The devastating unfairness of hailstorms
By Charles Lea on 26/07/2013
Hail has been much in the news recently, with Tamlyn Currin making Raimond de Villeneuve's La Grêle 2012 Rosé the wine of the week last week on www.
BLOG
L&S awarded ‘En Primeur’ Merchant of the Year (IWC)
By Charles Lea on 24/07/2013
International Wine Challenge (IWC) Merchant Awards Strictly Come Wine Tasting? On the 18th of July, at the 30th anniversary of the IWC awards, Lea & Sandeman was awarded 'En Primeur Merchant of the Year', All the L&S team are absolutely delighted to have been given this award by such a high-calibre panel, (Tim Atkin MW, Oz Clarke, Sam Harrop MW, Peter McCombie MW, Charles Metcalfe and Derek Smedley MW) and judged against such formidable competition.
Royal warranted champagnes for a Royal arrival! £30 a bottle on Pol Roger, Bollinger and Roederer
By Ed H-B on 19/07/2013
In anticipation of the Royal birth we have dropped our price on our Royal warranted champagnes: Pol Roger White Foil Brut, Bollinger Special Cuvée Brut and Louis Roederer Brut Premier, all just £30 a bottle. For ideas on how to top up for the hot weekend, browse our recommendations throughout our blog.
L&S Summer Champagne Offer: Louis Roederer Brut Premier
By Ed H-B on 15/07/2013
Louis Roederer is one of the largest remaining independent Champagne Houses, owned by the same family since it was founded in 1776, the same year that the USA was officially founded. The house is famous for making 'Cristal' - the highly demanded Super Cuvée - but the Brut Premier is their classic, non vintage blend and represents excellent quality in the slightly fuller, creamier style.
i Clivi – ‘Free your Mind and your glass will follow’ Colli Orientali del Friuli DOC, Italy
By Andrew Hooper on 12/07/2013
i Clivi was created when Ferdinando Zanusso bought two dishevelled old vineyards in the early 1990's. They were in a poor state but were rescuable and their age has become key to i Clivi's success.
Tim Atkin on ‘Taster-bashing’
By Charles Lea on 02/07/2013
Tim Atkin MW on crackling form in this week's edition of the trade rag 'Off-Licence News' (bet quite a lot of you did not even know it existed). Following-up on a headline-grabbing article in the Observer at the weekend, he roundly rebuts the idea that tasters cannot tell one wine from another or judge quality.
AUSTRIAN Whites and AUSTRALIAN Reds – a story of one wine-maker, two countries and a host of excellent wines
By Andrew Hooper on 01/07/2013
At the time of the infamous 1985 “antifreeze” scandal a story did the rounds that the Japanese government had briefly and erroneously banned the importation of Australian wine, comedically confusing Australian with Austrian. It was, almost certainly, an urban myth but one does wonder what the fabled and lexicographically challenged Japanese civil servant would have made of Bert Salomon.
Wine of the Week: 2012 CASA DA SENRA VINHO VERDE LOUREIRO Lima Quinta dos Abrigueiros
By Ed H-B on 19/06/2013
UPDATE: The latest vintage of this cracking wine can be found on our website HERE for only £9.
Wine of the Week: 2010 ‘Domaine’ Domaine Bernard Baudry – Chinon
By Ed H-B on 12/06/2013
Pioneering a new vanguard of Chinon wines exemplifying purity and extraction, this is a splendid example of pure Cabernet Franc made by a seasoned expert. Rich, sumptuous, dark ruby in colour, yet with clean and precisely extracted fruit, Bernard Baudry's 2010 Domaine Chinon is a treat to drink now or will happily cellar over the next five years.
Thursday 27th June: Wine Dinner at Lutyens with Castello del Terriccio & Cantine Dei
By Ed H-B on 11/06/2013
Yes I know it's Wimbledon week, but it is still with great surprise that I find we still have a few places available for this exceptional wine dinner on Thursday.
Wine of the Week: 2012 Verdicchio Classico Superiore – Andrea Felici
By Ed H-B on 04/06/2013
This is a wonderful organic Verdicchio from the territory of Apiro in the Macerata Province of Le Marche in central Italy, without a shadow of doubt the jewel of the region. The wine: Very pale, clean, bright and minerally, good fruit in the mid-palate and a shapely, refreshing clarity of purpose - lovely summer white for those summer lunches with starched linen tablecloths.
2012 Bordeaux – a last honk of the horn – real value buys
By Charles Lea on 02/06/2013
The 2012 Bordeaux campaign will go down as one with a lot of sound and (especially) fury, signifying very little. The shame is that it obscures the real hard work being done all over this vast region which still makes a lot of the best value wines in the world.