Anthony Byrne Fine Wines

• Sarah
• Fri 09 Nov 2018

The ABFW team recently returned from a very productive trip to Burgundy, meeting a number of our growers (including Domaine des Perelles, Domaine Jean-Marie Bouzereau and Domaine Thibert Père & Fils) following the harvest and tasting their latest releases, which promise complexity and finesse. Notwithstanding the warm summer, acidity levels were robust.

• Tags: Growers, Visits
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• Sarah
• Wed 25 Apr 2018

We are delighted to welcome two outstanding growers to our tastings this week: Denis Tastet, presenting his range from Côte de Gascogne, and Francois Bonhomme, grower of ambassador wines for the Sauvignon Blanc de Loire project

• Tags: Tastings
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• Sarah
• Sat 20 Jan 2018

Wine Enthusiast's best-of-the-best list is focussed on excellent quality combined with competitive pricing. This year, the following ABFW wines feature:

• E. Guigal 2011 Château d'Ampuis (Côte Rôtie) - hints of pepper, bacon, clove and leather. Reasonably full-bodied for Côte Rôtie, with smoked-meat flavours, ample spice and plenty of concentrated plum. Will age well for at least 10–15 years.
• Domaine Saint-Rémy Ehrhart Hengst Grand Cru Gewurztraminer - a lemon and peach scented nose with a generously sweet ripe peach palate. The flavour and richness is countered by the lemony freshness and a touch of honeysuckle . The medium-sweet finish is long and balanced. Drink now.

These domaines also received mentions in James Suckling's top 100 French and Alsatian wines respectively - for the La Mouline and La Landonne Côte Rôties, Pinot Noir and Riesling Grand Cru Hengst.

To purchase any of these wines please contact your usual salesman or salesteam@abfw.co.uk.

• Tags: Awards
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• Sarah
• Sun 23 Jul 2017

Forget rosé, this summer we are enjoying some excellent bottles from the Rhine River plain. The incredibly versatile, aromatic and crisp wines produced in Alsace are happy partnering all manner of dishes. Examples include barbecued feta, smoked salmon and even duck. Of course, the off-dry wines can be a great accompaniment to a summer fruit salad too.

ABFW's Alsace portfolio also has excellent ageing potential. We are particularly enjoying those wines which are at least five years old, where the minerality for which the region is most loved is really developing.

We have put together two great selections of mixed case vintage Alsace for you. For those looking to expand their reserves of sweet wine, we also have a case of selected Vendanges Tardives and Sélection de Grains Nobles from some truly excellent vintages. Each case below is offered at at least a 10% discount to our trade prices.

• The Été en Alsace case (£195) is a selection of three bottles of each of Gewürztraminer, Muscat, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir from vintages 2007-2012.

• Anthony's Grand Cru Selection (£265) comprises four bottles of each of Riesling, Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris, from 2009 - 2012. These wines have been specially selected for their great ageing potential.

• We are very fortunate to have some excellently rich and soft delayed harvest VT and SGNs, produced only in great years from the best quality parcels of land. These wines have reliable ageing potential of up to 20 years from harvest. Our final Alsation mixed case selection (£450) is a carefully chosen collection of outstanding examples from the 2005 - 2009 vintages.

Please place your orders by email at summerofalsace@abfw.co.uk. Prices quoted include VAT. All goods sold in accordance with ABFW terms and conditions of sale.

• Tags: Growers
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• Sarah
• Thu 06 Apr 2017

When a long-standing customer asks for assistance with a Charity project, it is great to assist, which took our team to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge on Saturday 25th March for dinner. We were exceedingly fortunate to have Pablo Barros, chief winemaker of Chilean winery Apaltagua visiting ABFW at the time, so we were happy to arrange a tutored tasting by him for the 120 guests present, and to donate the wine for the event. Pablo is pictured right with ABFW Director Rae Byrne.

Each course of the elaborate menu was cooked by a different head chief and team, drawn from local and regional restaurants and catering colleges. We paired the menu with a full range of Apaltagua wines, which were very much enjoyed. In total, the evening raised £10,500 for the NSPCC.

• Tags: Tastings
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• Anthony
• Wed 22 Mar 2017

ABFW just returned from ProWein 2017, hosted in Dusseldorf. We make this trip annually to meet as many of our distant suppliers as we can all in one place, as it has proven both efficient and a great way to maintain relationships in the industry.

