Maison Ginestet is a key player in marketing Bordeaux wines, it belongs to the small circle of ‘great Bordeaux wine houses’, selling and shipping 15 million bottles of wine to around 70 countries worldwide. Located on the right bank of the Garonne river at Carignan-de-Bordeaux since 1980.

Although the Ginestet portfolio is vast, we only work with one wine, the Château Moulin de Curat – AOC Puisseguin Saint Emilion. These vines benefit from an advantageous south to SE orientation. The whole area is very uniform and lies on a limestone sub–layer, which means the vines are always well supplied with water even during very dry periods. The main grape is Merlot (80%), the remainder being Cabernet Franc (or Bouchet), some Cabernet Sauvignon and less frequently Malbec.

Puisseguin Saint–Emilion wines are mostly dense and deep–coloured. They have a wide aromatic range which expresses notes of ripe red and black fruits when the wines are young and prunes and figs as it develops, with hints of blackcurrant and liquorice. On the palate, they have an attractive fleshy and pulpy texture which is never heavy.

The ever reliable quintet of entry level wines continues to impress. Screw-capped for ease of use and to preserve the vibrant fruit characters, these are ideal house wine candidates. Moreno UK (who own this brand) have a wealth of experience in Chile, and the special blends they have developed for the Santiago range show all the virtues of this extraordinary country’s ideal fruit growing conditions.

The fertile and flat Central Valley of Chile, close to Santiago (the city) is the source of the wines that make up the first level. It is Chile’s agricultural heartland and never fails to produce ripe, healthy grapes along with a welter of other exportable fruits and nuts. The Sauvignon Blanc is the best seller, and is a crisp and fruity take on this world straddling grape variety. Merlot is justifiably a fast moving stock item, giving plenty of ripe and satisfying flavour. Both the Cabernet and Chardonnay have improved steadily throughout the years and are selling just as well. Finally, the Santiago Rose’ produced from 100% Cabernet Sauvignon has become a local favourite and is actually challenging the Sauvignon Blanc as the best Santiago seller.

Kym Tolley continues to produce excellent, distinctive, regional wines from his 166 hectare estate on classic Coonawarra terrarossa soil.

As a passionate advocate of characterful and pedigree wine styles that speak of their geographical origins, Kym is well placed to thrive in an international market where ‘real’ wines are being increasingly highly rated and prized. His family background probably made it inevitable that he would make his way in the wine business. On his paternal side are the Tolleys, erstwhile makers of wines and brandies with their roots in C19th pioneering stock. On his maternal side are the Penfolds, who need no introduction and have equally strong historical roots.

Kym himself worked for many years at Penfolds as a red winemaker, studying under the legendary Max ‘Grange’ Schubert. When he set up on his own in 1988 in Coonawarra, the name Penley was entirely appropriate.

Cabernet Sauvignon remains the key wine for Penley Estate. Phoenix Cabernet is a benchmark Coonawarra wine, showered with awards and critical praise. The wine is generously flavoured, has 12 months in new oak and shows classic cassis and spice elements, and meltingly smooth tannins. It is a properly elegant and balanced mouthful of wine. This is without taking anything away from his excellent Hyland Shiraz: inky dark red, with aromas of freshly cracked black pepper and dark berries.

We were introduced to this truly family-run operation by Carlos Read back in 2000; Richard is the winemaker, brother Marco the farm manager and viticulturalist, and sister Alejandra the PR and marketing arm. The three siblings are the 6^th generation of the Sanz family to make wine in Rueda. There is also a restless outward-looking impulse here. Richard studied in both Bordeaux and Madrid, and has trained abroad as well. He is the master of his craft, which is first and foremost the making of the very best Verdejo and Sauvignon Blanc in Rueda.

All their wines are now certified organic. Not that they make a song and dance about it, they just feel that it is the best way to run their vineyards.

