Showing 37–48 of 71 results

Fleurie, Didier Desvignes

£18.95
Didier Desvignes is a winemaker who really epitomises the spirit of Beaujolais; he believes in treating the land with respect and nurturing each vineyard parcel to express its full potential. Everything is done by hand and farmed using organic treatments. The Gamay vines he has in Fleurie are on unique pink granite soils and make a wine of great purity and vibrancy. There are vivid aromas of violets and flavours of crushed wild strawberries and a herbal, savoury edge which makes it so good with charcuterie. You could be in a Paris wine bar, sipping natural wine and enjoying fine charcuterie, or you could be doing exactly the same at No2 Pound Street!

Gamay de Touraine, Henry Marionnet, Loire

£16.95
This Gamay has restless bouncing energy with sweet, perfumed, red berry fruit on the nose, vibrant red cherry and blueberry fruit and lovely freshness on the palate, yet also good concentrationfor a Gamay. It has lovely purity, is silky smooth, concentrated but not heavy. The bottle’s label suggests (demands) that you “server frais”, lightly chilled from the fridge. Marionnet is generally considered to be the best exponent of this grape variety in the Loire. By picking late and discarding green grapes he achieves maximum ripeness which translates into fruitiness of the wine. Organic methods in conjunction with old, ungrafted vines, no filtration, no sulphur, no chaptalisation – purity from a grower whose wines are a true reflection of his love and passion for natural things. This is a great light, summer red; great to serve with grilled sausages or salmon.

Muscadet Sevre et Maine Sur Lie, Domaine de la Pepiere

£16.95
Marc Ollivier of Domaine de la Pépière is an example of a winemaker who has grown with his vines. In the early 1980’s Marc, who was an engineer at the time, decided to move to the country for a slower pace of life. His father owned some vineyards in the cool Atlantic-influenced zone of Muscadet-Sèvre et Maine but was not a winemaker. Marc took over his father’s vineyards and bought a parcel called Clos de Briords from an elderly neighbour. Marc’s first vintage was 1985 and his primary goal as a winemaker at the time was to simply complete fermentation. As such, he began fermentation using cultured yeasts and finished the wine off with a dose of SO2. As Marc matured as a winemaker, he experimented with ambient yeasts and began bottling with minimal amounts of SO2. The results were extraordinary; the wines showed greater depth, richness and complexity. Encouraged by his success, Marc began transitioning all his vineyards to organic and continued his minimalist approach in the winery. His racy, lemon-tinged, mineral-driven Muscadets have since become the benchmark for the region and have opened up a world of previously unknown potential in the area. Marc’s success is combination of good fortune (his vineyards were never touched by wine consultants encouraging new, higher yield clones) and an open minded, experimental approach to making the best possible wines. Many of Marc’s vines are 40+ years old and some of his vineyards are planted on granite soils, a rarity in the region. All the vineyards are from original stock: Ollivier is the only grower in the Muscadet who does not have a single clonal selection in his vineyards. He also hand harvests (a rarity in the region) and uses only natural yeasts for fermentation. Extended lees contact, often till April or May of the following year, adds added depth to the wines, The Muscadet from Pepière is an excellent example. The wine is lemony, stony and bracing on the palate. Excellent with shellfish dishes, especially oysters!

Lion’s Tooth Shiraz/Riesling, Dandelion Vineyards

£16.95

Dandelion Vineyards is the venture of self-titled ‘typist’ Zar Brooks and his winemaking wife Elena, with wines made from the Barossa and Eden Valleys, Fleurieu, the Adelaide Hills and McLaren Vale.

Nick Stock, one of Australia’s leading journalists, has described Dandelion as follows: “Brooks has teamed up with his winemaking wife Elena, a woman whose talents are outweighed only by her tolerance, in an exciting new venture called Dandelion Vineyards. The approach is remarkably simple and sees Elena making wine from a suite of beautiful old vineyards across that blessed curve that runs from the Barossa, up through the Eden Valley and Adelaide Hills and down into McLaren Vale.”

From this vineyard, Elena co-ferments an almost forgotten but timeless blend of Shiraz and Riesling to enhance the wine's perfume and palate. This has always been one of our most popular wines, year after year it delivers amazing value for money. Rich and intense, it is impressive without being too much. There is balance which makes it very, very drinkable.

Guimaro Tinto Joven

£16.95
Pedro Rodriguez descends from a long line of colleteiras working in the Amandi area, Ribeira Sacra’s most prime subzone with south facing vineyards planted on slate, called Loxa locally, just above the river Sil. His parents Manolo and Carmen still work the vineyards daily. They also maintain a small finca of mixed agriculture, very common in Galicia, raising chickens, rabbits, pigs, and cultivating a sizable vegetable patch. The culmination of the family’s agrarian traditions manifested with the establishment of their adega in 1991. Before 1991, Pedro’s family produced small quantities of wine for their own consumption and sold their wine in garrafones 20 litre glass containers- to local cantinas. It was an oenologist from León and soon to be a close family friend, Luis Buitrón, who was instrumental in the creation of the Ribeira Sacra D.O. and helped the Rodríguez family begin estate-bottling their wines. They named their winery Guímaro, which means “rebel” in Gallego a nickname of Pedro’s grandfather. Guímaro was one of the first adegas to join the appellation in 1996. In the beginning the wines were simple jovenes, young wines that showed the slate-infused freshness of lush red fruit and supple texture, the kind of wines the area of Amandi was known for. They continue that tradition with this un-oaked Tinto an amazing value year in and year out. Similar in weight to decent Beaujolais or Valpolicella, this is a really versatile wine complimenting all sorts of dishes from pizza, roast chicken and pork dishes. In fact, i can't think of a better roast pork wine!

