Syrah / Shiraz – I’m getting . . . . . . .

A fine example of New World Shiraz from Kangarilla Road in the McLaren Vale

Following on from our recent post exploring the wonders of Sauvignon Blanc, today we turn our attention to one of my personal favourites. Yep, its Syrah / Shiraz.

Here are some aromas and flavours to look out for

• Blackberry
• Black Cherry
• Raspberry
• Blackcurrant
• Redcurrant
• Black Pepper
• Spice
• Mulberry
• Blueberry
• Bramble Fruits
• Plum
• Jammy
• Mint
• Aniseed
• Liquorice
• Meaty
• Earthy
• Chocolate
• Leather
• Coffee
• Tar
• Violets
• Tobacco
• Prunes
• Fruits of the Forest

What am I missing ? Why not add in your own aromas and flavours in the comments section below.

If you fancy trying a delicious example, you could start here

You Little Beauty

Beverley, Fleur and Emma

What a cracking week last week. The highlight though was a wonderful Little Beauty Wine Evening in Latitude 51 in Cork’s city centre. Over thirty wine lovers assembled in the beautiful tasting room upstairs and were treated to a wonderful talk and tasting by Fleur McCree, owner of Little Beauty. More than two hours of stories and talking about the five delicious limited edition wines (Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Noir) on show that evening. Fleur and the crowd were in flying form and it was great fun. And very educational too !

One of the guests, Cork’s own Billy Lyons was kind enough to write a lovely piece on his site. Thanks Billy ! Here’s the link

A huge thanks to Fleur for coming over. In addition to a wonderful tasting, we also had a great series of meetings with customers in the Cork area. Thanks to Beverley and Emma for being such wonderful hosts. Their beautiful wine bar is a must visit. Do yourself a favour and call in for a glass of wine, a craft beer, some delicious food and / or some gourmet coffee/ tea.

Photo used with thanks to Billy Lyons 

L’Atitude 51 “Meet the Winemaker” Evening with Little Beauty from New Zealand

Its an honour for Wine Alliance to be part of L’Atitude 51′s first event in their “Meet the Winemaker” series

Fleur McCree, owner of Little Beauty of Marlborough, New Zealand will present a flight of five of her limited edition wines in a guided tasting in the newly opened L’Atitude 51 Wine Workshop (on the first floor) of . . . .

L’Atitude 51.

1 Union Quay,

Cork City 

021 2390219

Thursday February 9th From 7.00pm – 9.00pm

Entrance Fee is just €12 and places are very limited.

The line up includes a tasting of  . . . . .

• Little Beauty Sauvignon Blanc
• Little Beauty Riesling
• Little Beauty Pinot Gris
• Little Beauty Gewurztraminer
• Little Beauty Pinot Noir

Canapés & Snacks will also be served on the evening

Fleur will walk us through the New Zealand wine landscape and will then focus on her beloved Marlborough and her privately owned vineyard. If you want to read up on Little Beauty, check out their website here

L’Atitude 51 is the perfect location for a tasting. Centrally located in in the heart of Cork’s city centre, the owners Beverley Mathews and Emmanuelle Legrand offer a beautiful selection of wines (including a big selection by the glass), craft beers and gourmet coffee and tea. They also offer a delicious selection of homecooked food in a lovely relaxing setting on the banks of the lovely Lee across the road from Cork’s City Hall.

So why not come along and sample each of these beautiful limited edition wines for yourself

Thursday February 9th From 7.00pm – 9.00pm

To book a place, call L’Atitude 51 on 021 2390219

Best Wine Apps – Approach Guides Wine App

In the first in a series on wine apps I like to use, here is the wonderful Approach Guides Wine App for iPhone and IPad

I asked Jennifer Raezer of AG Wine about what they set out to achieve with this app

We set out to create something different — to give consumers everything they need to make an informed decision when faced with any wine list or in a wine store. Depending on how the wines are organized, you can start by choosing a region to focus on or simply search for the grape or appellation for a quick review, to see a map, or to check vintages. To make your choice easy, we use our logo to highlight regions, grapes, and appellations that typically deliver great wines at great prices (regardless of markup!). In addition, if a user wants to go more in depth (our average user spends 25+ minutes per session), our app provides a wealth of information about what makes wines from a specific region, grape variety, or appellation, unique and special.

But our app isn’t just for consumers. Many restaurants, bars, and wine shops recommend the Approach Guides Wine app to both their customers and staff. Even wine professionals will use it to refresh their memory on some of the more obscure grapes and appellations.

I find it to be an excellent app. Its packed full of useful information especially in relation to grape varieties, regions and vintage information. It looks great and is fun and easy to use. Its great value for money. Available for iPhone and IPad, its well worth checking out.

Sauvignon Blanc – I’m getting . . . . . . .

I do a lot of tastings with my customers. I love doing them as it gives me an opportunity to meet with the people who part with their hard earned cash on one of my wines. One of the most regular comments people make is that they struggle to identify and/or describe the aromas and flavours that they are getting in the glass. So I’ve put together a list of some of the aromas and flavours (in no particular order) to look out for the next time you are wondering “whats that I’m getting ?”

