User Archives: Andrew Chapman

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

Overton & Hungerford
Good Friday: CLOSED
Easter Saturday: 10am - 6pm
Easter Sunday: CLOSED
Easter Monday: CLOSED

Caviste Odiham
Good Friday: 9am - 1pm
Easter Saturday: 10am - 5pm
Easter Sunday: CLOSED
Easter Monday: CLOSED

You don't need to be queuing for the latest tech gadget to be at the hottest event in town this week-end. Just hop on down to Overton in beautiful Hampshire and join the Caviste team for our Grand Easter Tasting!

Saturday 17th March, 10.30am - 5.30pm.

By all means bring your favourite tech and video/photograph/share until your hearts content. We're @caviste on Twitter and would love to see any photos/videos posted to our Facebook page. But remember to leave one hand free for carrying your tasting glass!

1) A special table of Eight Wines Under Eight Pounds

2) Spotlight on the Loire Valley – all Caviste discoveries over the last 18 months including Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir wines – oh yes, and a delicious Malbec wine as well...

3) New Arrivals of Old Favourites – including the superb new vintage of Petit Chablis from Patrick Piuze, the delicious Naissance from Domaine Cheveau (Mâconnais) and our first Givry from Domaine Déliance.

4) New World Classics– if you have not already done so, you must taste the already famous Secateurs Chenin Blanc from Adi Badenhorst (Swartland, South Africa), encounter the generous flavours of Gladstone Pinot Noir from Wairarapa, New Zealand – and catch up with the most recent vintage of Spinifex Papillon, the delicate Rhône blend from Peter Schell in the Barossa Valley.

32 Stunning Wines, 6 Cheerful Caviste staff, 3 Delicious British cheeses and hopefully 1 Beautiful spring day. Download tasting brochure.

Tickets are £8.50 if bought before the event and £10 on the day.

Buy your ticket online or call the shop now on 01256 770397.

>> View our list of other upcoming tasting events online

Spoil your Mum this Mothering Sunday with a delicous bottle of sparkling wine. We have a wide range to choose from but would like to draw your attention to two of our current favourites:
Domaine Deliance Cremant de Bourgogne Ruban d`Or NV @ £16.95
One of the best alternatives to a decent Champagne but at half the price!

Bisol Jeio Prosecco NV @ £12.95
Fairly intense honeysuckle aroma, good mouthfeel and plenty of fresh fruit flavours.

The wines from the Torrevento winery have formed a vital part of Caviste’s evolving range of small production wines, since Ben first discovered this estate in the autumn of 2011.  Situated in heel of the Italian peninsular, Puglia is a land of plains and low lying hills, over a bedrock of limestone that has resulted in spectacular caves and underground water reservoirs.  While wines have been produced by small family producers for three thousand years, it seems that only in the last ten years has the ever curious wine drinker discovered the region’s vinous flavours.  Torre del Vento translates as Wind Tower, where 400 hectares of farmland surround an ancient monastery.  Two brothers, Francesco and Domenico Liantonio, have taken these vineyards and winery to a new level, using indigenous grapes of Fiano Bianco, Primitivo and Aglianico as well as incorporating some of the better known varieties.

Full list of Torrevento wines - click on any wine name to order online

While the daffodils are beginning to burst forth, we are eager to pull out the corks of over 24 wines that we shall be sharing with Caviste customers in the Overton shop.  Included will be the recent shipment of Domaine Déliance Crémant de Bourgogne as well as the wines that have just arrived from Agricola Buglioni in the Italian Veneto.  Whether light-hearted and easy, or serious and complex, there is a wine for every palate and wallet.  There will be our usual spread of fine English cheeses and baguettes to help your taste buds on their way.

Tickets £8.50 in advance or £10.00 on the door.

Buy your ticket online

Or telephone Peter or Stafford in the Overton shop on 01256 770397 to book your tickets - or just drop by and book in person next time you are passing.We look forward to seeing you there on 17th March!

An event not to be missed!

You will be in for a treat if you join us for this Italian Food and Wine evening. Norelle’s passion for Italian food and exquisite cooking will be matched with an array of Italian wines introduced by Ben Llewelyn, MD of Caviste and Italian wine expert.

No wine knowledge is required, just an appreciation of fabulous food and stunning wines.

