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Whirly wine Thursday tasting 16th June 2016 and Fathers day wines….

Good Afternoon this showery Tuesday Afternoon.

Last weeks tasting went down was very well received so I am keen to keep the weekly Thursday Whirly tasting going every week throughout the summer and get more people involved.

Below are details of this weeks wine tasting, please  double click on the flyer to see full details of the wines we are tasting this Thursday.

I am very excited that the new wines from Alain Normand, that arrived today from Macon will be showcased this week. These wines are very much his heart and soul wines: he has nurtured these small plots of land on the hills and gullies surrounding the hamlet of “La Roche Vineuse” for many decades and they really do show off his skilled winemaking and quality of fruit that his vines produce, oh so beautifully. Macon is the “workhorse” of Burgundy and therefore it does not get the credit it deserves. But in terms of quality and price Macon offers something that its more illustrious and famous appellations just north of here cannot come close to competing with. His red is a Gamay ( being so close to Beaujolais he is able to grow this grape) and I shall be serving this fruit driven, summer wine slightly chilled this week.  It rocks let me tell you! His White is the staple white grape of Burgundy however, Chardonnay, but unlike most wines from Burgundy its not oaked and therefore very fresh and easy to drink.

Please book in advance by calling me on 0208 672 2572 from the hours of 11 a to 7pm over the next few days and I shall book you in for this weeks Whirly Thursday tasting, which promises to be fun and also informative!

Don’t forget its fathers day this weekend!

I also have some lovely wines for mixed half cases and full cases of wines, or indeed and single bottles, so please come in and talk to me soon to discuss what your partner and indeed you both might like to share over lunch on Sunday! In this week are some really special wines from all over France (  Cote de Gascogne,  Cote de Bordeaux,  Cote de Duras, Macon and Champagne) so there will be a lovely choice of 10 new wines to chooses from as well as over 130 wines already in the shop, hand picked and tasted by Mr Whirly for you to enjoy! See you soon!

 

Mr Whirly

 

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Ritherdon road street fair, Thursday wines tastings and New wines arrivals over the next few weeks including 4 lovely summer rose’s and a handful of fresh, elegant whites…..

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The Ritherdon road street fair proved a great success for all the shop holders on Sunday 22nd May. It was fabulous to see it so well attended; apparently about 4,000 people turned up to see the street in its prime with the bunting flowing from shop to stall to shop, what a colourful and exciting sight it was. Above is a shot of the Whirly wine shop with the new Aperitif bar ( serving 14 wines by the glass chosen from Mr Whirly’s carefully sourced list of 140 wines that he imports) and the even newer Ice cream stand in full flow! ( serving top quality Gelato and Sorbetto: salted caramel, Lemon, Vanilla, Raspberry, Mango and Chocolate at the moment). Do pop down soon, the little ones can have an ice cream whilst the adults have a little glass of rose in the sun! ( more photos will be added soon).

