Rediscover Roussillon Wines

Wines from the South of France have the greatest reputation for those tipples that taste just as good back at home as they do on your glorious French holiday. Let’s focus however on one part of the Great French South that deserves a little more attention: Roussillon. 

Where is Roussillon?

Roussillon is a small, well-established, unpretentious, yet high class wine appellation in the South of France located within the greater Pyrénées-Orientales area, bordering Catalonia, Spain. It’s often bundled together with Languedoc as Langedoc-Roussillon due to their proximity to each other, but they actually have quite different characters. The area of Roussillon has quite the Spanish vibe thanks to its south westerly location down by the Pyrenees mountains. If you’ve ever visited Perpignan, you’ve been to the heart of Roussillon.

What makes Roussillon wines great?

This is a region made up of a patchwork of very small, family run properties - 2166 at time of counting - with 400 private cellars and 25 co-ops, driving 75% of Roussillon production between them. Yields here are absolutely tiny, which means quality is kept very high. We’re talking, in some cases, about 28.2 hectolitres per hectare, which is one glass per vine! The region has an ideal Mediterranean climate with the mountain slopes mitigating the warmth of the hot sun with their altitude for the vines grown on them. Fun fact: It is also the number one region in France for Organic and Biodynamic viticulture, which gives us an indication about how much the winemakers care about their land and the health of their vines.

Which wine styles come from Roussillon?

In the past, the still reds and whites have been pretty decent but were certainly not going to set the world on fire, whereas their special sweet wines, the ‘vins doux naturels’ (fortified sweet wines), have often taken centre stage. Vins Doux Naturels remain emblematic of Roussillon’s viticultural heritage and winemaking know-how  but the dry, still, wines (be they red, rosé or white), are anything but ordinary nowadays. Côtes du Roussillon and Côtes du Roussillon Village have been PDOs* in their own right since 1977, having pushed hard since 1955 for the accolade. There are 24 official grape varieties grown in Roussillon and amongst the sub-appellations are 14 PDOs and 2 PGIs**.

The Famous Fortified Sweet Wines (Vins Doux Naturels) of Roussillon

The VDNs, as the Vin Doux Naturel sweet wines are abbreviated, are made a bit like Port, where fermentation is stopped by the addition of neutral grape spirit before all the sugar has been fermented out, leaving a viscous, sweet wine with an ABV of around 16.5%. The key types of Vins Doux Naturels are Banyuls AOP, Banyuls Grand Cru AOP, Maury AOP, Muscat de Rivesaltes AOPs and Rivesaltes AOP, many of which can have various age statements and subtle variations to style including a hint of nutty ‘rancio’ derived from extended ageing in cement tanks, wood casks or even glass demijohns.

Banyuls and Maury are particularly famous, not just for their quality, but for the fact that they really are the greatest go-to style of wine to have with chocolate! 

Banyuls AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée)

The highly-prized wines of Banyuls are made from almost shrivelled, ripe to bursting, Grenache grapes. The colour and style of Banyuls can differ hugely depending on how it is made and aged, varying from fruity, light red wines or floral and citrusy white and rosé to nutty, funky, treacley brown or amber wines. Banyuls also have Grand Cru wines, mainly from black Grenache, which have to see at least two and half years of ageing.

Maury AOP

On the other hand, wines from Maury AOP are usually darker in colour with tangy, dark berry notes although they do sometimes come in more pink and tawny styles too. This difference in style is attributed largely to its more inland location than Banyuls. Maury AOP can also be produced in white and amber styles.

Rivesaltes & Muscat de Rivesaltes AOP

Between the two AOPs above, as a unique common point, there’s a large area growing Muscat of Alexandria and small grains Muscat grapes to produce both Rivesaltes and Muscat de Rivesaltes wines. Neither rival Banyuls or Maury but they can also be complex and intense. Their “young” versions (Rivesaltes Grenat or Rosé, and Muscat de Rivesaltes), are honeyed and refreshing when served with cheese or as an aperitif. Muscat de Rivesaltes particularly is produced in huge quantities. Some fantastically made Rivesaltes Ambré and Tuilé do exist but they are harder to find in the UK market.

The dry, still wines of Roussillon

In the past, the unfortified wines of Roussillon were pretty unremarkable but more and more, we are seeing the quality rise thanks to an influx of producers racing here to take advantage of the cooler vineyard locations at altitude, particularly in the upper Agly Valley, which is inland from Perpignan. Here, there are already some ancient vines and great outcrops of schist soil that help give the wines a fine minerality and deep flavour.  

Dry Whites

The dry, white wines from Roussillon tend to be very textural and weighty with refreshing acidity, salinity and minerality to balance the fruit. They make fabulous food wines. Grapes allowed in the PDO wines include White grenache, Grey Grenache, Macabeu, Tourbat/Malvoisie du Roussillon, Roussanne, Marsanne, Vermentino, Viognier and White Carignan. Most whites hail from the Côtes Catalanes (73%) with 22% from the Côtes de Roussillon, 5% from Collioure and a tiny amount, less than 1%, from IGP Côte Vermeille. PGI wines can use these aforementioned grapes plus Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat d’Alexandrie.