Sauvignon Blanc (Old World & New World styles)

• Green apple
• Citrus
• Grapefruit
• Kiwi
• Nettles
• Cut Grass
• Celery
• Gooseberry
• Passionfruit
• Mango
• Tropical Fruit
• Mineral
• Flinty
• Green peppers
• Lime
• White peach
• Nectarine
• Melon
• Cats Pee (please dont ever use this one !)
• Asparagus
• Pea Pod
• Green Bean
• Vegetal

This is by no means the full and final list. Why not add your own aromas and flavours by leaving a comment below.

If you fancy trying a lovely example of Sauvignon Blanc, check out our delicious Little Beauty Sauvignon Blanc

Working with great people

I get to work with some really great people

A ten minute period today summed it up for me including a friend, a customer and a supplier.

I was in a planning meeting with a friend of mine. He is a great man for giving a fresh perspective on my business. It is always great to get someone to look at the business from the outside as you can get some great insights and ideas.

I got a text message from a great customer of mine. In it he said that he had left a cheque for me to collect and also placed an order. Yes, an order. In January ! Cool

No sooner had I put down the phone when an email arrived. In it, one of my wine suppliers was letting me know that they had performed a minor miracle and turned around an order in record time. The wine will arrive a full two weeks ahead of schedule. Class !

And back to the planning. Some great stuff came out of it. Lots of great ideas of how to continue too improve the way we do things here in Wine Alliance

Working with great people is cool.

Worth acknowledging I think.

January – a month to plan

Ahhh January. Always a funny month in the wine trade. Funny as in strange.

After the hectic few weeks leading up to Christmas with no days off and lots of early mornings and late nights clocked up, January arrives and wine importers do their best to avoid the ‘tumbleweed’ scenario. Its the calm after the storm as people embark on new fitness plans and go off the “cursed drink”. Well, at least till the first bad day at work

Strangely enough though, it results in a different kind of busy, especially for the small wine importer. I always find myself flat out for January and February as its this time of the year when I get myself ready for the months ahead. There’s the end of year accounts to get completed (thankfully I’m nearly there !). Most of all, its a time to be creative and plan the strategy for 2012 and beyond. So while sales will tip along this month and next (thankfully a good start already this month for Wine Alliance – thank you my wonderful and loyal customers !), the next few weeks are about thinking outside the box as the experts say and getting the company in fine shape for when the season really kicks off again.

So I have a whole range of good stuff to work on in the coming weeks

• I’m speaking with and meeting existing and new wineries (Italy and France are new countries on the radar)
• Working on new wines for the season and tasting new vintages (some lovely new stuff coming up from existing wineries and some new wineries as well)
• Negotiating prices for the year in order to continue to bring wines to the market that way over-deliver on their price point
• Lots of new marketing materials being worked on
• Plenty social media activity
• A huge amount of time will be spent meeting potential new customers around the country. Customers take a fresh look at their portfolio so I’ll be meeting customers and sampling wines a lot over the coming weeks
• And lots more !

Right, I’d better get back to it then !

Happy New Year Everyone

Well a New Year is nearly here. I’ll be travelling over the coming days so I just wanted to wish you all a very Happy New Year

There is some very exciting stuff planned for Wine Alliance in the coming weeks and months and I look forward to building on the success of 2011. I have new wines in the pipeline from Portugal, Spain, New Zealand, Australia, France and Italy and one or two other surprises too !

As always, many thanks for all your support and I look forward to working with you all in 2012 and beyond !

Maurice

Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year

Wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas and all the best for 2012

Thanks to all my retail customers, their customers, my wonderful wineries and everyone who helped, encouraged and supported Wine Alliance this year.

Sincere thanks and enjoy the holidays

Maurice

My Christmas Day Wines

Its been a bit of a blur the last few weeks travelling the country doing wine tastings and visiting my customers. Its into the home straight now as I sort the last minute orders.

A question that popped up more than once in the last fews days was . . . . . .  What are you having to drink on Christmas Day ?

Well, I dont go too crazy over Christmas. I tend to get a selection over the year rather than rushing out to get stuff in the week or two leading up to the festivities. So here is what my family and I will be having on Christmas Day

Starters : Hure Frere Brut Vintage Champagne 2004

A lovely growers champagne made by a family based in Ludes near Eperney. We visit them most years as they dont export a whole lot. A lovely champagne to go with the smoked salmon and crab claws (with side salad and home made brown bread.)

Main Course : Little Beauty Pinot Noir 2009

One from my own stable. One of the nicest pinot noirs I have ever tasted. Its also the last bottle as I completely sold out of this delicious wine. A bigger allocation next year thankfully. Just glad I had the good sense to put one bottle aside for myself !

Main Course : Two Paddocks Pinot Noir 2009

I was recently introduced to this delicious pinot noir from Central Otago. Apart from being fabulous to drink (as is their entry level pinot called Picnic and the Picnic riesling aswell !) the winery is owned by legendary actor Sam Neill.

The above will go very nicely thank you with the traditional roast turkey and ham and all the trimmings.

Dessert : Grahams 20 Year Old Tawny Port

To conclude, we’ll be having a glass (or two) of this delicious port with a homemade chocolate dessert made by La Regina (aka My Real Boss !) and a selection of cheeses from Mannings of Ballylickey (thanks Val !)

I’m getting hungry just thinking about it

Yum !