Category: Wine Shop

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Wine tastings for the months ahead: new wines from Verona just in; Cider from Monmouthshire, Craft beer from Brixton and Kew Brewery, Kernels and Harvey’s: two shopping nights for the diary, 12th and 30th November.

Its already October and Autumn is very much in the air, the tree’s on Clapham Common today looked resplendent in the late afternoon sun. With this change of season brings new and exciting developments in the Whirly wine shop.

First of all on the Sunday 12th November  Whirly wines and all the shops on the street are hosting a Winter street fair with a difference. There will be an abundance of stalls on the street and I shall be teaming up with Brindisa outside and Mr whirly will match a wine with some of their food choices and will be making the most amazing mulled wine on the wood burner outside the front of the shop. Charity lucky dip, raffle with fantastic prizes, meet and make friends, local community event, Christmas tree, wreath and garland orders, gifts and accessories and complimentary wine and nibbles at Whirly Wines too!  On the Thursday 30th November we are hosting a Christmas shopping evening. Come in and taste some new craft beers from Brixton Brewery, some delicious wines from the Barrel from Sicily that you can fill up for only £8.25 for a bottle from the barrel, order your mixed case of Whirly wines for Christmas, geared to Christmas menu classics as well as order and taste Smoked salmon from the Weald Smokery in East Sussex. We shall also have a Christmas Charity raffle in association with Macmillan Cancer research.

In this next week, 17th October are some very simple yet good wines from Verona and Villa Aganoor. Some Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot wines, priced at £8.50 a bottle. This will give whirly wines an offering of 12 wines under the £8.50 price point, vital these days when you the customer are looking for easy drinking wines at sensible prices that are made correctly.

From the 19th October we will stock a whole range of new drinks too! Small batch Cider making from Monmouthshire as well as Great bottled Craft beer from the smaller brewery, dotted around the South of London, from Kew in the west to Brixton and further north to Bermondsey. So together with a new array of beers from Harvey’s in Sussex, Whirly wines will offer you a fabulous choice of other drinks to enjoy from small, quality producers.

I have also detailed some really individual wines tastings on the events page throughout October and November, do have a look on there and book into one of them soon won’t you! This is a great way to taste some really top end and beautiful wines in a affordable way so do support these evenings since they are pretty special and unique for the local postcode of SW17, there aren’t many wine shops that offer this service, showcasing hand sourced wines from such quality producers.

More soon no Doubt

 

Mr Whirly

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Sicily wines arrive September 2nd 2017……

Mr Whirly is very excited to present you ten new wines from his recent trip to Sicily in May this year, from the small “Cantine Gulino” in Siracusa, where the boot of Sicily kicks the football of Sicily and the place where civilisation was born in 800BC, we have an abundance of grapes specific to this small wine region; then from Castelvetrano, famous for its olives as well as its vines  that are very close to Port Palo, an old destination for myself, Simon and Becky Thomas and Bob Parkinson ( Owns ” Food by Bob” in Cirencester) from a few decades ago, since it has a great beach and restaurant called ” Vittorio’s”, we have some delicious low alcohol wines that offer wonderful value for money for the 750ml bottled Vermentino and Syrah as well as “Bag in Box” Cattarato and Syrah-Nero D’Avola from only £8.25 a 750ml bottle.