Try these:

Domaine Lafage, Centenaire, IGP Côtes Catalanes 2021

80% Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, 20% Roussanne. Aromatic and richly coloured with ripe, tropical fruit on the nose. A tiny touch of oak here adds a splash of aniseed and texture. It’s a lovely, complex and creamy white that will sing with a nutty comté cheese.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13%
Find it here for £12

Chrysopée Sélection Parcellaire, Domaine de Bila-Haut, Chapoutier, Collioure AOP, 2018

A blend of 90% Grey Grenache with 10% White Grenache, this wine is deep gold in colour with a touch of mineral rubber on the nose. Tropical and savoury, there’s a real earthiness on the palate and very ripe pineapple and coffee on the finish. White chocolate and coffee bean. A great foodie wine!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find it here for £9

The Red Wines of Roussillon

Motus, Domaine Treloar, Côtes du Roussillon AOP, 2017

Made with a classic blend of 80% Mourvèdre, 15% Syrah and 5% Grenache Noir, this red has a lovely, velvety texture and bright red colour. Plenty of violet and garrigue notes on the nose with a pleasant note of grilled meat on the palate. Proper wine.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14%
Find it here for £16.75

Res Fortes Wines Traveller, 2019

Almost entirely Syrah, which is unusual here, this is a super dry, old-school Syrah with lots of concentrated purple berry fruit and gravelly, mineral notes. This is a textural wine that tastes of its terroir! Get it open early to let it breathe and try it with some grilled meat.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find it here for £31.45

Vin Doux Naturels

Domaine Cazes, AOP Muscat de Rivesaltes

70% Muscat d’Alexandrie, 20% Muscat à petits grains This sweet wine has fantastic, refreshing acidity with notes of verbena and lemon cake sitting alongside more tropical elements like fresh papaya and mango. A touch of bitterness on the finish makes this very moreish.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 15%
Find it here for £15.99.

Abbé Rous Banyuls Rimage, 2019

Intensely flavoured, voluptuous and complex, this sweet red is packed with red cherry and ripe raspberry notes up front with mocha creeping in on the palate and a hint of spice and dried herbs on the finish. A really lovely drop that would go down very well with chocolate mousse, dried fruit or even hard cheeses.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 16.5%
Find it here for £21.99

For more information about the wines of Roussillon, go to Wines of Roussillon

*PDO and PGI are two quality schemes that were created by the EU in 1992 to protect the authenticity of products from different regions of EU, limiting the ability to create fake products or poor imitations.

PGI stands for Protected Geographical Indication and it means that the wine in the bottle is made in the specified region, using specified techniques and showing characteristics of the area. 85% of the grapes used in PGI wines must be from the same geographical area where the wine is produced.

PDO, which stands for Protected Designation of Origin, is more stringent. ​​It means all the stages of preparation of the wine are taking place in one area, from vine growing and winemaking, all the way to the bottling. 100% of grapes used to make the wine in the bottle will have come from the said area.

The Bring a Bottle Podcast: Episode 86

It’s that time again and this week we have a very special podcast for you as we are joined by the fabulous Bruce and Paramjit Nagra, owners and producers of Crazy Gin, as we talk about some rather risqué drinks news, what it is like to be a woman in the drinks industry and a wine brand doing good. We also sample a very questionable drink in ‘Buy it or Bin it’ and of course, sip away on Crazy Gin’s Lassi and Punjabi Chai gin! Listen in via the player below for all this and more!

What’s in our glass

First up is the Lassi Gin. Thought up after a bad Indian takeaway, the idea behind this gin was to create a British Indian fusion drink just like there is British Indian food. It pushes flavours together that people wouldn’t normally associate working together and wow if it doesn’t do just that! The main botanicals are turmeric, coriander and black pepper, as well as juniper, pomegranate, black cumin and yoghurt. Then whole thing is also fat washed with ghee leading to a really smooth gin that you can enjoy neat at 41%. We reckon it would work beautifully in a martini and equally well in a G&T with for example, a coriander garnish!

Size: 500ml
ABV: 41%
Find here: £39.95

The second gin we sip on is the Punjabi Chai Gin, another very tasty gin, this one taking inspiration from their Grandma’s secret Chai tea recipe. It has botanicals of vanilla, black cardamom, green cardamom, cloves, juniper and black pepper and is fat washed with coconut. It also has a unique colour derived from the use of not just any old saffron but ultrasonic saffron!

Size: 500ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £39.95

Drinks News

There’s nothing like having a pint at a pub and company ‘Nothing on Events’ have taken this well-loved past time one step further, introducing naked pub meets! First held in Guildford, Surrey, the aim behind these meet-ups is to put an end to body shaming. Listen in to see whether we’ll be participating…

Buy it or bin it

This week’s wonderful treat for our buy or bin it segment is a warm no-low drink. It’s vegetal, smoky and seaweed-y. It’s very earthy and has a taste of kale and spinach to it. ‘What is it?!’ we hear you ask, why it is organic, premium ‘Duckshit’ tea from the Guangdong province in China! The question is who decided to buy it and who is binning it?!

Drinks Doing Good

We love a good chat about drinks that do good and this week we are giving a shout out to wine brand ‘Madame F’ as they have donated money to the founding and building of Britain’s first LGBTQIA+ museum, Queer Britain. That’s not all though, they are also holding a yearly bottle design competition where they give a cash grant to artists from the LGBTQ+ people to help them explore their artistic nature and the winner then has their art placed on the bottle.

Mailbag

Finally, it wouldn’t be a podcast without one of your mailbag questions and this week we tackle ‘What is London Dry Gin?!’ Listen in to hear the answer!

If you want to listen in to more of our podcasts just follow this link!

The Best Sipping Rums for Summer

Words by Colin Hampden-White

When most people think of rum, they think generally of rum and a mixer or a cocktail. Rum and cola, or a Pina Colada, or one of my favourites, a Zombie, with all three main styles of rum mixed together over crushed ice with Wood’s 100% proof floated across the top. Not for the faint hearted, but delicious.

