We were pretty excited as we headed off to the International Wine Challenge Awards last Thursday. Having made the shortlist for three of the most competitive categories (Bordeaux, Burgundy and En Primeur) we thought we had a pretty good chance of making the final cut in at least one.
However we were completely unprepared for the double honour of being Highly Commended in the Burgundy Category and winning the Bordeaux Specialist Merchant of the Year Award. In the words of Stephen Browett (a wine trade legend and many times winner of the Bordeaux Award) it’s like winning the league and getting to the Cup Final.
We are well established as one of a handful of top Burgundy specialists in the country, but as there are many considerably larger players in the Bordeaux field we were absolutely delighted to receive this endorsement of the quality of our Bordeaux portfolio.
A huge thank you to everybody at the IWC – organisers, sponsors, judges – for giving companies like us an opportunity to make our voices heard above the throng.
As we were celebrating we bumped into our great friend Andrew Donaldson of Akitu fame. He was also rejoicing as his 2014 A1 Akitu Pinot Noir had swept the boards, not only picking up a Gold medal for the second year in a row but also winning four trophies, including the New Zealand Pinot Noir Trophy and the International Sustainable Trophy. A huge result in what is only their third vintage.
We are fortunate to have a few cases of this multi-award-wining Pinot Noir 2014 in our cellar for a mere £153 per 6 inc VAT, so call us quickly to place your order before word gets out…