Introducing Tanners Wine Masterclasses

Posted on February 21, 2012 by

Would you love to learn more about wine? Do you love shopping at Tanners but sometimes find it’s tricky to decide which wine to buy? Are you wondering how you’ll ever find time to expand your wine knowledge? If you find yourself nodding in agreement with any, or all, of these, then we have come up with a solution. Throughout 2012, Tanners branches are offering you the chance to learn more about six influential winemaking regions in a variety of different ways:

Host your very own Wine Tasting at Home!

FREE Cape Wine Braai Masters with first 50 cases bought in storeStart off by popping into one of our shops and buying a Wine Tasting Case to take home. Every six weeks there’ll be a new one to try and, as well as being a great price, they will contain some great examples of wines from a specific region to compare, along with tasting notes to tell you what to look out for.

Club together with friends and have a wine tasting at home: The first 50 people to visit us in store and buy our South African Wine Tasting Dozen for just £72.50 will also get a FREE South African Braai recipe book.*

Collect a Series of FREE Regional Wine Guides

Learn more with Tanners Regional Wine GuidesIf you are interested in not just trying new wines but also discovering more about the wine region they are from, then pop into Tanners to pick up the latest FREE guide. Again, there’ll be a new guide to collect about a different wine-producing region every six weeks complete with notes about the region’s geography, grapes and the winemakers themselves.

Can’t visit us in store? No problem, just drop us a line: we’d love to send you one in the post.

Join us for a Wine Tasting Masterclass

So far we’ve covered how you can learn more about wine in the comfort of your own home, but sometimes you can’t beat sitting down with a specialist who can talk you through the wines as you try them! We often get asked about whether we do wine courses, so we thought it was about time we introduced a series of masterclasses. There are 6 scheduled for 2012 – all of which will be hosted at Tanners in Shrewsbury.

Pam PaulThe first one is a South Africa Masterclass on Thursday 22nd March led by one of our resident wine experts, Pam Paul. Pam will assume no prior knowledge and will talk you through a range of six to eight wines explaining how the wines are made and what to look out for. Tickets for the first Masterclass are just £11 and places are limited to 35 people. (Subsequent Masterclass prices are still TBC).

If you can’t make it to Shrewsbury, all our branches open bottles daily to try. Look out for special events in our tasting room above our shop in Bridgnorth.

Dates for your diary:

Season 1: 20 February – 24 March
South Africa – The Old ‘New World’ Country
Masterclass – Thursday 22nd March at Tanners, Shrewsbury at 7pm
Plus informal tastings at Tanners in Hereford & Bridgnorth on 17th March 11am – 3pm

Season 2: 26 March – 5 May
The Rhône – beyond Châteauneuf.
Masterclass – Thursday 26th April at Tanners, Shrewsbury at 7pm
Plus informal tastings at Tanners in Hereford and Bridgnorth on 14th April 11am – 3pm

Season 3: 7 May – 23 June
Portuguese & Spanish wines – spot the differences
Masterclass – Thursday 14th June at Tanners, Shrewsbury at 7pm
Plus informal tastings at Tanners in Hereford and Bridgnorth on 16th June 11am – 3pm

Season 4: 25 June – 11 August
Burgundy – Pinot Noir & Chardonnay
Masterclass – Thursday 5th July at Tanners, Shrewsbury at 7pm
Plus informal tastings at Tanners in Hereford and Bridgnorth on 15th July 11am – 3pm

Season 5: 13 August – 29 September
Germany – It’s all about fruit
Masterclass – Thursday 20th September at Tanners, Shrewsbury at 7pm
Plus informal tastings at Tanners in Hereford and Bridgnorth on 15th September 11am – 3pm

Season 6: 1 October – 17 November
Bordeaux – What is Claret?
Masterclass – Thursday 8th November at Tanners, Shrewsbury at 7pm
Plus informal tastings at Tanners in Hereford and Bridgnorth on 3rd November 11am – 3pm

If you are interested in joining us for one (or all!) of our Masterclasses, please call us on 01743 234455 to reserve your place now as numbers are limited.

