July 2008

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NEWSLETTER FOR MEMBERS OF THE WINE SOCIETY

If you have any questions or comments about societynews, or would like to see something included, please e-mail: societynews@thewinesociety.com or write to: societynews, The Wine Society, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2BG

Death in the cloudsContinuing the holidaytheme, Janet WynneEvans ponders theeffects of altitude onwine and suggests some safe bets forin-flight and terra firmaimbibing.

4How to buy LoireSociety buyer JoannaLocke MW provides uswith a quick guide tobuying wines from thevineyards that borderFrance’s longest river.

Explore Spanish whitesSpanish wines have undergonesome revolutionary changes oflate, but white wines still tendto get overlooked. Buyer PierreMansour tells us about onenew-wave white that deservesmore attention.

The Chairman, Ray Bowden, brought members up to date with developments and said theCommittee hoped that members had found the time to look at theAnnual Review, which had beenprepared with a view to making it as interesting and informative aspossible.

Land and buildings Work on the new warehouse isproceeding smoothly, within budgetand on schedule. Completion is due inthe autumn, and early next year a majorsite reorganisation will be implementedto realise the efficiency gains madepossible by additional capacity.

The website The relaunch of the site in June 2007 isnow being followed by a steady streamof evolutionary improvements.Enhancements brought in since itslaunch include a fine wine advicefacility, improved order tracking andmore articles such as the “How to

buy...” series. Members wereencouraged to feedback any commentsthey might have on the new site.

Financial andcommercialdevelopments 2007/08 was another good tradingyear for The Society, which continues tobe in excellent financial shape.However, wine drinkers in general faceless clement conditions in the currentyear following the fall in the value ofsterling and above-inflation dutyincrease. Wine prices in the UK areinevitably rising.

Wine Sebastian Payne MW, the Chief WineBuyer, spoke about some of the winesin the List and about current winemarket issues. The Chairman drewattention to the moves that had beenmade to encourage members to exploreour wide range of wines and added thatthe facility to handle member-mixedcases would be expanded in the

forthcoming warehouse reorganisation.He also encouraged members to look atthe annual Wine Champions offer, duelater in July, which, he said, presented anideal opportunity to explore new wines.

Committee news Sarah Evans, the Deputy Chairman, was re-elected and Stephen Bourne, the Chief Executive of CambridgeUniversity Press, was elected to theCommittee. John Cruse was retiringfrom the Committee after 26 years, 14 of which were as Deputy Chairman.The Chairman spoke of the enormouscontribution John Cruse had made toThe Society as Deputy Chairman, asChairman of the Finance

Subcommittee, as a knowledgeablewine enthusiast, and by caring sopassionately about the success and the special ethos of The Society.

Staff The Chairman thanked the Executive Team the staff of The Societywho worked so successfully under theleadership of Oliver Johnson the ChiefExecutive, and ended his remarks bythanking all those members ofThe Society who supported it so well,making possible its continued success.

Resolutions Following members’ questions andcomments the Report and Accountswere adopted by the meeting and the remaining formal business wascompleted with the unanimous support of those present.

Next year’s AGM will take place on Thursday, 11th June 2009 at the same venue.

Ray Bowden Chairman

Fine Wine ListThe Society now publishes a separateFine Wine List four times a yearwhich is sent to those members whohave purchased fine wines or whohave specially requested it. The Listcontains both wines that are ready todrink, having matured in ourtemperature-controlled cellars inStevenage, and those that are suitablefor laying down for further cellaring.The selection often includes mixedcases of interesting parcels of highlysought-after wines, many of which,by their very nature are only availablein limited quantities. All wines areavailable on The Society’s website inthe Fine Wine section. If you wouldlike to receive a copy of the Fine Wine List, please telephone MemberServices on 01438 741177.

WEB WATCH

New online fine wineadvice servicewww.thewinesociety.com/advice

Members can now contact ourknowledgeable Fine Wine Advisors atThe Society. An online enquiry formallows members to submit theirquestion and request a response byphone or e-mail. We aim to answeronline queries within one workingday. Members can of course send an e-mail directly tofinewineadvice@thewinesociety.comor telephone Member Services on01438 741177 instead.

