Tag Archives: wine

Christmas Wine Review

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Banrock Station Shiraz Rosé

 The complaint I have from people who don’t like Rosé is that it is too sweet. This Rosé solves that problem. It is good, refreshing and crisp Rosé . Although it has a touch of sweetness it is not overbearing. It’s a good bright colour too.
This Rosé has delicious flavours of strawberry and cherry. It has a lot of flavour and is sparkling. Top Notch.

 Waitrose £8.99        

   
 
Stone’s Ginger Wine Special Reserve is a blend of the finest quality raisins and pure ground ginger which produces a delicious, mellow warming flavour that pairs perfectly with Christmas pudding and mince pies.
 
 Stone’s Ginger Wine is not for lightweights. It is 18%, but it really is beautiful. A delicious, full-bodied ginger wine. It’s strong, a bit like a brandy. You can feel it going down. It tastes delicious alone or as a cocktail ingredient. One of my friends I tried it out on now drinks it with cola. It would also be brilliant as an ingredient in a hot toddy.

It tastes expensive but it is reasonably priced. Try it, it is one of my favourite wines. Good quality and original. Perfect for winter as it’s warming and perfect for Christmas too.
 
 Waitrose £6.99
 

Oddbins is back on a High Street near you…

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Oddbins is back on a High Street near you…

– Unique initiative allows Oddbins’ customers to choose the price of wine –

Oddbins is relaunching in the UK this week with a revolutionary approach that will see customers decide the price of some of its wine range.

From 20-23 October, consumers will be able to blind-taste wines in-store and then provide a price that they would be happy to pay for that bottle.

The wines will then go on shelves at the Customer Recommended Price (CRP).

Ayo Akintola, Managing Director of Oddbins says: “We’re taking the old cliché of ‘the customer is always right’ and actually demonstrating our belief that this is the case. The new Oddbins will put the consumer at the heart of everything we do, so it makes sense that we have a conversation about our pricing with our customers to explain our value based pricing model, while at the same time taking their opinions on board.

“For a long time the noise around wine has been about discounting and price cuts. It is time we have a mature conversation about price and what constitutes value.

“Oddbins has a proud history of innovating in the market place and this is just another example of that. No matter what the occasion, Oddbins is here to provide our customers with the perfect choice of great value wine.”

The unique initiative celebrates Oddbins’ relaunch on the 19th October, which will see 37 stores across the UK reinvigorated with a new look and feel.

The new stores will build on Oddbins’ heritage as an innovative and adventurous selector of wines, and see the retailer continue to offer a carefully considered and great value range.

Staffed by an enthusiastic team of wine buffs – ready to share as much (or as little) advice as customers want – Oddbins aims to bring the pleasure back to wine buying with a personal touch that cruising the supermarket aisle just fails to deliver.

Banrock Station Creates The World’s First Living Billboard

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Blooming Lovely!

Shoppers in London were treated to quite a sight today, as a billboard made entirely of living flowers in support of Natural England was revealed outside the Westfield Shopping Centre.

The interactive board has been created by environmentally- focused wine brand Banrock Station to mark the launch of their new special edition wines, proceeds of which will help Banrock Station work with Natural England to preserve 2,100 acres of British wildflower meadows. The billboard, made up of over 800 native British plants and from 14 different species took over two months to grow and more than 12 hours to install.

Depicting a bottle of wine pouring out a fountain of flora, the sun, butterflies and bees have all been intricately detailed using a variety of beautiful blooms. An interactive pump features as part of the installation, allowing passers-by to adopt the brand’s ethos of ‘giving nature a helping hand’ by watering the flowers to help them grow.

The hope is that the board will highlight the crucial role wildflowers play in the eco-system, providing the nectar and pollen needed by vital wildlife to prosper and in turn pollinate up to one third of the food we eat.

The brand specifically supports causes that give something back to the earth and has backed almost 100 environmental projects since 1994. Through these special edition wines, Banrock Station is giving £30,000 to Natural England who will use the funds on their National Nature Reserves to help protect and enhance wildflower meadows across Britain.

Simon Huguet, Principal Adviser for National Nature Reserves at Natural England said: “We are delighted to work with Banrock Station and thrilled at their support for wildflower meadows on our National Nature Reserves. Home to many rare plants, traditional meadows provide vital habitat for birds, bees and small animals and are wonderful places to visit. In recent years they have become a rare sight across our countryside and it is great to see these special places getting a helping hand.”

Kate Thorn, Environment Manager at Banrock Station added: “We are always keen to support projects that share our philosophy of enhancing the natural environment and giving something back to nature. ‘Good Earth, Fine Wine’ is key to our philosophy so taking care of the environment is crucial to making our great wine. We understand how small changes to our land can have a big impact upon our environment and there seemed no better way to showcase the plight of the humble wildflower than by displaying these beautiful plants directly as part of our glorious living billboard.”

The billboard will remain on display for two weeks and, once removed, all the wildflowers will be replanted in local communities to ensure they continue to grow and flourish long after the activity is completed. The billboard structure is made of 80% recycled material and will also be reused for future projects, while the printed elements are all fully bio-degradable.

Christmas In July, Why Not? Festive Wine Guide

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Frost magazine took some time out from summer to celebrate Christmas, okay, to do some wine tasting in a winter wonderland. Accolade wine are revamping their wines, and even bringing out a new low alcohol range. Perfect for light weights like me.

I was privileged to try the new Banrock Light range. The Banrock Station Light Rose is only 5.5 per cent alcohol but tastes just as great. I love Rose and this just tastes good. It is only 60 calories per 125ml, so it helps with a calorie heavy Christmas (or any other time) It is reasonably priced at £5.45. It has a touch of sweetness and hints of red berry, jam, strawberry, raspberry and cherry. Yum.

