It was a celebration of structure, style, shape, shades, silhouette, scent, subtlety with a semblance of sweetness, spiciness and seasoning!  The Pickering Cellar was transformed from the home of Berrys’ Wine School, to an elegant catwalk last Saturday. Think whimsical, enthralling, stylish, inspiring and magical…

To celebrate Mothers’ Day, we invited two great St James’s neighbours to join us in our cellars: Lock & Co. Hatters and Floris (also Royal Warrant holders and old established family companies). The day was an extravaganza for the senses!

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Last week, we were privileged to be paid a visit from Churton, a small winery from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. Here at Berrys we have a special relationship with the winery, as the owner Sam Weaver is an alumni from our very own Basingstoke cellars!

We take great pride in considering ourselves to be the closest link between the people who make wine, and the people who drink it, so it’s always a fantastic opportunity for us when the winemakers themselves come to visit us. We were treated by Mandy Weaver, Sam’s wife, to a line up of four fantastic wines, showcasing not only the established traditions of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir, but also their new Viognier, very much a rarity from the region.

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Celebrating Berry Bros. & Rudd’s significant investment in one of San Francisco’s most exciting businesses, three Berrys (Simon Berry, David Berry Green and Geordie d’Anyers Willis) and three Rudds (Edward, Richard and Lizzy) visited the historic brewery to meet the Anchor Brewers and Distillers (ABD) team, led by the dynamic ex-Skyy entrepreneurs Tony Foglio and Keith Greggor.

At the heart of Anchor Brewers lies ‘Anchor Steam’ craft beer, whose history dates back to 1896 (an anagram of 1698!) to the period of the Gold Rush. The craft beer brand was established as a national icon, distributed to 50 of the United States, during the ownership by Fritz Maytag from 1965 onwards. In fact it could be said that Fritz established the ‘craft beer’ (micro-brewery) category; one that is now exploding at the expense of the more mainstream beer brands. San Francisco being at the heart of this national thirst for artisanal products; a movement epitomised by Anchor Steam beer along with eight other Anchor beers, such the bitter hops flavoured ‘Liberty Ale’.

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We caught up with Katie Cooper to ask her a few questions about what it’s like working in her role as Wine Club Manager here at Berrys.

How did you get into wine?

Like many students, I developed a healthy interest in wine (and gin….and vodka…!) at university and after graduating with a degree in English and Latin Literature, decided to pursue a vinous path, rather than the more obvious routes of publishing or teaching. I joined the graduate scheme at Majestic Wine and learnt a huge amount about both wine and management, passing the WSET Diploma in Wine and Spirits whilst working my way up to Senior Manager.

What brought you to the role of Berrys’ Wine Club Manager?

After five years, I was ready for a new challenge and a move away from the shop floor. After a brief stint as a Wine Advisor in Berrys’ Sales and Service department, I got the job as Wine Club manager. I love speaking to customers and I love all the behind-the-scenes work that running the Wine Club involves, so it’s a perfect combination for me and felt like a natural progression from what I’d done before.

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It’s Valentine’s Day, and rather than bombard you with pink Champagne choices, I asked Berrys’ staff to get in touch with their softer side and write a poem confessing their love… for wine! 

When I was asked to pen on my favourite wine,
I thought, ‘this is mad! All are favourites of mine!”

Whether Chablis or Claret, dry Riesling or Sherry,
Any nectar from grapes will make me quite merry,

When it comes to tradition, they say I’m quite deft,
Decanting with grace; passing Port to the left,

But actually readers, now I come to think,
I daresay there’s one that’s my favourite drink,

A supreme, sublime indication of class,
You’ll never find me without this in my glass,

Blue Nun is its name! It’ll never get tired,
It’s… hang about readers, I’ve just been fired.
-Steffan Griffiths, Berrys’ Marketing

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We are delighted to welcome a new addition to our Berrys’ Own Selection family: our delicious Argentinian Malbec. Sourced by our South American buyer Simon Field MW, from the celebrated producer Pulenta Estate in Mendoza, the wine fills a hole that has been present in our range for some time, and to celebrate the launch we thought we’d gather together some staff opinions to share with you.