Work in progress, June 2008. Warehouse 4, shown here behind existing Warehouse 2, is scheduled for completion in the autumn

Hemcrete insulation was chosen for The Society’swarehouse, as it is an environmentally friendly

material that balances heat gains and losses within abuilding. It also maintains a constant temperature and

helps to reduce energy costs. Hemp with a lime binderis sprayed into timber cassettes off-site then

transported to The Wine Society for installation

Another successful year for The SocietyThe Chairman reports on the 134th Annual General Meeting and the development of the new warehouseThe magnificently sited Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, overlooking Westminster

Abbey, was again the venue for The Society’s AGM, attended by some 350 members.

Portugal boundWine writer CharlesMetcalfe takes us on awhirlwind tour ofPortugal, pointing outsome of the vinous andgastronomic highlightsthat await wine explorersand gourmet travellers.

Left to right, John Cruse, Ray Bowden, Oliver Johnson and Sarah Evans

3

A3NEWS_july08:Society News 19/6/08 16:50 Page 2

societynews July 2008

Wine writers

Charles Metcalfe

and Kathryn

McWhirter

recently published

The Wine & Food

Lovers Guide to

Portugal. Their

passion for the country positively

spills off the page and makes even the

most faint-hearted traveller want to

pack their bag and go. Charles

provides a whistle-stop tour for

members below and for wines to whet

your appetite for Portuguese travel,

our biggest ever offer of Portuguese

wines has just been published.

How well do you know Portugal? The Algarve, Mateus Rosé, Port and twofootball superstars, Cristiano Ronaldoand José Mourinho? Pressed harder, youmight come up with Madeira (theisland and the wine), Lisbon, salt cod(bacalhau in Portuguese) and sentimentalfado songs. Did someone mention thatPortugal is England’s oldest ally?

The Portuguese haven’t made theprocess of discovery easy, but sincejoining the EU in 1985, things havechanged. Motorways carve into thegranite interior of the country, givingsudden access to wine regions,mountains, lakes and valleys. And onceat your destination, there are nowtempting places to eat and stay.

Take Portugal’s most famous wineregion, the Douro Valley, home of thewonderful terraced vineyards of Portand an ever-growing number ofdistinguished unfortified wines. Untilrecently, virtually the only visitors werein the wine trade. But in the last twoyears, three top hotels have opened inthe Douro Valley, and numerous estates(quintas) now offer bed and breakfastaccommodation, sometimes alsoevening meals. Douro wine producersare receiving visiting wine-lovers

as never before – you may need anappointment, and there may be asmall charge.

This is a pattern repeated throughoutPortugal. For years, the large companieshave tempted visitors with interestingtours – Port shippers in Vila Nova deGaia (opposite Porto), Aveleda in VinhoVerde, José Maria da Fonseca andBacalhôa in the Setúbal Peninsula,Esporão in Reguengos de Monsaraz, anda few others. Suddenly, the hundreds of

small companies that now make andmarket their own wines have alsorealised the importance of receivingconsumers.

If you enjoy the mildly aromaticflavours of alvarinho (you might havemet it as albariño in Spain), you shouldventure up to the very north-west ofPortugal, to the towns of Monção andMelgaço, centres of alvarinhocultivation. Or enjoy good Vinho Verdethroughout the lush, green Minhoregion, sometimes from historicmonasteries and stately homes,sometimes large, modern wineries. If you can, visit Guimarães, the medievalcapital of Portugal, its centre now aUNESCO World Heritage site. Fornature-lovers, the Peneda-Gerês NationalPark offers mountains, forests and

abundant wildlife. To the east of theMinho, Trás-os-Montes is a destinationfor those who want to walk in one oftwo National Parks, or take the waters inone of the spas of the Tâmega valley.Most of the wines are forgettable, butthe sausages are not, some made fromthe porco bísaro, the local, mottled breed

of pig. Chestnuts are the other regionaldelicacy.

South to the Douro, and to the cities ofPorto and Vila Nova de Gaia (locallyknown as Gaia) facing each other acrossthe estuary. You must see the Douro andits tributaries, whether from car, train orriver-cruiser (some of the windingroads of the region are not for the faint-hearted). The most attractive Dourotowns and villages are the little fortifiedsettlements close to the frontier with

Spain. And there are wonderful viewsfrom hills and vineyards. Gaia is aparadise for Port-lovers, with shippers’‘lodges’ (warehouses) dotted all overthe old part of town. Porto hasmagnificent old buildings, São Bentostation full of azulejos (typical blue andwhite tiling), and plenty of excellentrestaurants (particularly when youinclude the outlying suburbs of Foz do Douro and Matosinhos).

