to try many of the wines on offer from various merchants, clubs and supermarkets all at once. One tasting we are always happy to go to is that of The Wine Society: a national institution that despite being founded in 1874 has moved seamlessly with the times to offer genuinely fantastic examples of key grapes and styles of wine as well as hand-picked, lesser known wines from places you may never have heard of (but that will blow your mind). The best bit? As The Society is owned by its members, there are no obligations to place huge margins on the wines, so everything you taste punches well above its price tag as the buyers have the freedom to buy the best. With wines from £5 all the way up to iconic, more collectible bottles, this is where to come to learn your wine basics by tasting through their benchmark styles before moving on to expand your palate, happy to do so as you know and trust their choices.

Here’s our pick from yesterday’s press tasting:

SPARKLING

Crémant de Jura, Domaine de Montbourgeau, France, NV. £14.50

Fabulous, classy, Champagne-style bubbles (traditional method) with loads of tang and flavour. Made with 100% Chardonnay and ridiculous value. 12%

Alfred Gratien Blanc de Blancs, Champagne, 2012. £39

Proper, seriously good, 100% Chardonnay Champagne with all the trimmings: brioche, apple-skin, peaches, rainbows...

Alfred Gratien Brut 2006, £42

If you’re into aged vintage Champagne with a slight funky edge, you will adore this. Rich, round and a touch nutty, there’s so much going on.

WHITE CLASSICS

The Society’s Exhibition Albariño, Rias Baixas, Spain, 2018. £14.50

Yes, you can find some cheaper Albariño, but this is the best version we have tasted for ages. Crisp and citrus with a chalky kick and tropical, peachy note. Gorgeous.

Contino Blanco, Rioja, Spain, 2017. £20

A very well put together white Rioja that is fresh, floral with buttery, pineapple notes right now, but will also age beautifully. Made by a tip top producer.

Jacques Saumaize, Macon-Vergisson Sur La Roche, Burgundy, France, 2017. £12.95

Quite simply, a beautifully fresh and youthful, unoaked Chardonnay with tonnes of fruit.

Soave Classico, Calvarino, Pieropan, Italy 2016. £18

Soave can be boring but Pieropan’s is the icon. Incredible texture, floral aromatics and ripe fruit. Summer in a glass.

WHITE ‘MUST-TRY’ QUIRKIES

Quinta de Calçada Alvarinho, Minho, Portugal, 2018. £9.50

Another gorgeous Albariño but from Portugal this time. Saline and citrussy with great texture. Say its name out loud for extra enjoyment.

Pepe Mendoza, Moscatel, Macabeo, Airen & Alicante blend, Spain, 2018. £11.75

(Available from July) A happy, summery wine. White flowers, oranges and lemon cream with the lightest touch. Huge drinkability.

Szolo Tempo Tokaj Furmint, Hungary, 2017. £14.95

Hungarian Furmint is a grape to look out for if you love refreshing, crisp whites with an off-dry element, like this one. Perfect with mildly spiced thai food.

Blackbook Winery, The Mixup, England, 2018. £18

Properly quirky, this one! And made in London to boot by this exciting new winery. 50:50 Bacchus and Ortega grapes. Sweet, grassy nose but dry palate. Very textural. A great food wine. Gloriously different and unique.

PINK

Corent Côtes d’Auvergne, Saint-Vernay, France, 2018. £9.50

Did you know that Corent must always be rosé and always made from the Gamay grape? This dark pink wonder is all tangy, wild strawberry with a subtle, savoury note. In between a Provençal and Tavel style. Delicious and great value.

Domaine Alzipratu, Fiumesecco Rosé, Ile de Beauté, Corsica, France, 2018. £14.50

A crazy Corsican name, this easy-to-love pink is made from the local Sciaccarellu grape and it has an incredibly soft, round palate with charming peach and melon flavours.

RED CLASSICS

El Pacto, Crianza, Rioja, Spain, 2016, £11.50

All those classic Rioja flavours, but with a particularly fresh acidity and lovely herbaceous note. Not overblown. Infinitely moreish.

The Society’s Exhibition Margaux, France, 2015. £23

This Margaux shows why this Bordeaux appellation is so sought-after: positively regal with silky, dark fruit, classic, Cabernet features and a seamless, mineral core. Gorgeous plum and violet notes too.

The Society’s Exhibition Fleurie, France, 2018. £10.50

Beaujolais is back and it’s better than ever. This Fleurie has all the hallmarks that make the appellation famous: perfume and light-bodied silkiness, but it’s a million miles away from the soapy styles of yore. Crying out for charcuterie.

Langhe Nebbiolo A Mont, Paolo Conterno, Italy, 2016 £18

This wine is just how you want non-Barolo nebbioo to be: ethereal and earthy with subtle violets and rose. Utterly beguiling.

RED ‘MUST-TRY’ QUIRKIES

Undurraga Cauquenes Estate Carignan, Chile, 2016. £8.95

Chilean Carignan is getting really good. Tangy and refreshing, it’s got a moreish, chewy texture and strawberry jam notes.

Cirò Rosso Gaglioppo, Santa Venere, Italy, 2017. £9.95

Rustic, but with charm, this is earthy and fruity with fairly high tannin. A bit like a fruitier Nero D’Avola. Made with Gaglioppo grapes from Calabria.

Duché d’Uzès, Les Perrasieres, Domaine Camp Galhan, France, 2016. £10.50

If you’re a fan of Syrah form the Northern  Rhône, you will love this. Tonnes of thyme, rosemary and violets on the nose and a silky, plum fruit texture. Great value for great Syrah.

Kardarka, Maurer, Serbia, 2017. £14.50

A Serbian wine, no less! Kadarka is the grape and makes wines that are really light in colour and bright red. The flavour profile is so interesting: rose petal and figs, with a viscous, licorice and caramel finish. Definitely worth a taste and only 11% abv.

By Helena Nicklin