Wine

from High Spirits 2020-21

Beers, ciders mead

Isle of Raasay released its Hebridean gin last year and is the first legal spirit from the Isle of Raasay, in the Inner Hebrides. The 46% ABV gin combines 10 botanicals including Raasay juniper, orange peel, lemon peel, rhubarb root with its triple distilled spirit to produce a dry and zesty gin.

raasaydistillery.com

forget about the wine drinkers By Lauren Phillips Cotswold Hills is a social enterprise run by the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester to provide students with practical skills. Ortega, Bacchus, Chardonnay and Seyval Blanc vines are grown in the university’s vineyard and are blended to create its dry white, canned fizzy white and new rosé, which launched in May 2020.

cotswoldhills.co.uk

HOW WE SELL… WINE

Jeremy Clevett, owner, Wildmoor Deli

Retailing wine is like selling cheese, the more passion and knowledge you have the more you’ll sell, says Jeremy Clevett of Wildmoor Deli.

“That’s what separates a deli or farm shop from the larger grocers,” he says.

The deli has a lot of wine competition in the small Devon town of Bovey Tracey. On the high street alone there is a Co-Op, Spar and a Tesco

Express, but Wildmoor distinguishes itself through its wine selection and expertise.

Clevett often has customers approach him in the deli to tell him what they’re having for dinner and ask what wine he would recommend with it. Two Birds Spirits has introduced a new Pink Grapefruit & Pomegranate Gin. The brand launched the new drink in March this year to join its other popular flavoured spirits such as rhubarb gin and salted caramel English vodka. With an ABV of 37.5%, the new gin comes in 20cl bottles (RRP £13) and 70cl bottles (£33).

Joining Lakeland Artisan’s gin, vodka and rum liqueurs is a new range of whiskey liqueurs. There are three flavours in the range: Kendall Fell, Lakeland Ginger, and a Lakeland Damson Whiskey. The damson whiskey is a twist on the damson gin liqueur. All are available in 50cl stone swing-top bottles (RRP £21), 33cl swing-top glass bottles (RRP £14.50), and miniature 4cl swingtop bottles (RRP £4.75).

Grape expectations

While spirits seem to be all the rage, don’t

Mereworth Wines

has launched two new wine spritz drinks: a Marourde Spritz and a Marourde Rosé Spritz. The drinks are a fusion of botanicals and honey wine. While the spritz is medium-dry, the rose spritz variety includes hedgerow black fruits. Trade price £1.75, 500ml (RRP £3.25).

mereworthwines. co.uk

twobirdsspirits.co.uk lakelandartisan.co.uk thomastipple.com

“You can’t go into a Waitrose and talk to anyone that actually has any idea about the bottles on the shelf,” he says.

But Clevett has had to build this trust over time with his customers, which is why he moved his wine selection closer to the tills and cheese counter so he could easily engage with browsing shoppers.

The selection of wines is also hugely important and Clevett suggests building a good relationship with an independent wine wholesaler who can help tailor your range.

“First decide what it is you want to offer, whether that is organic or specific origin countries, and then make a plan on how to achieve that.”

Influenced by the UK’s love of Mexican food and drink, Mexico’s first whisky distillery Destileria y Bodega Abasolo is launching into the British market with its premium, flavoured whisky. Abasolo is made from Mexican corn which is apparent in the flavour of the spirit along with caramel and toffee notes (RRP £34.99, 700ml). It is distributed in the UK by specialist spirits importer and distributer, Mangrove UK.

abasolowhisky.com

Thomas Tipple launched in London in 2019 with the aim of filling the gap between premium bar cocktails and the pre-mixed versions on shelf. They offer two sparkling winebased cocktails: Raspberry Bellini and Passionfruit Mimosa. Each 250ml can has a light 5% ABV.

wildmoor-deli.co.uk

VIPER

THE GIN WITH A BITE

Now available in Pink Grapefruit, Rhubarb, Toffee and other flavours!

Avalon, the mystical land from Arthurian legend, only to be discovered by the chosen few is also referred to as the Isle of Apples. This inspired us to use apples in our Viper London Dry Gin.

Recognising that the Viper is entwined with the story of King Arthur and Avalon, Viper London Dry Gin was born!

Handcrafted in small batches in a copper pot still using English wheat spirit and ten botanicals, notes of crab apple, citrus and juniper are balanced to create an exceptionally smooth, fresh and memorable gin. Perfect as a cocktail base but is every bit as good in a G&T! Other products include Viper mulled gin with seasonal spices and Viper barrel aged, which is oak aged in a Somerset cider brandy barrel!