The thick slice of Portugal immediatelysouth of the Douro river is the Beiras.Wine-wise, from west to east, you havethe regions of Bairrada, Dão, Távora-Varosa and Beira Interior, the countrygoing from sandy coastal to steepgranite mountains. Bairrada modernisedits laws in 2003, and now permitsalmost all grapes, though traditional

baga-based reds are often the best. Manybottle-fermented sparkling wines aremade here (the red fizz often the bestdrink to partner leitão – roast sucklingpig – for which the region is famous).Dão climbs from hills to mountains, thewines always with a brisk acidity, as arethose of the Beira Interior, another

region of granite mountains and highvalleys. Near the frontier, the fortifiedaldeias historicas (historic villages) aredelightful, and as yet unspoiled. And thesheep’s cheese made in the Serra daEstrela mountain range, Queijo da Serra, isone of the world’s greatest.

Estremadura (soon to have its regionalwines renamed ‘Lisboa’) is the coastalregion north of Lisbon, windmillsancient and modern topping its wind-swept hills. Too windy for wine, youmay think, yet there are thousands ofhectares of vineyards, many made intoinexpensive wines at local co-ops. Mostof the best reds are in Alenquer, inlandfrom the coast, the best whites inBucelas, and some of Portugal’s bestsparkling wines are made near thebeautiful little walled town of Óbidos.The two UNESCO World Heritage sitemonasteries at Alcobaça and Batalha areworth seeing. Food here is dominatedby the excellent fresh fish and seafoodfrom the nearby coast.

Lisbon shows off fish and seafood at itsbest, with some really world-classrestaurants, as well as a lively night-lifeand plenty of beautiful places to see. Topof the list would be a ride on tramnumber 28, the view from the Castelode São Jorge and a visit to thewonderfully ornate Mosteiro dosJerónimos in Belém.

To the east of Lisbon, either side of theriver Tagus (Tejo), lies the Ribatejo, the‘banks of the Tejo’. In this fertile alluvialsoil, horses and bulls are reared,vegetables and wine-grapes grown, andhuge amounts of easy-drinking winesare produced. South of Lisbon is theSetúbal Peninsula, famous for fortifiedMoscatel (muscat), and also source ofelegant, cedary reds made from thecastelão grape, sometimes labelled asPalmela, often as Terras do Sado, thelocal ‘regional wine’. Queijo de Azeitão isanother delicious sheep’s cheese, similarto Queijo da Serra.

The Alentejo occupies the rest ofmainland Portugal, down to the Algarve.It is rolling country, with occasionalfortified hill cities (Évora and Estremozare the ones to visit), with vast expansesof cereals, forests of cork oaks and hereand there plantations of vines. The winesare soft and generous, thanks to the hotsouthern climate. More reds areconvincing than whites. The Alentejo hasa cuisine founded on the poverty of theagricultural labourers, with bread as thestaple ingredient, flavoured with herbsand olive oil – plus meat and fish as

finances dictated. The acorn-fed porcopreto (black pig) of the Alentejo is one of the highlights.

The Algarve, the part of Portugal mostvisited by British travellers, has more tosee than most realise. Its year-round,ocean-influenced mild climate is perfectfor wine-vines, though only a fewproducers have realised that potential sofar. The Ria Formosa Natural Park, themountains of Monchique, and the wildwestern coast are all worth visiting ifyou want to stray from the beaches andfish restaurants of the tourist resorts.But that’s not the end of the list of

Portuguese destinations. The semi-tropical island of Madeira, 450 miles off the coast of Morocco, is full of exotic flowers and walkways alongancient water channels. It also has asmall but thriving wine industry, mostlydevoted to the world-famous fortifiedwines. There are only six wineries youcan visit, most based in the capital,Funchal. Finally, the Azores. Out in themiddle of the Atlantic, these volcanicislands are green and mild, a paradisefor walkers and cyclists. Don’t expecttoo much from the local wines – enjoythe isolation, the volcanic landscapes,and the sublimely fresh air!

Members can purchase a copy of The Wine & FoodLovers Guide to Portugal by Charles Metcalfeand Kathryn McWhirter at a special priceof £15.75, including UK postage and packing, bysending a cheque toInn HousePublishing, London Road,Balcombe,Haywards Heath,RH17 6JQEngland.