Other in the Banrock Light range are Banrock Station Light Chardonnay-Sauvignon Blanc (a fresh wine with pear and apricot aromas), Banrock Station Pink Moscato (Melon and floral, very sweet, a great aperitif), Banrock Station Moscato (passion fruit, pineapple and tropical fruit. Good with cheese) All the Banrock Light range are £5.45. A bargain.

Banrock station have donated £2.5 million to 97 environmental projects in 13 countries, and £30k to Natural England to help preserve 2100 acres of British wildflowers, an important habitat for bees and butterflies.

Another favourite of mine is something a bit different: Stone’s Ginger Wine Special Reserve. It is a blend of the finest quality raisins and pure ground ginger, it produces a delicious, mellow warming flavour. It is perfect for Christmas, going well with mince pies and Christmas puddings. I, however, will be drinking it all year round. So yummy.

Hardy’s is the UK’s most popular brand of wine, and sponsor of Come Dine With Me. The Nottage Hill range has new packaging that will hit the shelves from September 2011. I love Hardy’s Crest Chardonnay Pinot Noir. It is a lively berry fruit tones and a crispy tangy finish. It is a very good wine for making bucks fizz.

July Cultural Highlights: Amanda Eliasch has it As She Like It.

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Frost’s favourite theatre production in July was Amanda Eliasch’s semi-autobiographical play As I Like it. Amanda wrote the play and Nicky Haslam did the set, a dream combination if ever there was one. It was directed by Lyall Watson, who Amanda knew from RADA. The set was opulent and glamorous, much like the play itself. Amanda is a socialite, photographer, fashion editor, blogger and poet. You can read the review in my theatre column here:
http://www.lastminutetheatretickets.com/blog/index.php/5908/as-i-like-it-review/

Frost enjoyed the Kanaloa & Gallo Summer Red Party.

As did Jo Wood, Henry Holland (who was also DJ), Pixie Lott, Jo Wood, Alice Dellal, Henry Holland, Francesca Hull, Gabriella Ellis, Natt Weller, Leah Weller and Diana Vickers and her boyfriend George Craig

Summer, wine, interesting people, what more could you want?

Frost Wine Reviews: Banrock Station Shiraz Mataro

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This Shiraz is very easy to drink, not necessary a good thing!, it has just the right amount of spice and fruitiness.  As a general rule of thumb, the darker a red wine the younger it is, the lighter it is, the older it is, this wine is just the right colour. It has pepper as the main aroma, and it has a lovely taste of blackberries, blackcurrants and plums. As I have said before, I am quite fussy about red wine although I liked this one. It taste great with spaghetti bolognese and doesn’t have a bad aftertaste. Also it is not too acidic.

The ideal accompaniment to enjoy with red meats such as venison or beef steak as well as mushroom based dishes.

Banrock Station’s new Eco packaging revealed.

Banrock Station is as passionate about crafting flavoursome Australian wine as it is about giving nature a helping hand. With a genuine passion and commitment to the environment, Banrock Station has donated £2.3m to 97 environmental projects in 13 countries. This dedication to the environment flows through the Banrock Station winery, to craft generously fruity wines packed with flavour.

This summer, Banrock Station is celebrating nature by unveiling a gorgeous new exterior to its eco-friendly collection of both classic and innovatively-styled wines.

Its sleek new look packaging, with distinguishing gold labelling, makes its full bodied Shiraz Mataro the ideal choice for dinner parties and crisp Colombard Chardonnay a refreshing accompaniment on those long lazy summer evenings spent with friends and loved ones.

Banrock Station strongly believe that, both now and in the future, nothing is more important than the earth, and by using best-practice and sustainable techniques, Banrock Station has expertly crafted the ideal setting for a wide variety of grapevines to thrive.

Banrock Station’s vast portfolio of world-renowned wines not only makes for an ideal gift for friends and family, but a gift that gives back to the earth in which it’s grown. Over the past decade, proceeds from every bottle sold have contributed to environmental projects in Britain, including the donation of £55,000 to The Co-operative’s Plan Bee campaign in 2010.

To learn more about the delicious selection of wines and the projects that their sales support visit www.banrockstation.com

Banrock Station wines are available at Morrisons, Sainsbury and Asda, for RRP £6.19

Frost Wine Reviews: Kumala Zenith Rosé

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Kumala Zenith Rosé is a vibrant pink rosé. It is clean and fruity. Rosé is always a good bet for parties, you never know if people will like red or white. It is better to buy a Rosé as if it is slightly off, it is not as bad as a harsh red or a stale, acid white. The sweetness will mask anything gone wrong. I love Rosé, although some people can find certain brands too sweet.

I did not find the Zenith Rosé too sweet, it is a clean, fruity wine that has a lot of strawberry, perfect for summer. It has an average, and good, alcohol content of 12%. It is a South African wine made from red grapes. A small amount of French oak is fermented with the wine to give it’s strawberry flavour and the creamy aroma.

With lovely aromas of strawberry, this fruity wine is great for those looking to treat their taste buds alongside a delicious summer salad

Morrisons and JS RRP £8.99

Frost Wine Reviews: Kumala Cabernet Shiraz

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I rarely drink red wine, and when I do it is normally mulled. This means I set the barometer very high. However, I liked Kumala Cabernet Shiraz. It has a lingering aftertaste of chocolate. If that doesn’t win me over, nothing will.

It is a very beautiful bright red colour, with ripe tannins and a fruity flavour. I like its smoothness and it also has some spicy notes. I can also taste red berry and a hint of nuttiness.

The wine will make a perfect partner to fillet steaks, lamb chops and hearty stews. RRP£6.79