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    Tasting: Wine
    Tasting: Wine
    Enotria&Coe Annual Tasting 2024 Long Read

    12 on-trend producers shining at Enotria&Coe’s Annual Tasting 2024

    Ugandan rum, AI-generated wine, Coppola’s debut, ‘SuperRomans’ and terroir-obsessed wines from Spain, Lebanon, Greece and New Zealand, Enotria&Coe’s Annual Tasting 2024 seemed to have it all – alongside all its major brands, of course. Peter Dean tasted round the 146 producers, focussing on 12 producers that are new, had exciting new products or were so on-trend they had to have a mention.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Armit

    Justin Keay: 10 best wines that set the Armit 2024 portfolio tasting alight

    Picking your 10 favourite wines is always a tough call, but when it is from the many hundreds of jewels that sit in the crown of Armit Wine’s 2024 portfolio it is an almost impossible brief. But this was the task we set Justin Keay – to find his favourite wines for working in premium on-trade. Of course, Sassicaia 2021 made the final cut but what of the others? And how many of them were going to come from Armit’s considerable Italian range?

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    Tasting: Wine
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    How Alliance found the key to building a list at its 40th tasting 

    As Alliance Wine celebrates its 40th year, its 2024 portfolio tastings were a perfect opportunity for its producers and clients alike to mark the journey so far. We sent The Buyer’s Mike Turner along to the London tasting to discover the good and the great of the wines on show, and report back on which wines deserve a place on your wine list.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Koshu

    Why now is the ripe time for Koshu wines in the UK

    A positive reception was given to Koshu of Japan (KOJ) as it held its 15th annual trade tasting at 67 Pall Mall in London last month, with ten Japanese producers showcasing their Koshu wines. Leona De Pasquale caught up with producers, UK importers, and Isa Bal MS to discuss the opportunities and challenges for Koshu wines in the UK and why the on-trade should be enthusiastic about Japan’s signature wine grape variety.

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    Tasting: Wine
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    Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame 2015 rosé and its still wine belief

    The team behind the launch of new Champagne Veuve Clicquot Grande Dame 2015 rosé believes so much in its quality and structure that they like to decant the wine and serve it in a Burgundy glass so that the bubbles dissipate. Beyond this, this philosophy could be an indication of where Champagne could be headed as a category, as Victor Smart discovered at its UK launch which was accompanied by an eight-course dinner prepared by chef Sally Abé.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Chateau Pedesclaux

    How Cabern-isation is restoring Château Pédesclaux’s true status

    In 2008 , in a blind tasting, Decanter Magazine rated the 2005 vintage of Château Pédesclaux above the wines of Lafite and Latour. A fifth growth and a near neighbour of Mouton Rothschild, the estate has always had massive potential and was always ripe for restoring to former glories. This it duly has been under the guidance of French-Swiss property tycoon Jacky Lorenzetti, who has completely overhauled the vineyards, built a new state-of-the-art winery and changed the style of the wine with a move it calls Cabern-isation. Peter Dean tastes nine vintages of Pédesclaux, picks out a couple of winners and hears from the team how the estate is getting future-proofed for the years ahead.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Bibendum

    Bibendum tasting showcases breakthrough wines by the glass

    Bibendum’s themed tasting events continued last week with Through the Looking Glass, a comprehensive tasting that developed the theme that to flourish and evolve the on-trade must encourage people to try something new, especially by-the-glass which it sees as key to sales. Justin Keay found plenty of wines that that had Drink Me written all over them as he followed the white rabbit down the rabbit hole.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Louis Latour Agencies

    Which were the standout wines at Louis Latour Agencies tasting?

    With three tables devoted to Fine Wines, Value Wines and Wines Outside Burgundy, Maison Louis Latour naturally was a major focus at the Louis Latour Agencies portfolio tasting. But with ‘newcomer’ Château Sainte Roseline joining the likes of Banfi, McHenry Hohnen, Viu Manent, Gosset and Frapin, Kate Hawkings found plenty to enjoy from all around the globe. Here she talks to LLA’s chief Will Oatley and picks out 10 of the best that stood out on the day.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Disznókö

    Disznókö: how to get real creative with Furmint food-matching

    In the run up to this month’s Furmint February tasting in London, the team from Disznókö was in town to run a portfolio tasting with a difference. As well as a journey through the varied tastes and styles produced by this famed Tokaj house, the event was a chance to pair a selection of surprising dishes with each of these fabulous wines. We sent The Buyer’s Mike Turner along to find out more.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Credit.NZW.Inc.Matawhero

    New Zealand Wine’s premium status presented at 2024 tasting

    Earlier this month, on Waitangi Day no less, New Zealand Wine put on its annual trade tasting at Lindley Hall in London’s Victoria. Attended by a host of UK importers and smattering of brave, well-travelled Kiwi winemakers, the tasting was an opportunity to not only try the new vintages and styles produced in these glorious islands, but also a chance to dive deep into the recent performance of New Zealand wines across the globe. We sent The Buyer’s Mike Turner along to discover more.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Fells

    Roger Jones picks his best wines at Fells’ 2024 portfolio tasting

    Always a key date in the diary, last week saw the annual portfolio tasting of Fells which was held this year at IET Savoy Place, with its tall ceilings and huge windows making it an ideal tasting venue. Ex-restaurateur and wine critic Roger Jones attended for The Buyer and picks out his many highlights from the likes of Wiston Estate, Yangarra, Chateau Musar, Famille Hugel, Guigal, Barone Ricasoli, Symington Family Wines, Familia Torres, Vasse Felix and Seifried from New Zealand.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Cork & Fork

