Charlie The Wine

My favourite time of year approaches, the stained MCC tie is ready for its annual outing to Headquarters. A day or two at Lords is a social and sporting highlight of the year. The arrival of the 'Black Caps' of New Zealand, followed by a 20/20 World Cup and the mouthwatering prospect of an Ashes series, sets my taste buds aglow with anticipation! Along with my good pal Champagne Ron, here are a few great examples of what we should be drinking whilst enjoying a day in the sunshine —optimism is a very important quality in a Wine Merchant! So Here Goes…

Day 1

New Zealand                                             England

                                  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 2

New Zealand                                            England

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 3

New Zealand                                             England 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4

New Zealand                                             England

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5

New Zealand                                             England

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Umpire Selection

The Trio of Umpires that will referee this epic Test Cricket Match originate from the two other dominant cricketing forces from the Southern Hemisphere, Australia and South Africa (who also produce brilliant wines might I add). As tribute to these Umpires, we have selected some spectacular wines from their home countries that I think represent their home nations perfectly.

          Steve Davis (Australia)                                         David Boon (Australia)                           Marais Erasmus (South African)

Once all the unmissable action has taken place and a winner of the first Investec Test Match has been crowned there are two selected wines that have been chosen to either celebrate a victory or commiserate a loss.

 

Now God forbid that the Kiwis win the first test match, but if they do however prevail, we have chosen a wine that has been titled 'Drown The Sorrows Choice' which is this beauty:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But on the other hand, if England overcome the Kiwis we will celebrate together with this elegant and sophisticated bottle of bubbly: 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know about you but I can't wait for this test series to start, it's going to be a cracker!

Semper Bibendum!

Charlie The Wine.

The MeatClub returns once more to The Yard, where the very first event was held, for a taste of...Wild Boar!

Resident Butcher Simon Chapman has managed to hunt down said boar (perhaps not literally), which attendees can look forward to enjoying alongside local cider from The Moss Cider Project, good ale from Tatton Brewery and some delicious wines from ourselves!

George Yiannis from Wilmslow's The Stolen Lamb will be on hand to cook up traditional Cypriot recipes including something called "Bandit's Breakfast". We're really looking forward to the event, which is starts at 29th May at 7.30pm.

Intrigued? Tickets are just £30 and can be purchased here or by calling The Yard on 01625 586 962.

We hope to see you there!

Charlie The Wine & Rugby's Golf Club Hit A Hole In One For Help For Heroes!

I've just got back from a tremendous event down in WIltshire at Tedworth House. It was a truly enjoyable day for both Champagne Ron and Charlie The Wine to be a part of.

As you all know Charlie The Wine work with projects that support the local community and charities. Our latest charitable event took place alongside our close partners Rugby's Golf Club.

Rugby's Golf Club organises golf events throughout the UK and abroad in support of Help For Heroes. Rugby's Golf Club has an impressive roster running the organisation including the legendary rugby juggernaut that is Jason Leonard OBE, President of the organisation, and Ian Robertson, the BBC's renowned rugby correspondent (Club Captain) amongst many others.

Rugby’s Golf Club aims to provide a network for rugby-loving golfers to meet up with like-minded people, play hard, have fun and make money for Help for Heroes! (Sounds good to me!)

Rugby's Golf Club have just opened a very special golf facility at the Help For Heroes centre Tedworth House.

The custom-designed facility includes a nine-hole synthetic putting green, a chipping area, two practice bays and a special Rugby's Golf Club pavilion with veranda. Sounds amazing doesn't it? And trust me it was, because as a respected partner of Rugby's Golf Club, myself and buddy Champagne Ron played our part in the grand opening of this remarkable new golf facility!

 

 

Help For Heroes

Help for Heroes provides direct, practical support to wounded, injured and sick Service personnel, veterans, and their families. This is provided through grants to individuals and other Service charities, capital build projects and support for life at three other Recovery Centres across the UK.