*Please note: this offer is valid for in store collection only and whilst stocks last.
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Trains, Eagles & Automobiles – Introducing Tanners Douro Red

Posted on January 20, 2012 by

The Tanners name prefixes just three red wines on our list at the moment, one from Bordeaux, one from the Rhône and a Red Burgundy. So we are very excited at the prospect of a fourth, again from a classic region, but until recently better known for producing Port rather than for table wine.

The Benelli Eagle of the DouroJames Tanner and I visited the Douro in April 2011  (writes John Melhuish, Tanners Fine Wine Manager), principally to taste the 2009 reds. We took the train from Porto and we were completely knocked out by the quality of the wines at every call. Some of these wines will be on the shelves soon and I urge you to seek them out.

The views towards SpainReaching the end of the railway line at Pocinho we were collected by car and driven up to the Duorum project at Castelo Melhor. Duorum is a joint venture (hence duo) between two of Portugal’s cutting-edge winemakers, José Maria Soares Franco and João Portugal Ramos. The new winery atop the valley at Castelo Melhor has the most breathtaking views up the Douro valley towards the Spanish border, eagles nest in the vineyards and took flight as we made our farewells – wonderful!

James Tanner, John Melhuish & the team at DuorumThe wines were equally wonderful and on the long stomach churning drive to our next visit I discussed with James the possibility of a Tanners Douro Red, to be produced by the team at the Duorum project.

After exhaustive tastings back in Shrewsbury in the Autumn we finally settled on a blend of 40% Touriga Franca, 30% Touriga Nacional, 30% Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo). It is a beautiful, moreish red from the 2010 vintage. Very easy to drink, opulent and rich with generous fresh cherry and blueberry fruit, interwoven with subtle hints of smoke and spice, 13.5% alcohol.

Lovely on its own, it is great with roast meats and will appeal to those who enjoy Claret, Rhône red and the less oaky Spanish wines.

Tanners Douro RedTo emphasize our long association with the Douro valley, we have used a line drawing produced in 1967 for our wine list that year, by Shropshire artist V.J.Gregson. The original hangs in our tasting room at Wyle Cop, and we actually came up with the idea on the evening of our successful Douro tasting in November, the picture was actually hanging behind the table showing the Duorum wines – it had to be!

If you are quick, you can buy some at our opening lying abroad offer price of £39 per 12 bottles on 01743 234455 (offer closes end of January 2012)

It will be in stock and online in March at just £7.75 per bottle.

John Melhuish, Fine Wine Manager

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Tanners Tastings: Javier Hidalgo’s Manzanilla Sherry launch & ‘Meet the Producers’… Tickets Now On Sale!

Posted on January 6, 2012 by

Meet the Producers - Walk Round Spring Tasting

UPDATE 31/01/12 – Last few tickets remaining!

Spring TastingOur walk-round spring tasting this year will take place on Tuesday 13th March, and we suggest you get in touch with us as soon as possible to reserve your place as tickets always sell out fast.

One of Tanners most popular tastings of the year, we will be joined by many wine producers from diverse parts of the globe, who will be delighted to share their stories of how their wines are made. What better way to fully appreciate the 60 or more wines you will be able to taste on the night? The tasting starts from 6.30pm and tickets are fantastic value at just £17.50 each.

For tickets, visit the Shrewsbury Cellars Shop or phone us on 01743 234455 (Monday-Friday, 9am-6pm).

Calling all manzanilla sherry lovers!

UPDATE 31/01/12 – TICKETS HAVE NOW SOLD OUT FOR THIS EVENT

Javier HidalgoWe are delighted that Javier Hidalgo will preside over a launch tasting for La Gitana En Rama at Tanners ‘Clive Tanner Room’ in Shrewsbury on Tuesday 7th February, the night after the national launch at the Mentzendorff tasting.

Founded over 300 years ago, Vinícola Hidalgo produces one of Spain’s favourite sherries in bodegas one block back from the Sanlucar’s beach. Hidalgo’s pedigree and gravitas make him an ideal guide to take you through his wonderful manzanillas.

