Lunch Wines at The Bordeaux Grands Crus Classés 2020-2023 [London]

The Bordeaux Grands Crus Classés tasting, held yesterday at the historic Church House in London, brought together key figures from the wine industry—journalists, sommeliers, and wine trade professionals. Lunch showcased a selection of Bordeaux’s iconic appellations, including Pomerol, Saint-Estèphe, Sauternes, Saint-Julien, Pessac-Léognan, Saint-Émilion, Pauillac, and Margaux with vintages from 2008 to 2019.

The white wines provided a refreshing prelude to the reds, exhibiting the precise craftsmanship of Bordeaux winemakers in their balance of acidity, fruit expression, and oak integration. Notably, the 2019 Château Tronquoy Blanc (Magnum) from Saint-Estèphe impressed with its elegance and minerality, while the 2010 Château Guiraud 1er Grand Cru Classé from Sauternes offered the hallmark sweetness and complexity characteristic of top-tier dessert wines.

The red wines took center stage, offering a tour de force of Bordeaux’s diverse terroirs and winemaking styles. The lineup included:

2017 Château Branaire-Ducru (Saint-Julien), exhibiting fine tannins and a fresh, vibrant finish.

2016 Château Smith Haut Lafitte (Pessac-Léognan), with notes of black fruit and tobacco, showcasing its structured elegance.

2016 Château Canon (Saint-Émilion),and 2016 La Mondotte (Saint-Émilion), representing the rich, powerful styles of Saint-Émilion.

2016 Château Pontet-Canet (Pauillac), with its signature depth and concentrated flavors.

2015 Château Montrose (Saint-Estèphe), which stood out as a personal favorite, revealing an impeccable balance of bold fruit, earthiness, and a long finish—epitomizing the power of Montrose.

2014 Château Rauzan-Ségla (Margaux), offering elegance and finesse.

2009 Château Gazin (Pomerol), another standout with its lush, velvety texture and layers of complexity—a highlight of the tasting.

2008 Château Léoville Poyferré (Saint-Julien), with its refined structure and aging potential.

My personal favorites from this exceptional tasting were the 2009 Château Gazin from Pomerol and the 2015 Château Montrose from Saint-Estèphe, each offering distinct profiles that perfectly showcased the diversity of Bordeaux’s terroirs.

Wines of Ukraine launch UK Head Office

Wines of Ukraine has recently established a UK head office to help further grow its reputation on the international stage.

The organization, formed in 2021, is made up of 15 members, comprising craft wineries with an overwhelming majority of pre-war sales rooted in the domestic market. The organization has had a strong presence at this year’s London Wine Fair and Prowein.

With the proposed UK import operation now beginning to take shape, Wines of Ukraine will host its inaugural tasting for the UK trade and media on Monday, October 9th at 67 Pall Mall in London

At its first UK tasting, there will be 11 wineries from six wine regions, that will show 60+ wines, covering different styles, including sparkling wines, unfiltered orange wines and sweet wines, reds, whites, and rosés.

Tania Olevska, marketing and PR director of Wines of Ukraine UK, states: “Our producers are excited to meet and present their bottles to wine professionals in the UK this autumn.  Now is the right time to bring the wines of Ukraine to the UK, when we have a high quality and a good range of styles – all of which are confirmed by high ratings at international wine competitions and great feedback from both professionals and consumers.”

The full-scale war unleashed by Russia has significantly affected the state of Ukraine’s wine industry with some wineries being occupied, and others being damaged and looted. Some of the vineyards are mined and not cultivated, and the local market has shrunk. However, in 2022, Ukrainian wines began to be discovered worldwide and today they are represented in the UK, USA, Japan, Poland, Baltic, and Nordic countries, amongst others.

Svitlana Tsybak, co-founder of Wines of Ukraine, added: “The mission of our team is to promote Ukrainian wines worldwide, present Ukraine as a winemaking country, and tell everywhere and everyone that Ukraine has its place in the winemaking world.

“For the last two decades, Ukrainian wine has experienced a renaissance, and now it is time to show our wines in the UK.  This is one of the most important markets for us, not least because the country supports Ukraine, which we very much appreciate.”

