Monthly Archives: May 2012

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Having not had an opportunity to jet off to some exquisite vineyard region for a while I am particularly excited by the fact that quite a few of our producers and my friends are coming over to London for The Real Wine fair. This does not come without it's logistical issues however, vigneron do not seem to be the most organised people when having to deal with non production challenges. Samples lost in the post; samples not sent; tickets not booked; hotels not booked; and that's just one of them!

Anyway, we have eight domains represented by the person who actually make the wine, and myself and colleagues will pretend to be the other three (watch out for strange accents and berets) and I am so proud of what we have on offer (for more details see www.therealwinefair.com) as they stand shoulder to shoulder with many of the greatest wine producers in the world next week.

This is going to be a great fair, with plenty going on and some terrific food and visual entertainment so please come along on Sunday if you can, I believe there are still tickets available.

I am off to Spain in Early June, to Galicia, but will review the highlights of the fair in a week or two and hope to see you there.

Ben

For those of you who like to plan ahead here is sneaky preview of the catalogue.

Seminars and movies ...
... are open to all. Check out the times and plan your visit accordingly. One erratum In movie section: Jonathan Nossiter’s talk will start at 1.00 pm on Sunday 20^th rather than 2.00 pm as advertised in the catalogue.

Grab a bite!
A visit to the Real Wine Fair should take in the fantastic street food supplied by Modern Pantry, Ottolenghi, Morito and Ham & Cheese respectively. You will also be able to taste and buy bread, smoked salmon and cheese amongst other artisan products. Then find a seat at the Real Wine Café or eat on the hoof.

Drink!
Have a coffee (care of Caravan) – or a beer (Camden Town Brewery) – and try some London dry gin (Sipsmith and Sacred), Vodka...  Or, if you want to keep a clear head, try a Pixley juice.

Art!
Check the walls!

Find the growers
Simply this. There are four rooms where the growers will be exhibiting. There will be a map at the bottom of the stairs to indicate what’s where.

• All the French growers and their wines are housed in one large room
• Spain & Portugal will also be sharing this area
• Italy, Slovenia and Croatia are in a dedicated room
• Georgia and Hungary will be snuggling together near the cafe
• Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Chile & Argentina are flying the collective new world flag in another room

Buy!
If you taste something you love please make a note and order it from the Real Wine Pop-Up Shop by the venue’s entrance. The shop will also have a selection of bottles on display to buy from most of the growers at the fair.

Cash!
There are three ATMs within a minute of the venue.

Information?
The organisers of the Fair will be on the front desk throughout the fair and pleased to help you in any way.

For more detailed information check out the Real Wine Fair web site: www.therealwinefair.com or contact the organisers at info@therealwinefair.com. For pr matters please contact Natasha Claxton  or Rosamund Barton from R & R Teamwork on 020 7384 1333

Peter Schell: Spinifex, Barossa Valley

Check out our Spinifex range

Schwarz Dustkicker Hunt & Gather @ £12.95

Casa Marin Cipreses Sauvignon Blanc 2009 @ £19.95

Vina Leyda Sauvignon Blanc Garuma 2010 @ £11.50

Carte Blanche Wines Limited

From: Ben Llewelyn, Managing Director
Date of appointment May 1st 2012
New strategic appointment for Carte Blanche Wines

Carte Blanche Wines Limited has appointed Joel Lauga as On Trade Sales Director.

Carte Blanche Wines Limited (CBW), the independent wine importer and wholesaler specialising in small artisan wine growers has appointed Joel Lauga to the new position of On Trade Sales Director. Joel’s appointment starts the next phase of CBW’s growth in the restaurant trade having focussed primarily on the independent wine merchant sector to date.

Ben Llewelyn, Managing Director said, “We are thrilled that Joel will be joining the team and this is a very exciting development for the future of the business. Joel has an enviable reputation in the trade and has a great understanding of what makes wine great, which is an immense compliment to our current producers.”

“As a company we have had a fascinating two years of development, including the purchasing of retail business Caviste in June 2011. Joel’s arrival means that we can really start to drive the CBW agency business in 2012 and beyond. These are exciting times!”

Joel, who spent his formative years in South West France among the vineyards of Jurançon started his working life at Gravetye Manor in West Sussex. After a few years spent working as a sommelier in many Country House hotels across England, ending up at Lucknam Park Hotel, he joined Bath Merchant Great Western Wine. Joel’s knowledge of wine producing regions helped GWW grow their portfolio as well as their on trade sales before the company merged with Enotria in August 2010.

Joel starts on 1st May 2012 and will be focusing on the HoReCa sector in London and the South of England and will become part of the buying team for the company.

CBW background
Carte Blanche Wines Ltd. is a wholesale wine agency and importer providing wines of quality, integrity and personality that will give our customers a point of difference in today's wine market.

Our aim is to source great value, terroir-focused wines from small to mediumsized
growers across the world and distribute them throughout the UK.

We love discovering new producers crafting distinctive wines and our portfolio is a work in progress. The point of Carte Blanche is not to restrict ourselves to one particular area or category of wine. Our mission is to create a well-honed selection of interesting wines that ultimately provide our customers with an attractive commercial proposition and something delicious to drink.

We love our wines, our producers and our work and we hope you do too.

Key agencies:
Patrick Piuze, Chablis; Domaine Cheveau, Pouilly-Fuissé; Ludovic Chanson,
Montlouis; Domaine de L’R, Chinon; J-F Mérieau, Touraine; Domaine de la
Graveirette, Châteauneuf du Pape; Mas de Restanques, Gigondas; Castell
d’Encus, Costers del Segre; Dominio do Bibei, Ribeira Sacra; Agricola Labastida,
Rioja; Forjas del Salnes, Rias Baixas; Buglioni, Valpolicella; Pietro Beconcini,
Chianti; Spinifex, Barossa; Alluviale; Hawkes Bay

For more information please contact:
Ben Llewelyn
ben@carteblanchewines.com
01256772233

The wines all received at least 92 points and are the highest scores form Costers del Segre. Tharlan Syrah gets 95 points - surely a Spanish icon in the making?