A week in wine...

Following our Fifth Anniversary Dinner at the Hydro Hotel on 9th May where 65 guests and our two Burgundian winemakers, Gregory Patriat of Jean-Claude Boisset and Pierre Vincent of Jaffelin helped celebrate the occasion, we were looking forward to a more restful week...

But this last week turned out to be rather full of interesting things.

First I visited the London Wine Trade Fair on Tuesday and spent a very full day going round ExCel. Like John, I found it exhausting but there were some definite highlights: a couple of stonking roses from Spain, one from Care and one from Buil & Gine - not cheap but very good; the Kim Crawford Spitfire Mk 2 SB was great too, so I echo John's euphoria, but I would also mention Kim's Cab Franc from Hawkes Bay, really nice - and now on our shelves at £9.50! I also managed to catch up with Caryl and Jan Panman from Chateau Rives-Blanques, a very nice English couple who own the estate and make fantastic - quintessentially French - wines. We now have four of their wines, the Mauzac, Chenin and Chardonnay and their Blanquette de Limoux - stunning.

In the evening I was amongst the guests of Dirk Niepoort and Raymond Reynolds/Danny Cameron (so nice to see him again after his recent illness) at Bentley's Oyster Bar in Piccadilly. As far as I recall it's the first time I've had oysters and they were good, very, very good with a light vinegar/Tabasco and onion dressing and washed down by a superb new vintage Redoma rose. There were some good wines on show and Dirk was also in top form. A nice evening that ended oh so late!

A day's rest in the shop on Wednesday and then I went off to our friends at the Uckfield Wine Circle to do a tutored tasting on Greek wine (a favourite of mine that always seems to go down well). It's that Hatzidakis Santorini 2004 that always does it for me! A stupendous straight Assyrtiko form the island from vines grown in their own formed baskets and made in artisanl fashion by the man himself in a cave hewn out of the volcanic rock. Amazing. Definitely, Europe's best kept wine secret.

On the same night Colin and John went off to Hastings to the Wine and Food Fair at the Phoenix Arts Centre, compered by our good friend John Radford. A good night ensued and I understand the Mcgregor Pinotage Rose 2006 was the hit of the night.

So another late night all round. But without time for a full recovery on Fruiday (19th) we were very proud to host a Winemaker Tasting with Ben Glaetzer from Glaetzer, Heartland and Mitolo Wines in Australia. He and his partner from Heartland, Grant Tilbrook showed 11 wines and regaled the guests with a really informative and interesting session. And with the top end wines at £20 to £35 a bottle abgood time was definitely had. My favourite of the evening? The Dolcetto Lagrein 2004 - a real whiz of a wine combing two not-so-common Italian grapes grown to perfection in Oz and assembled magnificently to give an amazing wine, and at only £8.99. Now that's what wine is all about.

And it made a perfect culmination to a heavy week.