Latest Wine News
Like all our new stores it’s bright and air-conditioned, with over 800 wines from around the world to choose from. Hello to the new team: Erica, Jamie and Erica DP.
South Queensferry in the press and Wikipedia
The Forth Road Bridge, opened in 1964, spans the Firth of Forth at a total length of 2,512 metres.
South Queensferry hosts the strange annual procession of the Burry Man during the Ferry Fair.
The Loony Dook – a recently instituted event whereby people dive into the freezing waters of the Firth of Forth on New Year’s Day, often in fancy dress.
Here are 30 things to do outdoors in and around Edinburgh via @scotsmandotcom
Why North Edinburgh?
Our new store is located to the North West of Edinburgh on Queensferry Road, so if you’re coming out or in of the city over the Forth road bridge you’re bound to spot us on the busiest junction by Maybury Road. This will be our fourth store in the Scottish capital, making Majestic even more accessible: daily instore tastings, staff with expert wine knowledge, fine wine, free delivery, free parking… and all our free Wine events: Wine Walks, Wine Courses and Wine Evenings.
Summer in North Edinburgh
With summer lurking around the corner the whole team are preparing for the best of the summer and are looking forward to meeting lots of new people, recommending some great wines and getting to know the town. Their store web page and blog has already kicked off with a wine of the week and a wine course ready to book onto. Erica’s wine of the week is the Vinalba Malbec, which is open to try along with lots of other wines on the tasting counter.
Opening Events
To celebrate the opening, join us in-store between Friday 25th and Sunday 27th May for a free glass of fizz and a selection of delicious charcuterie and cheeses.
Contact
Unit 2
517-525 Queensferry Road
Edinburgh
EH4 7QD
0131 336 3003
@majesticqfy
Queensferry on Facebook
Filed under: Majestic News 
With 21st century Spanish winemaking on the move from its traditional Rioja heartlands, Majestic Buyer Matt Pym introduces a top new name to look out for.
Think of Spanish wines and your mind most likely turns to Rioja: Reservas and Gran Reservas with many years’ barrel and bottle ageing; classic names and labels, maybe all wrapped up in a golden wire cage. My own love for these wines is evidenced by the preponderance in my cellar of Rioja from wonderful recent vintages like ’01, ’04 and ’05. However, the real buzz in Spanish wine is coming from talented, ambitious young winemakers ready to explore other regions and varieties.
Spain has a wealth of amazing vineyard material, with 100-year-old vines not uncommon. In the past, much of this potential was wasted, but now these treasures are getting the recognition they deserve. The fruit is being transformed into plush, polished wines of grace, power and real regional character, by dynamic young companies like Vintae.
Vintae’s three Matsu wines, from Toro in the far west of Spain, unite the oriental culture of caring for nature (matsu is Japanese for wait) with advanced biodynamic techniques. All three are made from Tinta de Toro, the local variant of Tempranillo.
From circa 50-year-old vines and with just three months in oak, El Picaro (The Rogue) is all about fruit, with lush blackberries to the fore and a fresh, mineral finish. 14 months in oak and fruit from 90 to 100-year-old vines make El Recio (The Tough One) a serious wine whose intense chocolate, deep black fruit and vanilla aromas give way to a subtle mineral core offset by a silky, unctuous character. From 110-year-old vines, the superb, full-bodied El Viejo (The Old One) delivers a powerful aromatic array of pencil lead, spice box, lavender and black cherry. Of 3,989 bottles made in 2009, we have 600.
Vintae runs a project to make the best regional expressions of Garnacha throughout Spain, such as this one, from the rocky slate and gravel mountainsides in the Ribera del Queiles, east of Rioja. It’s a hard life for the 55-year-old vines, yet they struggle on to produce wonderful fruit for this youthful, full-bodied wine, with tobacco and wild berry aromas, great structure and refreshing minerality.
Matsu El Picaro 2010, Toro New!
£9.99 or £7.99 when you buy 2 bottles
Matsu El Recio 2009, Toro New!
£15.99 or £12.99 when you buy 2 bottles
Matsu El Viejo 2009, Toro New!
£25.00 or £20.00 when you buy 2 bottles
Limited Availability
La Garnacha 2010, Salvaje del Moncayo New!
