Friday, 28 March 2008

One of the things about the wine trade is that there is a general view that most of the time its members spend their time travelling the world and drinking fine wine. While all of our buyers do travel the world looking for new and interesting wines, much of their time is spent making sure we offer high-quality wines at competitive prices.

Many customer first find out about a wine from experimentation, however, a significant number also read about our wines in the press. Hence, twice a year the Waitrose Wine team present a range of new and interesting wines to the UK wine press. This year’s first event is some weeks away but the process of preparing the tasting, under the expert guidance of our Master of Wine Becky Hull, has started.

So last week more than 300 wines from across the Waitrose wine range were tasted in our Bracknell headquarters. This tasting aims to ensure the buyers are happy with their selections and the order the wines will be presented in at the big press day event. The mammoth tasting started with a selection of our new red wines (Waitrose recommends tasting red wine before white) with the highlights including some of our new range of Rioja, followed by the white wines with some outstanding white Burgundies.

The foundations of the spring 2008 press event have now been laid and the press will deliver their verdict in May - we will post their comments as the articles appear. Meanwhile, let us know what you think by submitting a review on wines you have tasted.

Written by Simon Hayward

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Wednesday, 26 March 2008

Less than 14 weeks to go until our big day … the venue is booked, the invitations have been sent, the dress is ordered … just the wine left. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by wine experts so there has been no shortage of helpful suggestions.

I took advantage of our ‘Mix Your Own’ offer last week to order a case of various reds, whites and champagnes, which were delivered to my future in-laws. Would they prefer the classy pairing of the Stoneleigh Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc? Or maybe the ever-popular Oyster Bay range? There was certainly a clear fizz favourite in the form of the award winning Bredon Brut Champagne which is a steal at £14.99 per bottle. In the end Isabel (my better half) got her way so Oyster Bay Merlot and Sauvignon Blanc it is. I didn’t object too much when I realised it was on special offer until 1 April!

Our family and friends are a thirsty bunch so we will be ordering more than enough to qualify for bulk discount through our Solutions for Business team. They offer a named day pallet delivery that certainly makes the whole process pain free. If only choosing the style of confetti was so easy…

Written by Euan MacDonald

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Thursday, 20 March 2008

Gerard Bertrand Tautavel Reserve - It may be the slightly fanciful idea that just because this wine smells of rosemary and redcurrant jelly, that it should therefore go with lamb. But it really does have this distinctively herbal and curranty character that has me picturing a juicy, pink slice of roast lamb every time I taste it. It is a bit expensive to make gravy with, but it would taste lovely if you did!

Written by Justin Howard-Sneyd MW, Wine buyer

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Wednesday, 19 March 2008

Portuguese table wines can often be slightly underrated or ignored probably as a result of their more famous partner - port. However the diversity of the landscape in the country means that Portuguese wines can offer something for all tastes. If you're interested in finding out more, why not go to the 'Wines of Portugal' tasting at Lords Cricket Ground in London on Wednesday 9 April from 6pm to 8pm. At just £15 a ticket it will be the perfect opportunity to find your favourite Portuguese tipple. For a special 'two for one' ticket offer contact SEE tickets at 0871 220 0260 and quote 'Portugal'. For further details visit seetickets.com or email michelle@jkmarketing.co.uk.

Written by Kate Prall

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Monday, 17 March 2008

With the risk of making you feel like it should be summer, we’re going to have to recommend our wine buyer Nick Room’s new rosé offering. From the organic Californian winery Bonterra, comes this delicious Sangiovese based pink.

Bonterra Winemaker Bob Blue made this rosé exclusively for Waitrose, “For me, rosé wines combine the best of both worlds: the soft summer fruit flavours characteristic of red grapes along with a vibrant acidity and freshness usually associated with white grapes. I chose three grape varieties to make up this wine: Sangiovese, Grenache and Zinfandel, which when blended together produce a wonderful pale salmon pink colour and intense berry fruit flavour. And the best bit - they are all organically grown!”

So greet spring in style with this beautiful pink!

Written by Linda Bexell

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Friday, 14 March 2008

After the stormy weather earlier this week, we were bracing ourselves for a stormy day on Wednesday when the Chancellor announced a near 10% hike in duty. Since then we’ve been blown away by record demand for March. For the record, duty went up by 14p on a bottle of wine, 18p on sparkling and champagne, 20p on port and sherry and a massive 55p on a typical bottle of spirits. But fear not, pre-Budget prices are being held until midnight on Monday, and we’re hoping to hold prices on as many wines as possible for as long as possible. And with more tax on motoring, there’s never been a better time to save a journey and start shopping online.

Written by Dave Thornton

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Thursday, 13 March 2008

Every time you visit the Cape, the wine scene has changed beyond all recognition. The whole industry has a vibrancy and dynamism unparalleled in the world wine market today. There is much to be positive about, culminating in the Football World Cup in 2010, and the entire country seem to be on an economic march!