Under the Con Class label, he produces 3 excellent white wines. Con Class Rueda is a more traditional Rueda blend, comprising Verdejo, with minority help from Viura and some assertive Sauvignon Blanc. Con Class Verdejo, unoaked, is a juicy and vibrant version of this local speciality, and much prized in Spain. Finally the Con Class Sauvignon Blanc gives full rein to this grape’s cut grass and passion fruit characteristics. The 3 wines are remarkably consistent year on year, and are fresh, natural and unforced. The region’s stony terroir comes through in the Verdejo and Sauvignon especially.

The Sanz trio also produce a remarkable red in the Toro region, made with 100% Tinto de Toro, which is off-course locally adapted Tempranillo.

Palacio de Fefiñanes has been involved in wine since the 17th century. This culture has been settling the historical knowledge of the wine-producing process through generations in the family. These are pioneers in the production and commercialisation of a singular variety, the expressive Albariño grape from the Salnés valley.

Fronted by the charming Juan Gil – aka the Marqués de Figueroa - urbane yachtsman and aristocrat, Palacio de Fefiñanes was the first ever producer to bottle Albariño, in 1928, and given its finesse and delicacy it is regarded by many as a benchmark.

“A wine must clearly speak of its landscape, evoke the land that originates it, and be loyal to its personal and distinguishing origin.” Juan Gil de Araújo

One of the glories of Navarra is the highly rated winery of Camilo Castilla in the market town of Corella and their delicate sweet wines derived from Moscatel (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains). Built in the 1850s in an Andalusian style, it is certainly an incongruous sight in northern Spain, and the wines are truly exceptional. Nowadays, the winery itself is part of the fabric of the town, surrounded and swallowed up by subsequent urban growth. Under both Montecristo and Goya labels they produce highly popular top-selling Spanish brands, so much so that asking for a ‘Goya’ in a bar means ‘give me a glass of Moscatel’.

Camilo Castilla’s 42 ha of vineyards are close to the Rioja/Navarra border, and it is not perhaps surprising that they have taken on an estate in Rioja Baja and have launched their own Rioja ‘Egomei’.

Goya Moscatel is a reliable and very good value starting point. Fermented in large, old oak botas and aged in seasoned American oak casks, fortified to 15%, this is a tawny coloured caramel toffee and figgy delight. Not just merely sweet either, there is a long, fresh finish to it as well.

Guelbenzu's story dates back to 1851, although it was in 2001 when it experienced a major boost with the inauguration of the new winery in Vierlas, on the border area between Navarra and Aragón.

The prevailing concept during the construction of the winery was respect for the environment, optimizing space and fostering optimal conditions for temperature controlled storage, having managed to obtain facilities that are perfectly integrated into the landscape and vineyards and, at the same time, are excellent for the making and aging of Guelbenzu wine.

Guelbenzu has 46 hectares of vineyard located right in the heart of the Queiles valley, on the Lombana estate. The proximity of Mount Moncayo causes the temperature fluctuations between day and night to be very high, which contributes positively to the formation of tannins and anthocyanins, essential for the production of round wines with body, character and aging ability.

Covides is Spain’s third largest Cava producer: a co-operative of some 800 members founded in 1963, which controls 3K hectares and produces a staggering 25 million kilos.

Its installations, located on the fringes of San Sadurní de Noya, just half an hour west of Barcelona have been totally revamped in 2007.

We ship just one of their offerings: the light and fragrant Gran Gesta Brut made from the typical Penedès triumvirate of Parellada (for zesty lemon), Macabeo (for a pineappley middle) and Xarel-lo (for pepper, body and alcohol).

La Copa is a private label owned by Moreno Wines (UK).

This wine started out as a project between Moreno wines and Scottish winemaker Pamela Geddes. The goal was to produce a couple of really juicy red wines. This she did, using fruit from their older, unirrigated bush vines at the western extreme of the DO, and macerating the fruit for a bit longer than would normally be the case for young wines.

The winery Bodegas Aragonesas is a fusion of two co-ops which dominate the Campo de Borja DO, producing around 15 million litres per annum.

Pamela has since moved on, as flying winemakers do, the two excellent in-house winemakers Javier Vela and Fernando Ballesteros have continued to seamlessly emulate Pamela’s prototypes.