Starting with the youngest bottle, the tutored tasting will begin with Classica Manzanilla moving on to La Gitana, then the launch and first consumer taste of La Gitana En Rama. Javier will then continue in age order with Pastrana Manzanilla Pasada, Amontillado Napoleón and finally Palo Cortado Wellington VOS (these last two also have a manzanilla origin).

The tasting starts at 7pm prompt and there were only 40 tickets available at £20 each.

You’ve tasted the wines and met the wine producers, now stay in one of our favourite hotels!

We hope you can join us for one of our wine tastings this spring, we are thrilled that so many producers will be travelling to Shrewsbury to show you their wonderful wines. You may like to consider staying in a local hotel afterwards, particularly if you are coming from further afield, and we are delighted to recommend all of these places to stay. All, except Hambrook House, have restaurants too and they suggest you book your table as soon as you can to avoid disappointment.

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The Lion HotelThe Lion Hotel, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, SY1 1UY (2 mins walk)
www.thelionhotelshrewsbury.com
Tel: 01743 353107
Email them 

“The Lion is grade I listed with many period features as well as modern comforts in its 59 bedrooms. Its newly refurbished restaurant, The Hayward, under chef, Ian Matfin, offers a quintessentially British menu with a few subtle twists.”

B & B Rates:
Special Offer Price for Tanners Customers of just £45 per person bed & breakfast (no single supplement) plus a special 10% discount at The Hayward Restaurant which is open for dinner between 6.30pm and 9.45pm.

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The Lion & PheasantThe Lion & Pheasant, Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury, SY1 1XJ (2 mins walk)
www.lionandpheasant.co.uk
Tel. 01743 770345
Email them

“Following major renovations in 2010, the hotel is Shrewsbury’s most stylish townhouse hotel, bar and restaurant. A unique combination of timeless elegance and contemporary design.”

B & B Rates:
Standard double - Single occupancy @ £75.00 Double occupancy @ £95.00
Deluxe double - Single occupancy @ £85.00 Double occupancy @ £115.00
Superior double - Single occupancy @ £95.00 Double occupancy @ £130.00
Single room @ £70.00
Twin room @ £120.00

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The Prince RupertThe Prince Rupert Hotel, Fish Street, Shrewsbury, SY1 1UQ (5 mins walk)
www.prince-rupert-hotel.co.uk
Tel: 01743 499955
Email them

“One of the town’s finest hotels, it combines old-world charm with modern comforts. Its 70 en suite bedrooms include 12th century Mansion House Suites and 15th century Tudor Suites. Valet Parking.”

B & B rates:
Single Room @ £69 per room per night
Double Room for sole occupancy @ £89 per room per night
Double / Twin Room @ £105 per room per night
15th Century Tudor Suite @ £120 per room per night
12th Century Mansion Suite @ £155 per room per night

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Hambrook HouseHambrook House, 13 Kennedy Road, Shrewsbury, SY3 7AD (12-15 minute walk)
www.hambrookhouse.co.uk
Tel: 01743 365456
Email them

“Just opened, this beautiful Victorian house has been refurbished to create luxury accommodation in a stunning location.”

B & B Rates:
Double bedroom – single occupancy @ £75.00 double occupancy @ £90.00
Standard king size – single occupancy @ £80.00 double occupancy @ £95.00
Superior king size rooms – single occupancy @ £90.00 double occupancy @ £105.00
Twin room – single occupancy @ £90.00 double occupancy @ £105.00
Premier king size room – single occupancy @ £100.00 double occupancy @ £115.00

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Albright HusseyAlbright Hussey Hotel, Ellesmere Rd, Shrewsbury, SY4 3AF (2.5 miles from Shrewsbury)
www.albrighthussey.co.uk
Tel: 01939 290571
Email them

“Set in four acres of beautifully landscaped gardens, this sixteenth century hotel, which has 26 bedrooms, offers very high standards of comfort, cuisine and service”

B & B rates:
Special Offer Price for Tanners Customers
Double occupancy @ £105 (reduced from £120, please quote Tanners tasting)
Single occupancy @ £75 (reduced from £85, please quote Tanners tasting)

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Wenlock SpringWenlock Spring are kindly sponsoring the water at our tastings this spring. A clean palate enhances the wine and also aids rehydration so there will be bottles of Wenlock Spring available on every table.

