This week I 'ave been mostly drinking...

This week I 'ave been mostly drinking...

Russell Wallace, General Manager

This week I ‘ave been mostly drinking Spanish wines from outside Rioja. When it comes to Spanish wine I am always surprised at the level to which there appears to be a feeling (almost like the 'Anything But Chardonnay' mentality) that if it is not Rioja then it is not Spanish and I will not like it. Well, over the last few years I have fallen deeper and deeper in love with Spanish wines. The negative part of me believes that it is because you can get such a bargain from there these days. Meanwhile, the positive side of me has come to understand the versatility of this country when it comes to making wines in a small scale hand-crafted fashion.

Combine the two, however, and you come up with a rather formidable reason to get to know the wines of España better. For me, outside of Rioja my favourite place is Castilla.  First word of warning is to be careful there are 2 sides of Castilla, the first is mass production free from the constraints and rules of Rioja. Bland, characterless wines that are exploited due to their price alone by the usual suspects. There is, however another side of this wonderful area, one that allows the masters of Rioja to expand their production in a more economical region and experiment with new varietals and blends that the rest of the country would frown upon. In Castilla, for me at least, there is only one name to remember and that is the wines of Eguren Ugarte a serious up and comer in the world of Spanish brand wines, but one that, again for me, has a real right to become a household name. The Ugarte side of this family business refers to the Heredad Ugarte wines of Rioja, top quality Tempranillo heavy wines at a surprisingly affordable price relative their 90+ ratings. The Eguren side of this name though refers to the underdog side of the business the great wines of Castilla from the Mercedes Eguren range (they are currently renaming to Mercedes Egunon).

These wines span a crisp fresh Sauvignon Blanc, a surprise in a Cabernet based Rose that is rich and satisfying, and my personal star of the show, the Blend of Tempranillo and Shiraz. Before this wine I had never heard of the blend of Shiraz and Tempranillo, but it is an inspired choice. The Tempranillo lends a soft but complex flavour, whilst the Shiraz brings up the rear with a good dose of what I believe they call backbone! This is a wine that regularly attains 89-90 points from Wine Spectator which is impressive for a wine under £9.

News from Down at the Shop

Another hectic week in the shop as customers 'shop 'til they drop' in preparation for the BIG DAY! 

Our Malt of the Month, The Dalmore continues to be a big hit, as does the Isle of Jura and Mackinlay's Shackleton range (which has almost sold out completely!).

Wine of the Week 

This week we're featuring two wonderful wines from Bodgeas Escudero, one of our favourite producers from Rioja. 

The Es­cud­ero fam­i­ly owns 150 hectares of vine­yards. Most are lo­cat­ed on the south­ern slope of Mount Yer­ga, at al­ti­tudes between 400 and 800 me­tres above sea lev­el, with poor and peb­bly soils en­sur­ing low pro­duc­tion vol­umes and high qual­i­ty. Vines av­er­age 50 years of age, with some more than a cen­tu­ry old. 

The Becquer Blanco 2012 is a seductive wine with an in­tense fruity pre­dom­i­nance and spicy notes of the bar­rique. On the palate, it is rich in nu­ances with a perfect acid­i­ty and bal­ance.  

The Becquer De Autor is cher­ry red in colour with an in­tense aro­ma of dark fruit and oak well con­joined. This wine has lovely round tannins, a depth of ripe fruit and spiciness with a great struc­ture.

Pop by the shop to pick up some of these superb wines today.

Our craft beer selection is as popular as ever, and right now our Ale of the Fortnight includes Cromarty Brewing Company's Cone Head and Inveralmond Brewery's Santa's Swallie - so don't forget to pick up some in time for Christmas!

We also want to remind you that our tasting with Nick Whyte from Liberty Wines takes place this evening from 6pm (to reserve your place please call 01738 629 979), and on Friday from 12 noon, Ailish Laughlin from Strathearn Distillery will be in-store introducing our customers to the new Strathearn Gin range so be sure to drop in for a taste!