Talking of rose, some new wines arrive soon including a lovely rose from Chateau D’Azur in Bandol, to me the epitomy of Provence rose ( google  Domaine Tempier and you will gist of what I am hinting at here) and also slightly further north in Provence the beautifully rounded and soft ” Harmonie 2014″ from Chateau de Majouliere near Villecroze which is one of the most beautifully rounded and soft Provence reds I have ever tasted ( Grenache and Syrah) and a vineyard I discovered on my travels in the south of France over 10 weeks in the summer of 2011. Also new in soon are some really lovely summer wines from “Domaine Tariquet” in the Gascogne that will be wines that hit that vital £8-10 mark in the shop. A lovely summer strawberry rose, a Vermentino and Colambard white which is a delightfully easy drinking wine for the Aperitif bar this summer; also some lovely un-oaked Chardonnay and a Reserve white that has been oaked a little. Top value wines and wonderful quality at the same time which fits in what I am trying to achieve at Whirly wines.  Also in are two more rose’s from Molhiere in Cote de Duras ( to go with the existing wines here in the shop, their very dependable Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot-Cab Franc red.  Chateau Pierrail in Cote de Bordeaux will also soon be showcasing their new 2015 rose as well as their unique and popular Sauvignon Blanc and Gris 2015 and some easy drinking, soft tannin Bordeaux reds, new wines for the list here in the shop. Lastly, from Macon ( yes some Burgundy for the shop shelves!) and the very talented winemaker Alain Normand in La Roche Vineuse, I have four new wines: his La Roche Vineuse red and white which are wines he has built his reputation on and are very much his pride and joy ( Chilled Gamay for the summer and some clean fresh Chardonnay, un-oaked)  as well as some Pouilly Fuisse 2014 and some ” Roc de Solutre” Pouilly Fuisse 2012 ( did you know Pouilly and Fuisse are two separate villages?) So very soon these wines will start to feature on the Aperitif bar list as well as on the shelves, I am hoping my mid June so I look forward to welcoming you and whirling with you soon!

One other thing, I would like to start the Thursday tastings again, beginning with a tasting on the 9th June and then bi-weekly after that.  I shall very soon post details on this first tasting so please keep an eye out for it in the coming days. The cost will be only £15 per person to taste 4 wines and I will need a minimum of ten people to make it work.

As soon as the new wines are in I shall look to post them on social media sites as well as on this website.

Looking forward to seeing you at the shop for an ice cream and glass of wine very soon.

Mr Whirly

 

 

 

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Whirly Wine’s goes ‘On Trade’ as well as ‘Off Trade’, Easter wine’s and opening hours….

I am delighted to announce that Whirly Wine’s will be opening an ‘Aperitif’ bar at the Whirly Wine shop in April 2016. We have successfully applied for a variation of the license and as soon as Spring has officially arrived, we will launch the new project. We aim to make Whirly Wine’s far more accessible to our local customers, by allowing you to taste the wines before actually buying them ( 75ml and 125ml glasses will be served).We will be looking to change the wine list every week, offering wines that suit the climate as well as newly arrived wines from the various countries Whirly Wine’s carefully sources from.  In time we will also be offering a fine array of cold foods that have been carefully selected to compliment the wine.

We are in the process of creating the outside seating area at the front of the shop. Ideally we would like to have some old French bistro collapsable style tables and chairs but they are difficult to source. If anyone has anything fitting the description that they no longer want, do let us know!

We will keep you informed about the opening day but please feel free to pop in and discuss your thoughts with Mr Whirly and his rascal dog Dash!

I have some lovely Easter wines here in the shop too so please come down and have a chat about what wines you would like to go with your Easter lunch! My top suggestions would be some Veyovis Verdejo from Rueda at £10.95; lovely Spring wine, full of verve and freshness! Also lovely for Easter would be the Domaine Prevote Sauvignon Tourraine 2014 at £10.75; stunning SB at a lovely price, really zingy and full of energy but not in anyway flowery! For reds try some Perusini Refosco 2014 at £16.75 from one of the most exciting wine regions in Italy, Collio in Fruili. This wine has great acidity and is fruit led but in a very restrained way and would be be a perfect accompaniment to a shoulder of lamb for your Easter Sunday lunch. Lastly if you think some fizzy would kick off your day well I have good stock of the Lemoss Prosecco NV from Ca di Rajo in Treviso at £8.99. This wine is going through a second fermentation in the bottle, is slightly cloudy and unfiltered and tastes like a well made cider from Calvados, full of fresh apples and yeast. Its well worth a whirl!

So please do pop in for a chat in the coming days and let me know what you plan to eat and I shall try to match some Whirly wines for your special lunch or dinner.

The shop is open Good Friday from 11.30 am to 5pm and Saturday 26th March from 11am to 5pm. The shop will be closed Easter Sunday and Easter Monday.

Thank you for your continued support and a very Happy Easter to you all!