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Here’s an idea for a 2012 New Year’s Resolution you can stick to!

Posted on January 3, 2012 by

Rachel Armstrong - Wine in Time Scheme ManagerWhy not make your New Years Resolution to drink better wine this year! (writes Rachel Armstrong, Tanners’ Wine in Time Manager)

Drinking better wine needn’t cost the earth. By subscribing to a regular wine delivery from Tanners on the Wine in Time scheme, you can do just that, taking the hassle out of keeping your wine rack interesting & full over the year.

After Christmas, we all feel the pinch (in more ways than one!!) but with the Wine in Time scheme you can spread the cost by direct debit and we can tailor your deliveries to suit you: Monthly, Bi-monthly or Quarterly. With savings on each case, free delivery and no obligation, you can’t lose.

So go on, treat yourself – you’re guaranteed to get more enjoyment out of the Wine in Time than your annual gym membership… in my experience it’s far better value for money too as attendance to the gym swiftly tails off around February!!

Find out more about Tanners’ Wine In Time Scheme

Click to find out more about Tanners Wine in Time Scheme

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Dessert Wines: Not Just For Christmas!

Posted on December 30, 2011 by

Mat EvansI have to confess (writes Mat Evans, our Area Sales Manager for North Wales), I haven’t got much of a sweet tooth, but I absolutely love sweet wines! They are amongst the worlds’ greatest, and probably least understood and most under-rated wines.

There is a huge variety of styles, textures and even degrees of sweetness to be found, and pretty much every wine-producing country has at least one fantastic sweet wine to try. Most often these are bought around Christmas time, and are usually drunk with dessert, but they can also be brilliant with some savoury foods and on their own too, as the finishing highlight of a fantastic meal. Remember: a good sweet wine should always have a great balance of acidity and freshness to act as a counterpoint to the rich sweetness. Good wine, like good cooking, is always about balance.

Muscat de St.Jean-de-Minervois, Vignerons de Septimanie France has a wealth of amazing sweet wines, from the appley, honeyed Chenin Blanc based sweeties from Coteaux du Layon and Quarts de Chaume from the Loire in the north, to the floral Muscats from Rivesaltes and great-value St.Jean-de-Minervois, such as the Muscat de St.Jean-de-Minervois, Vignerons de Septimanie (£6.20, 37.5cl) in the south. Sauternes and Barsac from Bordeaux are the most famous sweet wines in the world, and also command the highest prices; Château d’Yquem is often hundreds of pounds a bottle. Tanners’ own-label Sauternes However, when you see how these wines are made, grapes picked a single berry at a time by pickers in sorties called tries, then you can appreciate why they cost so much. These wines don’t always have to cost the earth though, and Tanners’ own-label Sauternes (£13.50, 50cl) is a great example; rich, honeyed, luscious yet fresh, and a great match for foie gras. If you’ve never had this combination, I thoroughly recommend it, the sweet freshness and balanced acidity of the Sauternes really cutting through the richness of the foie gras.

Stanton and Killeen Muscat NV Australia also has a wealth of sweet wines, most famously the fortified, figgy, walnutty Muscats from Rutherglen, like the Stanton and Killeen Muscat NV (£12.40, 37.5cl) which is a perfect match for a Crème Brûlée, but Oz also has some lovely fresher styles, such as Brown Brothers Orange Muscat and Flora 2009 (£6.80, 37.5cl) with its distinctive orangey, honeyed freshness, which is well worth opening with a fruit salad.

Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos, Royal Tokaji 2006Other areas to look for are the powerful, viscous Tokaji wines from Hungary, intensely mineral Riesling Auslese, Beerenauslese and Eiswein wines from Germany, and rare Icewine from Canada. Tokaji has a long and prestigious history, and these wines can age almost indefinitely! The higher the puttonyos number, the sweeter, more luscious and ageworthy the wine. The Tokaji Aszu 5 Puttonyos, Royal Tokaji 2006 (£11.90, 25cl) is a great example, with a finely poised balance between rich, intense sweetness and knife-edge acidity. Try pairing this with a creamy blue cheese such as Cashel Blue for a magical combination.

Château des Charmes Vidal Icewine 2007The German wines are labelled according to ripeness when they are picked, Auslese meaning ‘selective harvest’. These have an incredible honeyed sweetness and piercing acidity. Eiswein (or Icewine in Canada) is made from grapes which are picked when they are frozen solid in December or January, and when pressed the ice in the grapes is removed, leaving miniscule amounts of the pure, unbelievably intense essence of juice. Try the Château des Charmes Vidal Icewine 2007 from Niagara (£38.00, 37.5cl) as a great example of this style. These really are wines you must try at least once in your life, and really should be a feature themselves at the end of a wonderful meal.

Be a bit adventurous in 2012: buck the trend and try a sweet wine. I reckon it won’t be the last time you buy one!

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Top 6 Sparklers to put the fizz into your New Year’s Eve Party

Posted on December 21, 2011 by

Lucy AmosLucy Amos, one of our Cellar Shop Wine Sales Advisors, has had plenty of experience in the wine trade and she’s come up with her ultimate wish list of Champagnes and Sparkling wines to see you all the way through to midnight and beyond on New Year’s Eve.

So whether you’re entertaining the masses or enjoying a quieter night in then you’ll find the perfect celebratory tipple here:

Bird in Hand Sparkling Pinot Noir1. Bird in Hand, Sparkling Pinot Noir, 2011
£14.20 or better still £67.20 when you buy 6

My personal favourite and a rather regular purchase of mine. Absolutely delicious new world pink fizz from Australia’s Adelaide Hills. Delicate and soft, bursting with strawberry fruits. An elegant finish that leaves you fancying another glass. Simply stunning in my (slightly biased) opinion!

Tanners Brut Extra Réserve Champagne2. Tanners Brut Extra Réserve Champagne, NV
£20.95

Consistently excellent quality, honestly priced, classy and refined. There’s a reason why this is Tanners’ number one best-selling Champagne… need I say more?

Prosecco Vino Frizzante Veneto, Fabio Ceschin3. Prosecco Vino Frizzante Veneto, Fabio Ceschin NV
£8.60

Lightly sparkling with sumptuous flavours of pears and green apples. Great as an apéritif and perfect in cocktails too: just add a splash of peach purée for a classic Italian Bellini. Or if you’re feeling experimental, a little slug of Gordon’s Sloe Gin turns this into quite the winter warmer!

Andre Clouet, NV4. André Clouet Grande Réserve Champagne grand cru à Bouzy NV
£24.50

This perennial ‘staff favourite’, with its sophisticated label, is a beautiful champagne made solely from pinot noir grapes. Its excellent balance of fruit and biscuity notes make it utterly charming.

Moscato d’Asti, 20105. Moscato d’Asti DOCG Vigna Senza Nome, Giacoma Bologna, 2010
£11.95

Lusciously honeyed with tropical fruit flavours: perfect if you’re into something a little sweeter. Lightly sparkling and only 5.5% abv! It’s clean, fresh and very moreish.

Bollinger Grandee Annee, 20026. Bollinger Grande Année Brut vintage 2002 (Gift Boxed)
£67.50 or better still £360 when you buy 6 + 6 Free Flutes

Divine and classy it combines mature flavours of butter, caramel and toffee with a bone-dry finish, superbly balanced and a real indulgence as the clock strikes midnight!

If I still haven’t tempted you(!) take a look at our full range of Champagne & Sparkling Wines. Order online by midday on December 28th and we should be able to get your bubbles to you by Friday 30th (provided there isn’t 5 foot of snow and you live on Islay!). Just in time to chill perfectly for Saturday night.

