There is a great event coming up in Exeter soon.  Exeter wine Appreciation Society are organising an attempt to break the WORLD RECORD for the number of bottles of wine uncorked at the same time, (the record currently stands at 308).  At 7.30pm on 25th July 2012 at the Exeter Corn Exchange this record will surerly fall.    It is all in aid of Hospiscare, a great local charity. and it should be a fun evening as well.  Tickets are just £5 and you can register at www.uncorked.org.uk .  There are only 500 tickets so speed is of the essence, now, as well as on the night!

With a plethora of national events upon us, we have extended offers on some of our favourite wines and beers!

Riverlands Run Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, now only £4.99 (for 2+ bottles)

Vina Equia Crianza, only £4.99 (for 2+ bottles)

Nicholas Feuillatte NV, just £15 a bottle

Heidsieck Vintage champagne, only £18 per bottle

Vinalba Malbec Reserva, now buy 2 Save £4 = £7.99

Prosecco Corte Alta Brut or Rose, just £6.66 each!

Peroni Nastro Azzurro - 12 or 24 pack, just £1 a bottle!

Grab some whilst you can - they are only on offer until the 28th of May.

Have fun!!

Cider is usually associated with long hazy afternoons in beer gardens, but just because our bbq summer isn't quite here yet we shouldn't put our delicious scrumpy on the back burner. There is a long tradition of matching cider with food, and plenty of good reasons to consider it alongside or even instead of wine.

In the 17th century cider was considered classy, and was popular amongst the arristocracy who drank it from beautifully decorated flutes, much in the same way we would drink Champagne today. The author of 'Ciderland', James Crowden, claims that westcountry cider makers pioneered the methode champenoise to put fizz in their drinks before Dom Perignon was even born.

Like wine, this glorious beverage can be sweet, dry, still or fizzy but a factor arguably in its favour is its alcohol content. Cider usually tops out at around at 7% ABV, while wines of both colours can regularly be seen pushing the 14% - 15% ABV barrier. It is also made in the UK which can cut down your drink miles considerably should you be a particularly green apple.

It does have a couple of things going against it. Image is one thing that is difficult for cider to run from. Artisan producers are doing a fine job of tackling this by creating classy bottles, labels and advertising campagnes whilst throwing every ounce of personality and passion into their increasingly great tasting products. As nice as this is, I'm not convinced there aren't people that would feel a little put out if you presented them with an over sized bottle of cider when you arrived for dinner. Shame.

The biggest problem with my original question is one of sheer taste. Even those of us who enjoy cider regularly don't necesarily know where to start when it comes to matching it with food. Many cheap bottles of supermarket plonk even have tasting notes on the label suggesting what to eat with it, whereas most ciders don't.

There is no reason not adopt the same terroir approach as some wine drinkers do and pair the area the drink was made with local ingredients when eating or creating dishes. A Somerset cider would be superb with good strong cheddar or Gloucester Old Spot sausages with Gloucester cider. Cider can also be a great match with Camembert - a tricky partner for many wines

Traditional perries can lend themselves very well to fish dishes with their grassy and tropical fuit aromas, not unlike a sauvignon blanc. For oily fish, steer clear of oaked or woody tasting ciders - something made with desert apples usually have a good balance of acidity to compliment mackeral etc. Also - try moules marinieres cooked in cider instead of wine!

Medium dry style ciders can be a brilliant match with chorizo, or spicy mexican dishes. The sweetness really helps keep things calm whilst the acidy helps the punchy apple to come through. Not conventional, but trust me!

Cider does lend itself very well to chicken (particularly with tarragon or star anise etc.) and especially pork dishes (belly in particular), as well as hams and bacon. If a dish would suit a chardonnay, then it will more than likely suit a larger than life fruity cider.

If cider can ever really compete with wine is of course in the eye of the beholder. It will polarize some - but hopefully give all some new ideas with how to enjoy this amazing, and in my humble opinion, underrated beverage.

Hot on the heels of cider and food matching is real ale, although I feel that is for another day............Cheers!!

There is a great event coming up in Exeter soon.  Exeter wine Appreciation Society are organising an attempt to break the WORLD RECORD for the number of bottles of wine uncorked at the same time, (the record currently stands at 308).  At 7.30pm on 25th July 2012 at the Exeter Corn Exchange this record will surerly fall.    It is all in aid of Hospiscare, a great local charity. and it should be a fun evening as well.  Tickets are just £5 and you can register at www.uncorked.org.uk .  There are only 500 tickets so speed is of the essence, now, as well as on the night!

With a plethora of national events upon us, we have extended offers on some of our favourite wines and beers!

Riverlands Run Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, now only £4.99 (for 2+ bottles)

Vina Equia Crianza, only £4.99 (for 2+ bottles)

Nicholas Feuillatte NV, just £15 a bottle

Heidsieck Vintage champagne, only £18 per bottle

Vinalba Malbec Reserva, now buy 2 Save £4 = £7.99

Prosecco Corte Alta Brut or Rose, just £6.66 each!

Peroni Nastro Azzurro - 12 or 24 pack, just £1 a bottle!

Grab some whilst you can - they are only on offer until the 28th of May.

Have fun!!

Cider is usually associated with long hazy afternoons in beer gardens, but just because our bbq summer isn't quite here yet we shouldn't put our delicious scrumpy on the back burner. There is a long tradition of matching cider with food, and plenty of good reasons to consider it alongside or even instead of wine.

In the 17th century cider was considered classy, and was popular amongst the arristocracy who drank it from beautifully decorated flutes, much in the same way we would drink Champagne today. The author of 'Ciderland', James Crowden, claims that westcountry cider makers pioneered the methode champenoise to put fizz in their drinks before Dom Perignon was even born.

