£19.95
£13.95
£7.25
£10.95
£31.00
New Grenada (now Colombia) by King Ferdinand VI of Spain. His son signs peace with Simon Bolivar. His grandson comes to France as the Consul of Colombia.
Then comes Edmond de Ayala (1831-1902), who is invited to Champagne by the Viscount of Mareuil to learn the
business. He falls in love with the Viscount's niece, the beautiful Miss Gabrielle d'Albrecht.
As the dowry for their wedding in 1860, he receives the magnificent Château of Aÿ as well as some very prime
vineyards located in Aÿ and Mareuil sur Aÿ.
This love story is also the beginning of a prestigious champagne house : Ayala develops rapidly in Great Britain
thanks to Edmond's brother who was based in London.
In 1882, Ayala was one of the 18 founder members of the Syndicate of the Grandes Marques. Before the 2nd
world war, Ayala was the supplier for the courts of Great Britain and Spain.
In 2005, Ayala is purchased by Société Jacques Bollinger, still owned by the Bollinger family.
The land is alluvial soil covered in pebbles. The winery itself is relatively young as the vines have only recently reached the stage where they can guarantee top quality fruit. 80% of the vines are trellis-grown Tinta Fina (Tempranillo) which is the basis of all top Ribera red wines.
Meticulous pruning of the grapes in the summer insures limited grape production which maximises the quality of the grapes. The must undergoes controlled fermentation in stainless steel vats and is aged in new casks of American and French oak.
Awards:
Martin Berdugo, Roble 2000
gold medal at Bacchus 2001
Within the D.O. Rias Baixas, Albarino stands out, and in our humble opinion, sets itself aside as one of the top white wine varietals of the world. If you are one of the many people who think Spanish whites can never match up to their red counterparts then please try one or both of these Albarinos.
Their premises are equipped with the most moden technology: temperature-controlled stainless steel deposits, a complete grape harvest line with suitable dimensions for the capacity of the Bodegas. This technological package shows a dedication to the attainment of the very highest quality Rioja wines.
The winery was born as a crystallization of a common dream among a group of friends. A dream that shares the illusion of an area, Tea County, which stretches along the right bank of the river Miño.
The project has turned into two brands of wine, Eidosela and Arbastrum, reflecting the passion of the owners: wine and art.
The vineyards of Bodegas Eidosela, have an extension of 45 hectares of the different Galician varieties: Albariño, Treixadura, Loureiro.
Vineyards receive a permanent care so that the vegetative cycle and the grape quality finish in a proper way. The winery works on the principle of imposing an exigency in the grapes quality.
The Marqués de Vizhoja Winery is the personal project of Mr. Mariano Peláez. After its founding in 1966, it quickly became a point of reference in the wine industry and currently forms part of a business group.
The winery is located in south-eastern Galicia in the border area between Spain and Portugal. Its premises are found on the banks of the Miño River, and it owns almost 40 hectares of vineyards on the Moreira Estate, which boasts an impressive 18th Century country house.
The company, which produces more than 1,500,000 bottles per year, constantly strives for high quality, innovation and development, as well as a combination of modernity and tradition. An integral part of this involves nurturing its corporate image and respecting the environment.
It all began in 1885 when an ancestor of the Prada family, passionately believing in the nobility of the Godello grape variety, planted the first vines on the high, slatey hillsides of the Sil valley.
The winemaking tradition of the family originated with the beloved person of José Ramón Gayoso, vinegrower at Portela. Contrary to the custom of the time he established the first vineyard planted entirely with Godello, being convinced of the potential of this variety, which is native to Valdeorras. Little by little he expanded these small parcels of vines, or ‘Pezas’, carefully choosing the best sites around and about Portela. In subsequent years many of these parcels were sold to other growers, leaving only the Pedrouzos estate. In 2001 the current generation of the family began to buy back the small vineyards which had belonged to their forebear, spurred on by the possibilities offered by the grape variety, the special qualities of the Valdeorras region, and the lasting influence of that original pioneer who went against the spirit of the age in planting Pedrouzos, the oldest Godello vineyard in Galicia.
All the Godello ‘pezas’ planted by Pradas in the past have been recovered and incorporated into the family estate. Thanks to this, we have been able to carry out our own clonal selection and adopt techniques unusual in Galician viticulture, such as managing plant cover.
Today, thanks to our restored heritage and an excellent team of professionals, we are producing elegant and distinctive wines with an unmistakable personality which perfectly reflects their origin and grape variety.
The total vineyard area includes 61 separate sites adding up to a surface area of 1,779 km squared. All sites are part of the Duero basin and benefit from the unique climatic conditions: high altitude, low rainfall (400mm-600mm a year), dry summers, over 3000 hours of sunshine and harsh winters. All this results in disease-free conditions which leads to wine which has undergone a minimum amount of treatment, resulting in a very organic product.
Awards:
Tresantos, Oinos, Vinas Viejas 2000. Silver medal in Wine Master Challenge of Portugal 2001
Novo 2001 Gold medal at International Wine Salon Madrid 2002. Bronze medal in Wine Master Challenge of Portugal 2002
The family which has owned Barrail du Blanc for over 150 years, formerly sold off their grapes. However, in 1995 they decided to produce their own wine. Considerable investment was necessary and new, thermo-regulated tanks were installed, as well as a maturation cellar – all to ensure optimal quality. The soil here dictates that this can never be a massively powerful wine – but so much the better for that, wine consumers need such approachable, easy drinking wines. Charming and accessible, Barrail du Blanc produces a fine Saint-Emilion Grand Cru which makes people smile, without breaking the bank.
