We always like it when our wines get a shout out in the press – here’s a quick round up of those which have featured recently.
Our Castell del Remei Blanc Planell Costers del Segre 2010 was reviewed by David Williams in the Observer Food Monthly magazine. He said: “Another fish-friendly style, this time from Costers del Segre in Catalonia, this is mouth-puckeringly citrus-fresh, with a beguiling touch of almost medicinal green herbs and a hint of very crisp, unripe pear.”
With the launch of our 2010 Black Pig Reserve GSM last week I thought I’d follow it up with a quick blog post.
In my opinion we have an advantage over our competitors when sourcing wines from Australia. The reason is a relationship with one Mr Steve Grimley. He resides in Australia, the McLaren Vale to be precise. He has an impressive network of growers and winemakers with one thing in common. They’re all eager to be a part of something smaller. To craft exclusive parcels of unique wines that deliver truly exceptional value for money.
The Virgin Wines tasting team hit the road in April to bring our fabulous boutique wines to Bristol and Bournemouth. Two packed out venues saw over 350 people attend the tastings as well as the winemakers from De Martino and Levin Wines. Despite being on the South coast, the blustery wind ruined any chance of the Virgin Wines team grabbing a few rays on the beach. Maybe next time!
About once a month I’m approached by one of our call centre agents asking me if our website is tested on Macs. Invariably this question is sparked from a call where a customer on a Mac has had some kind of issue with our website. I usually give the short answer, which is “yes”, but the truth is slightly more involved.
Every release of the site goes through our QA (Quality Assurance team) who put the site through its paces and identify any issues. Major issues are passed back to development to be fixed before the release is allowed to go out, minor issues are added to the development queue. This testing is done primarily on Windows XP and Windows 7 using various versions of Internet Explorer, Firefox and Chrome. If a specific issue calls for testing using a different setup then that setup will be used to test that issue.
The language of food and wine has evolved so much over the past decade, it’s hard to know where to start with it all. I remember the days when, watching Loyd Grossman on Masterchef, I was intrigued by the use of the exotic word “coulis”, which seemed extraordinarily exciting at the time; it has since been surpassed by snow, jus, spume, sabayon and all manner of other fabulous language. And the influence of the likes of Ferran Adrià and Heston Blumenthal have done nothing to decrease the size of the contemporary gourmet’s dictionary.
Elizabeth David, whose collection of articles "An omelette and a glass of wine" inspired one very spartan Monday night in London town.
My Dad is a man who lives and breathes the Loire Valley when it comes to wine and as a result I’m pretty well drilled on what this incredibly versatile region has to offer. A region world-famous for its whites yet capable of crafting some truly superb reds, it’s pretty impossible to forget the fizz too!
I wasn’t introduced to the wines produced by Pierre and the team until I landed a job working as a wine buyer for Virgin Wines. Today’s blog will focus on them and hopefully bring what they offer into your thoughts and ultimately onto your palates.
Well, actually, yes. And that’s red wine. But when you consider just how flexible and adaptable this hardy little grape is, I think it’s only fair that we make allowances. As we continue our Loire themed month, in this post I am going to focus on why Chenin Blanc, whose home in France is the Loire, is so exciting and somewhat under the radar.
Well done to our two colleagues Steve and Shaun who successfully completed the Virgin London Marathon. Here’s what they had to say about the experience, along with a few photos of the big day!
Is Vouvray the most overlooked of the world’s great wines? Is Vouvray one of the world’s great wines? We believe the answer to be yes in both cases. But let’s look at it in a bit more detail.
Given some basic criteria for fine wine, somewhat arbitrary but worth a crack: limited production, very high quality, the presence of great terroir, perhaps a long tradition and an ability to age, how does Vouvray stack up?
Situated near Nantes, as the Loire River meets the Atlantic, you’ll come across the sprawling hillside vineyards of Muscadet. And as our Loire month continues here at Virgin Wines, today I am going to explore this humble area in a little more depth.
Sauvignon Blanc is one of the world most expressive white varietals, especially aromatically, and the best examples have elegance to their structure that elevates them to unprecedented heights. For me there’s only one place on the planet that delivers true elegance in Sauvignon Blancs and you can find it in even the most basic level Loire offerings. You don’t have to spend big on a Sancerre to get a top-class glass.
The Loire isn’t a new region. But its wines are thoroughly modern. How come?
There’s a great swing back from the “new world” style taking place right now. Now the smart money is on accessible expression of grape and of place, a story that was begun in the old world and slipped from favour. It is back.
There’s nothing like a clean sweep – just ask the Virgin Wines Australia team. That’s exactly what they achieved when they recently sat their Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) exams.
Some would say that sitting in a room of your peers, talking about wine and tasting your way through some rather cracking styles from around the world isn’t work at all. However, when you put the size of the achievement into perspective, the team managed to cram 6 weeks worth of lectures and knowledge into under 2 weeks of class time. What’s more each member came out with at least a pass grade. Well-done team!
Congratulations to Emiliana who have been awarded ‘Green Company of the Year’ following more than a decade of dedication to their founding philosophies of sustainable farming. The main award of the evening, granted by The Drinks Business at the 2012 Green Awards, celebrates the commitment Emiliana have made to get them where they are today – Chile’s only 100% organically managed producer of these award winning wines.
We need to make space for all our great new Spring and Summer wines that are arriving over the next few weeks. So here’s a chance to stock up with loads of amazing deals, ready for the first barbecue or just to refill that empty-looking wine-rack. With masses of fantastic Easter Sale bargains across the site you’re bound to find your perfect case.