• Tuesday 13th March 7.30pm for 8.00pm prompt start
• Tickets £35.00 per person
• Booking essential as numbers are strictly limited
• Telephone The White Horse on 01264 772 401 to reserve your place
• Please let us know of any special dietary requirements

Menu & Wines

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta
Bisol Jeio Prosecco Valdobbiadene, Veneto

Grilled Smoked Mackerel with Garlic Cress and Aioli
Torrevento E’Arte Bianco, Puglia
Buglioni Il Intruso Garganega, Veneto

Veal Osso Bucco with Saffron Risotto
Buglioni Il Valpolicella, Veneto
Pietro Beconcini Antiche Vie Chianti, Tuscany
Torrevento Vigna Pedale, Puglia

Gorgonzola Montagna
Buglioni Il Recioto, Veneto

The White Horse, Thruxton, Andover, Hampshire, SP11 8EE www.whitehorsethruxton.co.uk

We're are big fans of the wines of Bandol here at Caviste. One estate in particular, Château de Pibarnon, is a long time favourite. So we were thrilled to see Michelin star winner and TV Chef Raymond Blanc feature the estate on his BBC TV programme earlier this evening.

Watch Raymond cook his amazing fish dish with red Château de Pibarnon. Yes, that's right, RED wine! You'll be amazed how good it looks! Why not try it for yourself at home? Buy Château de Pibarnon Bandol Rouge online at Caviste now. Alas it doesn't look like you can buy the book from the series yet but Raymond's latest book, full of his fabulous, mouth-watering recipe's, is available online from Amazon and all good independent book stores.

We regularly have wines open for customer tasting in all three shops, plus taste new wines amongst ourselves all of the time. Below is a round-up of wines we have tasted in so far in February...

Sparkling Price

Balma Cava NV, Penedès @ £13.95
Forget all your preconceptions of Cava occupying the ‘cheap seats’ at the supermarket this is one of world’s classic sparkling wines – made as a ‘zero dosage’ wine (no added sugar) and a 39 month maturation on the lees.  Dried apricot and roasted almond nuances fill the palate lifted by a keen and refreshing lemon edge.

Champagne

Camille-Savès Millésime Grand Cru 2004 @ £33.00
Quite simply an awesome Champagne – rich, gentle mousse, brioche, lemon – at a price that is still less than all those large production famous name Champagnes we all know and still insist on impressing our guests with.  If you want flavour alone to make an impression this is the Champagne – 80% Pinot Noir/20% Chardonnay, 4 years bottle maturation.

White Wine

Felix Cachazo Gran Cardiel Verdejo/Viura 2010, Rueda @ £7.95
At 700 metres above sea level the arid vineyards of Rueda lying northwest of Madrid have proved the perfect position for growing crisp aromatic white gapes such as Verdejo, Viura and Sauvignon Blanc.  This is the perfect example of the region’s wines – crisp, citric, lifted peach fruit.  Need a change from Chardonnay and Sauvignon?  This bright little fellow is the perfect choice.

Jean-François Merieau Tirage Sauvignon Rose 2008. Loire @ £21.00
From ancient vineyards south of Vouvray Jean-Francois nurtures these old and fragile Sauvignon Gris vines (also referred to as ‘Sauvignon Rose’).  With a little bit of extra bottle age we are proud to present a rare, rich, crisp and aromatic wine designed for the Loire aficionado.  Very special, quite unique flavours – and the perfect match for Thai salmon, pork belly roasted in honey and mild but flavoursome dishes.

Red

Jean-Francois Merieau Hexagonales Pinot Noir 2009, Loire @ £10.95
Adored by some customers, while puzzling others.  This light Loire Pinot is best described as a posh picnic wine – or simply the perfect red for a cold meat salad lunch – drink as an alternative to Beaujolais-Villages.  From the little known appellation of Saint-Pourçain in the Eastern Loire, where the chalky vineyards tilt gently south.

Gladstone Pinot Noir 2009, Wairapara, New Zealand @ £18.95
From the oldest Pinot Noir vineyards in the southeast corner of North Island – this is rich, vibrant and intense, full of raspberry, wild cherry and with hints of spice.  The 30% mew French barrique ageing is barely detectable – such is the fine balance of this wine.  Enjoy with lamb cutlets, ratatouille and rosti potatoes.

Pietro Beconcini Maurleo 2008, IGT Toscana @ £12.95
From the land of Chianti comes this ingenious Sangiovese/Malvasia Negra blend aged in 10 months in French oak followed by further bottle age.  Utterly lovely!  This really is the Sunday lunch roast lamb wine number.  Gentle damson and prune fruit, nice bed of soft tannin – dry finish.  Secretly a Bordeaux at this price tag will taste quite plain in comparison.

Almost Sweet

Ludovic Chanson Safran 2009, Montlouis, Loire @ £19.95
Oh the joy of this wine!  Is it sweet? Is it dry?  Neither really – lying somewhere between the two as only brilliant Chenin Blanc can be.  With what shall I drink it?  1) On its own 2) Spicy Asian fish dish 3) Light apricot or pear tart – or 4) creamy blue cheese such as Gorgonzola or the more local Shropshire Blue alongside some quince jelly.  This is a treasure that has to be seized and enjoyed.