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John Baum has kindly invited us back to this year's edition of a trade tasting with The Winemakers Club on 9 March 2020 from 12 - 8pm.
We'll be pouring new arrivals from 2Naturkinder, Laurent Marre and Tenuta Foresto alongside many other of our natural wine importer friends.
In the evening the bar will be open as normal, offering a larger selection of wines by the glass at very reasonable prices. Santé!
Looking forward to seeing you all there!
TRADE ONLY
We would like to wish a very happy new year to all of our customers.
Wines Under The Bonnet was created in 2015 with the idea to promote naturally made wines we love and we wouldn't still be here if it wasn't for your support.
2019 has been a crazy and exciting ride for us: we have welcomed Tom to the team, Basile has relocated back to his hometown in France and is now our on site connection to our Muscadet growers, and - last but not least - we have added six new producers to our portfolio:
Ferme de Sept Lunes
Mataburro
2P Production
La Grange Aux Belles
Complemen'terre
Terres de ROA
We've got some very exciting plans for 2020, so watch this space!
Cheers and santé,
Bas, Al & Tom
Join us for our Autumn Wine Tasting on Monday, October 14, which is very kindly being hosted by the team at Berber & Q grill in Haggerston.
We'll be showing new arrivals alongside our good friends Otros Vinos and Wright's Wines. This time we will also be welcoming brand new importer Beattie & Roberts.
No RSVP necessary, just pop in if you work in the trade.
See you there!
The Rietsch estate has been in the family for seven generations and the land was previously used for tobacco and crops. It was Jean-Pierre’s parents who started cultivating vines in the 1970s, handing on to Jean-Pierre in 1987.
Although Jean-Pierre is now retired, he still contributes to the daily running, assisted by Pierre-Etienne Grieshaber. While another contributing company – Le Main Verte – coordinates the manual work in the vineyards, the domaine is still very much driven by a family-led culture. The vineyard is naturally cultivated, with terroir at the heart of the operation and no use of chemicals.
We've had a chat with Jean-Pierre on the 2018 Rouge and Blanc au Litre cuvées:
2018 brought us an amazing harvest. We've had a big abundance on grapes, which were really healthy and of great quality. The Rouge au Litre turned out very well and a bit more concentrated than usual. We did have our challenges in the cellar while making this wine due to volatile acidity during fermentation. I had to add 30mg/l of sulphur to help stabilise the wine.
As for the Blanc au Litre, on the contrary to the Rouge, the high yield brought less concentration as well as less acidity. It is a great wine to drink, and I can personally attest to that!
This year we will start the harvest in early September. So far it has been a complicated year as we have lost half of our grapes due to mildew as well as the heatwave this June/July. At the moment there are still a few areas affected by oidium (powdery mildew), so we need to select the unaffected grapes for harvest. In order to balance out the harvest results I will be blending some of the 2018 and 2019 vintages.
White*
NEW 2018 Blanc au Litre - Riesling, Sylvaner, Gewurztraminer
Red*
NEW 2018 Rouge au Litre - Pinot Noir
Sparkling
2015 Extra Brut - Non Dose - Auxerrois, Chardonnay
* Due to high demand we are already nearly out of stock! But don't worry, we will be getting another shipment soon. Register your interest here
Rémi Sédès and our very own Basile Gueret
Hailing from the Jura, Rémi studied agronomy when he arrived in the area to live with his Nantes-born wife. He worked for a couple of years with Vincent Caillé, and then spent time honing his red winemaking skills in Bordeaux before setting up on his own in 2013.
Part of winemaking for Rémi is a lifestyle choice; he wants to work outdoors, in the fresh air, and not with machines – his Shire horses are an important part of his winemaking process.
Rémi is a Gamay specialist, and this was a key factor in choosing to work in Ancenis – where half of production in the area is red. The soil is micro granite - which suits Gamay particularly well - with a mix of clay, sand and limon underneath.
Tell us about your 2018 harvest: What were your challenges? What went particularly well?
In June/July last year I had to put up a big fight against mildew due to loads of rain. It's better if your sprayer doesn't break, or you'll lose the fight big time! This is what I was worried about the entire time.
