Grand Vin Wine Merchants UK | Blog

Latest blog from Martin Lea, our General Manage r in the Far East : Yesterday I had the privilege of attending the inaugural James Suckling Great Wines of Italy event held at the Island Shangri La in Hong Kong . All of the top producers in Italy were where there - Bruno Giacosa, Casanova Di Neri, Marchesi Antinori, Paolo Scavino, Tenuta Dell'Ornellaia, Tenuta San Guido (Sassicaia), Valdicava, Vietti, Ciacci Piccolomini d'Aragona and Zenato (to name just a few). It was the biggest tasting of Italian wines ever hosted in Asia and the event was completely sold out, highlighting the growing popularity of the wines in this part of the w orld.  Italian wines are made to be drunk. They are great with food and offer outstanding value for money, so it is no surprise that as the market for fine wine in Asia grows, so has the demand for Italian wines. There is nothing like meeting the winemakers to learn about the wines - all of the producers that I spoke to were really excited t...

My least favourite question is one that I’m frequently asked: “So, what’s your favourite wine?” I once made a chap at a party quite cross by my inability to pin it down to a single answer. It’s like being asked to choose between your children. Burgundy for temple moments. Bordeaux for purring confidence. Champagne for uplift. Australian for exuberance. But if forced, under some terrible threat, to pick one wine to save in all the world, I would choose Barolo. It has been compared with the great reds of Bordeaux. But this intriguing, sometimes misunderstood Italian is only really like itself. (Or possibly Barbaresco. But that's another story.) Like Bordeaux, Barolo is substantial. This full-bodied, long-lived wine is serious but, unlike its hedonistic Tuscan cousins, not showy. Despite its firm tannins and full body, I think Barolo has more in common with Burgundy than Bordeaux. Like Burgundy, Barolo is the expression of a single grape variety: Nebbiolo. This Italian vine var...

In a week in which we've offered the deliciously characterful and traditional Brunello di Montalcino of Biondi Santi, I received the following letter from my fellow Master of Wine, Nick Belfrage. It is an open letter to the producers of Rosso di Montalcino, Brunello's lighter, slightly less serious, cousin. The producers are to vote on the 7th September on whether to allow a proportion of 'other' (for which, read Merlot, Cabernt Sauvignon or Shiraz) grape varieties into Rosso di Montalcino. Nick is an inspiring authority on Italian wine, and a great writer. His letter highlights many of the key characteristics that make wine such a powerful and rewarding expression of identity and place. AN OPEN LETTER FROM NICK BELFRAGE MW TO THE PRODUCERS OF MONTALCINO WINES I understand that, on Wednesday Sept 7, 2011, a vote will be held in the Assemblea of Montalcino wine producers on whether to allow a small but significant percentage of other grapes, which everyone underst...