£9.99 or £7.99 when you buy 2 bottles
Filed under: Video 
Visit majestic.co.uk on your mobile to experience our brand new mobile site! It has all the fantastic features of the full site, our entire range of award winning wines and improved store finding functionality for when you’re out and about. AND you’ll still get FREE delivery from your friendly local store. Easy!
Filed under: Majestic News 
This weekend we started our first ever national ad campaign!
In the run up to the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee we are broadcasting two adverts nationwide that explain what Majestic is all about to people who may not have been to one of our stores before.
We all know that wine can be a bit baffling and in the commercials we see how Majestic helps some anxious first time customers. Chardonnay is not a word to be afraid of, and the tasting counter is there for you to find your new favourite.
This is also supported by print with a Majestic member of staff at the tasting counter appearing in national newspapers and magazines.
Come and Explore for more information
Chardonnay
Tasting Counter
Filed under: Majestic News 
It was only my second visit to Austria but my inaugural, and most satisfactory, encounter with the fine estates of Knoll, Nikolaihof, Ehmoser, Bründlmayer and Pichler-Krutzler; along with Prager, Schloss Gobelsburg, Moric and Wachter-Wiesler. I sense a most exciting offer beckons this autumn!
Austria’s 2011 vintage, echoed across much of Europe, was characterised by a dry spring (and season overall), tricky June/July followed by a late summer but early harvest of fruit rich in phenolics (tannins), low in acidity, relatively low in alcohol, and with little evidence of botrytis. On paper then a vintage perfectly aligned for the earlier ripening varieties of Gruner Veltliner versus that of Riesling (just as Barbera seemed to shine brighter than Nebbiolo in the Langhe…)
It was a vintage that played into the hands of those whose market relies heavily on the local ‘heuriger’ tradition of drinking the freshest wine, as served in taverns across the land from the important skiing hub of Innsbruck, before the snow’s thawed, through to the swish wine bars of Vienna. Consequently many of the Federspiel-style wines are bottled barely out of the womb of the winery, from January through to March, following the September harvest; the fact that it was an early harvest proving a bonus. Indeed one of the Wachau’s leading estates, Prager, sells almost 50% of its production locally as ‘Federspiel’ (between 11.5% & 12.5% abv), while their riper ‘Smaragd’ (dry, unchaptalized of min. 12.5% abv) wines are largely exported.
Josef Ehmoser is another impressive estate that seems to do quite well out of this tradition, being located on deep, soft loess soils of the Wagram region that lies between the Wachau and Vienna. Wagram’s a new region (to me) of 2,400 ha (vs. Wachau’s 1,400ha) that seems more adept (even more than Kamptal?) at producing creamy, white flower Gruner Veltliners for earlier drinking. And if the quality being produced by young Josef and partner Martina Ehmoser is anything to go by then we shall surely hear more about the Wagram in future, especially as the loess’s ability to retain water favours non irrigation viticulture.
Branching out from the more famous zones of ‘Lower Austria’ (Wachau, Krems and Kamptal), I headed south of Vienna to N. Burgenland where along the sand and gravel ‘banks’ of the Neusiedlersee Lake, undulating with vineyards I came across a strange, cultish movement named ‘Pannobile’; named after the hot Pannonian Plains to the east and the nobility of its native grapes. The Barbera-like Ste.Laurent thrives here while Blaufränkisch struggles in the absence of clay. Ironically the ‘Pannobile’ movement, founded during the mid 1990s, is better known for producing big black, overly-extracted blended wines that pander to a mono-dimensional, international palate. No surprise then to discover that the Pannobile producers have ties with a similarly marketing-oriented, altruistic group of Piedmontese Langhe growers called ‘Insieme’, led by cantina Elio Altare. They too like to talk ‘typicity’ while producing wines that wouldn’t look out of place among the folds of California’s Sierra Nevada Foothills. The plot (and must!) thickens when one learns that a few Austrian (white wine!) producers have adopted the ‘Insieme’ viticultural practice of cutting bunches in half to achieve higher sugar/alcohol and lower acidity levels (at the expense of regional identity and balance)!