Tedworth House is an ideal recovery centre which has been created for those men and women who have served in the Armed Forces and have suffered life changing injuries and illnesses whilst on duty. Tedworth provide ongoing facilities and support to help these heroes adapt to their new life and look forward towards the future.

Tedworth House offer unique courses and tailored support for veterans that aim to reach long-term goals and aspirations. Residents are encouraged to undertake their own individual recovery plan under the guidance of specialist staff. Recovery plans can include educational programmes, work placements, medical appointments or even sports activities. These activities are included in order to improve personal independance, raise morale and really, to show them what can be achieved after service.

Tedworth is home to a range of sports facilities including a state of the art gym complex with some of the UK’s most advanced adaptive sporting facilities, an indoor ski simulator, a strength and conditioning gym and a sports hall with a sprung floor. And now the Rugby's Golf Club Golfing facility can be added to this great list of facilities.

You can find out more about Friends of Charlie The Wine here.

For forthcoming events, please see this page.

Forever thirsty,

Charlie The Wine

Ever wondered how much of the wine you pay for is made up of Tax?

As the wine world adjusts prices following the budget we thought it'd be helpful for you, dearest wine fan, to know just where exactly your money goes when you buy a bottle of wine.

If you've ever been tempted by an outrageously cheap deal in a supermarket, just know that £2 of that price is a Duty charge. So on a £3 bottle (yes indeed), how much of that is wine?

Click on the image below to see the full infographic on Tax & Wine:

We are now featuring a Red and a White "Wine Of The Month". Charlie has hand-picked these wines and personally described their various attributes in video and audio, giving you a small taste of what you could experience in one of our Wine Tastings.

April's Red Wine Of The Month

To start off this great new feature we knew that we had to choose a great red wine that would set the precedent for months to come. With this in mind Charlie has chosen the 2010 Montepulciano Classici Doc Zonin.

Watch below and see what Charlie says about the 2010 Montepulciano Classici Doc Zonin.

"A truly delicious red wine that epitomises everything that the Mediterranean stands for. With a warm and deep ruby red colour, the balance of 92% Montepulciano grapes and the remainder being Sangiovese bestows this wine with all it’s character.

Immediately the nose is hit with aromas reflecting fine red fruit, a distinct earthiness and plenty of supple berries.

These aromas invite you in to taste, and when you do your palate will be sent into euphoria as notes of vivacious spice, juicy bright red plum fruit and the refreshing zing from raw black cherries, gives this decadent red wine the credentials to combine well with red meat and game dishes as well as classic Italian Bistro cuisine such as pasta, risotto and fresh meaty salads."

White Wine Of The Month

We've chosen the 2011 Picpoul De Pinet Ormarine as our White Wine Of The Month.

Watch below and see what Charlie says about the 2011 Picpoul De Pinet Ormarine.

"This 2011 Picpoul De Pinet Ormarine white wine has been titled by many as one of the hidden gems of Southern France. The virtually unknown vineyards of Picpoul de Pinet in Southern France are situated a stone’s throw away from the coast, allowing the combination of cooling sea breezes and rich limestone soils to create this unique white wine, and what a treat it is.

This white is extremely refreshing both on the nose and on the palate, emanating flavours and aromas reflecting zesty lemon, sharp grapefruit, crisp apples and floral spring blossoms’ a great combination that adds a hint of minerality and a tangy fresh finish.

The Coteaux du Languedoc region is also renowned for its seafood and mussels, and we couldn’t think of a better wine to pair with the finest of seafood dishes.
The Picpoul De Pinet Ormarine is often described as the Muscadet of the South because of its crisp, bone-dry character and affinity to seafood and is recently gaining huge popularity, so why not give it a try?"

P.S. If you want to brush up on your Wine terminology, take a look at our new Wine Glossary!

Forever thirsty,

Charlie The Wine

Charlie The Wine is very excited to be involved with The North West Wine Fest Roadshow, a new "traveling celebration" of wine coming to Cheshire on 19th April.