Firstly, our South American buyer and the man responsible for sourcing the wine, Simon Field MW, elaborates on the origin of the wine, the beauty of its native Argentina, and just what makes our Malbec quite so exquisite:

“For a long time there has been a gap in our New World Own Selection Range, and for a long time we have been tasting and exploring in an effort to fill that gap. New Zealand Pinot Noir, Chilean Sauvignon Blanc, Australian Chardonnay… all totemic and all emblematic of what is best (and in many instances worst) of the countries in question. But no Argentinian Malbec!

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Although 30 years may seem fairly young in many parts of the world, in Australian terms it is an anniversary to be celebrated. And to mark the occasion, Cameron Ashmead, co-owner of Elderton Wines in Australia (makers of many fine wines, not least our very own Berrys’ Australian Shiraz and Chardonnays!), came to visit us and we managed to grab a couple of minutes to film him talking about the winery and their plans for the next year or two:

For those of you contemplating travelling to Argentina in the near future, may I offer are three very valuable pieces of advice. Firstly you must in fact go first to Chile, so as to benefit from going too far, as it were, and having the excuse of crossing the Andes four times before returning home (as I demonstrate on horseback, below). The view of Aconcagua, the highest peak in all of America is quite breath-taking and the ecstatic contemplation can be enhanced by the knowledge that LAN Airlines are the most efficient in South America , with an extremely good record of  not losing luggage not  to mention their proclivity to follow particularly scenic flight-paths.

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In an attempt to live up to Charles Walter Berry’s famous 1930s definition of a wine merchant: ‘The closest link between the people who make the wine and the people who drink the wine’, I recently headed to Frog’s Leap Winery in Rutherford, Napa Valley to help out for a week during the harvest. I’d never been to California before and I must admit that in the few days before my departure, the relentless suggestions from colleagues that this was nothing more than a glorified holiday had started to infiltrate into the sub-conscious. However, on arrival it seemed that owner John Williams and General Manager Jonah Beer hadn’t received the memo and I was quickly put to work.

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What an honour and a pleasure it was to welcome Rick Kinzbrunner, the creator of Giaconda surely one of Australia’s finest wines, back to Piedmont five years after his last visit. The seed was sown for this brief three day tour when Rick came to Berrys last year to host a dinner. Mention of my moving out to Nebbiolo country had got him thinking. He had then proceeded to tell me of his passion for the grape; of his St.Chinian bolt-hole across the Alps; how he had three vintages of Giaconda Nebbiolo in the cellar; and how he would really try and make it out to see me. And come he did.

For what with global warming and wild fire, Rick’s Giaconda vineyards, planted in the early 1980s with the Chardonnay first bottled in 1986, have been feeling the heat of late. So six years back he grafted Nebbiolo onto half a hectare of wilting Pinot Noir. He’s happy with the result, as are the hacks at the Wine Advocate apparently, rating his Nebbiolo as the best tasted outside Italy. I sense though that his new business partner Michel Chapoutier is not so keen, preferring Syrah instead. Rick stresses he’s not out to make a me-too Barbaresco or Barolo style wine, but one that reflects the lower pH  granite and schistous soils that lie on the Victorian Alp foothills at between 500-700 metres above sea-level, made with the same painstaking care that characterises all his wines; wines that are truly hand-made, without recourse to yeast, pump or filter. (more…)

Last week we received a visit from Australian winemaker Dean Hewitson and his wife Lou (the namesake of one of the vineyard’s tasty offerings). In this video Dean talks about the wines from their Old Garden site, which they claim is the world’s oldest Mourvedre vineyard (planted in 1853)…

Continuing on from the string of producers who have made it to Basingstoke to tell us about their wines, last week it was time for our annual visit from the iconic Penfolds in Australia, who came in to talk us through a delicious collection of wines, from the Reserve Bin Chardonnay to the St Henri, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