Far more convincing are the fine Blaufränkisch reds from the Mittelburgenland (c. 2,000ha) and Südburgenland (500ha) subzones an hour’s drive south. The former benefits from predominantly calcareous clay deposits to give minerally rich noble wines that really do have much in common with Piedmontese Nebbiolo. Since the early 2000s Roland Velich at Moric has been skilfully sourcing the finest fruit from the villages of Neckenmarkt and Lutzmannsburg among others, and vinifying them in a traditional manner (long maceration in large oak) to give statuesque wines.
Further south still, on the border quite literally with Hungary, is the unspoilt enclave of Eisenberg, lying at the heart of the Südburgenland zone; a viticultural zone still emerging from the shadow of former Communist Hungary nextdoor. Its steep, almost overhanging vineyards reminded me of Chablis while the green slate soil, and the lush blueberry character of their Blaufränkisch wines speak more of Central Otago! What’s more there’s a surfeit of old vines on offer as the older generation move on, a few of which are being snapped up by the likes of Christoph Wachter, of Wachter-Wiesler. He’s a young, purposeful type who’s spent his formative years exploring the various ways of vinifying Blaufränkisch to capture its regional identity, and now is content to leave the barrique behind for the botte grande!
‘Next week I’ll be reporting on how the 2009 Barbaresco and 2008 Barolo vintages are looking ahead of our September event and offer’
Enjoy a fun-packed day of wine at the Museum of Science & Industry, Manchester, in the company of the Three Wine Men: Olly Smith, Oz Clarke & Tim Atkin MW.
We have a Majestic stand at the Three Wine Men tasting and so we can offer all you Majestic people a discount voucher! Here’s what to expect from the chaps…
“We’re on a mission to show you just how much fun wine can be. Join us as we travel the UK bringing you the best wines available on the market and hope you will come along and meet us, our producers, and retail exhibitors personally.”
We are so excited to be coming back to Manchester on 26th & 27th May. You will have a great time, whether you’re an expert, an enthusiast or just enjoy the odd glass.”
At an event, you simply:
- Pick up a glass
- Grab a tasting brochure
- Taste as many wines as you like
Oz, Tim and Olly will be on the floor all weekend, so ask them for tips & advice, or just say ‘hi’ – you don’t have to be an expert!
“Olly, Tim and Oz were lovely and approachable, very interesting and helpful. We had a great afternoon and discovered a range of beers as well as lots of lovely new wines. We are really looking forward to the next event”
Gillian Barbour, Manchester.
Buy tickets via: www.threewinemen.co.uk
When you pay, enter the voucher code 3WINEFIVE and £5 will automatically be deducted from the price of every ticket you order.
ThreeWineMen on Facebook
@threewinemen on Twitter
Filed under: Majestic News 
David Jones has been a much loved colleague in our Fine Wine Team for many a year. Having spent last year working in our Tokyo office, he’s now decided to extend his stay, taking on a more permanent role in Japan. A goodbye meal was suggested and quickly accepted by all.
The location – The Hoddington Arms in Upton Grey, just North of Farnham. Armed with a selection of carefully selected Fine Wines (having agreed a very fair corkage fee) six of Berrys’ finest settled in for a great night!
The pub was welcoming and homely and after a quick G&T at the bar (very important to cleanse the palate) we were shown to our table. The food at the Hoddington Arms is fairly classic in style but it is very well done and the ingredients used are clearly top class. We ordered some bread and shell-on prawns to sustain us whilst we studied the menu and cracked open the first bottle, UKC Berrys’ own Grand Cru Champagne - always guaranteed to get the evening off to a good start.
The starters arrived just in time for bottle number two, 2006 Riesling, Cuvée Frédéric Emile, F.E. Trimbach. This is a real favorite of mine, dry with rasping acidity, it’s incredibly clean and pure and was very tasty alongside my sea bass, cod and ginger fishcakes! It’s the freshness that makes Riesling such a wonderful food wine, under appreciated by us Brits I think. I must admit to food envy, the mushroom dish ordered by everyone else looked great.
