Stratford's Australian portfolio

Taking place from Monday 28 January at Our Dynamic Earth, Holyrood Road, Edinburgh (11.00am-5.00pm) and on Thursday 31 January at the Emirates Stadium, home to Arsenal Football Club, London (9.30am-6.00pm). Stratford's will be on stand 34 in Edinburgh and stand 3 in London.

Paul Stratford, managing director of Stratford's Wine Agencies, comments, "With Australia's short vintage this year, it is even more important to focus on quality rather than quantity and we are very fortunate to represent so many top quality regional producers. Consumers who have been drinking Australian wine for years are now looking to experiment and trade up within the Australian category, going for region-specific wines. In some cases, they're moving on to other countries for purchases at the lower end of the price scale whilst choosing wines over 5 from Australia. We like to help consumers experiment by making our wines accessible and affordable and we have been working closely with our producers to offer the consumer wines that truly reflect the style and character of the individual regions, at an affordable price."

WILD MOUNTAIN, ORANGE, NEW SOUTH WALES, Mark Davidson, winemaker

Stratford's will be launching a new organic brand - Wild Mountain - from Orange, New South Wales. The range, from Tamburlaine Wines, consists of four blended wines produced from 100% organically grown grapes which will retail between 8-10. The label features Mount Canobolus (1395m) which reflects the fact that the vineyards are planted at high altitudes of over 600m. Tamburlaine Wines own the largest organically certified vineyards in Australia and are leaders in sustainable viticultural practice. The winery has just been awarded five stars by James Halliday in his latest guide. The following wines will be available to taste:

Wild Mountain Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon 2007, Wild Mountain Chardonnay/Marsanne 2006, Wild Mountain Merlot/Cabernet Sauvignon 2006 & Wild Mountain Shiraz/Grenache 2006.

TORTOISESHELL BAY (SOUTH EAST AUSTRALIA)

The eye-catching Tortoiseshell Bay brand was created by Stratford's whose long-term relationships with Australian growers allow them to select the best varietals from the best regions at the best price for the consumer. Stelvins are used throughout the accessibly priced range (4.99-5.99) which includes some innovative varietal blends. The label is striking and the packaging bright and colourful, designed to stand out on the shelf. The following wines will be shown at the tasting:

Semillon/Verdelho 2007, Pinot Grigio 2006, Chardonnay 2006, Ros (Sangiovese/Barbera) 2007, Shiraz/Barbera 2006 and Shiraz 2006.

WAKEFIELD WINES, CLARE VALLEY, Adam Eggins, winemaker (Winestate's Winemaker of the Year' 2006)

Wakefield Wines is celebrating winning the IWSC Best International Red Blend trophy with its Eighty Acres Cabernet/Shiraz/Merlot 2005 which was only released in August 2007. The 2006 vintage of this wine will be available to taste for the first time in the UK, together with the 2007 vintage of the Eighty Acres Chardonnay/Viognier.

Also new to the UK is Wakefield's award-winning fusion' Jaraman range which is already enjoying success in other export markets. Jaraman is an innovative range which showcases the very best of South Australian varietals - combining premium Clare Valley fruit from the family's vineyards with fruit from icon wine regions such as Coonawarra and Adelaide Hills, resulting in wines that boast a unique regional expression.

The following wines in the Jaraman range will be shown:

Jaraman Riesling 2005, Jaraman Chardonnay 2005, Jaraman Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 and Jaraman Shiraz 2004.

Wakefield's capacity to double by 2009

Neil Hadley MW, Wakefield's export manager, will be on hand to discuss the wines and Wakefield's major development project which will see the winery's capacity double by 2009.

HOPE ESTATE WINES (HUNTER VALLEY & VICTORIA) Michael Hope, owner and winemaker

Michael Hope's new range of wines from Victoria (100% estate grown and 100% family owned) will be at the tasting, including the Hope Estate Shiraz/Malbec 2005 and Hope Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2005.

Also available to taste are the Hope Estate Verdelho 2006, Yellow Rock Chardonnay 2005, Hope Estate Shiraz 2006, all from the Hunter Valley and The Ripper Shiraz 2005, from Donnybrook, Western Australia.

PIRIE WINES, TASMANIA Andrew Pirie, owner and winemaker

Dr Andrew Pirie has been the most influential figure in the Tasmanian wine industry. Stratford's will be showing the Pirie South range, from the Tamar Valley which includes a Sauvignon Blanc 2007, Pinot Gris 2007, Chardonnay 2007, Riesling 2006 and Pinot Noir 2006. They will also be showing two wines from the Pirie Estate range - the Gewurztraminer 2006 and Andrew's flagship Pinot Noir 2004 which has received rave reviews.

FERNGROVE VINEYARDS (FRANKLAND RIVER, W AUSTRALIA), Kim Horton, winemaker

Ferngrove is the third largest wine producer in Western Australia, producing premium wines at affordable prices. Ferngrove has just been awarded 5 stars by James Halliday for the 4th year in a row. They will be showing their award-winning Orchid Series including the Diamond Chardonnay 2005 which won the Decanter Trophy for Best Regional Australian Chardonnay over 10, as well as the Majestic Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 and The Stirlings 2004, Ferngrove Estate Semillon/Sauvignon 2006, Cabernet/Merlot 2004 and Chardonnay 2005.

LANGMEIL VINEYARDS (BAROSSA VALLEY) Paul Lindner, winemaker

James Lindner will be attending the tasting and showing Langmeil's new wine, Orphan Block Shiraz 2005 which has an interesting story behind it. A vineyard with 140 year old vines was destined to be ripped out and the ancient vines burnt to make way for a housing estate. With expert advice from top viticulturist, Geoff Hardy, Langmeil's viticulturist Carl Lindner bought a special piece of equipment from Geoff and saved 320 of the 140 year old vines by transplanting them to the Langmeil's winery property. An 85% take resulted and the Lindners have the satisfaction of knowing that they have preserved a small amount of regional history and shown others how it can be done.

Other wines on show Earthworks Shiraz 2006 and Valley Floor Shiraz 2006.

K1 BY GEOFF HARDY (ADELAIDE HILLS) Geoff Hardy, winemaker

K1 (Kuitpo) vineyard is perched on the ridge of the southwestern escarpement of the Mount Lofty Ranges in the Adelaide Hills. A boutique, individual winery, established in 1987 by Geoff Hardy with cool climate viticulture foremost in mind. K1 is a top five finalist in the 2007 Winestate's Wine Company of the Year and also in its Winemaker of the Year category. Bec Hardy, viticulturist, will be at the tasting and showing K1 Chardonnay 2005 and K1 Shiraz 2005.

PERTARINGA (MCLAREN VALE) Ben Riggs, winemaker

Pertaringa's eclectic range will include the Rifle & Hunt Cabernet Sauvignon 2005 and Two Gents Grenache 2004 which will be available to taste, with viticulturist, Bec Hardy, on hand to talk about the wines.

Producers attending the Australia Day Tasting

Neil Hadley MW, Wakefield Wines

Bec Hardy, K1 & Pertaringa

James Lindner, Langmeil

Source: Stratford's Wine Agencies

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