In the video below winemaker Tom Portet talks a bit about the wines from Penfolds, how they have evolved and the measures they are having to take due to the droughts in recent years:

On Friday we enjoyed a visit from talented Californian winemaker David Ramey, who came to show us his sublime, Burgundian-style Chardonnays and his deep, tantislising reds, made predominantly with Cabernet and a blend of other Bordeaux varietals.  Having worked at Pétrus before heading up Ramey Wine Cellars, we asked David how ‘The Parker Effect’ varies from Bordeaux to California:

We were lucky enough to have a visit from Tim Heath, wine maker at Cloudy Bay recently, who let us taste a wonderful selection of Cloudy Bay’s latest releases, including the ever-popular (and rightly so) delicious 2009 Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc.  In this video he gives us a quick run-down of what makes Cloudy Bay special and why 2009 is such a lovely wine:

I was invited to the brilliant gastro-pub, The Wellington Arms,  in deepest darkest Basingstoke a couple of nights ago by a bon viveur of a client. Sadly, as I’m not the most well organised person, I’d left it too late in the day to plunder my own cellar (housed here rather than home, as the temptation is too great!) so I had to make a hasty stop in the shop to pick out a bottle of something modest and appropriate.

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Nigel Greening of Felton Road Estate in New Zealand talks about biodynamics in the New World

Two of the aspects of Biodynamics which I personally find least convincing are the preparations (500-508), and the calendar. Unfortunately these are probably the two areas that also get the vast majority of the publicity associated with Biodynamic farming, largely because of the “Harry Potter makes some potions” aspect of the whole thing.

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Nigel Greening of Felton Road Estate in New Zealand gives us an insight into his recent trip to Dubai…

OK, The land of concrete and dust is finally come. Fittingly, I flew in on an Emirates A380, the largest plane in the world. It is an astonishing bit of kit… apparently there is a spa with showers in first class, where they will shortly be pouring our wine (first, that is, not in the shower!)… typical that the wine travels better than I do! I have to ‘make do’ with business, no shabby choice with large beds, and a very roomy bar to lounge in. The thing is just ridiculously big; I think they have to keep the upper deck pressurised even when the plane is on the ground, it is so tall.

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Lying in a patch of heaven on Napa’s prime Rutherford Bench is John Williams’ Frog’s Leap winery; an oasis of viticultural life; an island of humility & fine wine, but not a frog in sight!
 We were lucky enough to have John come to Berrys to tell his story over dinner; of how, in the late ’70s, this East Coast dairyman went West in search of fresh pasture, only to stumble on an ancient frog farm. Time at Stag’s Leap Winery then convinced him and his friend and associate, Larry Turley, that there was more to life than cows, prompting them to sell their Harleys and move into wine; 1981 was their first vintage, achieving instant recognition, not least on account of the label!

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 With more than 1,000 years experience between them, The Bunch is a group of six wine merchants representing the independent sector. With growing competition from supermarkets and high street off licences The Bunch provides a voice for the independents, all be it quite a softly spoken one.

Former Berrys’ employee and now famed wine writer for The Daily Telegraph, Jonathan Ray, persuaded The Bunch to provide a mixed case of affordable wines perfect for those feeling the pinch. The final selection represents classy but modern alternatives to classics like Barolo and Bordeaux, Champagne and Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Condrieu and Chianti – all for the bargain price of £99 including delivery.

Tantalise your taste buds with a delicious Viognier from Domaine de Coudoulet. This wine dances with delicate apricot notes and a peach-stone texture. Alternatively, the Gran Marius from Bodegas Piqueras in Almansa, Spain is great with red meats and cheese dishes.

Click Here for further details of the offer and a full list of wines with tasting notes.

To order this unique case drawn from six of the UK’s finest independent merchants at the credit crunch-busting price of £99 (inclusive of delivery), CLICK HERE or call 0870 900 4300.