Commune Edition 1

C O M M U N E

Commune is a regular digital newsletter produced by Neill Wine an independent importer of natural wines, craft beers and spirits from passionate, quality focused producers

WINE & HE ALTH | A WORD AB OUT RIOJA | MEE T OUR SUPPLIER S | WHY BUY FROM US?

ROBERT NEILL

“Wines of ‘great identity’ from quality focused and dynamic wine estates will always be fundamental to our business”

INDEPENDENT, PA SSIONATE AND CUSTOMER FO CUSED

In this, our first edition of Commune, we want to thank ever yone who has suppor ted us throughout lockdown

The response to our FREE home deliver y ser vice Call A Cave has been over whelming and your suppor t of a local, quality & value focused independent wine merchant business is greatly appreciated. We have adapted quickly and kept our focus as sharp as ever, maintaining our ver y strong customer ser vice with your safety our priority

Although the past few months have witnessed enormous change, some aspec ts remain the same We are pleased to reveal the arrival of an exciting new range of wines from the legendar y southern French Domaine of Mas D e D aumas Gassac. Head winemaker Benjamin Anglade kindly paid us a visit back in November and based on the quality and selling price of what we sampled together, there was no hesitation in arranging our first shipment for arrival this spring.

Impor ting only wines of “great identity ” from quality focused and dynamic wine estates will always be fundamental to our business. Rest assured as we speak more exciting new arrivals are currently being assembled!

We hope you enjoy reading our first ever edition of Commune launched alongside our new look website for online purchases Your feedback is always appreciated and if you have any questions or topics you would like us to cover then please feel free to let us know.

Once again a huge thank you for your suppor t and adapting with us during these uncer tain times.

Rober t & Team Neill Wine

A selection of our favourites and recent additions to our range

CHIVITE L A S FINC A S ROSAD O 2018

Navarra, Spain|75cl| £14.50

An exceptional dr y rosé created by Bodegas Chivite and Spain’s gastro mega star dynasty the Arzak family Arguably the greatest rose produced any where in the world as of today!

SEIFRIED E STATE RIE SLING

Nelson, New Zealand|75cl| £15.50

A drier style of Riesling, beautifully balanced & concentrated The refinement is showcased within the rich varietal fruit and lively energetic acidity

MOULIN DE GA SSAC FAUNE 2019

Languedoc, France|75cl| £12.95

This pale gold wine has a powerful nose with an explosion of aromas of apricots, pears and white flowers Well balanced palate and full, smooth yet fresh ending of exotic fruits

D OMAINE DE L’AMANDINE

COTE S DU RHONE 2018

Rhone Valley, France|75cl|£9.95

A stunning example of regional level CDR from a ver y “hands on ” dedicated family Domaine The flavour complexity is over whelming as are the endless gold medals it annually receives

D OMAINE CL AUDE NOUVE AU

SANTENAY 1ER CRU 2017

Côte D’Or, France|75cl|£23.95

A ver y rare example of value from the world’s greatest wine region and a Premier Cru at that! Classical charac ters of ear thy Pinot fruit, superbly elegant and equally complex

SIERR A C ANTABRIA SELECCION 2018

Rioja, Spain|75cl|£10.95

A balance of the modern style with a hand on tradition The consistency of each vintage has made it an established favourite at Neill Wine for so many years now Redcurrant & hints of clove

What’s in your bottle of wine and what it means for your health

Sulphites are preservatives and antioxidants. They're used to keep dried fruit from turning brown and to prevent unwanted bacteria in wine.

For those who are sensitive to them, sulphites can cause breathing difficulties and less commonly, hives or other allergy-like symptoms.

Our wines are extremely low in sulphites. Our producers take extreme care throughout the entire production process to prevent premature crushing. Therefore there is no need to use high levels of sulphites because the fruit was healthy in the first place

You can't really make wine without sulphur, the greatest wines contain some sulphites but the better the quality the lower the sulphite trace

Flavonoids are the most abundant polyphenols in one ' s diet Tannins in red wine contain some flavonoid polyphenols and in young red wines, research has shown that some of these polyphenols can help prevent cardiovascular diseases and some cancers, among other health benefits.

