"Palacio Fefiñanes is a veritable institution, for not only was it the first winery to bottle Albariño way back in 1928, but it is a remnant of one of Spain's oldest marquisates." Read more here...

Award winning wine writer and critic Michael Cooper has recently scored the range of wine produced by Guy Porter at Bellbird Springs. Read more here...

"Hold the front page! We’ve taken on a Champagne. Yes, Champagne, from France. Yes, France. Once you’ve picked yourself off the floor, have a taste of it. Maurice Vessselle is a grower from Bouzy (a village name much beloved by British consumers) who makes artisanal wines from his own Grand Cru vineyards. The wines have character. Grand Cru Cuvée Réservée Brut is a powerful, fresh wine full of crunchy confit fruit, very bright and full flavoured, with plenty of rich Pinot notes. The Rosé is succulent and fresh and would be terrific with food – imagine a glass of this with a first course." Michael Palij MW

Musician Sting and film producer wife bought the Il Palagio estate in Tuscany in 1999 and retained the winemaking team. Today there exists a range of 6 wines, each with a reference to one of Sting's songs. Sting and Trudie gave a small tasting for a select few on Monday 10th April. Customer Service Manager Lee Isaacs said: "I originally suspected this was just another case of some celebrity or other endorsing a wine about which they knew nothing. I was delighted to discover their genuine interest and passion for the wines, the estate and the principles of organic and biodynamics."

A full report on the event by The Drinks Business can be found here...

Come along to Museum of London EC2 on 19th January 2015 to try our full range of exciting wines.

For more details go to Facebook.com/Winetraders

Yet another reason to visit Bodegas del Palacio de Fefiñanes, one of the oldest and most prestigious wineries of the Rias Baixas DO - click here to see the full article.

La Monacesca's Verdicchio 2012 has been featured in the Drinks Business Magazine's "Top 10 Wines in the UK Press" feature.

The magazine highlighted comments by leading wine critic Matthew Jukes, writing in the Daily Mail,  describing the wine as having "the finesse of a Premier Cru Chablis for half the price". He also enthused that the wine was "a little richer and more structured than many Verdicchios, this is a beautiful, greengage and honeysuckle-scented white with a lovely texture and oodles of class". 

See the feature here http://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2014/04/top-10-wines-in-the-uk-press-62/4/ 

We are thrilled to announce that nine of the estates we represent have been recognised for their outstanding quality in this year’s 'Vini d’Italia’ publication, which saw over sixty experts taste a record 45,000 wines from across Italy. The results are always eagerly anticipated with wines rated by ‘glasses’, from one to three.  Those with three are awarded the famous ‘Tre Bicchieri’ accolade.

The following wines have been awarded ‘Tre Bicchieri’ :

Barolo Monprivato ’08 - Giuseppe Mascarello e Figlio

Dogliani Sup. Bricco Botti ’10 - Pecchenino

Montecitorio ’11 - Vigneti Massa

Rossese di Dolceacqua ’12 - Terre Bianche

Colli Berici Carmenère Oratorio di San Lorenzo Ris. ’09  - Inama

Verdicchio di Matelica Mirum Ris. ’11  - La Monacesca

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Colline Teramane Neromoro Ris. ’09  - Bruno Nicodemi

Taurasi Fatica Contadina ’08  - Terredora

Moscato Passito ’12  - Luigi Viola

Please contact us if you would like further information on any of these wines or producers.

Following on from the recent tasting notes we highlighted from Julia Harding, yet again Guy’s wines receive more praise. We’re sure that you will share our excitement that the following excellent reviews have come in from New Zealand wine writer and wine show judge Sam Kim of Wine Orbit (www.wineorbit.co.nz). Pruner's Reward Pinot Noir is highly rated at 4/5 and River Terrace Pinot Noir 2011 receives a top mark of 5/5!

Please contact us to secure yours without delay. River Terrace is available to ship on request.

The Pruner's Reward Pinot Noir 2011, Waipara Valley   90/100  4.5/5

It's superbly ripe and complex on the nose displaying dark cherry, game, spice and subtle savoury mushroom characters. The palate is equally engaging with succulent mouthfeel and silky texture, leading to a lingering smooth finish. The wine shows lovely fruit richness together with elegant complexity. At its best: now to 2015. 14.5%. Screw cap. www.bellbirdspring.co.nz. Aug 2013.

Bellbird Spring River Terrace Pinot Noir 2011, Waipara Valley   93/100  5/5

From the Glasnevin gravel vineyards, this stylish pinot shows wonderful aromas of red/black cherry, plum, game and elegantly infused nutty oak characters. The palate is ripe, rounded and beautifully weighted with velvety texture leading to a sumptuous finish. Lovely balance and poise. At its best: now to 2018. 14.5%. Natural cork. www.bellbirdspring.co.nz. Aug 2013.

Julia Harding visited the Bellbird Spring estate last year (2012) and her very favourable reviews of the wines have now been released on Jancis Robinson.com:

Bellbird Spring Block Eight Pinot Gris Waipara 2011  Score 17.5 Reviewer JH

Spicy and a touch savoury but not very expressive at the moment. Tastes drier than the numbers suggest. Stone fruit peachiness but the ripeness and spice dominate. Again it is very powerful, honeyed already. Really mouthfilling. Rich but balanced.

Bellbird Spring Dry Pinot Gris Waipara 2011  Score 17 Reviewer   JH

Ripe and spicy on the nose. Very rich and rounded and full in the mouth. So much more PG character than in most NZ PGs. Rich and dense but not heavy. Balanced acidity. Very very long. Complex already and finishes with a classic savoury (Alsace-like) spice. Great fruit density and a fine grip. Certainly one of the best PGs I have tasted in New Zealand. Bit of heat on the finish.

Bellbird Spring, Block Eight Sauvignon Blanc 2011 Waipara Score17 Reviewer JH

Very ripe fruit on the nose, very vibrant. Then really crisp and tight and intense on the palate. Tastes pretty dry though there's a fullness on the palate from all that ripe fruit and from the use of old oak. Rich and long and pretty powerful. (JH)

Bellbird Spring, Home Block White 2009 Waipara Score 17 Reviewer JH

Complex, intense and honeyed aromatic nose. Honeyed apricots. Grapey on the palate. The Gewurz has become more subdued with time in the bottle but there is still a floral and spicy component on the mid palate. Again very full and dense and rich. Some spice. (JH)