As ever, a trade fair does not replace the importance of visiting growers in their place of work, as so much can be judged from the condition of the vineyards and cellars at different times in the year. For our own customers we continue our program of grower visits, where we host growers in the United Kingdom and they then present their wines in person to ABFW customers at our regular Trade Tastings (Oxford, Cambridge, London).

If your business shares our passion for sourcing the best wines, please contact sales@abfw.co.uk and lets see if we can bring something special to your wine list for your customers.

• Tags: Visits
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• Sarah
• Mon 30 Jan 2017

ABFW attended the 13th edition of Vinisud at Montpellier's Parc Expo and was pleased to see some excellent quality wines showing good value. The event, as always, allows us to meet our existing growers from the Mediterranean regions as well as establish new contacts.

We tasted some excellent wines from longstanding ABFW grower Domaine des Hauts Châssis and were particularly pleased to sample new wines from Franck's colleagues in Ambiance Rhône Terroirs, a union of eight families making quality wines throughout the Rhône Valley. We will be bringing these to the UK soon!

• Tags: Growers, Visits
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• Sarah
• Fri 30 Dec 2016

The ABFW team visited some key Loire Valley growers (including Domaine Naudet and Pierre Marchand) in December to taste the 2016 vintage. Production volumes have decreased marginally compared with 2015, but the quality remains excellent.

The team tasted samples from all the growers' tanks, with the harvest segregated by soil type. Final blending will take place in March and April, to be released between April and August.

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• Tony
• Tue 18 Oct 2016

In September ABFW visited Jean-Yves Larochette of Domaine des Perelles, Burgundy, a high quality 11-hectare domaine in the appellations of Macon Blanc Villages, St Veran and Pouilly Fuisse. The 2015 vintage has been particularly successful in this domaine, producing wines typical of each appellation. Well balanced with good acidity. Drink 2017-2022.

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• Sarah
• Sat 08 Oct 2016

A fantastic round of October tastings was opened by Florence Bauchet of Champagne Bauchet presenting her three cuvées (Brut, Signature and Rosé) produced with her cousin and winemaker Bruno Bauchet in Bisseuil. Winemaker Pablo Barro of Apaltagua then presented wines principally from his vineyards in the San Antonio and Curico Valley regions of Chile. We completed the selection with a preview of an modern, upcoming New Zealand winery Misty Cove, and finished with a fine selection of sweet wines from Coteaux Du Layon of the Loire Valley.

As usual our Autumn tastings were held in Oxford (Brasserie Blanc, Wednesday 5th October), Cambridge (Restaurant Alimentum, Thursday 6th October), and London (Fish Restaurant, Borough Market, Friday 7th October).

Champagne Bauchet Selection

1. Bauchet Origine Brut NV
2. Bauchet 1er Cru Signature NV
3. Bauchet Brut Rosé NV

Apaltagua Winemaker Pablo Barro presenting

Sparkling

1. Apaltagua Costero Extra Brut Chile NV

White

2. Apaltagua Reserva Pinot Grigio, San Antonio Valley 2015
3. Apaltagua Reserva Sauvignon, San Antonio Valley 2016
4. Colección Marsanne Roussanne Viognier, San Antonio Valley 2015
5. Apaltagua Reserva Riesling, Curico Valley 2015
6. Apaltagua Reserva Chardonnay, San Antonio Valley 2014

Rosé

1. Apaltagua Reserva Rosé Carmenere, Maule Valley 2015

Red

8. Apaltagua Reserva Pinot Noir, Curico Valley 2015
9. Colección Pinot Noir, San Antonio Valley 2014
10. Apaltagua Reserva Merlot, Colchagua Valley 2015
11. Apaltagua Reserva Syrah, Maule Valley 2014
12. Apaltagua Reserva Malbec, Maule Valley 2014
13. Apaltagua Reserva Carmenere, Colchagua Valley 2015
14. Colección Carignan, Maule Valley 2013
15. Envero Gran Reserva, Colchagua Valley 2014
16. Apaltagua Signature Cabernet, Maipo Valley 2013

Introducing Misty Cove, New Zealand

24. Misty Cove Sauvignon, Marlborough 2015

Dessert Wines from the Loire Valley

51. Coteaux Du Layon, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine des Hautes Brosses 2015
52. Coteaux Du Layon, Les Roches Fortes 2015
53. Coteaux Du Layon, Louis d’Or 2015

Invitations to our tastings are emailed to customers by the sales team 2-4 weeks in advance, and we rotate venues to give all customers a chance to attend. Please speak with sales@abfw.co.uk to open a trade account for your business.

• Tags: Tastings
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