Our opening hours are Monday and Tuesday 11am-6pm, Wednesday-Saturday 10am-6pm and Sunday 12 noon-4pm. Please note, however, that we will be closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year's Day. 

This week I 'ave been mostly drinking...

This week I 'ave been mostly drinking...

Russell Wallace, General Manager

This week I ‘ave been mostly drinking… sensible wine! Ok bare with me on his one, and I will try my best not to get too grumpy. Came home from the shops on Saturday morning with the Times and my milk, sat down ready to enjoy a lazy morning read.  Sadly, this was spoilt by the “wine headline” which read simply, “The £5.99 sparkling wine the critics are raving about”. Well, that just spoilt my day and I didn’t even read the paper in protest!

I have tried to explain a few times before my issue here, and many of you do seem to understand and appreciate the principle except, it would seem, the newspaper wine critics are intent on recommending nothing if it does not hit a £5-6 price tag. Most of our clients appreciate that there is a minimum value that we must pay for well made wine that offers sustainability for producers that care about what they are doing.  Each year this price tag sadly grows as the Chancellor increases alcohol duty rates and indeed fuel duties to transport wine to the UK and to your home/local wine shop. Currently alcohol duty stands for a sparkling wine at £2.56 per bottle (plus VAT on the duty and the wine!). So, maths lesson time again (below figures are approximates):

Wine Cost = £5.99

Less 20% VAT then less £2.56 Duty = £2.44

Less Transport and Non-consumables = £1.84

Less Margin for Retailer = £0.70

£0.70 left in value for your £5.99 sparkling wine, presuming that the retailer has imported this wine themselves, which in the case of the multiples is surprisingly rare, but we will give them the benefit of doubt.

Now, that 70 pence also has to cover some kind of profit for the producer so in reality we would estimate that at most the actual value of what you are drinking would be 40-50 pence, but probably less!

Consider now that this wine is a Cava, yes I know it is rather uncool, but my issue is that Cava is a traditional method sparkler so the method of production is relatively expensive and time consuming. Now, if it were a charmat method sparkler (like a Prosecco), I might be more able to grasp this (but still struggling), however I just cannot see how supporting this type of wine is in any way supporting producers of good value driven wine. I will allow you to speculate on how many bottles en-mass a vineyard would have to produce to just cover their costs.

So, why not try the splendid Bodegas Escudero Cava Seco Benito Escudero, organically farmed with love, labour and a passion for what they are doing. It is one of a few Cava you will find produced in Rioja. Yes, it is considerably more expensive than the Times’ recommendation, but it is worth every penny extra and, I would argue, significantly better value for money.

Dianne Barrie, Company Administrator

No surprise that this week I’ve been mostly drinking no wine! It’s safe to say that I have been far too preoccupied with Christmas - in fact, what with having just moved house, it would seem that I’m going to spend the last two weekends before Christmas present buying and wrapping, Christmas card writing and attempting to make the house as festive as possible (amid a whole bunch of boxes still to unpack!). 

I do, however, have a cunning plan to save myself from standing in endless queues of last-minute shoppers in department stores and to give my family and friends some very special treats this Christmas. You see, over the last month or so there have been some great new product lines arriving in to Exel Wines. Whether you are looking for a gift for that special someone, such as Henschke Keyneton Estate Shiraz Cabernet Merlot 2002, a fabulous little stocking filler, such as Sheep Dip Harris Tweed Hip Flask With 1 X 5cl or something just a little bit different like Wines That Rock Rolling Stones Forty Licks Merlot 2010 or Strathearn Distillery Heather Rose Gin, all these can be purchased and delivered straight to your door without even having to leave the comfort of your armchair…simples! 

Perhaps I will have some time next weekend to treat myself to a pre-Christmas glass or two of wine after all! 