Rose Veal was chosen by all as the main, a really good dish with a wonderful mushroom sauce. 2007 Nuits-St Georges, Clos St Marc, 1er Cru, Domaine M & P Rion was a great match with this, bright red fruit characters (in the typical forward Rion style) and the acidity to cut through the richness. ‘07’s are beginning to show well now and often don’t receive the praise they deserve. It’s not a vintage like ’05 or ’09 but they are pretty, fresh and very approachable now so do give them a chance.
The evening was rounded off nicely by a 2001 Ch. de Malle, Sauternes, to go with dessert. This is a great wine for the price from a superb vintage; viscous and rich, ripe and honeyed with plenty of acidity to keep it fresh, this is definitely worth trying! The desserts were exceptionally good, I ordered a rhubarb Crème Brulee but I inevitably had a mouthful of everyone’s and there wasn’t a bad one to be found!
A great meal all in all, and worthy of a strong recommendation.
A selection of other bottles may also have bolstered the quantity consumed which goes some way to explaining my blurred vision. A shot of Sambuca for the road certainly didn’t help me either but I do remember giving David a manly hug!
Cheers Jonesy!
Broadening your vinous horizons isn’t the only part of Wine Club. We firmly believe that talking about (and sharing an opinion over) a glass can enhance your enjoyment and appreciation of wine.
Bringing members together is a great way to get the discussions going so on the evening of Monday 26th March, 100 Wine Club members and their guests were invited to the Napoleon Cellar for the annual Wine Club Walkaround tasting.
Members of the Wine Club buying team were on hand to pour the wines and talk guests through the range. It’s a great opportunity for members to speak to some of the leading lights of the wine trade (how often can you pick a Master of Wine’s brain?) but equally, it’s interesting for the buyers to hear direct feedback from members about the wines on show.
David Berry Green, one of our buyers now based in Italy seeking out new wines for Berrys, said:
‘I was really encouraged by the response to the range of new Italian wines presented to Wine Clubbers: from the sunny and salty Sardinian Altea Illotto Bianco; the peachy minerally Timorasso from Piedmont’s La Colombera; the refreshing soft berry roll of Laiolo Reginin’s Barbera d’Asti; and Puglia’s juicy fresh 2007 Primitivo Gioia del Colle from Pietraventosa. Perhaps I was dreaming but I’m sure someone said it was the best table!’
We showed 20 wines, across five tables, from the upcoming Club cases to give members a sneak preview of what to expect in this month’s delivery. As usual, the selection on show mirrored the diverse selection in each Club case, with an emphasis on the traditional wine producing regions of France, Italy and Spain.
I hope that those who came enjoyed the evening as much as I did. Chatting to some new faces as well as catching up with long standing members who attend this event faithfully each year made the two hours fly by. I managed to narrow down the 20 wines to my top five favourites on the night:
2007 Condado De Haza, Ribera Del Duero, Spain
2006 Ch. Talbot, St Julien, Bordeaux
2010 Ch. La Garde Blanc, Pessac-Léognan, Bordeax
2007 St Joseph, Silice, Domaine Coursodon
2009 Derthona, Colli Tortonesi, La Colombera, Piedmont
Wine Club events are exclusive to Wine Club members and their guests. If you’d like to discover more about Wine Club please visit our website.
Here at Majestic, we don’t need too many excuses to enjoy a glass or two of something great with friends. But in this summer of celebrations, we’re well and truly spoilt for choice!
With the eyes of the world turning to the British Isles this season, it’s up to us all to show them how we throw a good party. And what better way to get it started than firing up the barbie and trying out some of these great wine and food combos? Best of all, there’s no need to overcomplicate things. Barbecued food has a fabulous flavour all of its own, so you can keep things nice and simple – leaving you free to enjoy the festivities!
Côté Mas Blanc 2011, PGI Pays d’Oc, France New!
State-of-the-art vinification and ageing equipment combines with a focus on nature to create what the Paul Mas family call ‘agriculture raisonnée’. The result here is a floral blend of Grenache Blanc, Vermentino, Chardonnay and Sauvignon with peach and pear aromas. Pair with mustard, thyme and ginger spatchcock chicken.
