By Charles Lea on 13/12/2012
The L&S Christmas Hamper case The cut-off for country deliveries is fast aproaching (you need to get your order in by Sunday night to be sure of getting your wine for Christmas). Part of the problem is often just making a choice, so here is a mixed case of our favourites in our enormous range which will sort out a multitude of Christmas drinking opportunities.
By Charles Lea on 11/12/2012
Bring a bit of real summer to this dark time of year with some of this amazing white. It includes a variety which might test even the authors of the new great tome 'Wine Grapes', (Jancis Robinson MW, Julia Harding MW and Swiss botanist Dr José Vouillamoz).
By Charles Lea on 30/11/2012
Many of our customers have been very happy to be introduced to the great value wines from Terras d'Alter over the last year. Obviously we would like even more people to try them, and unsurprisingly so would the winemaker, Peter Bright. Peter's Aussie origins are evident in the fresh fruit and clean brightness of all of these wines.
By Charles Lea on 24/11/2012
Saturday, and grey old day in London town, so if you are in the capital, and the weather makes you think you'd rather stay in, you can always shop online. If you feel like getting out, maybe see you for breakfast in Portobello. Here's another addition to our seasonal Champagnes offer.
By Charles Lea on 22/11/2012
We have had Andrea Sottimano (from the eponymous wine estate in Piemonte) going round the shops and various restaurant customers this week, tasting his wines, culminating in a dinner at Quo Vadis. And they are just great. The Barbarescos (Barbaresci?) (no - appparently 'Barbareschi' is correct) are awesome, but it is clear from our tastings that these young wines they do benefit from being opened early if possible.
By Charles Lea on 21/11/2012
We may be on the 'beach' here, but golly what a dreary day it is! It seems hardly to have got light today on the western borders of Chelsea.
By KD on 17/11/2012
SOLD OUT On Thursday 13th December we are hosting our final wine dinner of 2012, in one of our favourite dining rooms in London, the private room at the River Café, with the wines of Castello del Terriccio. Patrick Sandeman was the first 'outsider' (not from the estate staff) other than the consultant oenologist Carlo Ferrini, to taste these wines, back in the early '90s.
By Charles Lea on 01/11/2012
I had heard little whispers in the trade along the lines of 'I gather the 2011s are showing pretty well', and taken them with a large dose of scepticism. But my first day of tasting today has left me feeling that the rumours did not say the half of it.
By David Porter on 26/10/2012
On Monday we faced another of the many hurdles on the long path since losing Patrick, with our postponed Press tasting. An opportunity for us to show the world our latest finds, as well as new vintages of much loved wines on our list.
By Patrick Sandeman on 19/09/2012
Nick Mills from Central Otago's Rippon Vineyards (New Zealand) is one of our favourite winemakers, for lots of reasons.
By Patrick Sandeman on 15/08/2012
Wine & the art of seduction - Victoria Moore 'Does it matter what wine is poured when the intention is to seduce? And if so, what bottles might it be good to open? I ask these questions because I was browsing in wine merchants Lea & Sandeman last Friday when a chap, who I’ll call Mr X, walked in and asked for help.