Portugal bound

‘

Wonderful azulejos depict vineyard scenes at Pinhão railway station

The porco preto, of the Alentejo, is descended from wild boar and renowned

for its rich, flavourful meat

The Manueline-style Bussaco Palace Hotel, built in 1907 as a royal hunting retreat, makes for

an unforgettable stay in the Beiras region

Quinta do Crasto, one of the most dynamic properties in the Douro, does receive visitors (by appointment only) and has plans to offer rooms in the future

The wonderfully gooey cheese made from milk from ewes grazing on the Serra da Estrela mountains is only made in the winter months

Planting castelão grapes in the sandy soil of theSetúbal Peninsula

‘ ’Motorways carve into the granite interior

of the country, giving sudden access to wine regions, mountains, lakes and valleys.

Wine tourism tends to centre around some of the more traditional holiday hotspots like

Tuscany, Provence or the Cape. With the exception of Oporto and the Douro Valley,

Portugal remains largely undiscovered, despite the fact that it has so much to offer anyone

with a passion for good food, characterful wines, beautiful countryside and rich culture.

Charles Metcalfe

’Douro wine producersare receiving visiting

wine-lovers as never before.

Phot

o: Lu

is Pa

is. V

iniP

ortu

gal

A3NEWS_july08:Society News 19/6/08 16:50 Page 3

societynews July 2008

Know your grapesThe geology and climate – the terroir –varies dramatically along the length ofthe Loire, and, as a result, so too doesthe choice of grapes planted and thestyle of wines produced.

Red wines are in the minority but acombination of vastly improvedhusbandry over the last few yearscoupled with what looks increasingly tobe the effects of climate change havemade these wines more and moreattractive. The main varieties are:

Gamay produces wines akin toBeaujolais in the south; in the Touraine,gamay generally has less overt fruit and a slightly earthy character which is notunattractive with food but some willfind an acquired taste.

Cabernet franc One of Bordeaux’sgrapes is normally grown here as asingle varietal. At its best it has a lovelyfragrance and freshness with a good,gentle tannin structure, making it theideal lunchtime red.

Pinot noir is the most delicate of theLoire’s red grapes, producing excellentrosé as well as fine reds that can rivalgood village Burgundy (more Côte deBeaune than Côte de Nuits in style).

Whites are made principally from threesingle grape varieties:

Muscadet, or melon de Bourgogne as it isstill sometimes called in France,dominates in the far west, producingfresh, dry, sappy wines that are at theirbest with seafood.

Chenin blanc covers much of thevineyard land around and betweenAngers and Tours, and is responsible forthe Loire’s sweet wines as well as someexcellent – and quite varied – dry ones.Many develop greater finesse and

complexity with age, but chenin is agrape that requires patience andunderstanding as, more than any othervariety, it can pass through a ratherungenerous “closed” phase, only toblossom again later. Something NoëlPinguet of Domaine Huet likens to theunresponsive teenage years of ourchildren.

Sauvignon blanc offers importantvolumes of good, everyday drinking inthe Touraine region but produces its bestexamples in the Central Vineyards ofSancerre and Pouilly and its nearneighbours; Menetou-Salon, Reuilly, andQuincy. Loire sauvignon is rarely oakedand is normally fresh, grassy, bone dryand lightly aromatic, making it theperfect wine to serve with fish.

A marginal climateOther than the grape, two other keyfactors should influence your choice of Loire wines. Far and away the mostimportant is the name of the producer.Buy from a trusted, ideally tried andtested source and you will not bedisappointed in quality terms.

The other major influence in the Loire is the style and quality of the vintage. As one of France’s most northerly wineproducing regions, and even with theapparent effects of climate change, theLoire does suffer from the vagaries ofthe weather, which means that thequality and even more the style of theharvest can vary quite significantly. As a very rough rule of thumb, if wehave poor spring and summer weatherin the UK then chances are there willhave been similarly poor weather in theLoire. On these occasions it is all themore important to stick to growers youtrust, read whatever information youhave easy access to in order to betterinform your choice, and be prepared toadapt to sometimes significant shifts instyle. 2005 and 2006 were warm,healthy vintages with ripe fruit andlower acidity, producing moreapproachable wines. 2007 marks areturn to a much more typical,classically styled Loire vintage withwines that are lighter in body (andalcohol) and with much fresher acidity.If you are lucky you will enjoy both, butmany will have a strong preference forone style overanother.