Viñalba Reserva Malbec 2010, Mendoza, Argentina
Bordeaux-born Herve J. Fabre adopts a minimum intervention approach to winemaking, while making the most of Mendoza’s altitude to add elegance and balance to Viñalba’s wines. This example is effortlessly smooth, with sweet juicy black fruits complementing intense plum and dark chocolate notes. Firm tannins make it an ideal pairing for a good honest barbecued steak.
Rioja Reserva 2001, Viña Ardanza, La Rioja Alta, Spain
Rioja doesn’t get much better than this elegant, subtle wine. Smooth, oaky vanilla lies beneath luxurious layers of juicy red fruits, rugged earthiness and well-integrated medium tannins. Look beyond lamb and go for Alabama pork ribs with a sweet and spicy glaze.
Lunta Malbec 2009, Mendel Wines, Mendoza, Argentina
Fruit from 80-year-old vines makes this a wonderfully concentrated wine that still displays characteristic Mendoza finesse. A year in new French oak adds soft vanilla spice to those deep, rich brambly black fruits, with a hint of eucalyptus and generous tannin also on show. Pair with Turkish lamb burgers.
Les Hauts de Castelmaure Corbières 2009, France New!
Hand-picked grapes are left as bunches and vinified by carbonic maceration, before spending 11 months in French oak (20% new). This attention to detail is evident in a wine that delivers red fruits, hints of garrigue and spice on the nose and a silky palate with enhanced vanilla from the oak. Pair with some good wild boar sausages.
Filed under: Staff Articles 
Barbara Drew, our Wine School Administrator, has recently returned from a training trip to Burgundy, and has shared her thoughts on the visit in a triumvirate of triplets!
- 3 things about Burgundy which particularly struck me during the trip (and why):
- The landscape. It’s one thing to see pictures of vineyards in books but quite another to drive round them, to see how close together the villages are, how subtle the undulations of the land, and how in many instances there isn’t so much as a wall separating one vineyard from another, and no distinguishing features between the rows of vines. We talk a lot, especially in Wine School, about the top of the slope, mid-slope, bottom of the slope, and the differences between the grands and premiers crus but you only realise seeing it in the flesh how tiny the geographical differences are.
- In contrast to the above point, the soil: books, articles, tasting notes, really don’t emphasise enough how different the soil is within a few hundred metres.
They subtly hint at differences in soil, but they don’t show you red soil, white soil, brown soil, soil with enormous stones in it, fine-grained powdery soil, yellow soil etc along a road 5 kilometres in length. I really wasn’t expecting this, I thought that most of the differences in soils were below the surface and barely noticeable so it was a bit of a shock.
- Working in vineyards is hard work; this I mainly deduced from the very rich local cuisine, clearly a by-product of a high demand for calories. The fact that despite this most vignerons in Burgundy choose to harvest by hand, prune by hand, not use weedkillers etc is testament to how much they really want to look after their vines/ the land.
- 3 producers I visited to enthuse about (and why):
- Domaine Vougeraie: I think here the juxtaposition of the very traditional and very modern really caught my attention and made me think. Pierre Vincent was so very enthusiastic about biodynamics, the health of the soil, his herb garden, etc and yet at the same time the winery was I think the largest and most modern that we visited, with shiny new equipment, gleaming floors, and clearly a huge amount of investment in a relatively large operation (in Burgundian terms).
I had not before associated genuine biodynamic farming with (relatively) large-scale, modern wineries, except in terms of a cynical marketing ploy so it was quite an eye-opener to hear Pierre speak about it, and see that it can be done in a modern way. I also really liked the Vougeraie wines; even the ones that didn’t appeal to my taste still had a certain something about them that made me think I might in future be able to like them.
- Benjamin Leroux at Comte Armand: M. Leroux was very welcoming, smiling and very relaxed which was lovely; some winemakers are clearly (understandably) a bit nervous having people come and taste their wines and have to explain their philosophy. He seemed very happy to answer even rather basic questions, and was very open about things he’d tried in winemaking that he had concluded wouldn’t work; eg ploughing by horse.
- Benoit Droin: I particularly liked this tasting as it was very ordered, tasting all his wines from the same vintage in succession. It was amazing to be able to taste the subtle differences in the different Chablis 1er and grand crus, as well as to taste wines from tank. A complete contrast to, for example, Picq immediately afterwards (though tasting older wines was also fascinating).