 

Mr Whirly

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Whirly Wine tasting – 25th Feb

The first Whirly Wine tasting on 25th February went down a storm with my wholesale clients! These included ‘Hakkasan Restaurants‘, ‘The Palmerston‘ in Dulwich, Balham’s ‘Lambert’s‘ and ‘The Exhibit‘, ‘The Hood‘ Restaurant on Streatham High Road and ‘The Begging Bowl‘ in Peckham.

The outstanding wines of the day were the Willespie Margaret River Red 2010 and White 2011 and Jean Michel Sorbe’s Quincy 2014. But to be honest, all 20 wines shown on the day were showing extremely well.

Don’t worry if you missed out, Whirly Wine’s is constantly sourcing exciting, individual wines from small producers from all over the world consequently we will be hosting another trade tasting at the end of the summer.

Mr Whirly

Here is the list of the wines tasted:

Bernard Remy NV, Allemant: “ Carte Blanche”, NV Brut: £18.30

“ Lemoss” Vino Frizzante Bianco, Non Filtrato, Ca di Rajo, Treviso: £7.50

“Domaine de Prevote”, Amboise. Sauvignon Tourraine, “ Les Tonnes Barils” 2014: £8.95

Jean Michel Sorbe, Quincy, Cher sur Loire 2014: £15.00

Luc Percher, Cour- Cheverny, Loire, VSIG Blanc,  Organic and Bio ,“ Racines” 2010: £13.25

Villa de Puppi, Friuli, IGT Venezia Giulia, Sauvignon Blanc 2014: £11.90

Luc Percher, Cour- Cheverny, Loire sur Cher,  Organic and Bio, VSIG Blanc 2012: £11.90

Veyovis, 100% Verdejo, Rueda, 2014: £9.45

Perusini, Friuli Colli Orientali, Friuli, Pinot Grigio 2014: £13.50

Perusini, Friuli Colli Orientali,  Friuli, Ribolla Gialla 2014: £13.60

Lillypilly, NSW, Australia, “Tramillon’ 2014: £10.30

Villa de Puppi, Friuli, IGT Venezia Giulia, Taj Blanc ( 100% Fruilano) 2014: £11.95

Graziano, Montevolpe, Redwood valley, Mendocino, USA,  Tocai Friulano 2013: £13.45

Willespie. Margaret River,  Western Australia, Margaret river white 2011: £11.90

Graziano, Redwood valley, Mendocino, USA, Chenin Blanc 2011: £13.40

Luc Percher, Cour- Cheverny, Cher sur Loire, “ Mosaique” 2011: £13.25

Zivo, Eola Amity Hills, Willamette valley, Oregon, USA, “ Whole cluster Project ” 2009: £32.90

Perusini, Friuli Colli Orientali,Friuli,  Refosco 2013: £13.95

Cobaw Ridge, Macedon ranges, Victoria, Australia, Shiraz- Viognier 2003: £25.00

Meloso, de calvo Arroyd, Tempranillo 2014, Ribera de Duero: £9.20

Graziano, Montevolpe, Redwood Valley, Mendocino, USA, Sangiovese 2010: £13.75

Willespie, Margaret river, Western Australia, Margaret River red 2010: £11.90

Velenosi, Marche, Italy, “Rosso Piceno Superiore” 2010: £24.75

Passing Clouds, Bendigo, Victoria, Graeme’s blend 2010: £15.95

Willespie, Margaret River, WA, Cabernet 2001: £45.80

Spring Mountain, Napa, USA, Organic Napa Cabernet 2009: £65.00

Graziano, Montevolpe, Mendocino, USA, Late Harvest Tocai Fruilano 2011: £16.45

Lillypilly, Leeton, NSW, Fiumara 7: £16.25

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Holly’s Whirly Wines for Christmas Day

Hollys Xmas wines

Hello! It’s Holly here,I am new to Whirly Wines and shall be updating you on our events and general goings on in the shop. Last night we had a wonderful wine tasting, where the selection of wines were specifically chosen for Christmas Day. Everyone has they own traditions, but these wines are absolutely perfect for different moments throughout the day.