Buying from aretailer you haveconfidence in isthe naturalextension of allthis. The vastmajority of theproducers The Wine Society works within the Loire are long term suppliers wetrust and enjoy working with. We love tointroduce new finds and rising starsfrom time to time (Frédéric Mabileau inSt Nicolas de Bourgueil and Eric Morgat

in Savennières are two good recentexamples), so you will see occasionalnew names and new wines. But thesewill only be from producers we believehave the commitment to be selective, nomatter what vintage challenges presentthemselves.In August we will be publishing an offer dedicated tothe wines of the Loire, with a varied selection of winesideal for summer drinking.

In the List our Loire whites are arranged bygrape variety, as this is so key to the style of thewine. If a particular grape is unfamiliar to youthen it is worth trying an inexpensive or mid-priced example first and then moving up thequality scale if you find you like it. We try togive an indication of the style of the wine andoccasionally a serving suggestion to help theunfamiliar navigate the selection. Our range ofreds is always more limited, so we do not list bygrape variety, but do try to make sure we notonly mention the grape but describe the style, or a suitable food match, too.

A gastronomic tourIt would beimpossible totalk about theLoire and itswines withoutmentioningfood. The winesare restrainedin style andmade to complement a meal.Generally speaking, if you arelooking for an easy drinkingsauvignon to drink on its own youmay be better off with somethingfrom Chile or the South of France.Like so many regions of France, theLoire has its own gastronomicheritage and its wines providesuperb and highly variedaccompaniments to the changingmenu the length of the valley.

Modern Spanish WhiteWine buyer Pierre Mansour hasrecently taken over responsibility forbuying Spanish wine. He was soexcited by the discovery of thisunusual Spanish white that he madean impassioned plea to be able to tellmembers about it in the news.

Auzells is a new wine from the tiny, recently revived denominación of Costers delSegre in Catalonia near the city of Lerida. The climate here is harsh, with wintersdipping below freezing and summers exceeding 35ºC. As asemi-desert, vine cultivation is only possible thanks to anetwork of irrigation canals which have taken over 50 yearsto render the land suitable for grapes.

Auzells is the brainchild of up and coming winemaker TomàsCusiné who, after working for 20 years with his familysetting up leading estate Castell del Reimei, wanted to embarkon his own project. He works with vineyards on two sites ataltitudes of 700-750 metres. There are many different aspectsand soils in the vineyards leading Tomàs to work with anarray of grape varieties. There are no less than nine in Auzells– an intriguing mix that results in a no less intriguing wine.Unoaked, it is fresh, whistle clean and a thoroughly modernSpanish aperitif-style wine. The grape mix, for those that arecounting, is made up of 28% macabeu, 25% viognier, 19%sauvignon blanc, 14% chardonnay, 7% parellada, 2% müllerthurgau, 2% muscat, 1.5% albariño and 1.5% riesling. The pure, mineral flavours lend themselves to oysters andshellfish as well as some of the more adventurousMediterranean salads.

Auzells, 2007 is available at the special introductory price of £8.50 a bottle instead of £10.95 until Saturday, 9th of August. Ref N-SP4641. One bottle per member at this price.

Auzells is the old Catalanword for birds which are

particularly common in thevineyards around Vilosell

where Tomàs is based.Vilosell comes from VillaAuzells – town of birds –

hence the birds on the label

eXploration wines

The Loire ValleyThe Loire is the longest river in France,

stretching some 1,000km from its source

in the south to the Atlantic coast a little

west of Nantes. At times majestic, never

more so than when overlooked by one of

the many spectacular châteaux that lie

close to its banks, it was in the past a vital

trade waterway. Today, it is better known

as a tourist destination. Throughout, the river has been a key factor in the

production of wine, whether as a transport route, as a supply of water, for its

cooling effects on the surrounding land, or for the mist that often lingers along

parts of the valley and helps in the production of many of the fine sweet wines that

the Loire Valley is famous for.

