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

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 past few days have been spent not roaming around looking for the next new thing, but in fact amongst many of the world’s finest wine palates searching for the next BEST thing. Yes, this is the time of year we wine 'pros' get together in a light, airy work space in Parsons Green and set about judging over 20,000 wines from across the globe. Without a hint of irony, it is a tough life!

I am fortunate enough to have been invited to join John Livingstone Learmonth and his team of 8, which include, Jamie Hutchinson of The Sampler, Mark Williamson of Willi's Wine Bar in Paris, Stephane Soret, sommelier at Raffles in Singapore, the lovely Kate, sommelier at Chez Bruce, fellow wine trader Jonathan Kimms and finally John Switzer, a Canadian academic who has a passion for the region that is both enlightening and affirming.

There are over 90 judges in total, and I must say that when one casts an eye around, the calibre is impressive. Each region has a chairperson, someone who has an intimate and lifelong affiliation to the region, (Gerard Bassett MW is regional France, Peter Richards MW is Chile, James Lawther MW is Bordeaux and so on) and the team around them are picked for their broader knowledge. I personally have judged regional France, Spain, Italy and Rhône, and it is here I feel most at home.

The day starts with a briefing from Steven Spurrier, one of the trade’s icons and Editor at Large for Decanter magazine. Coffee is consumed, croissants taken and we all assemble at our tables for the day's work. There are four to a table and each taster has 12 glasses, score sheets and a crib sheet telling us what the general categories are; varietal blends, alcohol and price range, going from £5 to £200 plus (and no, we haven't had one of those, but yes, here was one wine that was, a Barolo of all things). We have a team helper who pours the wines, generally helps out and runs off to get another bottle if the sample is corked or otherwise unpalatable. Sadly, and more often than not, the second bottle often proves no better than the first.

We the calibrate our tasting scores, tasting two wine in succession and marking them out of 20: 14.5 is commended, 15.5 bronze, 17 silver and 18.5 gold. We then taste in flights, 12 at a time, and after each flight we aggregate our scores and discuss anomalies, using John LL as the arbitrator. Generally the consensus is in line, but it is always amazing to me that no matter how objective you try to be, how analytical one tries to be, personal tastes and prejudices do occasionally push through. I prefer lighter, fresher wines, mineral, cool characters, others prefer more brooding styles, deeper fruit and body, so occasionally the tastes collide and that is when the interesting banter begins.

The wines we have tasted so far have been in the main of average quality, with only a handful of golds awarded, one being for the first wine of the first flight on Monday (to mighty applause as last year we gave no golds in the first three days), a cheeky Costière de Nimes with a very attractive price point. What has been a disappointment are the wines from the more highly regarded AC's, Châteauneuf 2011 in bottle already? I don't think so. Vacqueyras 2011 and 2010 were tasting flat. 2010 Châteauneuf, which really should be a breeze, was hard work and without charm in the main, and the less said about the Côtes du Rhône Village category the better frankly. One should remember however that those producers who make the very finest wines are unlikely to enter their wines into these competitions for a number of reasons, so one is really only likely to be tasting wines from producers who need this sort of accolade. It is a shame as a great wine would really get the full blown gold treatment!

By the end of the day everyone is exhausted, the concentration required and the demanding nature of tasting 80 or so wines is quite intense, so nothing is more welcome than the pint I had in The White Horse afterward. This is the time for banter and catching up with old friends, many of whom fly in from around the globe and who only meet once a year. It's a great feeling being part of what is probably the very best wine competition held anywhere in the world and the feeling if exhaustion is soon lost. As I sit on the train on my way to day three, I am champing at the bit to get stuck in: Châteauneuf du Pape, price point £50 plus all day long, perfect for this miserable weather!

Bon soif mes amis.

I have just returned from Alimentaria, Barcelona's wine and food fair. Although this is only about as big as the London wine fair, ie a quarter of the size of Vinitaly, it is focused solely on Spain, naturally, and therefore there are a considerable amount of wines to sift through. Normally I avoid fairs like the plague as I prefer to find my quarry in the field, not in the zoo, so to speak, but this was an exception and I needed to find inexpensive house wines and see some of our producers, the backdrop of Barcelona and the fact a few friends were there too, made for a convincing argument to attend.

Day one was spent not at this fair, but at Vini Vinoteca, a tasting of the top wine producers in Spain, well, some of them anyway. This is organised by an on trade company and is based in the centre of town. The place is incredibly busy so tasting anything is a bit if a nightmare. However with a few tips from our friends at Dominio do Bibei, I managed to select the producers worth looking at. Highlights were Erasmus Priorat, Pardas from Penedes, an agency that I hope to ship and Domaine Lupier in Navarra who make the best Garnachas I have tasted in a long time. Others of note, but who are with UK importers already were Emilio Rojo, Rafael Palacios Jimenez Landi and Pingus. Incidentally the new Bibei wines are stellar, 2010 Lapola having a touch of Albariño in it now which has really lifted the fruit. These guys will be at the Real Wine Fair.