I thought it would be best to share this lovely selection. They are all available at the shop now (22 Ritherdon Road)…

1. Wake up to ‘Veyovis’

Perfect to wake up to on Christmas morning – elegant, light, and exciting! 

“Vevyovis”, Verdigo 2014, Rueda – £10.60

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2. Sauvignon with your mid-morning smoked salmon

I adore smoked salmon on Christmas morning. This Sauvignon Blanc is from Coteaux du Giennois in the Loire Valley. It is slightly floral, layered, and perfect with fish.

Emilie Ballard “Les Beaux Jours”, Sauvignon Blanc 2012 – £13.60

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3. The perfect Pinot Noir to have with your Turkey

This wonderful Pinot Noir is from the Willamette Valley, which is the home of Pinot in North America. It is beautifully aged, light with hints of strawberries and autumn berries. Perfect with your Christmas dinner, especially if you are cooking turkey.

Bethnel Heights, Willamette Valley, Oregon, “Estate” Pinot Noir, 2008 – £25.00

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4. Don’t forget the Christmas Pud!

Sometimes it is hard to match a wine with Christmas pudding, however this one is truly special and works perfectly. Lillypilly in Australia have created a selection of fortified reds over the last 31 years. This one is made with a blend of vintages and would also work wonderfully well with cheeses such as Stilton. You won’t be disappointed!

Lillypilly, “Fiumara 7”, Leeton, New South Wales, Australia – £19.50

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Please do pop by our shop to see our wonderful selection of wines for Christmas – 22 Ritherdon Road, London, SW17 8QD – 020 8672 2572

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Whirly wine tour of Macon and Southern Rhone, 16-17th April 2014

On collecting my little Fiat 500 at Lyon airport I whizzed north to Macon and west ten kilometres to “ La Roche Vineuse” a little village just north of Pouilly and Fuisse ( these are separate villages, contrary to most thinking). As I searched for Alain and Sylvain Normand’s property I spotted a man on a little tractor and was about to ask for directions. It turns out to be Alain, with a big smile on his face we say “Bonjour “ and we meet back at the house.

Its bottling time and Alain is hands on with everything in the vineyard so he hands me over to his wife Sylvain. She happens to speak little English and I little French so what ensued was quite a comical yet successful little tour of the vineyards around the village that Alain owns and all in a little Peugeot 106 that covers the rocky terrain like a range rover and at a 20th of the price! What a wonderful vehicle: then again in Nigeria in the Eighties most of the taxis were battered Peugeot 504’s and they went on and on.

Alain has 33 hectares of vineyards altogether, divided between here, Pouilly Fuisse, Macon Village ( Salutre and Chaintre) and St Veran. Since 2009 he has been semi organic: farmed under the practices of “ Le Trei Lutte Raisonnee) and Terras Vitis, sustainable and common sense farming of the land with total control and hands on attention by Alain. Here in Macconias they are unique in being allowed to grow two grapes for their red wines; Gamay and Pinot Noir. The Pinot Noir grapes are the first vines I lay my eyes on with Sylvain and there is much grass evident in between the vines here; Alain wants to limit the amount of grapes so he keeps this grass growing during the whole summer. This increases the quality of the grapes too. Its a wonderful sight seeing the first sprouting leaves and some very tiny grapes appearing on the vines: the wonder of the green springing forth amidst a country of rocks, chalk and clay. Its quite the sight.

The Chardonnay grapes are pruned using the “ baguette” method, with a twisted semi circle and down onto the same piece of wire. The majority of grapes here in Macconais are Chardonnay. There is a lot of “Calcaire” dotted amongst the vines, big pieces of rock surround the edges too. It has not rained here at all in 2014, so this is a little worrying. The clay plays a big part in retaining the water when it falls so the vines can survive the hard months of the summer. The younger Pinot Noir vines that we come across later had the grass ploughed so that the energy is not take away from the infant plants. From the top of the hills here there was a fabulous view south to Beaujolais.