My recent eight-day-trip provided me with an exploratory opportunity to investigate the lesser known regions of South Africa. For decades the industry has revolved around Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek but it is the new, diverse regions on the extremities of climatic possibilities that are of most interest. Darling, Vredendal, Cederberg, Tulbagh, Elgin and the wine-swept Elim are all fast creating a reputation for themselves as premium grape-growing regions. ‘Cool-climate’ seems to be the buzz word as plantings of aromatic, lighter-bodied varieties are widely planted. These areas will not threaten Stellenbosch's supremacy but will add to the appeal to this great wine nation.

Time for relaxation on a week long trip to the southern hemisphere is a must, especially at the weekend! At the end of a long, hot drive (42°C), a swim in the river in the Cederberg Mountains with David Niewoudt (winemaker at Cederberg) and a bottle of refreshing Elim Sauvignon Blanc in the cold bag is one of the perks! South African Sauvignon really is a near perfect balance between the elegant Loire style and the fruit-driven Kiwi wines.

Written by Andrew Shaw, Wine buyer South Africa

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Monday, 10 March 2008

The rolling hills of our beautiful Leckford Estate in Hampshire will now become even more alluring as we’re planting our own first vineyard there! And what else would be more fitting than rows of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir – the classical champagne grapes. Yep, you've read right, we’re about to venture into the world of sparkling wine production and although we’re using international grape varieties we’re trusting Leckford ‘terroir’ to give that truly delicious English flavour.

However, good quality takes time and the first vintage won’t hit the shelves until 2014 as it will take three years before our first harvest and then an approximate two years of maturation. But hopes are high as Justin Howard-Sneyd, our English wine buyer voices, “Our customers are really enthusiastic about English wines and we have seen some fantastic quality from Nyetimber, Ridgeview, Chapel Down, Camel Valley and Denbies. We are all incredibly excited about being involved with the planting and growing of our first vineyard. In addition to the Estate sparkling wine, the vineyard also provides an opportunity to connect our Wine Specialists to the production cycle of the vineyard, and to enhance their education about how wine is made."

So when harvest time comes around and you have a wine question, you'll find us working the rows at Leckford!

Written by Linda Bexell

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Thursday, 6 March 2008

9.30, March 6 2008 - one of the best days of the year in the John Lewis Partnership – i.e. our Bonus announcement (as co-owners of the business we get to share the profits!) 20% of the salary for all Partners - the cheers goes up and the exited chatter begins. What should we spend it on? Holidays? Home improvements? Or perhaps wine? I can definitely see a proportion of my bonus being spent on wine but what will it be? En Primeur Burgundy? Or what about a few bottles of good champagne? Krug 1996 looks inviting or should I get a magnum of the Dead Arm Shiraz? So many choices…

Written by Simon Hayward

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Nadine Storey wrote:
Congratulations on your bonus! Keep up the good work and I hope your success continues in 2008.

Wednesday, March 5 2008

Back in the early 90s when I was studying for my wine diploma and Master of Wine, it was accepted practice that growers had to spray chemicals on the vines to prevent pest and disease. The very, very few organic growers were generally considered mavericks producing invariably substandard wine. Then in Burgundy people started talking about the soil being devoid of life and how practices had to change. Ten years on, there has been a radical change and there are far more growers practising sustainable, organic and biodynamic farming. I sometimes fall into the trap of thinking this is new – but in fact it’s just going back to how it was done before the Second World War when these chemicals didn’t exist.

Written by Susan McCraith MW, Wine buyer En Primeur

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See our full listing of Burgundy En Primeur wines.

Find out more about what buying Burgundy wines En Primeur involves.

Monday, 3 March 2008

Buying wines from Chile is a pleasure and buying wine from Sergio Allard, my Fairtrade Carmenère producer of the Los Robles winery, is even better. When I visited Chile in November, we discussed new ventures and what being Fairtrade really involves. When you appreciate that the Los Robles team are really passionate about wine and the social responsibilities they have as a large employer in a relatively poor area, it brings that reason home to you in a humble but fully professional way. It left a lasting impression on me.

It’s amazing to see what great things can come out of wine production other than beautiful wines. Los Robles currently has 67 farmers in its co-operative supporting over 500 community members. This support is mainly through schooling, housing, health care and overall improvement of quality of life. For example, in the last years 20 students have received financial support to take them through university and 60 workers have received a financial support of $1,600 to improve their homes. Additionally, the co-operative provides a home-owners scheme, health insurance and organises social activities.

We will continue to support this great project and to complement the Los Robles Fairtrade Carmenère that we currently sell, I am adding two more wines this year; a Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc, and a specially blended 'three varietal' red. Both wines show real Chilean character, with the white as fresh as a daisy and the red that will be - with more time in barrel - a rich, robust, earthy monster!

Written by Nick Room, Wine buyer Chile

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