***Update: We have a limited number of Free Tickets available - email us at sales@charliethewine.com to get on the guest list!***

We'll be bringing some fantastic wines to the Festival Hall in Alderley Edge, which will be crammed full of fans of wine —and you're invited!

We're looking forward to bringing our expertise in tasting unique and interesting wines to the event, where we're sure to have a great time. There will be some delicious nibbles to sample from our friends at Levanter Fine Foods, including a selection of cheeses, cured meats and lovely bread. Yum!

We're enjoying a brilliantly busy month with many events across the country. If you'd like to find an event in your area, please see our events page.

If you're curious about enjoying the full Charlie The Wine experience in your own home (or a venue of your choice) then have a look at the images, video and reviews of our Wine Tastings!

There's a link to buy tickets and further details of this Taste Of Manchester event here.

Forever thirsty,

Charlie The Wine

 

Charlie The Wine are very pleased to introduce our new guest blogger who goes by the rather brilliant name of 'Lady Wedding Bells'. Lady Wedding Bells is our Wedding Expert and trusted colleague we're working alongside as part of our Wedding Wine Consulting service.

We are very excited to have her with us here at Charlie The Wine, and look forward to many more excellent posts to come.

Please —give Lady Wedding Bells a warm welcome!

 

Dear Brides-to-be,

When my dear friend Charlie the Wine decided that he would like a wedding expert to contribute to his wonderful website he, of course, contacted me.

I have cared for countless brides and grooms at Wedding Bell Towers over the years, and I am dedicated to making each wedding a personal and hugely enjoyable occasion.

I am looking forward to writing to you all on a regular basis giving advice on what to do, and indeed what not to do, on your wedding day. All my girls who have been married at Wedding Bell Towers have come to see me as a true friend, and I hope that you will too. That is not to say I do not get close to my handsome grooms, but the ladies do tend to have the final say!

The Beginning:

Your engagement is announced and it is time to start planning. The first step is to arrange your ceremony and to choose your venue. Here are ten invaluable tips:

1. Do not choose one specific date for your wedding.

2. Decide the type of venue that you would like and make a short list. Check their availability for your chosen month and year.

3. Do not visit more than three venues in one weekend – you will be both exhausted and muddled if you visit too many!

4. At each venue, ask yourself if you can envisage standing there in your wonderful dress with everyone around you. If you can’t, it is not the venue for you.

5. When choosing a venue, you must be sure that they will look after you during the planning process. There should be no limit to the amount of meetings you can have (within reason!!), and you must feel that your wedding is important, and not just another day to the venue.

6. You must decide whether exclusivity and privacy are vital to your day.

7. Don’t choose a venue that is too rigid in its approach – your wedding should be as individual as possible.

8. Once you have made your choice, arrange your ceremony. If you are being married at the venue, they will give you the details for the Registrar. All good venues will hold your date until the ceremony has been confirmed, but don’t dawdle or you will lose it.

9. Remember that excellent food and wines are key to the enjoyment of your wedding and your money is far better spent on these two things than on non-essential fripperies. Not that I don’t adore them, but use your budget wisely.

And ten...ladies, start you day with a hamper from Charlie the Wine for you and the girls to enjoy whilst preening and prepping!

After the recent rather exciting draw(!) against New Zealand, we're very much looking forward to this summer's Ashes tournament. We've already organised an pre-Test Match Lunch, including a charity auction for The Lord's Taverners, and now we're looking to get into the Ashes spirit even more.

In partnership with The Lord's Taverners, and alongside the England & Wales Cricket Board, our friends at Investec are undertaking a "Cycle Challenge" that will take them to all of the Ashes grounds in July.

The team, including friend of Charlie The Wine Alastair Cobley, will pedal over 330 miles over four and a half days, completing the ride at Lord's on 17th July - just before the second Test. Bradley Wiggins eat your heart out!

We'd be very grateful if you would be so kind as to get involved with Alastair and the team. You can see Alastair's Just Giving page here.

Charlie The Wine will be helping Alastair during the forthcoming Dewi Morris Curry Club Lunch event in April.

