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.

When I was invited to join an elite group of the great and the good from the UK wine trade to taste the wines of Château Margaux, I naturally cleared the diary. It was only when I arrived at Trinity House in The City that I fully appreciated what we were being asked to taste. I can only liken it to being asked to come and drive some Ferraris and then turning up and then being told that we would be driving their new electric car, a new shooting break version of the Enzo, a city car and then the same car but with various components left off.

Margaux have teamed up with Yvon Mau to host a number of tastings around the world to showcase the experimentation they have been undertaking at the Château. This is commendable work and Paul Pontalier was quick to point out that in Bordeaux a huge amount of work goes into research, it is just that the other issues surrounding the region seem to overshadow the academic and scientific study. This is, on reflection, probably true, so this was an exciting event and one I relished more than just tasting the finished wines of the estate.

The tasting was in four flights, outlined as follows:

Flight one: 3 wines served blind. Each wine was either Biodynamic, Organic or Conventionally produced from one plot of vineyard and the same variety, Cabernet Sauvignon and vintage, 2010. This plot was used for their third wine.

Result: Each wine showed differing characteristics, but most marked were the differences in tannins and top note aromatics. The organic wine seemed a little dumb but well balanced, the conventional wine polished but veneered too and the Biodynamic wine the prettiest and easiest to drink and garnered the greatest praise.

Flight two: 3 wines served blind based on stem influence during fermentation. The wine was a conventionally produced Cabernet Sauvignon from a plot that might make it into the Grand Vin

The results here were also marked. The wine with 1% added whole stem had supple tannins, a nutty character and a soft finish, the wine with no stems was spicy, but had green notes and a slightly bitter finish, the third wine had some crushed stems added and the wine proved to be perfectly balanced and the best ‘formed of the three’. It is interesting to note that in Bordeaux the rule is no stems at all.

Flight Three: 3 wines with different closures, third wine but from the 2003 vintage

The wines were very different here. The consensus was that the wine under cork was the screw cap wine, which came as a complete surprise as it was so youthful and generous. There were two screw cap wines, one with no oxygen and one with a little permeability. The latter was really not good at all, but the former was actually the wines people thought was under cork as it was evolved and very complex, in fact delicious, it fooled me!

Flight Four: 3 white wines under different closures, All 2004 Sauvignon Blanc

There was again a very marked difference, but the wine with cork was beautiful and complex and all a white Bordeaux should be, where the screw capped wines were in fact a little oxidised, albeit still with freshness and the mark of quality.

Flight Four: Cabernet Sauvignon from three different terroirs, all 2011

Firstly, these wines all taste beautifully and pre the oak are wines that could almost be drunk now. I am not trying to build up the 2011 vintage, Caviste will not be running an en primeur campaign this year, but these are pretty wines never the less. What this showed was that wine produced from Gravel and Pebble soil was pure pretty and elegant, whilst this produced onmore chalk and clay soil are structured and provide the base notes of the wine. Blended together they made a delicious glass.

This was a fascinating insight into the mindset of a prestigious estate who are genuinely ready to take some bold steps if they feel the results are worth it. No doubt that the Bio wines were impressive, and screwcap for red a no brainer, but how long will it really take to make these changes? Well as Paul Pontalier said, probably not under his stewardship.

Thursday evening saw the 2^nd in our series of regional 'head-to-head' tastings between Caviste Managing Director Ben Llewelyn and Mark Bedford, Director Private Sales. The evening’s duel was between two of the big guns of the wine producing world: Rioja and the Rhône. Having taken the lead at the previous event Ben, representing Rioja, was feeling confident of another win but alas it was not to be. Mark’s choices, a selection of Northern and Southern Rhônes, wowed and were voted to victory by our guests! The variety of wines was spectacular ranging from the rich, unctuous melon, apricot and stewed apple flavours of Château Beaucastel’s 2005 Rousanne VV in Châteauneuf to the beautifully matured, yet vibrant, earthy 1991 Viña Tondonia from Rioja.