    Enotria’s Cork & Fork: matching 4 Italian producers with 4 cuisines

    In order to demonstrate how premium wines work with a range of different cuisines, Enotria&Coe has launched Cork & Fork a series of one-day immersive events where four sets of buyers rotate around four restaurants to learn more about food pairing and the wines themselves. Cork & Fork is one part of an ambitious programme of events this year that Enotria&Coe is running to help market key areas of the portfolio, particularly its Italian and Spanish producers, and to focus on producers’ shift toward lighter styles and more moderate alcohol levels. The Buyer’s Victor Smart joined the first gastronomic jaunt in London’s West End.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Hallgarten & Novum Long Read

    New faces and wines at new look Hallgarten & Novum tasting

    Although it is still early days for Hallgarten & Novum under the new ownership of Coterie Holdings, what was glaringly obvious at last week’s two-day portfolio tasting was how many new wine estates have been welcomed into the fold, and how many new wines were being shown for the first time. Vietti, Pelissero, Sylvain Debord and Ropiteau Frères were some of the new European producers while Leewuinkuil, Brown Brothers and Darren Rathbone’s three Australian wineries (including Yering Station) were some of the New World producers out of the 26 new agencies. The Buyer’s Peter Dean talked to the ‘new kids on the block’, tasted the wines and also highlighted some other new cuvées that caught his eye.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Business France VIN 2024

    Top six French wine discoveries from ‘one-stop-shop’ VIN 2024

    French wine trade tasting, VIN 2024, returned to London earlier this month hosted as usual by Business France. Exhibitors included 39 producers seeking distribution and four importers looking to attract a host of sommeliers, retail buyers and consultants to the quality of the wines on show. We sent The Buyer’s Mike Turner along to understand why this means so much for the producers involved, and which producers really shone through on the day.

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    Tasting: Wine
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    Marc Kent: Boekenhoutskloof ’21 is a wine with a spring in its step

    The wines of Boekenhoutskloof are some of South Africa’s finest and best value on the market. From the same team responsible for the phenomenon that is The Chocolate Block and also top-end Côte-Rôtie lookalike Porseleinberg, the Boekenhoutskloof Semillon, Syrah and two Cabernet Sauvignons from Marc Kent and his team are good when young but sensational with age – wines that once bought will be on repeat allocation. Abbie Bennington caught up with Kent at London’s Spring restaurant to hear how the spring-like conditions at harvest have helped turn in wines that are as magnificent as those made in 2015 and 2017.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Orma

    How Super Tuscan Orma hopes to leave its footprint on Bolgheri

    Situated in the heart of the Bolgheri DOC appellation with Ornellaia to the right and Sassiscaia to the left, Orma is a 5.5ha estate that has ambitions to leave an indelible mark on winemaking in the region. Run by the Moretti Cuseri family which owns Tenuta Sette Ponti, amongst others, Orma was in London to show off the latest 2021 vintage alongside museum wines to show how the wine ages and is a good match for hearty Italian cuisine.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Best of Rioja

    Showcasing Best of Rioja at Tim Atkin MW’s breakthrough event

    Tim Atkin MW’s The Best of Rioja tasting in London last week delivered the very finest of fine wines to enraptured city mouths without missing a beat. Terroir-focused beauties dominated the proceedings with whites making an indelible mark on Lisse Garnett and the many educated savvy consumers she met. This was a far cry from the “Rioja is in crisis” headlines that have been regularly appearing in the wine press of late – with splits within the regulatory council, high profile bankruptcies, overstocks and poor grape prices all causing turbulence in the region.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Sassicaia 2021

    First taste: How good is the new vintage release of Sassicaia 2021?

    Tuscan wine royalty, Tenuta San Guido, releases Sassicaia 2021, the latest vintage of its true iconic flagship wine this February. The 2021, available through importers Armit Wines, has been eagerly anticipated following favourable vintage conditions on the rolling slopes of Bolgheri, towards Tuscany’s stunning western coastline. We sent The Buyer’s very own Italophile, Mike Turner, to taste the wines with Priscilla Incisa della Rocchetta and find out more about what proves to be another much sought-after triumph for the team at Tenuta San Guido.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2021

    Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2021: nature shows who’s boss

    Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 2021 is a magical set of wines of great beauty and a look back over the shoulder at the style of past decades before the power of the sun became such an issue. The weather was cruel, however, with the yields the lowest for 50 years – Corton and Montrachet down to just 10% of production – although that is not apparent in the wines. Peter Dean heard from DRC’s co-directors Perrine Fenal and Bertrand de Villaine about the soul-searching the team experienced during the April frosts and their use of ‘candles’ for the first time and tastes through the wines at Corney & Barrow, DRC’s UK distributor.

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    Tasting: Wine
    Oddbird

    How Oddbird alcohol-free wines are revolutionising no/lo market

    “Would you like your wine with or without alcohol?” is a glimpse into the future of selling wine in a restaurant, afforded by Oddbird. The latest entrant into the alcohol-free wine market, Oddbird wines have been made possible by an unique process of vacuum distillation which aims to keep the wine’s provenance and varietal obvious to the customer – at the same time as removing the alcohol. David Kermode gave Oddbird the taste test in one of London’s hottest new restaurants, Apricity.

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