Pictured at the bottom of this post, the very special “Moscato de Siracusa” wines ( ” Don Nuzzo” and ” Jaraya”)  from this vineyard, grapes that are specific to Siracusa, sun dried off and on the vine and pure deliciousness in a glass, full of fresh figs and apricots. Then we have the ” Pretiosa” label, 100% Albanello, another grape specific to this delightful town,  this wine had really interesting palate of ripe Melon and Mediterranean sea salt and would be perfect with Scallops or some other shellfish. “Cantine Gulino” are the only producer that make the Albanello grape in a single varietal wine. Its beautifully different, therefore a great ” Whirly wine”. The Next white is ” Fania” a gorgeous Aperitif style wine, blending Fiano from Napoli and the ” King of Grapes from Sicily”, Insolia, to make a summer flower wine perfect as an Aperitif wine and with a light lunches. On a recent wine tasting tour with restaurant clients in Scotland and Wales this wine was the most popular of the white wines we tasted. Two reds wrap up this array of wines, the ” Fanus” which is an un-oaked wine, Nero D’Avola and Syrah, very earthy and natural in its style, very much a wine that allows both grapes to express themselves as they are and the “Dru’s”, 100% Nero D’Avola, the main red grape of Sicily and again the home of which is here; 12 Months on oak and seriously big yet refined juice. The reason why I am writing about these wines is because of this wine, tasted in London in January and now imported to the UK 6 months later. Buy it and enjoy it. Needs a nice steak or possibly Grouse, now that they are in season.

From Castelvetrano and ” Azienda Marzuco” we have four more wines that also show themselves off in a sunset over Mendocino light, but at a price point of £8.25 & £11.95 a bottle. Their Vermentino, a grape originally from Sardinia, is a more linear and tight version of the mould found in the island a few hundreds miles north of Sicily, but with a little time once you pull the cork it really begins to open up and blossom, with honeysuckle and flowers on the palate and nose. Their Syrah is at £11.95,

another great find, since its extremely rare to find a Syrah at only 12.5% Alc vol. It has hints of white pepper spice, but the colour and taste is more like a richer Pinot Noir to be honest. It also had some lovely spiced berry fruit, cherries and blackberries and really expresses itself very brightly and happily. Then the find of all the wines at the moment in your local SW17 wine shop is the Nero D’Avola and Syrah from Cantina Gulino out of the ” Barrel”, another light wine in colour and alcohol at 12.5% alc vol, simply bright red cherries in a glass and quite the most deliciously drinkable wine you will find in London at the moment at £8.25 a bottle. Their Cattarato- Trebbiano out of the barrel is pretty damn good too, at the same price, spicy stoned fruit wine, clean and zingy and so easy to drink. So Whirly wine now serves 5 wines for you from the barrel at an affordable price of under £10 a bottle so please come in, taste before you buy and there are not many wine shops you can do that in whatever city you are living in around the world, and support your local wine business. I am not in anyway expensive, no one can say that of Whirly wines and yet the quality of the wine, I can guarantee you, will far surpass anything from my supermarket friends around each corner of Ritherdon road. So come into your local wine business, support Whirly wines NOW….

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Sicily, a whole array of delights in your local wine shop in SW17…..Now serving 5 wines from the barrel from only £8.25 a 750ml bottle ( please bring one with you)

Mr Whirly is very excited to present you ten new wines from his recent trip to Sicily in May this year, from the small “Cantine Gulino” in Siracusa, where the boot of Sicily kicks the football of Sicily and the place where civilisation was born in 800BC, we have an abundance of grapes specific to this small wine region; then from Castelvetrano, famous for its olives as well as its vines  that are very close to Port Palo, an old destination for myself, Simon and Becky Thomas and Bob Parkinson ( Owns ” Food by Bob” in Cirencester) from a few decades ago, since it has a great beach and restaurant called ” Vittorio’s”, we have some delicious low alcohol wines that offer wonderful value for money for the 750ml bottled Vermentino and Syrah ( £11.95) as well as “Bag in Box” Cattarato and Syrah-Nero D’Avola from only £8.25 a 750ml bottle.

