Hi All

So I visited Achaval Ferrer winery today, was fantastic. It was the first day of harvest and all hands on deck, picking, sorting and processing the grapes. Met Santiago Achaval himself whose hands were sticky with grapes getting stuck in to the hard work. We had a tour of the winery, given by enologists Julian and Eclio, and then had the pleasure of tasting their wines. In the attached photos I tried a few barrel samples of the 2013 release of their Quimera and the Finca Mirador, still too young but you can tell they will be beautiful. Also tried some of the Finca Bella Vista and Altamira which are drinking now and delicious. The grounds of the winery and the setting were lovely. Overall had a great day and everyone was so welcoming. Hope all is well back at JN.

All the best, Maria-Elena

The Wines Of Achaval Ferrer

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From grape selection to international marketing, this unique ‘hands on’ training scheme will give one enthusiastic candidate the opportunity to explore every aspect of the captivating wine industry. Starting in August 2011, the nine month training scheme comprises placements at James Nicholson Wine Merchant’s premises in both Co. Down and Dublin, as well as visits to European vineyards.

More Information

• Training Scheme Description
• Application Form

*Deadline for return completed application forms is June 1st 2011

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Carneros Vineyard in the Spring

In 1991, Fred Cline and his wife Nancy relocated their winery from Oakley in Contra Costa County to the Carneros region of Sonoma County on a historic 350-acre estate with new vineyards and facilities. While much of the cool Carneros region is planted to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot, Fred pioneered the planting of Rhône varietals including Syrah, Viognier, Marsanne and Roussanne. At JN we were particularly impressed with Cline’s lovely, fruity Zinfandels

Fred's innovation and experimentation led to the production of intense, flavourful Zinfandels for which he has garnered enormous acclaim with many domestic and international awards. Since 2000, Cline Cellars has been farming according to the precepts of the Green String way - naturally and sustainably, avoiding chemical pesticides, fungicides and fertilizers. Techniques include the use of organic cover crops, compost teas, crushed volcanic rock and oyster shell, natural mined sulfur and sheep grazing.

Carneros Vineyards California

Once every year, Cline reduce vineyard cultivation and degradation by providing the soil with organic matter to help retain soil structure, water infiltration, and microbial activity. Throughout the vineyards, compost derived from natural products such as grape pumice, vine prunings and other mature organic material is applied helping to improve the texture and depth of the soil and providing sustenance to the vine. "Compost Tea" is added to the vines via drip irrigation and also applied directly to the leaves. This tea contains molasses, fish emulsion to increase nitrogen content, rock dust, microbes and other nutrients. Other environmentally-sensitive activities include using grazing sheep to keep harmful weeds at bay. Needless to say, the use of chemicals for weed and pest control is eschewed.

Zinfandel, thought to be identical to a Croatian grape called Plavac Mali and the Italian grape Primitivo, arrived in California in the 1840s and is the third most widely planted red grape in the state. It can produce a blockbuster of a wine with fruity strawberry, black cherry and raspberry flavours.

Cline’s Zinfandel is produced primarily from 80- to 120-year-old vines from the Oakley ancient vine holdings. JN’s hottest seller is the entry-level Cline Californian Zinfandel with the top-notch Big Break Zin being a special wine for a special occasion.

Cline's star white wine is a delightful Viognier which offers rich and distinctive aromas of peaches, apricots, orange blossom and honeysuckle. Its rich flavour and full-bodied mouthfeel make it an ideal match for spicy stir fries, curried Thai dishes and grilled fish. Cline wine, fine wine.

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Griaziano Pra, Owner and Winemaker

We all enjoy it when new wines come on board here at JN. We all love the product we work with and it’s always good to try new things but now and again something comes along that surprises us and creates a bit of a stir. Dare I say it but there is currently something of a frisson of excitement about some new Italian wines that have just come in. It started when we launched them at the Dublin tasting last week. There was many a whispered ‘have you tried the fabulous Soaves yet?’ circulating around the room.

I was lucky enough to be on the table beside Laura (right) who was representing the Prà winery who make these vinous treats. I was close enough to sneak across and get a taste of each of the wines. Just lovely! Now Soave is not something I would usually get excited about. They can be very pleasant and very drinkable but rarely would they be exciting. The general consensus here seems to be that these wines are a little bit special.I asked Laura what the secret to such delicious wines was and she told me that she had asked that very same question to Graziano Prà – owner and winemaker.  His answer?  30 years!  Apparently 30 years experience means you really know what you’re doing and if his wines are anything to go by there could be some truth in that.

Winegrowing runs in the Prà family. Graziano and his brothers Sergio and Flavio inherited their vineyards from their father Angel. In his day, the grapes were sold to the local co-op. Graziano, Sergio and Flavio all attended winemaking college and decided that they should try a new business venture by making and bottling the wine themselves. In 1983 their first Soave Classico was made and sold with enough success to convince them that this was indeed the way forward and so the winery has grown from there. There are now a number of wines in the portfolio and we have brought in 4 wines –
Soave Classico, Soave Classico Staforte, Valpolicella Classico and Valpolicella Ripasso. All the wines are very good quality and display lovely fruit concentration, balance, elegance, flavour, minerality and texture. Antonio Galloni (part of the Robert Parker team) cites Prà as one of his favourite producers in Veneto.

View all our Pra Wines

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Congratulations to all at Domaine Gayda; 94/100 for their ‘Chemin de Moscou’ 2008! Voted 4th best Red wine in the Languedoc Roussillon and 37th best in France in the SIAL 2010 Best Buy Awards.

The JN Taste Team visited Domaine Gayda back in March 2010; welcomed warmly by Gayda’s charismatic wine maker, Vincent Chansault. We were massively impressed with their vineyard management and wines. I loved the Tair d’Oc Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah but for a wine that truly reflects the potential of the Languedoc it has to be Chemin de Moscou. A blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault. Its intensely dark aromas (dark chocolate, spice, plums, tobacco) and full tannins make this wine perfect with big food flavours this winter.

Domaine Gayda - Vincent Chansault

JN Top Tip: For best results decant this one a few hours prior to drinking, it’s big and could benefit from a few hours on the naughty step…