The Wine Merchant's Blog

We are thrilled that our 2018 Christmas Brochure has landed. Browse our collection of favourite wines from 2018, including handpicked selections by James Nicholson and Jane Boyce MW. We have all the cases you love; our Festive Favourites, our ever popular duo gift packs, as well as a range of new custom made cases. Perfect […]

As the leaves change colour, the evenings get shorter, it’s time to get cosy in front of the fire – and top it all off with a rich, warming bottle of Rioja! We are welcoming the onset of autumn with arms open wide, and armed with Spain’s finest offerings!  From the 15th until the 28th […]

When it comes to wine, acidity is nearly everything to me. It is acidity that enables us to enjoy a glass of wine and not become bored when drinking the second one. It confers freshness, elegance and vitality to wine. However, and this is of utmost importance: acidity needs to be perfectly (and beautifully) balanced. […]

Many of us wine lovers have romantic notions of large collections, full of classic Bordeaux, Burgundy, Hermitage, Champagne, Barolo…the list can go on and on and on. The reality is, for the vast majority of us, the fancy cellar, full of perfectly aged wines is nothing more than a dream. But that definitely doesn’t mean […]

For each new season we pick a wine to reflect the change in temperature.  As autumn sets in it is time to start moving from chilled whites to fuller body whites and warming reds. Here are our recommendations.   Taryn St John’s Road, The Prophet Shiraz 2016, £22.50 I’ve found a wine that will get […]

Get to know grape varieties and regions rather than brand names which are often made up by marketing people and produced in bulk with the objective of being consistent. Look out for new grape varieties and blends which offer something new and interesting. Good examples include:  Michele Biancardi Solo Fiano 2016 and  Hesketh Small Parcels Negroamaro 2016   […]

This Saturday, 18th August, we will be celebrating one of the wine industries most prized, most loved grapes; Pinot Noir! Famous for thousands of years (it has been vinified since Roman times) for the red wines of Burgundy, Pinot went main stream in 2005 with the release of the Hollywood film “Sideways”. Pinot sales rocketed […]

Bodegas Paco Garcia winery is located about 10 miles from Logrono, the main town in the region. Situated roughly 400 metres above sea level in the village of Murillo de Río Leza, the wines are made for drinking, not thinking. The message of the winery is to enjoy the moment, glass of wine in hand, […]

To celebrate National White Wine day on Saturday 4th August here are a few of our top picks of slightly lesser known varieties that you may want to try. After all, the white wine category is much wider than just Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc!   Quinta Soalheiro Alvarinho 2017 One of the top properties producing […]

We are continually asked what to drink with this dish and that dish.  We have put together a handy guide to help you make the most of your menu.  We are always happy to help in store as all our staff are fully trained and ready to guide you whether it is for a midweek […]

As we revel in the most welcome yet uncharacteristic sizzle of a summer heatwave in this part of the world many would be forgiven for thinking that the only suitable candidates for an accompanying tipple come in the form of light, fresh whites and rosés across the board (not to mention bubbles). There are, however, […]

Australia is the fourth biggest producer of wine in the world, with only around 40% being consumed locally, which explains why we can get such high quality, reasonably priced wine on our side of the world. Unfortunately, during the 1990’s and early 2000’s, the Australian wine industry was plagued by large conglomerates, mass producing low […]