Our red wines, in particular, are abundant in polyphenols due to the careful colour extraction periods practised by our producers during the maceration period

More importantly, the same vineyards are recognised and protected by law because the fruit they produce is so unique in quality and style profile Their black skins are high in flavonoids (phenolic compounds) that contribute to the colour, aroma & flavour

Winemakers often use a process called sodium ion exchange, which clarifies and helps minimise sediment This adds some salt to the wine.

Four ounces of domestic red wine typically contains about 12 milligrams of sodium, while domestic whites have about 19 milligrams in the same serving. Imported, natural wines like those we independently source, have less sodium at around 6 milligrams for reds and just 2 milligrams for whites.*

The daily sodium limit for most healthy adults is 2,300 milligrams per day

For more information and guidelines on how alcohol consumption can affect your health visit drinkaware.co.uk.

*livestrong com /ar ticle / 302771-calories- sodium-in-wine /

We have been impor ting from this remarkable Champagne House for about four years. Many of you will be familiar with Arnaud through the many “sold out” Champagne events we have conducted with him, hosted brilliantly by many of our trusted trade clients’ hospitalit y outlets.

There are 279 demarcated crus or villages within the Champagne region but only 17 are graded Grand Cru Going back a ver y long time, there were only five graded and the village of Bouzy, was then and still is the best, especially for the black Pinot Noir grape It is widely recognised that Bouzy is the greatest sparkling wine village in the world Here Arnaud and all the other family owned houses in this famous village collec tively make their superlative basic House Champagnes at luxur y level and quality They sell at a frac tion of the price compared to the big name luxur y cuvées, something that so called ‘big brand’ houses don’t want consumers to know!

CHAMPAGNE ARNAUD MORE AU | B O Uz Y GR AND CRU

CHAMPAGNE SECRE TS

The big brand name luxury cuvées produced in Champagne, with price tags to match are made entirely from village vineyards graded as Grand Cru. Due to aspects of natu these villages produce the finest quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay but here’s the sec

The big names own only around 20% of the entire region’s vineyard area and less of the vineyard area qualified as Grand Cru

This means they must purchase this highly sought after fruit from the many holdings owned exclusively by growers and the many smaller family owned Champagne Houses.

The wines from Arnaud Moreau, all of which are Grand Cru, offer every element of flavour profile that makes this region world renowned and in particular they offer all the ‘magic’ that makes this village a Grand Cru. Its wines and grapes are highly sought after by consumers and big name producers alike.

TR ADITION GR AND CRU NV

70% GC Pinot Noir | 30% GC Chardonnay | £ 3 9. 5 0

GR AND CRU ROSé

30% GC Chardonnay | 70% GC Pinot Noir of which 10% includes the still red wine Bouzy Rouge | £ 4 5

CUVEE ERYNN GR AND CRU 2016 BL ANC DE BL ANC

100% Chardonnay Grand Cru | Only 2300 bottles produced from a small vineyard plot as well as paying homage to Arnaud’s 2nd home- Ireland | £ 5 7. 5 0

BRUT ARR AKIS GR AND CRU NV

Non Dosage Brut Zero | 70% GC Pinot Noir | 30% GC Chardonnay |As no sugar has been added, ten years cellar ageing is required prior to release, unlocking the true essence and greatness that is Bouzy Pinot Noir | £ 49

W O R D S A B O U T | R I O J A

Rioja’s wine style is so unique that no other wine region can emulate it

GR APE S Rioja has four permit ted black grapes, Tempranillo and her sisters; Garnacha Tinta; Graciano and Mazuelo with three white grapes, Viura; Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca The past decade has also witnessed some new inclusions!

REGION The wine region of Rioja in Spain's Nor thern territor y is made up of three sub zones In order of impor tance west to east the Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and the Rioja Baja

The entire vineyard zone is protec ted and sheltered by the dramatic scener y of the Sierra de Cantabria mountain range that forms a natural barrier against the cool, wet and stormy Atlantic weather fronts from the nor th

The regions two main towns are Logroño towards the east (famous for its thriving tapas bar scene) and Haro on the western corner, steeped in viticultural histor y and the first place in the world to have running elec tricity

BARREL S It is estimated there are 1 2 million barrels filled with wine at any given time representing the greatest concentration of Barrel cellars, museums of barricas if you like, over any other wine region 90% of all Rioja Barricas are made of American oak (traditional style wines) and the remainder French oak that house the more modern approach in wine style No other wine region on ear th is able to emulate it.