La Roche-sur-Yon

VouvrayTouraine

Cheverny

Nantes

Haut-Poitou

AnjouMuscadet

Le Mans

Châteauroux

Tours

Bourgueil

AngersAnjou

Sèvre et Maine

Coteauxdu Layon

Saumur Chinon Valençay

Reuilly

Châteaumeillant

Bourges

Blois

JasnièresVendômois

Les Sables-d’Olonne

GrosPlant

Vendéens

Montlouis

Poitiers

QuincyMénetou-

Salon

Pouilly-Fumé

Gien

Sancerre

OrléansOrléanais

Mayenne

Creuse

IndreVienne Cher

Allier

Loire

LoirSarthe

Rising star Frédéric Mabileau

The town of Vilosell

The cabernet franc grape makes some of the Loire’s most distinctive reds

View from the Gratien & Meyer vineyards above Saumur

The vineyards of St Nicolas de Bourgueil in the Touraine producesome of the Loire’s greatest reds from the cabernet franc grape

Botrytis-affected chenin grapes are the secret behind the Loire’s sweet wines

Producers like Noël Pinguet of Huet in Vouvray (left)and Bernard Chéreau in Muscadet may experience more challenging vintages from time to time butquality standards for their own wines are so high

that they simply would not bottle poor wine

phot

o: H

ew D

unda

s, m

embe

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Joanna Locke MWLoire wine buyer

How to buy… Loire

If you have any questions or comments about societynews, or would like to see something included, please e-mail: societynews@thewinesociety.com or write to: societynews, The Wine Society, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2BG

A3NEWS_july08:Society News 19/6/08 16:50 Page 4

It’s well documented that the lowhumidity and arctic temperature of apressurised cabin can rob consumers ofsensory appreciation, just as cold storagestrips consumables of flavour. So the

best option, should you have decided toreject the sensible advice to eat lightlyand drink only water when flying, is notbland steak, anodyne salmon or limppasta, but something with a bit of spicein it. In the same way a delicate Chablisor fine Claret are less likely to registeron the palate – other than with a burstof acid or tannin, both of which seemto be exaggerated at altitude – thanCalifornia chardonnay or Chileancabernet sauvignon.

Airlines have long recognised this, andyou’ll often see an upstart or two fromthe southern hemisphere alongside theFrench aristocrats which have to be laidon to justify a hefty Business or First

Class premium. Perhaps this was myrationale on a recent long-haul flight,during which I opted for fillet steak,washed down with a premium redBurgundy I hadn’t sampled before.Neither tasted of anything. My liege, anaccountant by profession, had longsince made emotional provision for thecost of our holiday and written it off,and, having laid into the Champagnewith gusto, sensibly chose chicken curryand Australian viognier, because thatwas what he fancied. Both werescrumptious.

You can’t fall into this trap when flyingWorking Class, as I more usually do.Here, the wine is cheap and cheerful,and, unless you happen to be flying AirFrance, almost invariably from thesouthern hemisphere, for this is wherevalue lies, both for airline purchasing

managers and drinkers. Most of us wouldsurely prefer a juicy Chilean merlot toindustrial Claret at any altitude.

So, onward and upward for the NewWorld which offers enough choice atevery price point to cater for every gradeof air travel. Once we’ve all taken onboard that posh flights are no place forposh food and drink, the sky’s the limit!

These fine bottles from the July List will gettastebuds off the ground, while keeping feet firmlyon it. Why not try a few of them while planningthe next holiday?

Coach Class

Ref N-CE3771 – De Martino LegadoLimarí Reserva Chardonnay, 2005(£7.50 a bottle)

Ref N-SA5161 – Porcupine RidgeSyrah, 2007 (£6.95 a bottle)

Club Class

Ref N-AR1991 – Catena Chardonnay,2006 (£9.95 a bottle)

Ref N-AU10961 - Stella Bella Cabernet-Merlot, 2005 (£9.95 a bottle)

First Class

Ref N-US3761 – Robert Mondavi NapaValley Fumé Blanc, 2006 (£14.95 abottle)

Ref N-NZ3281 – Seresin “Leah” PinotNoir, 2006 (£14.95 a bottle)

Members who normally receive theMontreuil wine list would have beensent the latest addition with this news.Those familiar with the list will noticethat we are once again dividing the listinto two sections: the blue pages showthose wines stocked in Montreuil, whilethe white pages show the extendedselection of wines available for pre-ordering.

Despite unfavourable exchange rates,members still benefit from preferentialrates of French duty saving, on average,around £19 per case on UK prices.Because it is more cost-effective for The Society if members pre-order theirwines for collection, orders placed inthis way now benefit from a further

discount of €3 per case. ContactMember Services to pre-order wines,allowing between 10 and 17 daysbefore you wish to collect (see insidecover of the list for clarification).

