February 2013 - Forthcoming Tastings

Spring Wine Tasting at Cheffins Saleroom, Cambridge on Wednesday 3rd April 2013 from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.

Experience some of the best wines from New Zealand, Spain and France. This is a ticket only event. Please click on the Events and Tastings menu above for more details.

Newsletter April 2012 - Springtime at The Imperial Wine Co.

It would be wrong to say that we had been hibernating over the Winter here at 7 Trinity Street, though Su put in a petition given the temperature in the shop some days, however we have now definitely perked up and shaken off the Winter blues. So things are afoot...

Firstly... check our fantastic 2008 Bordeaux offer in the special offers section.

The shop has been re-organised to make it smarter and easier to browse. Our new "tasting barrel" (it's the old one repositioned!) is now featuring 2 to 3 wines on Fridays and Saturdays each week, concentrating on everyday wines and wines for which we are sole or the major importer. Please come by and talk to Su, Ben or myself about your needs, wishes and loves - vinous of course.

New wines include Domaine Guillemarine Picpoul de Pinet at £8.25, which is fresh, zesty and has impressed us no end, and the Pitchfork range from the Margaret River outfit Hay Shed Hill in Australia. All wines are £10.75 and there are a Semillon/Sauvignon blend, a Chardonnay, a Cabernet Sauvignon/Merlot blend and a Shiraz - all clean and fruity without being overblown. We also have a soft, neat, easy Cava J. Raventos "Roig", on offer at £7.95 until 20^th April 2012

Spring & Summer Wine Tasting Evenings at The Dove & Brasted's.

Because they bring us into contact with you, our customers, we have decided to revive our wine evenings with help from our friends, Robert and Connie, at the Dove Restaurant at Alburgh, and Nick at Brasted's.

We think that more cheer will not go amiss, so we have planned two evenings in the months of May (3^rd) and June (21^st). Please see accompanying sheet for details and booking.

For white Burgundy fans, we have Gerry Thomas' St. Aubin 'Champs Tirant' 2008 at £16.49 with 15% discount (£168) for a case. Great outcome from a dedicated grower who did everything right in 2008.

New Italian Wines

By the time you get this we will have a small range of sensibly priced Italian wines available. Some will be on the tasting barrel on Fridays and Saturdays in the coming weeks. For more please see our website www.imperialwine.co.uk.

We hope you have found some wines of interest in this newsletter. We have more exciting offers in the pipeline and we will be in touch as soon as they are ready.

Best wishes

Simon Alper, Su Pietrzak, Ben Seabrook, Mark Guterres.

November has seen some spectacular arrivals from New Zealand where Mark has been spending his hard-earned rest time scouting for talent to put on the Trinity Street shelves. Some of the results have just arrived, lead by a gorgeous Sangiovese Rose from Heron's Flight, on the coast just north of Auckland. A touch of sweetness makes this one of the most elegant and relaxing roses I have tasted in a long while. It has lovely red berry fruit and a crispness that leaves the mouth fresh. Curiously, you may think, my first reaction was how good this would be with turkey, but I fear I will not persuade my family to have it with the goose.

Also from New Zealand, west of Auckland, is Waimarie Wines founded and run by Stephen Nobilo. Yes, that Nobilo. The family name went to a large Australian wine company in 1999, but you can't keep a good winemaker down, so up he has popped with Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Syrah all from 2009 and an MSB (Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc) from 2010. I have only tasted the MSB so far and a very fine, almost reserved wine it is too, with sweet fruit and gentle elderflower, nicely balanced acidity and a hint of stony mineral to hold it all together. Have it with food. More notes as I taste.