Cotes du Rhone ‘Bout d’Zan’, Mas de Libian

£16.95
Mas de Libian, a working farm (cereals, fruits and vines) since 1670, has remained in the hands of famille Thibon for its entire history. Hélène a remarkably energetic member of the family took over the viticulture and winemaking in 1995, and convinced her family to bottle their own wine rather than sell to local négociants. Her farming is entirely biodynamic since the 1960’s when her grandfather ran the farm, and the vines (averaging 40-45 years-old) are pruned for low yields and concentration. The terraced vineyards, composed mostly of galets rouges, in St-Marcel d’Ardèche (the west bank of the Rhône) provide stunning views of Mont Ventoux, the Alpilles, and the Dentelles de Montmirail. Hélène is in her late 20s and in June this year she was selected by the French Wine Review as one of its Young Winemakers of the Year. She makes her wines in a traditional fashion following organic principles, and the vineyards have ‘pudding-stone’ soil like that found in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The stones reflect sunlight during the day and retain heat during the cold nights, thus making the vines work harder to extract water and minerals from the soil. A great wine for the price, full of real character. Perfect with roasts, stews, bbq...you get the idea.

Zinfandel ‘Heritage’, De Loach

£16.95
De Loach was founded in 1973 by San Francisco Firefighter Cecil De Loach. The estate was later taken over by Burgundian Jean-Charles Boisset, who has converted all their vineyards to organic and bodynamic practices. This wine is unusual in that it presents great Californian wine at a sensible price, usually there is the mass-produced stuff at the bottom end of the market and then a big jump to the premium £30+ end. This is a great wine at a great price. Medium/full-bodied with loads of juicy bramble fruit and smooth, velvety tannins. A crowd-pleaser and a great pizza or BBQ wine.

Three Lions Chardonnay, Plantagenet

£16.50
Lovely Chardonnay from the great Plantagenet winery in the Great Sothern region of Western Australia. This sees no oak contact at all but is full of rich, juicy stone-fruit flavours. All the Plantagenet wines are extremely well-made with great balance. This is delicious!

Negroamaro Rosato, Cantele, Puglia

£15.95
Having fallen in love with Puglia, Giovanni Battista Cantele and his wife Teresa Manara decided to move to Salento to

Nero di Troia, Caiaffa, Puglia

£15.95
Caiaffa works to the principle of synergistic agriculture. They believe that nature is man's greatest collaborator, and that nature maintains balance. Certified organic, they do not use insecticides or pesticides in order to encourage a balanced  ecosystem and work at one with nature. This wine is atypical of Puglia, being light, juicy and with lovely freshness. Reds from this hot region often have high alcohol levels with intensity and concentration that can be a bit tiresome. What i like about Caiaffa's wines is that they have great drinkability; lots of flavour, but a light, fleshy quality to them that makes them sit so easily with food. This is great value for such quality and really worth a go. Try it the next time you have lasagne!

Fiano, Caiaffa

£15.95

Caiaffa works to the principle of synergistic agriculture. They believe that nature is man's greatest collaborator, and that nature maintains balance. Certified organic, they do not use insecticides or pesticides in order to encourage a balanced  ecosystem and work at one with nature.

They are especially protective of the insects which live on and around their vines; they work in harmony with them and have established a symbiotic relationship in which both parties benefit. For the bugs make it possible for micro-oxygenation and provide the means for nutrients needed to make passage through the soil. This is reflective in their branding and their packaging.

Caiaffa is located in Cerignola, a coastal town in the beautiful Tavoliere delle Puglie, northern Puglia. The Tavoliere area was once completely submerged in sea water, which has influenced a very special climate, in abundance of flora and fauna. The soils here are rich in limestone and the vines benefit from the mild Mediterranean weather. Through these wines, you can truly taste the authentic flavour of the land.

A lively and fresh white wine, with delicate flavours and aromas of ripe citrus fruit, stone fruits and white flowers. Great acidity and well balanced with a lovely long finish.

A great aperitif wine or perfect with salads, asparagus or light fish and shellfish dishes.

‘La Magendia’ Jurancon Moelleux (37.5cl), Clos Lapeyre

£15.95
Jean-Bernard Larrieu makes some of the best wines in Jurancon at Clos Lapeyre. This isolated area lies inland in the foothills of the Pyranees and is home to some of the best sweet wines France has to offer (without paying Sauternes prices). Petit Manseng is the main grape for producing these delicious, honeyed wines and it's bright acidity is what makes it so successful; no matter how rich and unctuous the wine, it still feels fresh and mouth-watering on the finish. In case you were wondering, La Magendia means 'the best' in the local Occitane dialect; very fitting, as this is truly stunning. Perfect with fruit desserts (rhubarb or apple crumble...?) and is a star with blue and rind-washed cheeses.