(TOP) The Sierra Cantabria mountain range holding back an Atlantic weather front

(BOT TOM LEFT) Tempranillo grapes

The mother grape of Rioja

(BOT TOM RIGHT) There are 1. 2 million barrels of wine at any given time in the region’s cellars

Rioja is one of the world's greatest wine regions representing the best quality-to-price ratio In other words some of the planets greatest bot tles at af fordable prices!

AGEING C ATEGORIE S (Minimum requirements)

Cosecha less than one year in barrel and in bot tle before release, sometimes known as Joven or young

Crianza minimum one year in barrel and one year in bot tle before release.

Reser va produced only in selec ted years requiring at least one year in barrel and two years in bot tle before release.

Gran Reser va produced only in selec ted years aged for two years in barrel and three years in bot tle before release.

RIOJA ALTA RIOJA ALAVESA RIOJA BAJA

CALAHORRA

HARO L A GUARDIA LOGRONO

Rio Ebro CENICERO NAVARRETE

SAMANIEGO ELCIEGO FUENMAYOR

How much “wine value” you get for the price you pay

It’s worth spending just a little more on your bottle of wine if you are aware of the real ‘value’ of the wine inside the bottle, when all other factors are taken into consideration.

The total cost of each bottle is made up of producers’ selling price, dry goods, shipping, distribution and UK tax, notably Impor t Duty and VAT What’s more, wine retailing for less than £8 a bottle is generally a mass produced, industrialised product, lower in polyphenols, high in sulphites and additives with higher levels of preservatives. So maybe it’s time to trade up, enjoy better quality wine and get more value for money?

We work with great local businesses with a shared pasion for quality

WINE & CHEE SE NIGHT IN

We joined up with our friends at the Guillemot D eli in Bangor to bring customers the perfec t Wine & Cheese Night In. Ar tisan cheese boards combined with natural, quality small estate wines

With Guillemot we share an obsession with quality and buying local Our wines, like the wonderful Carlos Serres Rioja, were a perfec t match for the ar tisan themed event.

Click here for Guillemot ’ s Facebook page.

JOERY C A STEL

Joer y is the former owner of the Boathouse, voted by the Sunday Times as one of the top 50 restaurants in the UK He was a contestant on the Great British Menu (series 12)and featured on La Liste a compilation of the top 1000 restaurants in the world, earning a ‘roset te’ on three occasions Joer y also did regular ‘ pop-ups ’ in Starfish Café and Homebird before lockdown

He is currently Head Chef in Homebird Café providing private dinners for 6 to 20 diners in their own homes.

He can also provide ‘Dine at Home Dinners’ where food is supplied prepped with clear instruc tions for finishing yourself, perfec t for a restaurant experience or date night in your own home All dining experiences are complemented by carefully chosen wine pairings from our ex tensive range

Click here for Joer y ’ s Facebook page Email: info@joer ycastel com

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C R A F T B E E R S & S P I R I T S

Have a look at our unique range, including all our local favourites

B u l l h o u s e B r e w C o | N e w t o w n a r d s S m a l l A x e | S e s s i o n I PA | 4 4 c l | £3. 30 Ro ad Trippin’ | Citra Pale Ale | 44cl | £3

B o a t y a r d D i st i l l e r y | E n n i s k i l l e n B o a t y a r d Vo d ka | 70 c l | £ 3 9.9 5

C o p e l a n d D i st i l l e r y | D o n a g h a d e e C o p e l a n d C l a s s i c I r i s h G i n | 70 c l | £ 3 4

M o d e st N E Pa l e A l e | H o l y w o o d | £ 2 .1 5

M o d e st I PA | H o l y w o o d | 3 3 c l | £ 2 . 3 5

S h o r t c r o s s G i n | R a d e m o n E s t a t e D o w n p a t r i c k | 70 c l | £ 3 9.9 5

Tw i ste d Ke t t l e | B a l l y B l a c k D o n a g h a d e e Lost Horizon | Mo caccino Milk Stout | 50cl £3.50

B o a t y a r d D i st i l l e r y | E n n i s k i l l e n

B o a t y a r d D o u b l e G i n | 70 c l | £ 3 9.9 5

We’re closed at the moment but when we re-open we’d be delighted to see you

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HELEN’S