I find the vintage equally as fascinating. Climate is extremely important when it comes to nurturing vines and growing quality grapes with which to make wine. Due to this, wine will always vary in quality depending on what has happened over the course of the year to affect the quality of the grape once it is ready to be picked. Other factors contribute to the final outcome but climate is very much the most influential. Many people, (rightly so) refuse to pay for wine if it is from a known poor vintage greatly affecting a producer’s livelihood. However if a top producer produces a great wine in a great year then it will become a collector’s item, reaching astronomic prices.

These two factors always greatly influence my decision making when it comes to purchasing wine, to drink and to add to our ever changing wine list. It is important to select wines that are from a good vintage. This can vary depending on region so it is always worth remembering that the growth of Chardonnay in 2009, for example, may have excelled in Burgundy but disappointed in California as vintages are not consistent across the world. Most importantly though, it is key to know when the wines will be ready to drink. This can be done by either knowing how each region performed that year and when it is likely that the wines will be drinking at their best. To further this and get more accuracy we can also source notes from producers to find out exactly how the wine has been made and when it will be best to drink. Burgundy and Bordeaux both performed very well in 2005, 2009 & 2010. This does not mean though that each wine from those vintages will be drinking well at around the same time. They are strong vintages so it is likely that they will be good regardless of when they are opened but to get them at their best it is worth doing extra research to find out when they will peak. For example some wines are made to be drunk young, within a few years of bottling, others need longer before they fully mature.

So if you are buying wine, know your regions, vintages and most importantly get to know how the producers want each of wines to be perceived.

Our current list is brimming with excellent wines that are all drinking extremely well, spanning many different vintages. We hope you enjoy them!

The first two wines are from small producers in Austria and Italy. Both wines come from our good friend Simon Newson who has a small wine importing company in London called Whirly Wines. Simon is the personification of enthusiasm when it comes to wine, he works very hard to import good quality wines from small producers who offer excellent quality and value.

The white wine is a Gruner Veltliner Klassik 2013. The wine is produced by the Mehofer family in Wagram, Austria. This is an ideal wine for the summer. It has a very fresh and lively acidity with lots of green apple and lemon on the nose. The palate is similar with a touch of Thyme thrown in. The finish is long, dry and very refreshing. The light alcohol content (only 11.5%) makes it an ideal wine to have as an aperitif or to sip whilst enjoying a summers day in the garden. However, it’s also a versatile food partner and works very well with cured fish, shellfish and lighter white cheese. Charlie’s citrus cured salmon with horseradish crème Fraiche and Avruga caviar is a dish that works excellently.

Lacrima Di Morro d’Alba 2012 from Marche in Italy is very interesting but not to everyone’s taste. When we tasted this wine last year Simon was jumping around the room with excitement as it is a wine like no other. I was equally enthusiastic but felt that the wine would benefit from further bottle ageing. A year on the wine is drinking extremely well and I think it will be an excellent wine to drink this spring or summer. The nose hits you with Turkish delight, rose and violets. The floral notes soften on the palate and ripe strawberries and cherries lead the way. The tannins are soft, acidity lively but not pronounced and the light alcohol is very well integrated. If you are a fan of lightly chilled red wine then this is a wine that works very well. It is also great at cellar temperature but if it gets too warm I find the fruitiness to be almost sickly sweet. This is a tricky wine to pair with food but we have found that duck, cheese and chocolate desserts work very well.