So, on to the main event in a massive fiera centre south of the city. I spent an hour or so getting my bearings and working out a plan of attack. You can never expect to taste everything and it is better to focus in on specific targets. Mine were:

• House wines to hit a £7 price point
• Juicy reds and vibrant whites for sub £10
• Great estates from eclectic regions

I avoided Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Cava, as well as the big commercial stands, so this removed 35% of the fair in one swipe. My first targets were Jumilla and Jecar, both south east of Madrid, but with altitude. I struck gold after about 3 hours, with two fabulous reds and a pair of house wines that hit the spot perfectly, and one is organic to boot. Great packaging and a really lovely philosophy. I also tasted some horrendous extracted wines that are already in the UK and frankly shouldn't be. So Xenysel will be joining us soon, as will Bodegas Ego, with one of the weirdest labels I have ever seen (and that is saying something!)

I also met a friend who makes wines at Evohe in Aragona. We would take the Marzuala Garnacha Blanca and maybe the Garnacha too, and the pricing would be comfortably under £10 for us. They are great wines and very good value, and capture the mood of new wave Spain perfectly. These will be in the shops by May.

Next up, Ribeira de Jucar east of Madrid. I tasted some lovely wines here and again cracking value. I need to delve a bit deeper as the wine maker of the wine I really enjoyed was not at the stand but Casa Gauda make pretty juicy wines and well packaged too. The prices have yet to be revealed but they are sure to be good value.

Then on to Terra de Leon and a wonderful estate producing Prieto Picudo, a variety with rich luscious fruit but fresh acidity and strong tannins. Pardevalles makes a great introductory wines from this variety as well as a more serious wine that we would sell for around £12. As well as this they have 4 ha of Albarin, a variety that bears no relation to Albarino, and that only has 30 ha in the world. It is fresh, vital and luscious on the finish, a really great wine that sits in the Loire/alto adige school of freshness. I am keen to work with these guys and the wines will be with us in May.

Castell d’Encus have produced an Albarino for us that we could sell for £14.95. It is sensational and we have up to 2500 bottles. Raul (Bobet) has designed a new label for us and it is great that we have the world exclusivity for this wine. It was great to see his stand was constantly busy and there was a real buzz about his wines and Encus. We have an icon here to be sure!

I also tasted some lovely Galician wines, mostly Monterrei, Valdeorras and Ribeira. I found a beautiful Monterrei from Vina Arxentia, fresh and herbal with real zip, and a fine price too, circa £12. As well as this I need to track down Crego e Monsguillo who apparently make fabulous wines. I also tasted lots of Godello and I must say it’s not my favourite variety, a bit sloppy and ill defined in the main, but the wines from Coroa were excellent so I need to find out more about this lot, they will probably be super expensive but I will go and see them in June!

Mas Bertran Cava is amazing. They have produced a new label for Balma which is very cool and can be seen on the website. I also tasted a producer called Rudeles from Ribera del Duero (I know, this one slipped in somehow), based near Dominio do Atuata in the eastern end of the region. They are good wines, but I am less convinced that the market for these wines is really all it needs to be to justify shipping them. More research then...

Onwards and to Ribeira Sacra to taste around and about. No worries, we have the best producer here, but I was impressed by Algueira who make slightly more chunky wines. This is such a beautiful area and I dare say that the potential for making very fine wines will soon be realised by more and more producers. Even Dirk Nieportt has started making wines out here!

Navarra. Oh dear. I am afraid I blanked here nothing of any interest to speak of, and he region was very badly represented. This is normally rich hunting ground but...

A quick diversion with the ‘Chicos del Terruar’ a group of producers who are all cool and funky and make terroir focussed wines. Interesting wines but all in the premium range and I wonder if this sort of esoteric style has the legs to really gain traction in the UK market. I am keen on one or two of the wines, including a Priorat made by Laurent Combier from Crozes Hermitage.

I tasted a good many other wines and spent time checking out the competition too. It is incredibly tiring, three days being too long and after a while you feel you have kissed enough frogs. Spanish wine is definitely on the up, sort for where Italy was about 20 years ago, and you feel it still has a long way to go which is very exciting. I tasted too many traditional wines that still have to be made for the home markets and South America, and these wines really stick out. Cheap wine is easy to find, but mostly it is turgid and undrinkable, so it was gratifying to kind something we can work with as a house wine proposition.

I would say that wine fairs, are not for me, they are too noisy and blurred, even if this was a lot of fun. I tasted a huge range of wines, but I have to say that I would rather have been tasting them in the vineyard with only the producer and the wine to listen too!

Therefore we are extremely proud to be taking part in The Real Wine fair on Sunday 20th May in London. Here our sister company Carte Blanche Wines and a number of our other suppliers will be showcasing over 200 producers and their wines in one of the biggest events of its kind ever held in the UK. The term Real Wine relate to wines made without the need for chemicals and unnatural ingredients in the grape growing and wine making process (excluding sulphur, which is only used in tiny quantities).

In attendance there will be natural producers, Biodynamic producers and organic producers as well as many seminars by the likes of Jamie Goode and Christine Parkinson. Food will be on offer for all palates and, if this event is anything like similar tastings in the continent, there will be an awful lot of fun. Which after all is what wine should really be about.

Caviste will be showcasing our Real Wines throughout the month of May, with special offers and tastings to help you get a better idea of this ever popular movement in the UK wine market.

To book tickets at £20 each please call into your local Caviste store.

We hope you enjoy it.