Monday, September 21, 2009

New shipment, new markets

After a frantic week last week, this week should be, well, frantic as well!

Last week I had Dombeya winemaker Rinie Strydom in town to celebrate the success of her Haskell Pillars Shiraz 07, which won the Tri Nations prize for best shiraz, best red and best wine of show. The 2007 Dombeya Chardonnay also won a gold medal.

We toured the Sydney restaurant and retail scene on Monday and Tuesday, cramming in 16 visits and securing several new markets, the best being an order for 30 cases of 2009 Sauvignon Blanc by Quay, Sydney's No.1-rated restaurant.

A groovy South African food store in Lane Cove called Springbok Delights took all three wines available and put their hand up for the three new releases -- the SB, a straight 2007 cabernet and a straight 2007 merlot.

Aria, near the Opera House, went for the 2006 Boulder Road Shiraz and 2005 Samara cabernet/merlot/malbec, while Bentley Bar went for the Samara and wants the SB as well.

The well-stocked Sackville Hotel Bottleshop at the top end of Darling St in Balmain/Rozelle loved all the wines and took the three available now, as did Cremorne Cellars, which is one of the best-looking wine stores in Sydney.

We expect orders from Tetsuya's and Galileo, too.

The SB, Cabernet and Merlot should be landing in Sydney in late October.

The rest of last week was taken up with drawing up a pre-arrival offer for the next shipment of wine out of France, containing lots of fabulous 2007 Burgundy, as well as our first Chablis and Beaujolais, with two boutique producers from each of those two regions. We'll also be getting more Billiot and Geoffroy rosé, and the first shipment from cult Champagne maker David Léclapart.

Arriving today, September 21, is some new wines and some fresh stocks from New Zealand. From Alluviale in Hawke's Bay comes the gold medal-winning 2007 Merlot Cabernet Franc and more stock of the moreish 2008 Alluviale Blanc. Unison top up their fabulous 2007 Gimblett Gravels Merlot and 2008 Rosé just in time for summer. Ash Ridge on nearby Ngatarawa Road move onto the gorgeous 2009 barrel-fermented reserve sauvignon blanc and the equally enticing 2007 reserve cabernet merlot.

From Benfield & Delamare comes our first Martinborough wine, the cult classic bordeaux blend from 2006, and there's just 25 cases for the country.

Next onto the boat from NZ will be fresh stocks of the 2006 Surveyor Thomson Single-Vineyard pinot noir from Central Otago, and our first delivery from new team member Redoubt Hill in Nelson, with crisp, fresh and fruity 2009 sauvignon blanc and 2009 pinot gris.

I'll be hitting the road this week to spread the word and find some new homes for these beauties. I'll drive to Brisbane on Friday and meet with the famous Book Club members for some Burgundy callibration first. From Monday I will work my way down from Noosa, then have a couple of days in Brisbane, a couple on the Gold Coast, and then Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour, Newcastle and back to Sydney.

Then it'll be on to Canberra, Beechworth, the Yarra Valley, Melbourne and Adelaide, with a couple of sneaky side trips pencilled in.

Let me know if you have a fine wine store, wine bar or restaurant on this route that could do with some great boutique wines from some of the world's rising stars.

Europe might off the travel agenda for now, but I'm doing my best to bring a taste of it to our shores.