 

Alastair is supporting three charities:

 

The Lord's Taverners, a charity Charlie The Wine has been involved with for a while, is the UK's leading youth cricket and disability sports charity, aiming to raise enough money to cover the cost of a specially adapted minibus for a specialist school at £53,000 with proceeds from the Cycling Challenge.

 

North West Cancer Research are one of the most influential UK cancer charities investing millions of pounds into cancer research.

The Children’s Adventure Farm Trust provides exciting days out and weeks away to children disadvantaged by disability, social circumstance and terminal illness. The Adventure Farm allows these children a really magical, fun experience.

 

Investec are supporting other charities including Marie Curie Cancer Care, Macmillan Cancer Support, Eden Valley Hospice, Sheffied Children's Hospital Charity and Anthony Nolan. You can read more details about the Cycling Challenge here.

If you'd like to support Alastair in his quest to have a rather sore bottom but a lovely warm feeling inside, please donate here.

 

Forever thirsty,

Charlie The Wine

Easter is fast approaching, and for those of you who treat it as a big occasion and spend it with your family, think to yourself... are you sure you have everything you need for the Easter weekend? Easter Eggs... check! Hot Cross Buns.... check! Ham or Lamb roasting joint.... check! Spectacular wine to accompany the roasting joint..... hmmm that's it!

Charlie The Wine have a whole load of great wine offers that are available for this upcoming Easter weekend.

Charlie has personally hand selected a small bunch of wines from his range that he believes will accompany your Easter Sunday roast ham or lamb perfectly and will help to enhance the flavours of your meal. Charlie accentuates that if he has learnt anything from his events with the Manchester Meat Club, it is pairing a great wine with a great cut of meat that go hand in hand to send your taste buds wild!

 

 

 

 

For instance, Charlie has selected a perfect accompaniment for that traditional Easter ham dish. This will be a big hit with those red wine lovers amongst you as my choice is the Smoking Loon Old Vine Zinfandel which has aromas of red raspberry, sweet leather and a hint of silky, spicy Mexican chocolate; all harmonizing with that noticeable smoky and salty flavours running through your ham dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are a handful of other wines that are just as good to go with your Easter ham; if not better!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or for those who are swaying towards a succulent leg of lamb this Easter, the pick of the bunch from Charlie's recommendations would be his 2011 Coorong Estate Shiraz, excellently priced at just £6.49, the rich and spicy flavour of black fruits, black pepper and sweet spices that emanates from this red wine makes it very easy-drinking and warm on the palate.... always a winner with an Easter lamb dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are some more brilliant wines that can make your Easter Lamb dish the best you have ever tasted!

 

 

 

 

Perhaps you're a throwing a gathering with all your closest family and friends and you need enough wine for everybody, but some like red and some like white.... what a dilemma! Charlie The Wine are already one step ahead, have a gander at their Party Pack Case Of 12 Wines. With a balanced mixture of whites, reds, rosés and even a bit of bubbly, this hand selected mix of wines is ideal if you want to impress this Easter weekend.

Be quick now, because the last day you can take advantage of these great Easter wine offers is Wednesday 27th March at noon.

 

Forever Thirsty and Cheerie Bye!

 

Charlie The Wine.

 

On Thursday April 11th Charlie The Wine brings his old mate Pedro to The Yard to let us taste his stunning range of Spanish wines from Navarra in Northern Spain.

Wine production at the Monastery dates back to its founding in 1134, when the Cistercian Monks left Burgundy, crossed the Pyrenees and settled on the plains some thirty miles from the historic town of Pamplona.

Made with hundred years of tradition these stunning Wines are a mixture of varietals such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and the more traditional Garnacha, Moscadell as well as some stunning blends.

As you would expect at The Yard the evening promises to be great fun as well as being informative.

So come and join us for lovely food, stunning wines, lots of laughter and a few musical surprises!

Tickets are available at The Yard, or by phone —call 01625 586962.

All events at The Yard are sell outs, so as Fred Pontin said...Book Early!

Forever Thirsty...

Cheerie Bye!