If you did not receive the newMontreuil list, which also includesdetails of hotels andrestaurants in the area and traveldirections, but would like to receive a copy, please contactMember Services on01438 741177.Alternatively, visitwww.thewinesociety.com/montreuil

SeaFranceTo receive a 10% discount on standardfare Channel crossings, Wine Societymembers can either call SeaFrance on08705 711 711 or visitwww.seafrance.com. Quote thepromotional code WINESDAY if taking a day trip or WINES if staying for longer.

societynews July 2008

SebastianPayne MWChief wine buyer

Last Word

ProseccoCountryWine buying has its humdrum andtesting side, despite what my wife anddaughters believe, but I freely admitthere are also many delightfulmoments. One aspect I never tire of isvisiting vineyards and talking to thepeople who make good wine.Standing with Jesus Madrazo outsidethe Contino winery in Rioja, tastinghis excellent new vintage was one ofthese moments. Well-tended vines inthe foreground, the river Ebro justbeyond, the snow-capped sierra to thesouth, April sun on my back and atempting selection of tapas on a stonetable close by in the shade; what a joy.

Snow-covered Andes high above theproductive vines of Mendoza, the sunglinting on Mont Canigou’s snow-capped summit from Corbières andthe dramatic pointed peaks thatprovide a backdrop to Lake Wanaka’svineyards in New Zealand’s SouthIsland all have provided moments ofmagic. We could debate for ageswhich are the most beautiful wineregions in the world. For some itmight be South Africa’s Cape, forothers the Moselle or the Barolo hillswhen the valleys are a sea of mist. TheHenschke’s beautiful Hill of Gracevineyard with its 140-year-old vinesand Paul Draper’s winery at RidgeMonte Bello, perched above the SanAndreas Fault are memorable placesfor me, and both make fabulouswines.

There are always new discoveries.Recently I made my first proper visit(to my shame) to Prosecco country.Though now easily accessible fromTreviso airport, it has remainedslightly off the usual tourist trailsthough it is close to the Dolomitesand Venice. Charming conical hillscovered in vines mostly divided intosmall plots, nearly all owned by localfamilies. Don’t be surprised to see theowners setting up a picnic in the vinesat the weekend. The nearby Piave riverwas the scene of grim fighting in bothworld wars but that now seems longago. Worth a visit.

An offer of Italian wines will be published inAugust.

Registered as: The International Exhibition Co-operative Wine Society Limited,

Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire SG1 2BG

Enquiries 01438 741177Orders 01438 740222Fax 01438 761167E-mail memberservices@thewinesociety.comWebsite www.thewinesociety.com

The charming conical hills ofValdobbiadene, Prosecco country

Illustration by Philip Bishop

Food for thought

DEATH IN THE CLOUDS

‘ ’posh flights are

no place for posh food and drink

‘ ’Most of us would

surely prefer a juicyChilean merlot toindustrial Claretat any altitude

ManchesterJulian Hartley would like to form atasting group in the Manchester areawith a particular focus on classicFrench wine. Interested membersshould contact Julian atjulian.hartley@bfwhospitals.nhs.uk.

Scottish BordersMr and Mrs Fielding would beinterested in setting up a tastinggroup with members in theGalashiels, Melrose, Selkirk, Kelsoand outlying districts of the ScottishBorder country. Anyone interestedshould contact them onWilderbankwine@aol.com

ErratumOxford tasting group in Aprilnewsletter. Please be aware that therewas a mistake in the e-mail addresssupplied for Mark Temple. It shouldhave read markjtemple@yahoo.com

Janet Wynne EvansSpecialist winemanager

You’d think a so-called wine professional would know better.

Planes kill taste. Nevertheless, on the rare occasions when I find

myself airborne, I make the same mistake over and over again.

‘ ’It’s well documented that the low humidity

and arctic temperature of a pressurised cabincan rob consumers of sensory appreciation

Montreuil Moment Further discount for wines pre-ordered for collection in France

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Days out in Northern France“The enchanting little seaside resortof Le Crotoy (40 minutes fromMontreuil) at the mouth of the Baie de Somme became increasinglypopular in the 19th century with the Parisian smart set, painters andwriters. Although to British ears themention of the Somme evokesbattlefields (actually, almost 100kminland), to the French it arousesdreamy thoughts of a vast estuary,listed among the most beautiful bays in the world.” Angela Bird, Guide to Northern France

M E M B E R

Looking across the Baie de Somme from Crotoy (see panel, right)

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