Like wine, this glorious beverage can be sweet, dry, still or fizzy but a factor arguably in its favour is its alcohol content. Cider usually tops out at around at 7% ABV, while wines of both colours can regularly be seen pushing the 14% - 15% ABV barrier. It is also made in the UK which can cut down your drink miles considerably should you be a particularly green apple.

It does have a couple of things going against it. Image is one thing that is difficult for cider to run from. Artisan producers are doing a fine job of tackling this by creating classy bottles, labels and advertising campagnes whilst throwing every ounce of personality and passion into their increasingly great tasting products. As nice as this is, I'm not convinced there aren't people that would feel a little put out if you presented them with an over sized bottle of cider when you arrived for dinner. Shame.

The biggest problem with my original question is one of sheer taste. Even those of us who enjoy cider regularly don't necesarily know where to start when it comes to matching it with food. Many cheap bottles of supermarket plonk even have tasting notes on the label suggesting what to eat with it, whereas most ciders don't.

There is no reason not adopt the same terroir approach as some wine drinkers do and pair the area the drink was made with local ingredients when eating or creating dishes. A Somerset cider would be superb with good strong cheddar or Gloucester Old Spot sausages with Gloucester cider. Cider can also be a great match with Camembert - a tricky partner for many wines

Traditional perries can lend themselves very well to fish dishes with their grassy and tropical fuit aromas, not unlike a sauvignon blanc. For oily fish, steer clear of oaked or woody tasting ciders - something made with desert apples usually have a good balance of acidity to compliment mackeral etc. Also - try moules marinieres cooked in cider instead of wine!

Medium dry style ciders can be a brilliant match with chorizo, or spicy mexican dishes. The sweetness really helps keep things calm whilst the acidy helps the punchy apple to come through. Not conventional, but trust me!

Cider does lend itself very well to chicken (particularly with tarragon or star anise etc.) and especially pork dishes (belly in particular), as well as hams and bacon. If a dish would suit a chardonnay, then it will more than likely suit a larger than life fruity cider.

If cider can ever really compete with wine is of course in the eye of the beholder. It will polarize some - but hopefully give all some new ideas with how to enjoy this amazing, and in my humble opinion, underrated beverage.

Hot on the heels of cider and food matching is real ale, although I feel that is for another day............Cheers!!

Nothing says Summer quite like Rose and with what looks like a good weekend heading our way, now is the perfect time to explore our range and pick wines for that BBQ you know you want to have!

Sticking to tradition, our Provence wines ooze sophistication with their delicate strawberry and peach notes and stand up well to seafood and salads.  Try the Chateau Saint Roch-Les-Vignes (£6.99) for red fruit flavours and crisp acidity, or the Commanderie de Peyrassol (£9.99) with its white pepper finish.  Alternatively, if you are really thirsty, the easy-drinking AIX magnum (£19.99) is the perfect party piece and a definate crowd pleaser.

For something a little different, our new world Roses also have plenty to offer. The deep-coloured Mountain View Rose at £5.99 is a bargain, with summer berry flavours and a refreshingly dry finish.  The Boschendal Rose (£8.49) on the other hand is lighter, with the traditional strawberry notes but with a cherry twist making this an interesting choice.

Of course no summer evening would be complete without bubbly and we have plenty to choose from! You cannot go wrong with the Undurraga Rose (£5.99), which has light bubbles and is perfect as an apperetif.  If you are feeling patriotic then the Chapel Down Rose (£22.99) is a must-have and with its slightly creamy finish is made for smoked salmon and canapes.  If you want to go all out then the Laurent Perrier Rose (£50.00) is the one to choose, with delicate bubbles and a beautifully smooth finish.

With our Summer allegedly about to kick off now is the perfect time to look at Italian wines.  Why? As far as I am concerned they are ideal for the warmer days.  The whites tend to be lighter and more balanced than a lot of full-throttle new world wines, and the reds have a streak of acidity which lend them to Summer cuisine. The other great thing about Italian wines is that it is so easy to experiment.  We all know Pinot Grigio and Sangiovese and these grapes can be lovely, refreshing and good value when done properly, (eg Banfi's Serrena Pinot Grigio at £5.99 till June 11th, and Passoni's San Gimignano Sangiovese at £7.99).  However the ancient tradition of Italian viticulture has led to over 1000 differnet grape varieties being scattered amongst the Italian vineyards.  some of these old varieties are now being looked at again, and are starting to appear on our shelves. 

For instance new to us is a fabulous Pecorino, (Contesa pecorino 2011 at £7.99), fragrant and lightly citric with ornage blossoms and minerals playing on the palate.  Also, we have a lovely Falanghina from the heel of Italy, (Falanghina Terredora £8.79), citrus peel, stone fruit and a touch of spice, a lovely alternative for a barbeque.

In the red department there is the welcome return of Masi's Campofiorin 2008 (£9.99).  From a top notch producer, this blend of Corvina, Rondiella and Molinara has depth and weight but is beautifully balanced.  Or how about a the new (to us), Suriani Costarossa 2010 Primitivo di Manduria (£7.99)?  Primitivo is more commonly known as Zinfandel, in California anyway, but has been grown in Puglia for millenia.  Full spicy, raspberry flavours with tobacco notes this wine will improve with a couple of years cellaring, but why bother when it it is so good now.

There is a great 20% off any two Italian wines, and our tasting counter will be dominated by Italian wines from  11th to 17th of May, so come and join us for an Italian exploration!