Welcome to our new 2008-2009 Wine List. With the ever increasing strength of the Euro and the Government’s continued bleeding of the Wine Trade, it will come as a no surprise that wine prices have increased and in some cases significantly. These increases are especially marked at the lower end of our portfolio, where prices have risen approximately 15-20%. However I can assure all our customers that we remain dedicated to sourcing the best quality wines at the best possible prices, and we will continue to bring you savings where we can. Over the last six months we have discovered a handful of new winemakers whose wines we are delighted to now have in stock. Domaine Sarabelle in Gaillac in the South West of France use local grape varieties Braucol, Duras, Mauzac and Muscadelle alongside Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc to produce a stunning range of red and white wines, which represent outstanding quality and value for money. I urge you to try their award winning un-oaked Chardonnay. Also new to our list are two well regarded Domaines from Burgundy: Amiot-Servelle’s silky, perfumed wines from Chambolle-Musingny in the Cote de Nuits, are the ultimate Burgundian experience. Whilst Simon Bize’s highly regarded, but often overlooked domaine in Savigny-les-Beaune produce wines of stunning purity and elegance. A little austere in their youth, they open up beautifully with a few years age. From the Macon we are delighted to be shipping Jean and Gautier Thevenet’s superb, late harvested Clesses, which are brimming with exotic fruit flavours. And from Domaine de Montavac in the Southern Rhone we have added Cecile Dussere’s stunning single vineyard Vacqueyras Vincila to our portfolio. New to our Italian Fine Wine List is Tiziana Settimo’s Barolo Rocche Riserva 1999, which we tasted at Vin Italy this year. At over £30 per bottle it’s expensive, but one of the best balanced Barolos I have tasted with its beautifully weighted fruit, offset by fine acidity and silky tannins. From the neighbouring commune of Diano d’Alba, we are delighted to introduce Rigo Secondo’s range of Dolcettos, with their lovely vinuous, ripe cherry notes. No list would be complete without a strong showing from Tuscany and here we have discovered two new estates producing elegant, refined wines. Ginevra Venerosi Pesciolini’s Venerosso 2004 won three red glasses in this year’s Gambero Rosso where it is described as ‘simply extraordinary …we find ourselves uncorking a wine that is perfect, impeccable and utterly complete…’. And from the little known commune of Barberino Val d’Elsa we have Quercia Al Poggio’s well made Chianti Classicos. We urge you to try these delicious wines with their powerful, earthy fruit flavours. Please ask us for our Fine Wine List which includes our en-primeur Bordeaux offering, alongside vintage Bordeaux and Burgundy and small allocations of fine wines from Italy, France and USA.