There are also brands which are synonymous with rums you can find in a supermarket such as Bacardi, which are very good. Most of these rums tend to be white rums. They are not really designed for sipping. In contrast, many dark rums are also made for mixing. Lamb’s rum comes to mind. My suggestions today are oak aged rums, but not too dark, and are rums I would happily sit down on a summer’s evening, pour over ice and sip.

Suncamino

Sumcamino comes from South Africa and means a journey to the sun, so seemed completely appropriate for this article. It is most definitely a summer rum. It is the world’s first floral rum. Unlike other rums which use all sorts of botanicals, Sumcamino literally uses flowers to flavour the rum. They have used hibiscus, orange blossom and honeybush, which is a flower and not a type of honey. These botanical flowers lift the rum giving complex sweet floral notes as the types of flowers would suggest. This rum makes very good cocktails, but I think it stands out on a hot summer’s day over a little ice in a tumbler. A rum not just for the beach, but rather a country garden.

Size: 500ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £29.95 

Market Row Botanical Rum

Market Row is a rum with five years of aging in ex-bourbon barrels. Being a blend of rums from Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Barbados it is complex and very well balanced. A selection of botanicals is then added when the rum is re-distilled at the Brixton Distillery. The flavours include vanilla and lots of spices like cloves, black pepper, allspice and mace, but there are also floral notes of hibiscus, Turkish delight, and black tea with a background sweetness of caramel. It’s complex, yet easy going with a light touch on the palate. Another good summer sipping rum.

Size: 500ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £29.99

J.G. Thomson Bold Jamaican Rum

When I think of Jamaican rum, I think about the classic funky flavours they deliver. There’s an almost indescribable nose and flavour which is created by leaving the fermentation tanks open so that all sorts of things including wild yeasts can sit on top of the fermenting liquid and fester away. It’s a flavour profile that you’ll either love or hate, but it is very worth buying a bottle to find out if you love it or not because if you do love it, you’ll really love it and be joyous you’ve found it. This rum is pot distilled with maturation in ex-bourbon barrels for three years in the tropics and then more time in barrels in Scotland. With flavours of overripe bananas, acetone and very nearly vegetal, there are also sweet chocolate and caramel flavours to balance everything. It’s a little crazy, and I’m very glad J.G. Thomson went the whole hog and didn’t hold back. Brilliant rum for summer and if you haven’t yet. Find out if you’re a lover or not.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 46%
Find here: £37.50

Admiral Rodney Officers release No.2

This is the second release in the Officer’s Release series. It was distilled in 2009 and finished in ex-Irish whiskey casks, which is a little different. This gives the rum some summer fruit flavours of raspberries, cherries and plumbs as well as spicy flavours of cloves, allspice and a little nutmeg in the background. There is a little sweet chilli too. All these flavours lead to quite a rich rum, especially with the good long aging, but it somehow manages to be delicate and smooth, and perfect for summer. Perhaps a rum to sip later in the evening by a fire pit. It is a little more expensive than others but is certainly still good value in terms of flavour and experience.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 45%
Find here: £69.95 

Havana Club 7

I reckon this is the bargain of the aged rums. Having had seven years of tropical aging in Cuba, it has a lot of flavour and has won loads of awards. This was the first Havana Club expression to be created for sipping rather than being placed in cocktails. Mind you, if you wanted to upgrade a cocktail, then this is a cracker to do it with, especially using it instead of whisky in an Old Fashioned or Manhattan. For me, I’d be quite happy pouring it over a couple of large ice cubes, kicking back and relaxing!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £24.95

Hampden Estate 8 year old

Now it wouldn’t be right for me not to include Hampden in a line-up of rums. This is a rum which although not very dark in colour, has eight years of aging and is full-bodied. There is a decent dollop of that typical Jamaican funk, which is a style the Hampden distillery excels at. There are lots of punchy, estery notes giving fresh mango, and very ripe banana with lots of creamy vanilla and oak spice. With all the esters, this rum does well over ice for a little cooling and dilution. One of my all-time favourites. But I could be biased!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 46%
Find here: £55.69

Decorrum

This is a spiced rum, with loads of flavour - a selection of spices and honey with a little ginger, vanilla cloves and orange peel. The bottle is designed in an art deco style hence the name. But what I really like about this rum is the abv. With all that flavour, the abv is only 37.5% which makes it perfect for summer sipping. Either over ice to let it dilute slowly, or neat, as it isn’t too strong. Either way, it is a great, flavoursome all-rounder.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 37.5%
Find here: £40

Abuelo XII Two Oaks

My last offering is a big rich rum, which for me is a late-night rum sitting out under the stars with a fat cigar. Having been aged in two different types of casks, there is lots of complexity. This has also been aged for over a decade, firstly in ex-bourbon barrels and then finished in heavily charred virgin American oak. This gives a little smokiness in the background. There is also lots of creamy sweetness alongside dried fruits and soft spices. It is sumptuous and satisfying.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £46.95

If you’re more of a rum cocktail fan, then why not have a read of The Best Rum To Elevate Your Cocktails or how about checking out these 7 Rums That Scream Luxury?

The Bring a Bottle Podcast: Episode 85

Another week, another fun-filled podcast to listen to! This week we discover two gorgeous Californian wines from Talbott Vineyard, chat about why playing music to vines is important, taste test a Mastiha spirit distilled from the resin of the Mastic tree, and share with you some must-try canned wines for your summer picnics! 

What’s in our Glass?