In 1996, Gerard and Xavier Milhade decide to buy this property to make evolve/move the quality of a field which they regard as exceptional. Xavier Milhade becomes owner of the whole of the Castle Header January 2005 supported by his son Marc, engineer, who continues the made effort of modernization and optimum qualitative research.
The vineyard of Château de Fonscolombe is made up of two distinct areas, both of them located in the north of the Appellation at both ends of the Trévaresse hills. A total of 100 hectares are classified as AOC Coteaux d'Aix-en-Provence .
The soil is stony clay in Le Puy Sainte Réparade and sedimentary sand that drains well in Lambesc. The estate is at an altitude of 250 metres and the nights are cooler than in the southern part of the Appellation. The average rainfall is about 600 mm a year.
Shepherds' dogs sometimes became lost or wandered off and eventually bred into a marauding pack which attacked local flocks.
Their home was a tussock and scrub covered hill, overlooking the Wairau Plains, designated by the early settlers as Dog Point.
Dog Point Vineyard combines the considerable wine-growing experience of Ivan and Margaret Sutherland and James and Wendy Healy.
Their philosophy is total involvement by the partners from the vineyard through the winemaking process to marketing regionally distinctive and vineyard expressive wines.
All the wines are made in an eco-friendly manner without the use of pesticides.
Vincent's father, Roger, founded his own Company in the early fifties with the acquisition of a Wine Merchant founded in 1891. His father handed the Company to Vincent in 1988.
When Vincent, born in Nuits Saint Georges in 1961, took control of the Domaine it consisted of only 6 hectares (14.81 acres) of vines. Today the Domaine covers 40 hectares (98.77 acres) from Chablis to Meursault. In addition, Vincent has acquired other Domaines in Chablis, the Cote Chalonnaise, Brouilly and recently in the Rhone Valley. Through his family's traditional winemaking skills, passed down from generation to generation, and his years of oenological studies, he now advocates all his wines must, be pleasing to the eye, have soft and supple flavours and possess a lingering aftertaste with excellent ageing attributes.
Awards:
Kahurangi Estate, Dry Riesling 2002
Winestate silver medal
Kahurangi Estate, Reserve Riesling 2003 Winestate silver medal
The Niel Joubert winery has been in the Joubert family for over 100 years and winemaking has now extended over three generations. The winery is committed to working only with those varieties which are best suited to the unique terroir of these vineyards in the folds of the majestic Simonsberg Mountains.
Orto is made up of 4 wine producers from El Masroig who are following their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents in the path of traditional wine-making. All of them come from a co-operative tradition dating back more than 70 years. In 2008 they returned to our wine-growing roots, to a time when every village farmer made their own wine in the fermentation tanks that everyone had at home. In this way, on 18 July 2008, the Orto Vins winery was founded.
The owners are Joan Asens, Jordi Beltran, Josep Maria Beltran and Josep Maria Jové.
Why Orto?
Orto is that unique moment when the sun, or any other star, crosses the horizon and becomes visible in our hemisphere. It therefore symbolises the beginning of a new day.
Orto is also a prefix of Greek origin that means straight, correct and even beautiful.
Both definitions represent in a clear and forceful manner the owners way of understanding the world of wine.
For more information visit them at www.quintadonoval.com/
Taylor’s is one of the oldest of the founding Port houses. The history of the firm is in many ways the history of the Port trade itself.
Since its foundation the company has remained family owned and independent. Now well into its fourth century, it has thrived and prospered, establishing itself as one of the world’s most respected historic wine houses. This has been achieved through the perseverance, pioneering spirit and continuity of purpose of successive generations of family owners.
If you would like to know more please visit them at www.taylor.pt/en/
Founded in 1974, Viña San Esteban is oriented to producing fine wines and fresh table grapes, principally for export. A family business with important ties to the community, Viña San Esteban has the long term vision and the necessary support to commit to quality production, as well as market and brand building worldwide.
The winery and offices are adjacent to the La Florida and Paidahuen vineyards and estates, both in the town of San Esteban, Region V, Chile. The vineyards include overhead and vertically-trained vines located both on hillsides and along the banks of the Aconcagua River.
Privileged soil conditions and Aconcagua Valley's micro-climate, together with quality technological practices in viticulture and winemaking allow us to produce quality grapes and wines.
Viña San Esteban is located in central Chile, near the city of Los Andes, at the mountainous, eastern edge of the Aconcagua Valley. Our vineyards are beautifully situated along the Aconcagua River and over the foothills of the Andes Mountains, where sunny days and night breezes create the temperature variability needed to reach optimal ripeness of the grapes. A pioneer in hillside-vineyard planting, our Paidahuen estate offers the rocky soil and unique solar exposure necessary to obtain grapes rich in structure and character. The Aconcagua riverbed consists of fragments of drift stones from the Andes Mountains. The sandy texture of the soil restricts water retention, avoiding excessive vigor and favoring the concentration of aromas and tannins in the grapes.
The total planted surface area is 120 hectares, including the following grape varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère, Syrah, Sangiovese, Cabernet Franc, Mourvedre, Petit Verdot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier.