Six wines from each region were paired against each other in the following categories:

Best Modern White: Tierra Fidel Blanco Labastida 2009 (£30.00) vs. Bruyères Crozes Hermitage Aux Bêtises 2009 (£19.95)
Best Traditional White: Viña Gravonia Blanco 2000 (£16.25) vs. Château de Beaucastel Roussanne Vielles Vignes 2005 (£63.95)
Best Everyday red: Domaine de la Graveirette Côtes du Rhône 2009 (11.95) vs. Tierra Crianza Labastida 2007 (£14.95)
Best Single varietal: La Cifras Garnacha 2009 (£17.95) vs. Montez St Joseph Cuve Papy 2009(£25.00)
Best Modern red: Cirsion 2000 (£127.50) vs. La Griffe 2010(£25.00)
Best Traditional red: Viña Tondonia 1991(£49.50) vs. Domaine Villeneuve Châteauneuf-du-Pape 2006(£34.50)

The 3rd round will be taking place on Wednesday 23rd May in Overton. Tickets will be £35.00. The regions: New Zealand vs. Washington State & Oregon

We are delighted to announce that Newlyns Farm Shop,  Weyhill is now stocking a select range of Caviste wines.

To inaugurate this we will be hosting a joint, celebratory tasting on Saturday  25^th February from 11am to 2pm at the Newlyns Weyhill Farm Shop. Our elite wines will be accompanied by  a choice and mouthwatering selection of Newlyns own meats and cheeses.  Christien Hay and Mark Bedford will be on hand to offer insights, stories and expertise. This is a free tasting and we look forward to celebrating our growth with you.

• Date: Saturday 25^th February
• Time: 11am-2pm
• Location: Newlyns Farm Shop, Weyhill Road, Andover, Hampshire SP11 0PP
• Telephone: 01264 773059

When it comes to being a wine merchant our FAQs are invariably about matching wine with food so Peter’s food matching evenings at Caviste Overton have proved to be a fantastic hit with our customers.  Whilst Peter suggests the best pairings, he encourages guests to try all of the different combinations to see which ones work best.  This month’s theme was cheese, matching cheeses by themselves as well as in cooked dishes with seven different wines. The hits of the evening were Terres de Velle Bougogne Rouge with Baked Camembert, Gran Cardiel Verdejo/Viura with Feta salad made with cranberries, lambs lettuce and red onion, Buglioni Recioto with Stilton with top marks going to the fantastic new Gavroche Sauvignon Blanc, made by our top Loire wine maker Ludovic Chanson, paired with a soft Ewe’s cheese.  Our thanks to Tina Devereux for providing the wonderful  food that went so well with the wines.  Peter’s next food matching evening will be on the 5^th of April when he will be matching wines with a range of desserts.

For the first time at Caviste Hungerford we are running a series of four Masterclasses, starting on Thursday 9^th February.

At each Masterclass we will contrast different grape varieties, styles, production methods and countries. There will be four sessions with one tasting per month:

• Thursday 9^th February: Sparkling Wines & Champagne
• Thursday 8^th March: White wines from around the world
• Thursday 12^th April: Red wines from around the world
• Thursday: 10^th May: Pudding wines + Port and other fortified wines

The sessions can be taken individually at £25 per session or booked together to create a mini wine course. As an incentive to book all four sessions were are offering a special discount of one session free meaning that you only pay £75 for all four.

Locally sourced bread and cheese will provided at each session to sustain us during tasting. These Masterclasses will take place in our new tasting room above the Caviste shop in Hungerford High Street and run from 7.30pm through to approx 9.30pm. The style is very much intended to be both informative and fun with very relaxed atmosphere.