Clive Holroyd, Database Manager

Number one son was back from University for a flying visit at the week-end. I've grumbled before about how inadequate 75cl is when you find a particularly good wine and given the amount of dedication he seems to apply to studying alcoholic beverages (if only that was the course he was doing) I knew that a little extra would be called for. A chance conversation with him shortly before he came down led to the discovery that he's quite fond of the products of Innis & Gunn. Now I enjoy a good real ale or craft beer myself from time to time, so I thought fill him up on the fizzy stuff and he won't drink so much of the wine. (Am I painting a terrible picture of today's students?). I'm not so familiar with Innis & Gunn, so I got both the Original Oak Aged and the Rum Finish Oak Aged, both of which were excellent. The Rum Finish is quite surprising, it reminded me somewhat of a Belgian Dubbel and the Original is deliciously rounded golden ale; it worked well on a chilly winter afternoon, but I suspect would be equally appropriate when those warm summer evenings roll in again. 

And the wine? My new second favourite wine, the Cousino Macul Antiguas Reservas Merlot, yes I raided the bottles I was supposed to be saving for Christmas. Oh well.

News from Down at the Shop

After what can only be described as an absolutely crazy busy weekend in the shop (I'm told that Ally didn't even have time to eat his lunchtime sandwich on Saturday!), we're getting all re-stocked and filling the shelves with lots more Christmassy treats for our customers again this week. Our Malt of the Month, The Dalmore has certainly been going down a storm, as has our Isle of Jura and Mackinlay's Shackleton range. And, there are still lots of bargains to be had!

Our Wine of the Week is from Bodegas Ortubia which is situated just a few kilometres north west of Rioja´s wine capital, Haro. Though not particularly well known by consumers, its unique terroir and micro-climate are well understood by some of the region’s best producers, several of which source grapes for their top wines from here. This week, we have the wonderful Rioja Tinto 2007 on promotion. Full of Intense aromas of balsam, spice and mature black fruits, overlaid with wood smoke, this is a balanced wine, long and clean with mature tannins providing a pleasing astringency. 

This is a wine well deserving of the Bronze Medal it received in the Decanter World Wine Awards in 2011, and one not to be missed.

Another treat in-store for customers this week is our wonderful array of Sparklers currently on promotion, including Taittinger Brut Reserve NV, Pol Roger Brut Reserve NV (Gift Boxed) and Champagne Lanson Extra Age Brut NV so be sure to drop by the shop to pick up some fizz to enjoy over the festive season! 

And finally, if you haven't done so already, don't forget to sign up for one of our fantastic tasting evenings being held throughout December. On Thursday 12 December, Graeme Broom, the UK representative for Torres will take a trip around the Torres estates and some of the wonderful wines they produce, while on Thursday 19 December, Nick Whyte from Liberty Wines will be talking us through some fabulous wine and liqueur suggestions for Christmas. To reserve your place call 01738 629 979, email: perth@exelwines.co.uk or simply pop by the shop! 

News from Down at the Shop

There's been lots of activity in the shop this week, with staff busily stocking the already bulging shelves with some great new products - they tell me that they've even had to reorganise the shop layout to accommodate everything and make it easier for customers to browse!

For December, our Malt of the Month is The Dalmore collection consisting of the 12 yo, 15 yo, 18 yo, The Cigar Malt and the King Alexander III. To celebrate this fantastic range, we are offering a free Copita Tasting/Nosing Glass* with every bottle purchased at the shop! (*subject to availability) Not only that, but we will be having a Dalmore tasting evening in the New Year...so watch this space for further details in January 2014.

Another whisky highlight to arrive in to the shop this month is Mackinlay's Shackleton, and throughout December we are giving away a free Shackleton Whisky Book* (RSP. £16.99, subject to availability) with every bottle purchased at the shop...this would make a lovely Christmas gift and one not to be missed. 

Our Wine of the Week is the wonderful Protos range from Spain, so why not pop in-store to check out the special offers on these this week?

And last but not least, our Ale of the Fortnight is a range from local based brewery, Inveralmond which includes Lia Fial, Ossian, Thrappledouser, Blackfriars and of course, Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without the festive Santa's Swallie! These are all on promotion in-store now and will also be available in mini-kegs within the week.

More News from Down at the Shop next week, but in the meantime Happy Shopping!