We’re not strangers to Talbott Vineyard, in fact, this time last year we were exploring the Sleepy Hollow Chardonnay (Episode 55). In Episode 85, however, we are sipping on Kali Hart Chardonnay from Monterey in California. It is a beautiful wine - not too oaky or tart, it has notes of vanilla and marshmallow on the nose and gentle peach, apricot, pear and vanilla to taste.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14%
Find here: £19 // $19.99 

Not wanting to leave out the other grape California is renowned for; we also sip on Talbott Vineyards Kali Hart Pinot Noir. Named after Rob Talbott’s daughter, this 2018 pinot noir is a delicious glass of strawberries, raspberries, hints of vanilla and a kiss of oak. It is amazing value for a premium Californian wine and would pair perfectly with pasta.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find here: £19.99 // $22.99

Drinks News

Did you ever wonder why some winemakers play music to their grapes? Well, this week we have the answer! Studies have shown that the baseline very subtly causes the wine to move in the barrel which increases its contact with oxygen making for a more complex and tastier wine! Music is also played in some vineyards as apparently there is a certain pitch that stops aphids from attacking the vines!

Drinkers Discovery

This week our drinkers’ discovery is wine in cans! Let’s face it, they used to be very mediocre with a bizarre smell and a sulphury taste, however, this is not the case anymore and in fact, there are so many tasty cans out there these days you are spoilt for choice! Listen in to see which Helena rates!

World Drinks

Have you tried Mastiha spirit?! Well, this week we popped open a bottle of Axia and did just that in the studio. Mastiha spirit is a clear spirit from Greece distilled from the resin of the mastic tree. On the nose, it’s smoky and spicy but in an elegant way that doesn’t jump out of the glass at you. To taste it is very aromatic, with savoury notes. It’s almost herbaceous with a slightly aniseedy flavour, liquorice spice and fennel. We reckon it would make a cracking variation of a Bloody Mary!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £31.95

Mailbag

We love your mailbag questions and this week’s question did not disappoint as you asked us which rosé wine, other than those from Provence you should have in your glass. Listen in to find out what we recommend!

If you liked this you can find this episode as well as previous episodes via this link.

The Bring a Bottle Podcast: Episode 84

Welcome back to another episode of our Bring a Bottle podcast! This week we chat about tasty mixers for your rum, give a shoutout to brand new vodka brand, Vodka 4 Peace, taste test a drink that looks like alcoholic pink chocolate milk in buy it or bin it and Aidy catches up with the wonderful Briget from Étän Rum! Listen in to hear all this and more via the player below!

What’s in our glass?

We’re taste-testing mixers for rum this week and we’ve got our hands back on Franklin and Sons Pineapple and Almond soda*. When you drink this mixer on its own the pineapple really stands out, however, we found that when mixing it with rum there is a real marzipan note to it as the pineapple is toned down and the almond shines through. The mixer itself is a great drink to enjoy if you just fancy a nice drink that isn’t alcoholic but we’re curious to see what it would taste like with mezcal…

Size: 200ml
Find here: £17.50 for 24 bottles

* For our American friends, soda in the UK is flavoured water.

Drinks doing Good

We love to shout out about drinks brands that are doing good and this week we’re putting Vodka 4 Peace in the spotlight. Set up by peace-loving entrepreneurs including Anastasiia Rosinina who was forced to leave Ukraine this year, the brand has been created to help Ukrainians in need and to support humanitarian organisations worldwide. The vodka itself is a premium grain-based vodka, triple-distilled under German quality standards and 100% of all the profits made from sales will go to charities to help until 2026 with £5 from every bottle also being donated.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £29.90

Personal News

Helena has been busy helping Wines of New Zealand with their petition to get a white wine emoji. You can find out more here. Aidy on the other hand has been getting into the art of journaling!

Buy it or Bin it

Buy it or bin it is back and this week we have a drink that looks like alcoholic pink chocolate milk and smells like raspberry blancmange! ‘What is it?!’ we hear you ask… it is in fact, Dead Man’s Fingers Raspberry Rum Cream Liqueur! A definite guilty pleasure, this would taste amazing poured over ice cream, be that vanilla, strawberry or chocolate!

Size: 700ml
ABV: 17%
Find here: £15 

Third Drinker

Aidy catches up with Briget, one of the five fabulous sisters behind rum brand Étän, to discuss where the idea of Étän rum came from, what it tastes like, the BEST street food you can find in Cameroon and the most underrated rum cocktail you need to try. Listen in to find out more and if you want to get your hands on a bottle of Étän rum, here are the details…

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find here: £40

Mailbag

Finally, it wouldn’t be a Bring a Bottle podcast without one of your fantastic mailbag questions. This week you asked ‘What are the differences between light and dark rum?’.

Listen in to all this, and a whole lot more, by clicking on this link!

10 English Wines You Need To Try

With English Wine Week now in full swing, we wanted to shine a light on one of England’s greatest exports: English wine! Gone are the days when English wine was considered to be a joke. Our wines, both still and sparkling, are now being embraced as some of the very best out there. Here are some great bottles from producers that really should be on your radar.