To book places (and we are limited to just 10 people) please call Andrew Chapman, Manager of Caviste Hungerford, on 01488 684684 or email him at andrewchapman@caviste.co.uk

Caviste Odiham Fine Wine Dinner

Date: Thursday 22nd September 2011

Time: 7.00pm for pre-dinner aperitif, sit down for dinner at 7.30pm

Venue: Newlyn's Farm Cookery School (above Caviste Odiham at Newlyn's Farm shop)
Lodge Farm, North Warnborough, Hook, Hampshire, RG29 1HA Google map

£95 per person
To reserve your place please telephone Caviste Odiham manager Christien Hay on 01256 703130 or book online here.

Totally exclusive, utterly decadent!

This is being held as an exclusive, one-off event. The evening will start with a glass of champagne and will follow with a sumptuous, 3 course dinner, cooked by Newlyns Cookery School’s Head Chef Hannah Westcott.

Caviste Odiham manager Christien Hay will then match each course with a top wine. This promises to be a very special event and is limited to 12 spaces.

Menu & accompanying wines

NEWLYNS CHARCUTERIE PLATE-

Castro Iberico Salchinon, Teruel Ham, Napoli Salami, Chorizo

Bollinger Special Cuvee Rose

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BUTTERFLIED MACKEREL ESCABECHE, FENNEL AND MOSCATEL VINEGAR DRESSING

Labastida Tierra Fidel Blanco 2009, Sancerre Monts Damnes Thomas Labaille 2010

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CONFIT DUCK, MADEIRA SAUCE, DAUPHINOISE POTATOES, RED CABBAGE, CAULIFLOWER PUREE

Domaine Dujac Morey Saint Denis 2007, Chateau Pontet Canet 2007

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VANILLA CRÈME BRULEE, ORANGE SABLE BISCUIT

Alluviale Vendage Tardif 2009

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BARKHAM BLUE, TUNWORTH, MONTGOMERY CHEDDAR & BISCUITS

Chateau de Malle Sauternes 2003

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Coffee plus  Maxime Trijol VSOP Grande Champagne Cognac

Do you enjoy good food & wine? Live in or near Hungerford? Then this is the perfect event for you!

We have teamed up with Gillian Hern & Christopher Box of the Crown & Garter in Inkpen to launch a new monthly supper club.

At just £20 per person this is fantastic value for money, plus a fun and relaxed way to learn more about food and wine.

We have recently designed a brand-new wine list for Gill and Chris, specially themed to autumn drinking and to partner the seasonal food that Chris produces from fresh, local ingredients. There are a number of wines served by the glass, so you can always be sure of something delicious to drink whether you are sharing a bottle with friends over dinner or just a glass of wine after work in the evening .

So, if you'd like to find out more about our Hungerford Supper Club why not come along to our launch event on Tuesday 4th October from 7pm to 8.30pm?

We'll have selection of wines from the new list open to taste and there will be a set menu supper on offer at £20. Please call The Crown and Garter on 01488 668325 to reserve you space. There is no charge for the wine tasting.

Hungerford Supper Club dates:

• Tuesday 1st November
• Tuesday 6th December

7.30pm for 8pm prompt start

£25 per person to include supper and wines. Please book direct with The Crown and Garter on 01488 668325.

It is now even easier than ever to book a place for one of our events. Simply click the 'buy tickets'* link when browsing through the events list on our web site.

This months events...

• Friday 15th September: Tasting & Tapas @ Overton.
  Buy tickets online (please note, your receipt is your proof of purchase. No tickets sent out)

• Tuesday 20th September: New World vs. Old World at Red Lion, Overton
  (please book direct with Red Lion on 01256 773 36)

• Thursday 22nd September: Caviste Odiham Fine Wine & food evening
  Buy tickets online (please note, your receipt is your proof of purchase. No tickets sent out)

• Friday 23rd September: Caviste Overton Introduction to Food & Wine Matching
  Buy tickets online (please note, your receipt is your proof of purchase. No tickets sent out)
• Thursday 29th September: Caviste Odiham supper club
  Buy tickets online (please note, your receipt is your proof of purchase. No tickets sent out)

*Online booking for September events only for now. October & November will be added soon. Check our blog/Twitter/Facebook for more details as we add them...