Pictured at the bottom of this post, the very special “Moscato de Siracusa” wines ( ” Don Nuzzo” and ” Jaraya”)  from this vineyard, grapes that are specific to Siracusa, sun dried off and on the vine and pure deliciousness in a glass, full of fresh figs and apricots but too syrupy at all, very fresh and acidic.  Then we have the ” Pretiosa” label, 100% Albanello, another grape specific to this delightful city,  this wine had really interesting palate of ripe Melon and Mediterranean sea salt and would be perfect with Scallops or some other shellfish. “Cantine Gulino” are the only producer that make the Albanello grape in a single varietal wine. Its beautifully different, therefore a great ” Whirly wine”. The Next white is ” Fania” a gorgeous Aperitif style wine, blending Fiano from Napoli and the ” King of Grapes from Sicily”, Insolia, to make a summer flower wine, perfect as an Aperitif wine. On a recent tasting tour of Scotland and Wales this wine was the most popular of the white wines we tasted. Two reds wrap up this array of wines, the ” Fanus” which is an un-oaked wine, Nero D’Avola and Syrah, very earthy and natural in its style, very much a wine that allows both grapes to express themselves as they are and the “Dru’s”, 100% Nero D’Avola, the main red grape of Sicily and again the home of  this grape is here in Siracusa; 12 Months on oak and seriously big yet refined juice. The reason why I am writing about these wines is because of this wine, tasted in London in January and now imported to the UK six months. Buy it and enjoy it. Needs a nice steak or possibly Grouse, now that they are in season.

From Castelvetrano and ” Azienda Marzuco” we have four more wines that also show themselves off in a sunset over Mendocino light, but at a price point of £8.25 and £11.95 a bottle. Their Vermentino, a grape originally from Sardinia, is a more linear and tight version of the mould found in the island a few hundreds miles north of Sicily, but with a little time once you pull the cork it really begins to open up and blossom, with honeysuckle and flowers on the palate and nose. Their Syrah is at £11.95,

another great find, since its extremely rare to find a Syrah at only 12.5% Alc vol. It has hints of white pepper spice, but the colour and taste is more like a richer Pinot Noir to be honest. It also had some lovely spiced berry fruit, cherries and blackberries and really expresses itself very brightly and happily. Then the find of all the wines at the moment in your local SW17 wine shop is the Nero D’Avola and Syrah from Cantina Gulino out of the ” Barrel”, another light wine in colour and alcohol at 12.5% alc vol, simply bright red cherries in a glass and quite the most drinkable wine you will find in London at the moment at £8.25 a bottle. Their Cattarato- Trebbiano out of the barrel is pretty damn good too, at the same price, spicy stoned fruit, clean and zingy and so easy to drink. So Whirly wine now serves 5 wines for you from the barrel at an affordable price of under £10 a bottle so please come in, taste before you buy and there are not many wine shops you can do that in, whatever city you are living in around the world, and support your local wines business. I am not in anyway expensive, no one can say that of Whirly wines and yet the quality of the wine, I can guarantee you, will far surpass anything from my supermarket friends around each corner of Ritherdon road. So come into your local wine business, support Whirly wines NOW….I need your support….

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Reduced Shop Opening Hours in August….

Due to holidays and people being away in the local area Whirly wines will be running reduced hours at the shop since I shall be away on business seeing restaurant clients in Wales and Scotland. Please note the shop hours below for the next 2-3 weeks:

3-4th August:closed

5th: Open later at 3pm

10-22 August- closed

Except for Saturday 12th when open from 3pm to 9pm & open on Sunday 20th August when then shop will open from 12-3pm.

Apologies for any inconvenience caused but if you do require wines outside of these hours please call me on 07821 968111 and I can arrange delivery of wines for a small delivery charge from my warehouse.

Mr Whirly

 

 

 

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WHIRLY WINES NOW SERVING LUNCH THURSDAY TO SUNDAY, 12-3PM as well as Ice creams from Ice cream union now back on the menu!

Following a recent trip to Sicily, written up below I was inspired by the street food in Palermo which is the best in Italy, or so they say! So from the 1st June we are serving lunch from Thursday through to Sunday and we will of course be open for Mr Whirly’s Italian inspired farmhouse menu in the early evening too.

The Menu this week!