KENT

Springfield Chardonnay, Balfour Winery, 2020 (as seen on talkTV with Helena)

Balfour’s very first barrel-aged Chardonnay, this is a Chardonnay modelled on a white Burgundy, yet keeping that characteristic Kentish freshness. Creamy and with a hint of spice from the new oak barrels, there’s a ton of ripe, orchard fruit notes here, a smoky grapefruit note, a slick of moreish saline and a granny smith apple skin tang.
Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £25
Find here: Balfourwinery.com

SURREY

Broadwoods Folly, Rosé Brut, NV (as seen on talkTV with Helena)

This peppy pink made by the famous Denbies Estate and named after the mock gothic tower overlooking the vineyards, shows that English sparkling wine doesn't have to cost the earth to be good. Crisp and refreshing, this is a sherbety pink with notes of crunchy raspberry and rosehip, a touch of brioche and a quintessentially English lafiness on the finish. Its bright acidity and touch of flintiness would make this a winner with smoked salmon. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £15.99
Find here: Lidl

HAMPSHIRE

Hambledon Classic Cuvée NV (as seen on talkTV with Helena)

Established in 1952 by Major-General Sir Guy Salisbury-Jones, Hambledon is England’s oldest vineyard and can be found nestled in the home of Cricket at Hambledon in Hampshire. Their Classic Cuvée is again, a blend of all three traditional grapes, (56% Chardonnay, 27% Pinot Noir, 17% Pinot Meunier). Grapes are handpicked on the estate and this cuvée uses the 2017 harvest as a base with 20% reserve wines added, giving it the characteristic toasty richness that Hambledon has become famous for. Hambledon also does fantastic tours, tastings and events. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £34.99 (or £23.99 as part of a mixed 6 case)
Find here: Majestic

SUSSEX

Ambriel, English Reserve, Single Vineyard, Demi-Sec, NV (as seen on talkTV with Helena)

People can be sniffy about wines they perceive as sweet and the term ‘demi-sec’, which means ‘semi-sweet’, has been left somewhat in the eighties and early nineties. What’s wonderful about this demi-sec, which is a single estate wine made with 100% Pinot Noir grapes and made in the traditional method, is that when you taste it, you just perceive that extra dash of sweetness simply as fruit and flavour. This extra fruitiness beautifully counters the salt in cheese and is an absolute cracker with wedding cake! 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 11%
Price: £33.95
Find here: Corney and Barrow

others to try

OXFORDSHIRE

Doe Eyed Queen, Single Estate Vintage, English Sparkling, 2017

Where fine wine meets fashion, Doe Eyed Queen came from its founder Amy spending years exploring restaurants across London and realising the significant impact that the aesthetic appearance of a restaurant and its food had on taste. Amy wanted to create a wine that was as sophisticated and unique on the outside as the inside bottle. Made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the 2017 vintage, it’s vegan, organic and sustainably made. Peachy and rich in flavour with notes of red fruit and brioche, it certainly tastes as good as it looks. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £40
Find here: doeeyedqueen.com

HAMPSHIRE

Hattingley Valley, Classic Reserve

Hattingley Valley winery is found in rural Hampshire where the first vines were planted in 2008 and the first wines released in 2013. Made by multiple award-winning female winemaker Emma Rice with 53% Chardonnay, 31% Pinot Noir and 16% Pinot Meunier grapes, the Classic Reserve is Hattingley’s most widely available and most loved wine. A non-vintage sparkler based on the somewhat challenging 2015 vintage, this is the wine that gives you a true flavour of the Hattingley house style: Golden with fine bubbles, elegant notes of brioche, nougat and a touch of oak with a characteristic hedgerow note on the finish.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £30
Find here: Waitrose

Rathfinny Estate Blanc de Noirs 2018

Rathfinny has an enviable position on the sunny, south-facing slopes of England’s South Downs in Alfriston, Sussex. It has quickly made a name for itself as one of England’s finest wine producers. Blanc de Noirs is a sparkling wine made only from black /red grapes which in this case are Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and these wine grapes came from just one single harvest in 2018, which has been dubbed the vintage of the decade. Rathfinny has a style that is rich but precise with a fantastic, lean, mineral character. Seriously elegant and will keep for a while. Rathfinny is another great place for a vineyard picnic too!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £38.95 (or £36.95 when in a case of six) 
Find here: Lea & Sandeman

Wild Rose, Black Chalk, 2018

If a wine style can be described as ‘precise’, then Black Chalk are the masters of it. Made in tiny batches from grapes grown on the chalky soils of Hampshire and using the traditional method, this rosé is at once rich, crisp and pure. Think raspberries and strawberries with elegant effervescence and a brilliant balance of fruit and acidity. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £40
Find here: blackchalkwine.co.uk

KENT

Balfour Brut Rosé 2018

A renowned winery located on the Hush Heath Estate in Kent, the Balfour sparkling brut rosé was the first ever English wine to win a gold medal and the Trophy at the International Wine Challenge. This 2018 vintage wine is only ever made in tiny quantities from a single vineyard and it has a special story. The estate has belonged to the Balfour-Lynn family for three generations, but it was Richard and Leslie’s idea to plant vines at Hush Heath in 2002, with a view to making a pink sparkling wine like their favourite ever Champagne: Billecart Salmon Rosé. Their thinking was “If we can’t sell it, we’ll drink it”. But they did sell it and the rest is history. It’s a great place for lunch and a tasting with a lovely walk around the vines and the apple trees too. 

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £39.99 (£33.99 at time of publishing)
Find here: Waitrose

Balfour Blanc de Noirs 2018

Another stunning sparkling wine from the Hush Heath Estate, this Blanc de Noirs made from the superb 2018 vintage is a prime example of English sparkling wine at its best. It has notes of orange, citrus and pear and gentle notes of red fruits on the finish. Pair this with meaty fish for a match made in heaven!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Price: £40
Find here: www.balfourwinery.com

The Bring a Bottle Podcast: Episode 83

Whether it be the best crisps to pair with your champagne, beer that tastes like chardonnay, stunning mixers for your vodka or £5 wine that tastes decent, we’ve got a little bit of everything for you in Episode 83 of the Bring a Bottle podcast! Listen in now via the player below!