The top vineyard is called “ La Croix de Mortceau”. In the tasting room a few minutes later and after seeing Alain busy in the cellar getting the wines ready for bottling the next day ( Alain is totally hands on and in control of all parts of the winemaking clearly) we sat down and tasted some wines. First up was the Pouilly Fuisse 2011 in steel and very serious it was too; lean, clean, subtle fruit and long mineral tones with some real freshness too. My kind of wine. My kind of Chardonnay. The wine is from a new vineyard to Alain, in 2010 he acquired from Sylvain’s parents. Old vines though. So new but old, which is great.

We also tasted his 2010 Pouilly Fuisse in oak Barique. Sensational. It was during this conversation and tasting that Alain explained to me that history of the Premier Cru status. It started during the occupation of France by Germany during the 2nd world war. They occupied burgundy but only as far south as Chalon: they requisitioned wines from the french winemakers, except for their “First Growths”, which they were allowed to keep. Hence the Premier Cru status started but not as fas south as Macon since the occupation of France had not come that far south. Alain explained to me that St Veran and Pouilly Fuisse were soon hoping to get their Premier Cru status.

Lastly we tasted Alain’s Gamay from La Roche Vineuse, to me his signature wine in many ways: Gamay from Macon is unique, and its also, as we were to find out, a little more austere and richer than its counterparts a little further south. Twenty years ago, Alain explained to me this wine was simply called “ Macon”. These vines are his original vines, his pride and joy. Now they are vines from his own appellation, the only winemaker in “La Roche Vineuse”. The wine is a joy to drink. Trust me, its what Gamay should be. From here Mr Whirly booted south to Carpentras to visit Campagne Bacchus, a small “Organic’” winery owned by Richard and Diane Bacchus.

I arrived just as the sun was hiding opposite Mount Ventoux and a special sight it was too. The little green buds dotted the brown vines and landscape of the Cote de Ventoux land. The wind was pretty fierce yet there is a calm about this place that is serene and beautiful. Diane cooked a simple yet lovely pasta and tomato dish and we tasted their wines. Their Matines 2011 made from 75 % Grenache and 25 % Cinsault, lovely strawberry nose like a Pinot Noir, harvested early and a very long maceration of eight weeks called a Souple where they have the malo and alc fermentation together. A wonderful trip indeed followed by a little cafe in the square of Beaume de Venise the next morning.

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Domaine Allois, “Terre d’Ailleul’s” 2011

what imagery, what history, what a sublime wine too….this wine was discovered in the most lovely of little markets in Saignon, above Apt, in July 2011….

Mr Whirly Says:

“ An herbaceous and savoury wine that needs big food to take it on like Calves Liver or Pork chops with a rich grain mustard sauce. 100% Ugni Blanc so totally unusual and defined. For that reason alone it is to be respected.”

Wine makers notes:

Winemaking:

“This wine born from old vines that we have taken care from the cultivation to the optimal maturity.

Obviously to obtain the best aspect, we chose to harvest manually and select the best grapes.

The winemaking is done in barrels like in Burgundy, with stirring of the lees and temperature controlled in order to have a wine that is round and aromatic.  Six Months in oak.”

On the palate:

“This wine present itself as a yellow colour with a light gold reflection. The smell develops aromas like white flower, syrup and white fruit, honey and wax, with some light touch of young wood bringing fresh taste. The mouth is concentrated at the first. It is a wine quite structured with some nice length and citrus aroma, flowers and honey.”

Terroirs : Sand and clay with calcareous subsoil

Grape variety: Ugni blanc  (100%)

Alc Vol: 13%

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Cepage Muscat, 2011

NEW ARRIVAL!  New vintage 2011

November 2013: more detailed tasting notes to follow but more fresh pear on the nose rather than pear drops!