Piedmontese Peppers: £5.00

Sicilian Pepper stew: £6.00

Caponata: £6.00

Sicilian Salad: £5.00

Napoli Salami with Capers: £7.50

Pecorino Cheese with Truffles: £7.50

All the dishes are handmade by Mr Whirly and with some great Whirly wines by the glass that start from £2.00 for a 75 ml measure of Organic and Bio Viognier or Carignan from La Bouysse in Corbiere, the same wine you can fill up your 1 litre bottle for only £10.50, it really does go to show that Whirly wines is not in anyway an expensive place to eat and drink wines that have been carefully chosen for you from the smaller producer.

I look forward to welcoming you to the Whirly wine shop soon!

 

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“Whirly’s gig”, 30th April 2016, 2-10pm: Book tickets online in the Voucher link at the top of the home page.

 

 

So What’s It All About?

On 30th April we kick off what I hope will be a series of summer music events here at Whirly Wines Shop, 22 Ritherdon road, Tooting. A few months ago I met Kinvara Jenkins at a wine tasting here at the shop. She was indeed a bundle of fun and during the evening I discovered she was a singer and actress. After a little chat (and a little wine) Kinvara revealed to me that she is the youngest of 7 children. She spoke about her father, Nigel, and his impressive career as a guitarist and about her mother, Marie-Eve , a music publisher. So it’s a family affair! Nigel and Kinvara will play two acoustic sessions, 45 minutes each with an interval between.

A few details…

  • Things will kick off at 2pm for a 3pm start.
  • Mr Whirly shall provide some fine wines, a lot of fun and a BBQ too!
  • Maximum tickets available: 50
  • Price: £30 Includes: 3 glasses of wine, BBQ and music! Please click on the link below to book tickets online.
  • Children are welcome as long as they are supervised. No children inside the shop for health and safety reasons.

 

 

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Wine tasting, Thursday 2nd March: “The Aussies are back in town”: Showcasing Top producers wines from Tasmania, McLaren vale and The Great Southern

Just before Christmas I imported some delights from Tasmania, McLaren Vale and The Great Southern in Western Australia. Stefano Lubiana makes some of the most sublime wines down under, let alone Tasmania, “The Apple Isle”. His Primavera wines are a pure delight and that night we will kick off with the Chardonnay 2014 and follow it with the Pinot Noir 2014. To follow we will then taste two Shiraz’s one from ” 3 drops” in Mount Barker, way down south of Perth not far from Cape Leeuwin where the Southern ocean meets the Indian: followed by a Brick Kiln Shiraz from McLaren Vale south of Adelaide in South Australia where I picked grapes for a $ a bucket in March 2000! We these last two wines we shall have some theatre and  use the Ifawine air system to emphasise the importance of air before drinking bigger heavier reds.

7.0opm to 9.00pm: £30 for four 75ml measures plus snacks. Please book by emailing [email protected]. A minimum of 10 people and maximum of 20 for the event will apply. Payment must be taken before the event.

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Dry January, surely not! Don’t forget its still important to drink wine!

 

Dry January, what is this! Its a terrible thing! Above are father and son, Giovanni and Mauro from the famous Manzone vineyard in Monforte D’Alba, right next door to Barolo in Piemonte, making some of the most exciting wines in Italy if  not the world. Do you know these wines are now stocked in your local wine shop here in Tooting, SW17! Yes they are right on your doorstep and they are the most wonderful wines: whether its their single vineyard Barolo ” Il Castelleto” 2011 or their wonderfully smooth and Velvety ” Langhe” Nebbiolo  ” Il Crutin” 2012 these wines show the finesse and subtlety of this lovely grape that now has the same following as Bordeaux in terms of investment wines. I also have their unusual and rare Rossese Bianco 2014, a long lost white grape from Piemonte that has been oaked for 12 months. Combine these wines with some stunning Amorone and Ripasso from Bonfanti in Verona and some classy offerings from Perusini in fruli ( top magnums please see below picture) including Riboilla Gialla and Sauvignon Blanc as well as some Merlot and Refosco red offerings. Don’t forget we also offer Organic wines from La Bouysse in Corbiere from the barrel at only £10.50 a litre which equates to £7.50 for a 750ml bottle. So don’t feel blue in January come into the Whirly shop and let me cheer you up!