Wine Blog - S.H. Jones Ltd - Family Wine Merchants - Banbury | Bicester

April 2009 - Italian Native Grapes

Italy, land of pizza and pasta, of food and wine and home to more native grape varieties than anywhere else. Whilst French grapes like Pinot Noir, Syrah (Shiraz) and Chardonnay have gained world wide recognition and have been adopted around the world to make wines Italian grapes haven\'t. Estimates of the number of Italian grapes range from 700 to several thousand some of which are capable of making some truly brilliant wines.
The biggest selling Italian wine in the UK at the moment is Pinot Grigio, which is a real shame because there are far better wines, made from grapes with far more potential.
Beyond the mainstream grapes such as the Sangiovese of Tuscany which makes wines such as Chianti and Brunello di Montalcino or Nebbiolo which makes Barolo there are so many fabulous wines to try.

Southern Italy is a real hotspot right now, and wines made from grape varieties such as Primitivo, Fiano, Negroamaro and Nero d\'Avola are really beginning to excite the wine world - SH Jones have some brilliant examples - look out for the A.Mano wines - a Primitivo from Puglia and a really lovely aromatic white Fiano Greco.

November 2008 - S H Jones Chrsitmas Offers

The SHJ Christmas offers have just arrived on my desk, and I have to say they look really good this year, whoever you are and whatever you want wine for there is something perfect to fit the occasion. Having a party then the selection of so called “Sociable Wines” (you’d never guess the resident Kiwi import put the selection together) fit the bill from Italian an Pinot Grigio at a mouth watering �£3.99 to our Chilean Vicuna wines at the same price.

Looking for something for your Christmas meal then nothing fits the bill better than good quality Burgundy. The reds made from trendy Pinot Noir start at just �£11.99 for Domaine Suremain Mercurey 1er Cru or the sumptuous Domaine du Clos Salomon Givry 1er Cru which really is superb value for money at �£14.99 and punches well above its price. The whites are well taken care of with one of Meursaults best performers Domaine Michelot coming up trumps with Meursault Sous La Velle 2002 at �£19.99 – that is really serious wine at a bargain price.

If it’s Claret that rocks your boat then try Chateau Ferrand Pomerol 2000, a lovely wine from a superb vintage for under �£20 – you cannot be serious – the buyers have pulled a seriously great rabbit out of the hat here, but be warned it will sell like hotcakes and there is only a limited amount in the country so get in fast.

For those of you who prefer something from the New World, how about the wines of Domain Road – a Pinot Noir and a Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. I’ve been really impressed by these wines and the buyers have managed to knock some serious value into them for the festive period so my advice is to fill your boots while you can.

The full list of offers will be online soon, but if you can’t wait that long then give Ryan our Cellar Shop manager a call and ask him for full details or email him (retail@shjones.com)

November 2008 - Mouth-watering Madeira

Coming from a wet, sub-tropical island isn’t what you’d expect from one the worlds greatest fortified wine regions, yet that is exactly what you get with Madeira. Originally a stop off point for European travellers to the Americas, ships would fill their holds with local fortified wine to be used as ballast and found that on arrival that the voyage had transformed the wines into something wonderful, and that those wines that completed a round trip had were even more special. These days instead of long shipping voyages the wines undergo a similar transformation by either heating them for a few months, or leaving them in barrels under hot tin roofs in the lofts of Madeira lodges.
There are 5 principle grape varieties used, the four noble white grapes of Sercial, Verdelho, Bual and Malmsey (Malvasia) which range from dry to lusciously sweet and the more common, black, Tinta Negra Mole which accounts for 90% of all plantings on the island. Whilst Tinta Negra isn’t capable of the great longevity of the noble varieties it can be made to produce some truly wonderful wines such as Barbeito’s Single Harvest 1997 (�£15.55) with deep caramel, roasted orange and nutty flavours. Because Medeira has already been oxidised it has the advantage over a Sherry or Ruby Port of not deteriorating once the bottle has been opened making ideal for an occasional tipple. We recommend you drink all styles lightly chilled, with Sercial and Verdelho making lovely aperitifs and Boal brilliant after dinner, but for real luxury try a Malmsey with some good quality dark chocolate.