What’s in our glass

We’re making our way through more of Franklin & Sons mixers this week and this time we’re mixing them with vodka. First up we tried the Rhubarb and Hibiscus Tonic with Assaranca Vodka – the result was a creamy well-balanced drink very evocative of childhood memories of rhubarb and custard sweets. The herbal nature of the vodka matched the rhubarb, which is also quite herbal in flavour, really well and the whole drink wasn’t overly sweet due to the slight bitterness from the tonic making for a delicious sip.

Size: 200ml
Find here: £17.50 for 24

The second mixer we tried was the Guava and Lime soda. The guava came through first, more on the nose than the palate, and then the lime came racing in the back making for a very refreshing drink. This mixer would also pair beautifully well with a white rum such as Equiano white.

Size: 200ml
Find here: £17.50 for 24

Assaranca Vodka

Size: 500ml
ABV: 41%
Find here: £26.99

Drinks News

This week it’s all about Champagne and what to pair it with. Some say caviar works best, many say fish and chips are the way to go but Champagne Laurent Perrier have created the perfect bag of crisps to pair with their Champagne! This bag of crisps, aptly named ‘Chip Shop Scraps and Fries’ is a playful take on fish and chips and contains scraps of batter, thin-cut fries and crunchy peas seasoned with salt and malt vinegar! You can pick a pack up from Sainsbury’s for £1.75 and if you want the champagne to match you’ll only have to fork out an extra 24x the price of your crisps ;)

Bryan Rodriquez

We are joined in the studio by the wonderful Bryan Rodriguez, wine and spirits buyer for Harvey Nichols. He tells us all about his upcoming wedding, what it’s like to be the wine and spirits buyer for Harvey Nichols and shares a few drinker’s discoveries you’re going to want to try!

Drinkers Discovery

We are treated to a Drinker’s Discovery this week as Bryan has brought a bottle of Boom Beer into the studio all the way from Belgium! This particular beer, VAT31, is a lambic style sour beer. It was brewed in 2015 before being naturally fermented in big old barrels which have been around for over 100 years before finally being bottled in 2020! The beer itself will last until 2040 and will age like fine wine. To look at, it is cloudy and orangey, it smells like beer but has a California chardonnay note to it and a lot of light woody influence from all its time in the barrel. It’s creamy to taste and not gassy at all and would work wonderfully with sushi, fish and chips and roast chicken. This would be a great way to get wine drinkers into beer although it is very hard to get your hands on in the UK. For those looking for something easier to find, Burning sky is a UK-based sour beer producer well worth looking into.

Bang for Buck

You can’t beat a bargain and Helena has found a corker! Tesco has a new range of £5 wines that are produced fairly and taste great for their price point! You can find out more here.

This next one is not a cheap bargain; however, it is still a big bargain. Harvey Nichols Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is actually made using the same grapes that are de-classified from Insignia, Joseph Phelps's world renowned 3-figure iconic wine. Considering a bottle of Insignia retails at nearly 10 times the price of this bottle, it is an absolute steal and it will age beautifully for another 10+ years.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find here: £35

If you like the sound of this and want to hear more, make sure to listen in today and to read more of Bryan’s recommendations, click here!

10 Top Drinks Discoveries for the Summer with Bryan Rodriguez

Words by Bryan Rodriguez (Wine & Spirit Buyer at Harvey Nichols)

Bryan recently joined us for Episode 83 of our Bring a Bottle Podcast where he shared a number of fantastic products with us, so naturally, when asked if we would like to hear more we jumped at the chance to bring more drinky news your way. Here’s what he had to say…

As a Wine & Spirit Buyer, I am always discovering new and exciting beverages, as well as re-tasting and going back to old favourites that provide consistency and comfort. When asked, I always have a wine or spirit recommendation to offer, whether for a specific occasion or the appropriate vessel to drink from.

In this line up, I offer my suggestions based on topics discussed during my appearance on the Bring a Bottle Podcast with Aidy and Helena.

When recording the podcast, I brought a bottle of the wonderful Lambic Geuze beer with me, all the way from the brilliant Boon Brewery based in Lembeek near Brussels, Belgium. The beer really caught both Aidy and Helena’s attention. The beer is known as the Vat 31, it’s difficult to find commercially so below I recommend two of their more widely available styles. 

Rum was also discussed and for me, the Daiquiri is the ultimate rum cocktail. As an avid lover of rum, I am always testing out different rums in a daiquiri. Every bartender has their own recipe and version. This is my personal recipe I use at home…

Ingredients
60ml White or Gold Rum
25ml Velvet Falernum
25ml Fresh Lime juice
2 to 3 dashes of Angostura Orange Bitters
Method
Shake over ice and pour into a frozen glass 

Of course, depending on the rum used, measurements might need to be adjusted but the above should offer a good starting point.

I recommended a brilliant Harvey Nichols Own Label red wine from Napa Valley. Along with this, I offer my personal favourite white and sparkling from our Own Label range. A perfect dinner party trio that will match up against a wide variety of foods and will certainly be crowd pleasers.

Finally, as an extra addition, I offer what I describe as “essentials” – two of the products used in the Daiquiri recipe, as well as specific glassware that works with the drinks recommended, as well as a whole host of other cocktails and beverages. I always like to recommend different glassware according to the drink being consumed. I find it can elevate the drinking experience, especially for wine, with grape and region-specific glassware being released by the likes of Riedel. Plus, I always find that elegant glassware can enhance your online and social imagery of bottles, drinks, and cocktails in the same way a beautiful piece of jewellery can enhance a fashion shoot.