- 3 wines I tasted (or drank) to enthuse about (and why):
- Loichet’s 2010 Ladoix, 1er Cru, Les Grechons. I liked this wine for 2 reasons; one, because it’s quite obscure, and I love unusual wines, from lesser-known regions that are cheaper. And secondly the flavour and intensity of the aromas was wonderful; this may perhaps be because we tasted a lot (relatively speaking) of similar wines on the trip, so the Ladoix’s different character made it stand out more. That said it was from the first producer that day so my palate wasn’t too fatigued when we tasted it. I liked the exotic fruit character and a subtle spiciness that reminded me of white pepper. It was very hard to believe it was a white Burgundy and for that reason I thought it was great (breaking the mould).
- The 1991 Pommard, 1er Cru, Les Rugiens, Domaine Joseph Voillot we had for lunch in Volnay. I’ve not tasted much Burgundy and certainly not many aged wines so this was something of a revelation as the first aged wine of the trip; the nose was amazingly concentrated and the palate completely different to all the wines we’d tasted up to then, with lovely ripe fruit and fantastic complexity and melted oak and a tiny hint of the manure people talk about in Burgundy but in a nice way. Made me understand why some people like Burgundy so much!
- At the risk of never being allowed on another Berrys’ trip every again I think my 3rd amazing wine from the trip was the unnamed wine we tasted in Benoit Droin’s winery that he was making in demi-johns for a friend.
Obviously this wasn’t the best-tasting wine of the trip, but firstly to see him not only look at and sniff the jugs when he opened them, but also listen to them to see if fermentation had finished was quite amazing, as was being able to see that some of the jugs were cloudy while others were clear. It gave a “view” on winemaking and fermentation that you don’t get with oak or stainless steel. Secondly tasting the wine was fascinating, to be able to smell the malolactic fermentation taking place, and taste how it hadn’t quite had its full effect on the palate yet was amazing. Obviously we had lots of other memorable wines and spectacular grand crus but, though delicious, none of them scored quite such high nerd marks as that wine.
By Barbara Drew
It seems you can’t go anywhere without seeing the hashtag #. From twitter it has spread to cross-posting on Facebook and other social networks such as Instagram, Foursquare and Pinterest (we’re on all of these channels by the way) as well as appearing at the beginning of TV shows and even the News: #millionpounddrop, #bbcapprentice, #itvnews…
Majestic stores have taken to their twitter feeds and created their own wine hashtags too. Majestic Northampton have the #3wordwinereview that has caught on throughout all Majestic stores and the Majestic bunch; our most active followers on twitter.
On Monday night I went to a Spanish wine tasting with Majestic managers in the city of London. We tasted through around 20 wines, most of which were from Rioja. This was just a small sample of wines from one supplier that contributes to our range of wines from Spain, yet it made me realise just how diverse our Spanish range is; there is pretty much a wine for everyone, whatever your style… #pickyourstyle!
That’s how it happens, inadvertently whilst live tweeting the tasting. So whatever your style, at Majestic, you can #pickyourstyle…
Below are some tweets from Monday night. Tweet me your style @majesticwine
So many Riojas to choose from: age, producer, price… #pickyourstyle
— Majestic Wine (@majesticwine) April 23, 2012
Crianza, Reserva, Gran Reserva, Especial…? #pickyourstyle — Majestic Wine (@majesticwine) April 23, 2012
@majesticwine #pickyourstyle Castillo Ygay for me, as old as I can afford!
— Jim Marlow (@MarlowJim) April 23, 2012
“@lovechris: @majesticwine muga reserva 2001, had it the other day. Wine of the year so far” < #pickyourstyle
— Majestic Wine (@majesticwine) April 23, 2012
A good number of Rioja tasted tonight. What’s your style? #pickyourstyle@ Durius River Café instagr.am/p/JxypYIKyN8/
— Majestic Wine (@majesticwine) April 23, 2012
Filed under: Majestic News 
The annual Isle of Wight Spring Garden Show is fast approaching, here’s hoping the sunshine is too!
If you live on the Isle of Wight or are heading across this weekend, the Spring Show at Robin Hill may already be on your agenda.