The harvest ended up really good as all the efforts paid off and the mildew didn't affect the buds. There was also very little harvest in 2017, so as a result the grapes in 2018 were even better.
What do you anticipate for the 2019 harvest?
This year we've had big frost in early April. Usually you get two hours of cold air mass but we've had six to seven hours. The buds look beautiful for now, so fingers crossed.
What are you drinking at the moment?
My own rosé, which is still in the tank, as I didn't have money to bottle it yet! Other than that I love a white wine from Sicily called Porta del Vento.
What can you tell us about your future plans?
Tocade my horse is expecting a foal. Also, I want to restructure two new hectares which I've acquired. They are empty at the moment I want to plant fruit trees to bring more biodiversity.
For any wholesale and stock enquiries, please contact hello@winesutb.com
Cyrille Vuillod comes from the Hautes-Alpes and, before turning to wine-making, worked in the mountains as a ski instructor. His life in wine started in 2011 working under Jean-Claude Lapalu for three years. In 2012 he produced his first vintage in his own cellar.
Tell us about your 2018 harvest: What were your challenges? What went particularly well?
It was hot but not as hot as 2017. The biggest challenge was that the heat was making the wine more alcoholic than it was meant to be. I also had to get more grapes from a friend in the North of Beaujolais.
Your wines are organically farmed without any added sulphur. Have you always worked this way?
I have used sulphur for the first three years and stopped once I had the confidence to do it. I have always worked organically but without any certification. Now I also work biodynamically.
How did you find your current vineyards? Why in Beaujolais?
I have been harvesting there for 20 years and I have loads of friends in the area.
Are there any new winemaking techniques or tools you’d like to experiment with?
For the last few years I have been experimenting with amphora and concrete eggs. I have also started making white wine. I always like try out new things. The other thing is that the climate is constantly changing and each year there is a new way on how deal with the challenges, so us winemakers help each other out to be on top of the latest techniques. The end result is always unpredictable.
Your favourite vintage to date?
2014 and 2016 were my favourite, but completely different vintages.
White
NEW 2018 Boire Désir - Chardonnay
In their third year of organic conversion. Chardonnay planted on clay and limestone. Vinified in 80% new barrels. Working with a cooper in Burgundy using three kinds of oak, steamed very gently to avoid a toasty flavour.
Red
NEW 2018 La Baleine Ivre - Gamay
30-year-old vines of Gamay on pink granite and sand. Eight days' maceration in fibreglass.
NEW 2017 Gamay De Bonheur - Gamay
A parcel between La Baleine and Sang neuf, on pink granite. Carbo for 20 days. Ageing in old barrels for eight months.
Marc Houtin
Situated in the heart of the Anjou appelation, the team at La Granges aux Belles produce wines with cleanliness and precision but also the drinkability that we look for in a UTB wine. We are excited to work with these wines due to the originality and the expression of where they are from.
The Chenins have unctuousness balanced with the acidity you would expect, the reds are light, deep in flavour but not overly grippy or stalky.
The seeds of La Grange aux Belles were planted in 2004 when Marc Houtin gave up a career in the oil industry to follow a passion for wine. He purchased a dozen hectares on the slopes of the Aubance river in Anjou.
At first they mainly supplied the co-operative of Brissac but Marc also experimented, vinifying and bottling some parcels individually.
After two great vintages, a difficult harvest in 2006 prompted Marc to seek the help of a partner.
Julien Bresteau was interning at Domaine de Montgilet, the spark was right between them and they became friends. Julien had been studying wine since he was 15 and had been coming to help during harvest. In 2008 Marc invited Julien to join the Domaine and La Grange Aux Belles was born.
In 2008 they converted to organic agriculture. But Mother Nature's love was tough. A hard frost followed by vicious mildew meant the yields were catastrophic.
Two more characters joined the story; a need for further investment brought in old friend Rémi Fournier of "Chez Rémi” in Angers. Also lending his skills came Gérald Peau – aka "Jesse" – the first bartender of the legendary "Le Circle Rouge” wine bar in Angers.
For wines in stock, please contact hello@winesutb.com
Mildew is a common enough annoyance. But local wildlife gave Mathieu a bigger headache…
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