BEER

Boon Geuze Marriage Parfait

One of the finest beers in the world full stop. The Boon Geuze Marriage Parfait is an unfiltered Lambic sour beer made in Belgium at the Boon Brewery. The beer itself is a 3-year-old Lambic, aged in large oak barrels known as Foeders. Boon uses Foeders built between 1883 and 1914 so the beer you’re drinking may have been ageing in wood over 100 years old. The unique addition to the beer that gives it its sourness, character and complexity are the wild yeasts and bacteria from the brewery which descend on the beer during the wild fermentation. This includes microflora of previous generations of wild yeast remaining on the wood. This all results in a wine like beer. A beautiful gold colour with rich ginger, grapefruit and bergamot citrus aromas along with gentle vanilla, sweet cooking spices and oakiness reminding you of both light styles of Scotch whisky and buttery chardonnay. Enjoy chilled now and in decades to come as this beer can outage fine wine. Just have a look at the best before dates on the back label. It will only get better with time and ageing, preferably in a cool and dark place. Gives this a try with fish and chips. The acidity will cut through that batter leaving your palate ready and refreshed for the next bite. Serve in a wine glass or tulip shaped beer glass.

Size: 375ml
ABV: 8%
Find Here: UK £6.00

Boon Kriek Cherry Lambic

There are fruit beers and then there’s the Boon Kriek. It stands on its own, heads and shoulders above the rest. The beer is made using 250 grams of fresh cherries per litre fermented naturally with young lambic beer before being blended with older lambic beers for added complexity and left to mature in barrels. It is bottled unpasteurised for a fuller bodied mouthfeel and texture. This should definitely be on every beer or drink lover’s list of drinks to try. It has an aroma of wonderful, deep, marzipan like cherries, kirsch, vanilla oakiness and acidity that keeps your palate feeling fresh and vibrant. It’s perfect as an aperitivo but also works with dessert alongside a dark, rich chocolate mousse. The vintage date on the beer represents the year the cherries were picked. Serve in a wine glass or in a tulip shaped beer glass.

Size: 375ml
ABV: 4%
Find Here: UK £4.60

RUM 

Plantation 3 Stars White

The Plantation 3 Stars White is difficult to beat when it comes to value for money. This is a seriously good rum which is appreciated by both industry professionals as well as the home consumer. The rum is made using distillates of various ages from Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad with distillation taking place in a mix of Column and Pot stills. After blending, the colour is then removed via filtration through carbon resulting in a slight yellow hue. A textbook white rum made for use in a daiquiri but try sipping it neat out of the freezer or give it a go in a mojito. The slightly fuller bodied nature of the rum will add to the weight and texture of the drink.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 41.2%
Find Here: UK £26.00

Equiano Light Rum

At Harvey Nichols, we declared the original Equiano release as “Probably the most important and critically acclaimed inaugural release from any rum company ever.” We still hold to that belief, and I feel the Light Rum is a perfect continuation of their journey. It is a blend of two distilleries. Firstly, it uses molasses based 3-year-old ex-Bourbon barrel matured distillates from the Legendary Foursquare Distillery which adds weight, power and robustness. Secondly, it uses unaged sugarcane juice-based distillates from the Gray’s Distillery in Mauritius which impart some grassy, vegetal, and citrus notes. Both distillates are blended at the Foursquare distillery by master blender Richard Seale and result in a beautiful, balanced, and delicious rum. The company is female led and has Global Rum Ambassador, Ian Burrell as a co-founder. The rum itself is named after Olaudah Equiano (Born c.1745, Died 1797), a Nigerian slave turned writer, public speaker, and anti-slavery activist. Donations from the rum go towards quality projects and ending modern day slavery around the world. All this said, the rum is beautiful to drink, elegant with a real mix of complex flavours that work perfectly sipped neat or in a Piña Colada using fresh pineapple.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 43%
Find Here: UK £44.00

Doorly’s XO

Have you ever tried a Daiquiri with dark, aged rum? If the answer is no, now is as good a time as ever. My first was at OXO Tower Bar in a cocktail named The Gayle Seale, a daiquiri recipe created by Global Rum Ambassador Ian Burrell in honour of Gayle Seale, the Foursquare Distillery Global Brand Ambassador and wife of Master Distiller/Blender Richard Seale. If you want the exact recipe, it is…

Ingredients
50ml Doorly’s XO
25ml Fresh Lime Juice
15ml Taylors Velvet Falernum
5ml Simple syrup
3 Dashes of Angostura Bitters
Method
Shake over ice and pour into chilled glass.

Aged rum adds a complexity and flavour to a cocktail like the daiquiri that sends it in a different direction. It adds to its texture and gives it a certain morishness, especially the Doorly’s XO which sees maturation in Oloroso Sherry cask. Talking of the Doorly’s XO, I picked this rum as it’s a consistent, affordable, and outstanding rum made at the Foursquare Distillery in Barbados. It is bottled un-coloured and un-sweetened resulting in a rich, wonderful, moreish rum that sips beautifully neat or can be used in a Corn N’ Oil, Mai Tai or simply mixed with Ginger Beer for those days when you want a break from a Daiquiri.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 40%
Find Here: UK £43.50

OWN-LABEL WINES

Harvey Nichols Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Imagine finding a fully blown, full bodied, powerful Napa Cab made by a producer like Joseph Phelps that doesn’t cost the world? Well, here it is! A wine we are very proud of and one I always like to show off. The wine is a blend of 92% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Malbec. Some of the grapes used in the blend are de-classified from Insignia, Joseph Phelps flagship, 3 figure iconic wine. It sees 14 months of maturation in a mix of used American and French oak. Open and decant for a few hours to reveal a polished, decadent Cab Sav with wood polish, cedar wood, crème de cassis, graphite, and sweet cooking spices. Perfect alongside a fillet of beef, roasted lamb or with robust, earthy vegetable dishes. It comes with some bottle age on it but will age for another 10 years+ so a perfect wine to buy and put away.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 14.5%
Find Here: UK £35.00