Here’s to a Happy New Year!

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Having Goose this Christmas? Find the perfect wine to match it at Tanners…

Posted on December 15, 2011 by

Hannah Schwarzer, our Marketing Manager, talks you through the great wines that would have made her wish list if only she could have had goose this year!

Hannah SchwarzerWe’re having turkey for Christmas dinner. Not my choice, my sister is hosting, but then I’m delighted not to have the pressure of cooking this time. I cooked for the whole family a couple of years ago and opted for pork but, infuriatingly, managed to catch flu (not a cold, real flu) on Christmas Eve so spent a feverish Christmas morning at the hob and a shivering, self-pitying afternoon on the sofa, begrudging the fun everyone else was having. On the bright side, the pork was apparently pretty good!

In our family we like to try different meats each year – we’ve had some super venison, pheasant, beef, lamb, pork and (of course) turkey dinners, but we’ve never had goose for Christmas, and I don’t know why.

GooseSo I hereby pledge to cook goose next year! After all, before we started importing turkeys from the Americas in the 16th century, goose had been the celebratory centrepiece of choice for winter festivals in this country since the dark ages. However, ‘exotic’ turkey quickly came to represent luxury on the Christmas dinner table, leaving goose as the preserve of the poor, with working class Victorians paying weekly instalments into a “Goose Club” to enable them to afford even this ‘basic’ bird.

But the working classes have had the last laugh as goose, not turkey, turns out to be the ultimate bird for the Christmas feast. It’s succulent and far more flavoursome and has a noble native history. It’s also a really interesting meat to match with wine.

Hochheimer Kirchenstück Riesling Spätlese trocken Domdechant Werner 2009Dry Riesling is fantastic with goose, especially when the wine’s grapes have been left to get really ripe before being harvested, like Hochheimer Kirchenstück Riesling Spätlese trocken Domdechant Werner 2009 (£18.40). It’s got wonderfully juicy apple and pear fruit and a slice of acidity to cut through your rich meat, plus a fine, taut minerality that German Riesling purists will love. Riesling grand cru Kaefferkopf Henri Ehrhart 2009If that makes you feel like you’d need to pay instalments into a “Riesling Club”, then opt instead for the excellent value Riesling grand cru Kaefferkopf Henri Ehrhart 2009 (£11.20).

Churton Pinot Noir Marlborough 2009Perhaps you or your guests would prefer a red. If so then seek out one with higher acidity when you’re looking for a wine match for goose. Italian wines like Barolo or Barbaresco work well if you want to push the boat out, as does a fruity Pinot Noir like Churton’s luscious Churton Pinot Noir Marlborough 2009 (£17.50) with its rich black cherry flavours. Alto Pampas del Sur Pinot Noir Mendoza 2011If you’re all spent up on gifts then Amanti del Vino Primitivo Salento IGT 2010 (£5.99) and Alto Pampas del Sur Pinot Noir Mendoza 2011 (£6.50) are great value alternatives.

Barbaresco DOCG Renato Fenocchio 2006Back over in Italy, Barbaresco DOCG Renato Fenocchio 2006 (£29.80) is a truly superb bottle for a special day. It’s sleek and fine, with aromas of rose petal and a mouth-watering strawberry and raspberry palate. Imperial Gran Reserva Rioja, CVNE 1999For something a little less esoteric, Gran Reserva Rioja is a fabulous crowd-pleaser with its generous strawberry and vanilla sumptuousness - Imperial Gran Reserva Rioja, CVNE 1999 (£25.90) is a genuinely brilliant example. I’ll admit it’s not the cheapest, but it’s a fittingly impressive red to match your beautiful goose.

Enjoy!

For other Tanners wine recommendations to match a whole host of Christmas foods including Turkey, Ham, Salmon, Christmas Pudding,  Oysters, Roast Beef, Stilton & Chocolates – see our homepage and click on the foods that you’re thinking of having for lots of delicious ideas.

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