Caviste Hungerford being small yet perfectly formed doesn't really have the space for larger wine tastings. So this Autumn we are taking Caviste out onto the road with tastings and suppers in the beautiful West Berks village of Inkpen. We've teamed up with Gill and Christopher at the Crown & Garter to offer a series of events that we hope will be great fun and and introduce some of our latest discoveries as well as old favourites to the local wine loving population!

We will also be repeating last years very successful Autumn wine tasting at Benchmark furniture where you will be able to look around their latest collections and taste  a range of Caviste wines for Autumn entertaining and perhaps even with Christmas in mind. Robin and his team from Bastable Bros will once again provide tasty canapés to fortify you whilst you taste wine and brose the showrooms of furniture.

Finally, we will again be opening the shop late for the Hungerford Victorian Extravaganza. An opportunity to come and Christmas shop while wandering through Hungerford lit up by the glow of their fantastic Christmas lights (by far the best locally!) and enjoy many of the attractions and stalls. Taste some wines to help you make your Yuletide selections and round it all off with the annual firework display over the canal. 10,000+ people come into Hungerfod for this late night shopping event so it's probably wise to come early and wrap up warm if you are staying for the parade and fireworks!

CAVISTE HUNGERFORD SATURDAY TASTINGS

1^st Saturday of every month

Venue: Hungerford Shop

Start: 10.30am to 5.30pm

Free of charge

We always have wines open for taste, but on the first Saturday of each month we will be opening a range of 8 to 10 wines to highlight the ever changing range at Caviste, as well as some old favourites. Check our blog, Facebook or Twitter to see what is open to taste each week.

CAVISTE WINTER TASTING

SAVE THE DATE!

Saturday 19^th November (Venue and times to be confirmed)

To celebrate the arrival of Christmas we are holding a Caviste tasting of all our favourite wines for Christmas and lots more besides. We are inviting a number of producers to come and pour their wines, and will have lots of offers and exclusives.

£10 per person refundable on a spend of over £100 at the tasting.

CAVISTE HUNGERFORD @ CROWN & GARTER, INKPEN RG17 9QR
(please call The Crown and Garter direct on 01488 668325)

Tuesday 4th October: Launch tasting for Crown & Carter Caviste wine list

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our most recent restaurant partnership with The Crown & Garter. We have selected a range of wines that reflect the seasonal cooking of this wonderful village pub, with a number of delicious wines by the glass. Gill Hern and Christopher Box have developed a wonderfully warm and inviting setting in which to serve their locally sourced food and we feel that the addition of our wines, and the events that we will be running throughout the year will compliment the offering perfectly.

Crown and Garter and are holding an exclusive tasting to introduce the wines on the new wine list in the recently refurbished pub! Wines supplied by Caviste. We'll also be launching the new Hungerford Supper Club at this event - to be held regularly at the Crown & Garter.

There will also be a set menu supper on offer, please call The Crown and Garter on 01488 668325 to reserve you space.  There is no charge for the wine tasting.

Hungerford Supper Club:
A new series of Hungerford Supper Clubs. Join us for a relaxed, social and informative evening of wine tasting accompanied by a superb 2 course meal cooked by Christopher using local and seasonal food.

• Tuesday 1st November
• Tuesday 6th December

7.30pm for 8pm prompt start @ £25 per person

AUTUMN TASTING @ BENCHMARK FURNITURE, KINTBURY RG17 9SA

Thursday 13th October

7-9pm

Free of charge

Taste wines for Autumn entertaining or just everyday pleasure. Explore our recent discoveries from France, Italy, South Africa and Slovakia as well as latest releases from old favourites.