Majestic Wine will be attending on both days – Saturday 28th and Sunday 29th April. Paul, Jane and Duncan from the Majestic Isle of Wight store will be in the World of Wines Exhibition with a selection of wines for you to try. Please pop by and say hello.
The show is open 10am – 5pm both days, you can still buy tickets online here or on the day at the gates. The wine pavilion sits next to the food marquee, so you’ll be able to sample fine food as well as fantastic wine.
Filed under: Majestic News 
Summer has arrived for majestic.co.uk and there are lots of new wines to try out.
Each week on the Majestic Blog this summer we are featuring an article from our brand new Grape to Glass magazine: from food matches to fizz to handy party services, it’s all you need to keep the celebrations going right through the incredible summer ahead!
This week: New favourites from the Old World. Some fresh European arrivals to the Majestic range with food matching ideas from fresh sushi to steak and kidney pie…
Got a taste for it already? View the whole magazine online as a fancy flipbook, download the PDF, pick up a copy in store or if you’re lucky enough wait for it to land through your letterbox later this week.
Cheers!
Filed under: Majestic News 
Let the celebrations continue with some fresh European arrivals.
Mas des Montagnes Terroirs d’Altitude Blanc 2010, Côtes de Roussillon New!
£9.99 or £8.49 when you buy 2 bottles
Origin: Patrick Léon, formerly of Domaines Baron Philippe de Rothschild, is consultant winemaker for this higher-altitude Roussillon estate.
Tasting Note: A mineral-tinged wine reminiscent of its stony-schist hillside origins. Its citrus backbone is joined by subtle hints of fennel and wild herbs.
Food Match: Any grilled fish, or baked sea bream with a salt crust.
Château Barthès Rosé 2011, Bandol New!
£11.99 or £9.99 when you buy 2 bottles
Origin: Former fashion model Monique Barthès started making wine in the late 1960s, and has since gone on to develop an award-winning 40 hectare estate.
Tasting Note: Classic Provence rosé with aromas of fresh red berries, pears and hints of floral perfume. The lithe, supple palate finishes with a subtle liquorice hint.
Food Match: Try with a seared tuna steak served with fresh green vegetables.
Chablis ‘La Collégiale’ 2011, Laroche New!
£13.99 or £11.99 when you buy 2 bottles
Origin: A high-quality Domaine Laroche Chablis made from fruit supplied by several partner growers.
Tasting Note: Pale gold with spring blossom nuances on the youthful citrus nose. Nicely focused fruit character on the fresh, harmonious palate plus a lingering stony texture on the finish.
Food Match: Freshly prepared sushi, or a salad of prawns and watercress.
Campofiorin 2008, Masi New!
£12.49 or £9.99 when you buy 2 bottles
Origin: From one of Veneto’s longest-standing producers, this wine gains richness and complexity from a secondary fermentation with some partially dried grapes.
Tasting Note: Ripe cherry aromas predominate, with vanilla and cinnamon nuances. Rich and mouth-filling, it has soft tannins and a velvety, savoury finish.
Food Match: A selection of matured cheeses, black olives and Parma ham.
Spolverino Toscano 2010, Carpineto New!
£12.49 or £9.99 when you buy 2 bottles
Origin: Italian for ‘feather duster’, Spolverino is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Black Rooster, the emblem of Chianti Classico. Had the wine been bottled with a cork rather than screwcap, it would be classified as a Chianti Classico, hence the light-hearted dig on the label.
Tasting Note: Intense red cherries on nose and palate, interwoven with tobacco and violet notes. Juicy richness and snappy, youthful acidity.
Food Match: Best with barbecued red meats and game.
Rosso di Montalcino 2010, Il Poggione New!
£18.74 or £14.99 when you buy 2 bottles
Origin: The vineyards on the Tuscan slopes around Montalcino are known for Brunello, a dark-skinned, low-yielding clone of Sangiovese, but this lighter wine is made from the fruit of the younger vines.
Tasting Note: Intense nose of ripe red berries plus the toasty scent of 12 months in barrel. The smooth, mellow palate has satisfyingly chewy tannins.
Food Match: Rare-grilled steaks and portabello mushrooms.
Filed under: Majestic News 