Harvey Nichols Aconcagua Chardonnay 2019

Probably my favourite of the Own Label white wines. This particular Chardonnay is produced by the excellent Chilean winery, Errazuriz Estate from vineyards in the cool climate Aconcagua region, roughly 100km north of Chile’s capital Santiago. Errazuriz makes South America’s best examples of Chardonnay, some of which could easily compete and beat the Burgundians best, but at much lower price points. This Chardonnay is made from hand picked grapes and matured for 10 months on its lees in French oak barrels. 20% of those barrels are brand new. The result is an elegant, creamy, citrus, and tropical fruit lead white with perfectly balanced, vibrant acidity and a whisper of smoke from the barrel. Big complexity levels but not so much that you can’t just simply enjoy a glass in front of the TV or outside in the sun. Perfect with grilled fish, white meats, steak tartare or on its own, chilled in a big round wine glass.

Size: 750ml
ABV: 13.5%
Find Here: UK £15.95

HN Premier Cru Brut Champagne NV

My personal favourite style of wine is Champagne, so I feel it is appropriate to add the Harvey Nichols NV Brut Champagne to the list. I absolutely love this wine. It shows the essences of what a good, solid non-vintage champagne should be like year after year. Consistency is key with own label products, and this is the perfect example of that. Made from a blend consisting mainly of Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir from Premier Cru sites by Champagne Lombard & Medot who are based in Epernay. Made in the traditional style, this is a vegan friendly, comforting Brut style champagne that drinks perfectly on its own or will match any starter and light bite. It can also be used in a variety of cocktails such as the Classic Champagne cocktail. Imagine lightly toasted brioche, macadamia, yellow and stone fruits with refreshing acidity. Perfect!

Size: 750ml
ABV: 12%
Find Here: UK £32.50

ESSENTIALS

Angostura Orange Bitters

Bitters can help to elevate a cocktail and add complexity to it. Most people will recognise the standard Angostura Bitters with its yellow cap and oversized label usually used in an Old Fashioned. I always tend to recommend the orange variant of this brand as it’s slightly softer, lower in ABV and has a pronounced bitter orange and sweet spice woody aroma. I use it in just about everything from Daiquiris to Gimlets, G&T’s and even Martinis. You can also use it in food too. Just a few drops can make a big difference!

Size: 100ml
ABV: 28%
Find Here: UK £10.00

John D. Taylor's Velvet Falernum

Falernum is tropical based syrup usually containing a mix of lime, ginger, almond and can also include clove, nutmeg, and other sweet spices. You can find it in both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions. The John D. Taylors Falernum is an 11% abv Falernum made in Barbados. The alcohol helps to preserve the syrup making it last longer while adding to the flavour and texture of the liquid. I enjoy using this as an alternative to sugar syrup as it can add interesting notes to a sweetened cocktail. Next time you try a Gimlet, try the Falernum instead of simple sugar syrup for a tropical take on the classic cocktail. I recommend keeping this in the fridge.

Size: 700ml
ABV: 11%
Find Here: UK £18.00

Riedel Nick & Nora Glasses

The right glass can heighten the experience of the drink you are enjoying. Brands such as Riedel make glassware specific to the grape, spirit and even cocktail being consumed. With varying price points, there is an option for everybody and every pocket. The Nick & Nora glass was made famous by the 1934 movie “The Thin Man”. The design is a curved lip on a small bowl. It directs the alcohol to the mid-palate, allowing the aromas to travel directly to the retronasal olfaction, (the back part of your nose that allows you to “taste” flavour). Short and elegant, these will fit nicely in a freezer ready for a Martini, Daiquiri, Gimlet, Manhattan, or any shaken or stirred cocktail.

Size: Set of 2 Glasses
Find Here: £29.00

Riedel Overture Beer Glasses

As I mentioned a few beers earlier on, I thought I would add a beer glass recommendation that works with any beer type including the Lambic beers. I love these tulip shaped glasses. When full of delicious, crisp lager or hoppy IPA, deep, dark Stout or Sour Geuze, there’s something immediately pleasurable from holding these up, taking a sip and enjoying that perfect beer. The shape helps to maintain aroma, temperature as well as the head of the beer.

Size: Set of 2 Glasses
Find Here: £28.00

Riedel Performance Tasting Set Wine Glasses

The Riedel Performance glass is a very attractive, elegant glass that I personally use daily. The glass has an optical effect on the inside of the lip which increases the inner surface allowing the wine to open even more. It also adds to its attractive appearance. This set comes with (from Left to Right), 1x Sauvignon Blanc Glass, 1x Chardonnay Glass, 1x Pinot Noir Glass, 1x Cabernet Sauvignon Glass. Each glass can be used for different styles making this set very versatile and keeping in mind the three Harvey Nichols Own Label Wines recommended earlier, this set goes perfectly with them. The Sauvignon Blanc glass can be used for sparkling wine and champagne. The Chardonnay glass could be used for oaked-Sauvignon Blanc or even Junmai Sake. I use this for Blanc de Blancs Champagne too. The Pinot Noir glass can be used for Nebbiolo, Gamay or softer and lighter red styles, I also use it for Blanc de Noirs Champagne. The Cabernet Sauvignon glass can be used for Merlots, Malbecs, Cab Francs or any big, hefty red wines. With a set like this, you are pretty much covered!

Size: Set of 4 Glasses
Find Here: UK 110.00

If you’d like to hear more from Bryan, make sure to listen to Episode 83 of the Bring a Bottle Podcast!