Excited, excited and yes so excited by this wine. Muscat? Possibly one of the oldest grapes around, certainly dipped in history and culture…never been that enamoured by it, too much yucky sweet stuff but this wine rocks and is really quite sublime! Made with Muscat of Alexandria (originally from Alexandria in Egypt and Petits grains, the oldest and noblest variety of Muscat. Its berries are much smaller than the Alexandria berries, which are oval in shape. Hence the name, Petit Grains)

Mr Whirly says:

“ I tasted this wine recently with Jamie Younger at the Palmerston and thought the wine was wonderfully infused with tangerine peel, zesty and with wonderful fresh acidity.”

Alc vol: 13.5%

Winemakers tasting notes:

Two varietals of Muscat, Alexandria (40%) and Petit Grain (60%), grown on clay and schist soil. 40 year old vines. Very expressive and complex nose smelling of pear and lychee.

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Al Cortal Rouge, 2009

My idea with this wine is to try to show how, with a little bit of luck and quite a morsel of effort too, one can find a really fabulous wine for around £7! Well £7.50. But I think this wine is so well made, I love the combination of the four grapes and I also love its Catalane worthiness and stature; it has that lovely country feel of passion and hard work that emphasises this wine is Catalane. It reminds me very much of the wines I would taste as a young lad in the hills above Bergerac, near Sigoules, where we would cycle and fill up a 10 litre flagon every other day and it would cost 30 francs. Good honest country farm wine!

Mr Whirly says:

“ Four grapes make up this wine, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache and Carignan. I think its a belter of a wine for the price, full of tasty fruit and ready for drinking now, with a couple of years of age. Great wine to show off this little sub- appellation of Roussillon, Cotes Catalane and a wonderful wine by the glass for all you restaurants out there looking for some quality.”

Winemakers tasting notes:

Grapes grown on Granite and Schist , carbonic maceration for the Cabernet Sauvignon, traditional maceration for the Syrah, matured 5 months in tank. Ruby colour, very fruity nose, rounded and soft in the mouth, ready to drink now.

Alc vol: 14.5%

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Domaine du Mas Rous, Vin de Pays de Cotes Catalanes

Mas Rous was discovered by chance and with a little bit of luck, which we always like to be on our side! I was driving early in the morning on the 17th August 2011 towards the end of my month long wine sourcing adventure in the south of France and had traversed my way slowly across country from Banyuls and Collioure, the wonderful little seaport famous for anchovies. I had even had the most lovely sunrise swim in the bay which had set me in the perfect mood for welcoming some exciting new discoveries whether wine or country yet to be seen by Mr Whirly’s eye’s.

I had headed as far west as Prades and was wandering the streets looking for a suitable Boucherie for some lamb for my Weber barbeque later that night. I found a suitable place and noticed some wine bottles behind me that looked interesting. My view is that a good butcher anywhere in France has a pretty good palate for food and therefore wine so I asked if the wines were ok? The owner enthused about them very passionately so I asked how far away the vineyard was, about 6 miles back towards the Spanish main border N road, he told me, and so off I went.

Jose, the owner was working in the garden when I arrived in the courtyard of his old family farm. I apologised for dragging him away from his prize Legumes and we commenced a very enjoyable little tasting of wine from Cotes de Catalane, an Appellation within Roussillon, which got off to a cracking start with the most sublime white and red.  I simply fell in love with the Muscat, quite gorgeous and the red is a really exciting wine pourer for the coming autumn and winter months:

Al Cortal 2009, Rouge

Cepage Muscat, 2010

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P1010749Two pictures above taken in August when I was visiting the vineyard

PHOTO MAS ROUSJose the owner as a little boy on the tractor during vendage

PHOTOS VENDANGES 2Jose, a little older, getting involved once again)