To register for the event click here:  https://shorturl.at/ADE04

Wineries that will be showcased, include:

Beykush Winery, Mykolaiv

Stakhovsky Wines, Zakarpattya

Chateau Chizay, Zakarpattya

Biologist Craft Winery, Kyiv

Vynkhol Oksamytne /TM Villa Tinta, Odesa (Bessarabia subregion)

Kolonist Wine, Odesa (Bessarabia subregion)

Frumushika Nova, Odesa (Bessarabia subregion)

Shabo, Odesa

Tiras Winery /TM My Wine by Eduard Gorodetsky, Odesa

Graevo, Zaporizhzhia

Father’s Wine VB, Ternopil

Academie du Vin + 67 Pall Mall + Tarlant

It was wonderful to share a glass of Champagne Tarlant Reserve Brut (a few days ago) with Ms Hermione Ireland, Managing Director of Academie du Vin Library at @67pall_mall Wine Club.

Amongst our many wine and business conversations, Hermione provided me with [fresh off the press] a copy of “On Champagne -A Tapestry of Tales to Celebrate the Greatest Sparkling Wine of All” Compiled by Susan Keevil

Format: Hardback

ISBN: 9781913141356

Publication Date: 1 October, 2022

Pages: 279

The book can be ordered at the special pre-publication price from their website – www.academieduvinlibrary.com

It was a lovely evening of catching up!

#winebooks #wineeducation #womeninwine #champagne #champagnelover #womeninwine #womeninwinebusiness #womenleaders #london #londonwineclub ##winelovers #wine #wineeducation #winebook #67pallmall #champagne #champagnebook #tarlantchampagne #academieduvinlibrary #champagnelovers #champagnebrut @academieduvinlibrary. @herione7031  @tarlant

Signing the Book of Condolence for Queen Elizabeth ll in London

I was so happy to sign the Book of Condolence for Queen Elizabeth ll last night at The Ritz Hotel, London. The Ritz set-up a stunning private area for the signing not far from the front entrance.  This was very emotional for me and a great honour to sign it.  I was born in Northern Ireland, my mother, father, aunts, cousins, and other family members are all British monarchists, with a strong love of their long history and tradition.

I am so proud to say that my children and their children will be able to grow up in this world knowing what the Queen has accomplished throughout her 70-year reign, her many legacies, including ushering the monarchy into the 21st century – she was the spirit and the soul of the country.

The Queen was an inspiration to us all for her devoted loyalty and dignity, may all her legacies live on!

#aboutlastnight #queenelizabeth #RIPQueenElizabeth #queenelizabethll #RitzhotelLondon #ritzhotel #theritzlondon #london #londoncalling #royalfamily #bookofcondolence

67 Pall Mall Sought-After Sommeliers’ 2021 Advent Calendar

67 Pall Mall’s expert sommelier team have assembled a memorable wine advent calendar for counting down the festive season, featuring 24 iconic 75ml bottles of wines.

This very special advent calendar is described as:

“Our sommelier team have united to create an advent calendar perfect for the Christmas countdown. Experience the holiday season in true 67 Pall Mall style with 24 iconic wines chosen by your favourite’s sommeliers, guided by Ronan Sayburn MS. Expect stand out wines to put you in the Christmas spirit.”

“Housed in a carefully designed box replicating the exterior of the Club, Members will open a door a day to reveal miniature glass bottles containing 75ml pours. Each bottle’s label is furnished with a QR code, which once scanned using the camera app on your phone will take you to a video where one of our team Members will guide a tasting of what is in your glass.”

67 Pall Mall advises to order today (November 15) to ensure you receive your wine advent calendar so you can open your first window December 1!

It is also worth noting that the deadline for orders delivered to Europe is Monday 1st November, and for the UK, Monday 15th November to guarantee arrival before the first window is opened.  Perhaps you can ask them to fast-track the order.

#wine #winelovers #instawine #london #67pallmall #wineclub #winetasting #winestagram #vin #vino #holidaygift #christmas #christmasgift #christmasiscoming #giftideas #londonwineclub #christmascountdown