GILES KIME has no such doubts, and recommends a host of his favourite ross, including Ros d'Anjou (2.86; Asda); 2004 Domaine de Pellehaut Ros (5.15; Waitrose); and Santa Rita Cabernet Sauvignon Ros (5.85; Majestic).
Read more...'Antioxidant-rich' South American wines get the JONATHAN BRACEY-GIBBON treatment this week. He picks 2003 Terrazas de los Andes Malbec (9.49; Selfridges); 2003 Santa Rita Reserva Chardonnay (6.49; Sainsbury's); and 2002 Anakena Merlot (6.49; Threshers).
Read more...Wines of Chile will be running a seminar on the second day (Wednesday May 21) of the London International Wine Fair (LIWF).
Read more...Chilean wine producer Luis Felipe Edwards (LFE) has launched a new website www.lfewines.com.
Read more...Louise Hill, the face of Stratford's Wine Agencies, is quitting the company at the end of the month.
Read more...The association called Vinos de Chile will unite 95 wineries, representing 95% of the total exported wine market.
Chilean wine group San Pedro has parted company with Buckingham Vintners, naming Les Grands Chais de France (LGCF) as its new UK distributor. LGCF will now take responsibility for the Chilean brands 35 South and Castillo de Molina, as well as its Argentinian label Finca La Celia.
Via Santa Rita is about to embark on one of the largest planting projects in the recent history of the Chilean wine history, with an estimated 1,700 hectares (ha) of premium vineyard to be planted by the end of the decade.
Chilean winery Via Santa Rita has acquired 1,600 hectares (ha) of vineyard land - both virgin and planted - in the areas of Pumanque and Limar.
This purchase has almost doubled the land ownership of Santa Rita, from 2,000 to 3,600ha, making it the second-largest land-owning winery in Chile after Concha y Toro.
Pumanque, around 30km west of Apalta, has no other vineyard plantings at present, and Santa Rita has already installed irrigation, including a reservoir and 10km of pipes. A wide spectrum of grapes will be planted shortly.
Limar, situated 400km north of Santiago, is also a relatively new area, with Via Tabali the most high-profile producer in the area at present. Santa Rita has acquired 470ha in this region, 65 of which are already planted with Chardonnay, Shiraz, Carmnre and Cabernet Sauvignon. The remaining land will be planted over the next five years primarily with Chardonnay and Shiraz.
How did you get started?
I was born in Ashford (Kent) but then
we moved to Cyprus, because my father worked with the army. He became ill and died, so we returned initially to Deal but then moved to Ashford. It was full of London overspill so it was a tough environment. To keep out of trouble, I did two paper rounds, worked in a sweet shop and in a fish and chip shop - I used to have a barrow at Ashford station and served Bill Deedes (the Conservative MP and former editor of the Daily Telegraph).
The 6 to 7 price band is booming in the UK's multiple grocers - with sales by volume up 27% in the last year.
Read more...Patrick Valette has joined Chilean winery Via Santa Rita as wine consultant.
Read more...Errazuriz is relaunching its Caliterra brand with a new global livery, screwcap closures for all white and varietal red wines, and a new premium tier.
Majestic unveiled 70 new listings at a recent tasting of its summer collection - a larger addition to the range than usual. The two sectors to be given the most attention were Chile and Italy, with the former showing growth and the latter receiving a partial overhaul.
Read more...Generally speaking, you should be wary of anyone who begins a sentence with In the old days'. Usually, they'll be talking about bygone eras when the bobby on the beat would give unruly youngsters a swift clip around the ear, or when footballers were real men, kicking a laced leather ball around a mudbath, cheered on by flat-cap-wearing hordes of working-class folk.
Chilean producer, Via Luis Felipe Edwards (LFE) has purchased 162 hectares of land in the Leyda Valley sub zone of the recently discovered San Antonio Valley.
Located 10 kilometres from the Pacific Coast, the new vineyards will be planted predominantly with Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with smaller plots of Gewurztraminer, Viognier and Riesling. Planting of the first 60 hectares will commence in 2006, with the first harvest anticipated in 2009.
Wines of Chile
Annual Trade Tasting
Lord's Cricket Ground
London NW8
Tuesday 13 September
10.30am-5pm
The recent launch in Ireland of a new Spanish wine followed the usual routine. The owner of the estate was visiting, and a clutch of press scribblers and favoured trade customers were invited to a lunch hosted by the importer. There was an opportunity to taste the whole range, and before we sat down the importer said a few words of welcome and introduction.
Read more...With the retail sector consolidating, and ranges and the supplier base being rationalised, the on-trade has become flavour of the month.
Read more...Although Chile's 2005 vintage has so far proved to be good news for winemakers, it is developments in the boardrooms rather than the vineyards that are making the headlines.
Read more...
