Saturday 6 October 2012

New Wine - 58 Guineas Bordeaux Rouge (Awards Winner)

Wine: 
58 Guineas Claret, 2010, Bordeaux Rouge. A delightful and excellent expression of true Bordeaux wine...

Find it on our website: www.frenchwines-direct.co.uk/Bordeaux 

Judges comments:
Sommelier Wine Awards 2012 Competition:- Judges comments below...
A breath of fresh air to find cheery Bordeaux at this price. 'While Kofler & Kompanie's Nigel Lister liked the 'red crunchy fruit and well managed tannin', Fionnuala Synnott, Pollen Street Social said, 'Soft, supple and fresh.' Hakkasan's Christine Parkinson said 'Earthy, quite fruity, juicy, light and grippy. Amazing value.' In fact, ideal for our Perfect Pub Pair in the By the Glass section.
Sommelier Wine Award 2012 - Results:
58 Guineas Claret, 2010, Bordeaux, France
WINNER GOLD & BY THE GLASS






Sunday 9 September 2012

Champagne Lallier Trophy Award..


Champagne-LallierCongratulations to Champagne Lallier for their outstanding Champagnes and fantastic win at the International Wine Challenge competition 2012.



Non Vintage Champagne Trophy – Champagne Lallier Grande Reserve International Wine Challenge 2012 

Find it on our website: www.frenchwines-direct.co.uk



Award winning wine, our judges said:

"Bright pale straw colour with bead. Fine, toasts, biscuitly nose. The palate has vivacious, fresh, nutty, toasty flavoury with good balancy acidity"  International Wine Challenge 2012

Other Awards

  • NV: IWC Trophy Winners 2012 - Non Vintage Champagne Trophy
  • NV: International Wine Challenge 2012 - Gold
  • NV: International Wine & Spirit Competition 2012 - Silver
  • NV: Decanter 2012 - Bronze
  • NV: International Wine & Spirit Competition 2011 - Silver
  • NV: Sommelier Wine Awards 2011 - Silver
  • NV: Sommelier Wine Awards 2010 - Gold list & By the Glass Award
  • NV: Decanter World Wine Awards 2010 - Bronze

Press Quotes

  • NV: "Bright pale straw colour with bead. Fine, toasts, biscuitly nose. The palate has vivacious, fresh, nutty, toasty flavoury with good balancy acidity." International Wine Challenge 2012
  • NV: "Attractively yeasty and bready on the nose, this has a complex palate of white, green and citrus fruits. Susanna Forbes, Team Leader, felt the 'depth added to the food potential.'" Sommelier Wine Awards 2011, Judges Comments
  • NV: "Round and spicy with less fruit and more finesse. Classy and complex, balanced, with nice acidity. Drinking well now." Judges Comments, Decanter World Wine Awards 2010
  • NV: "Pale gold, not too fruity with some savoury yeast notes and good minerality that make it particularly food-friendly. 'Try it with a mushroom risotto' said Tom Forrest." "'The soft, fruity style would be good with fish in hollandaise sauce, but it's a very vinous wine with a lovely mouthfeel, too.' Hamish Anderson, Tate Group - paired with poached white fish." "The Lallier's roundness and richness gave it great versatility - and allows you to run the aperitif wine through the starter, too."Sommelier Wine Awards 2010, Judges comments
  • NV: "Good brioche nose, honey citrus and apple well balanced with some toasty complexity. Rich and full, with good weight." Sommelier Wine Awards 2009, Judges Comments

Meet the producer

Champagne LallierChampagne Lallier are a small family concern crafting Pinot Noir blends from their own  (and some specially selected other) 'Grand Cru' vineyards in Ay - also home to Bollinger but Lallier's cellars are older,  Avize, and Cramant.  


Saturday 8 September 2012

90 points! ‘Smart buy’ for our Cotes du Rhone Villages Les Coteaux

A sneak preview of Wine Spectator’s September 2012 edition brought great news for the  recognition of our wine: Les Coteaux Côtes du Rhône Villages 2009:


This broad, gutsy red delivers lots of mouthfilling plum, blackberry, roasted fig, bramble, smouldering tobacco and warm stone notes. Dark and dense through the finish, but well-delineated. Drink now through 2016. 90 points” James Molesworth.

To be included as a ‘Smart Buy’ in the Buying Guide, 30th September 2012 issue.


Find it on our website

Click here: www.frenchwines-direct.co.uk







Other Awards

  • 2009 Vintage: 90 Points in The Wine Spectator: “This broad, gutsy red delivers lots of mouthfilling plum, blackberry, roasted fig, bramble, smoldering tobacco and warm stone notes. Dark and dense through the finish, but well-delineated. Drink now through 2016. 3,000 cases imported.—J.M.” James Molesworth writing for The Wine Spectator. September 2012.
  • 2009 Vintage:  Sommelier Wine Awards 2012 - Gold
  • 2009 Vintage: International Wine & Spirit Competition 2012 - Silver
  • 2009 Vintage: China Best Value Wine Awards 2012: Gold Award
  • 2009 Vintage: Decanter 2012 - Bronze
  • 2007 Vintage: China Wine Challenge 2011 - Bronze 2007 Vintage: IWSC 2011 - Silver
  • 2006 Vintage: Sommelier Wine Awards 2010 - Gold & Critic's Choice Award
  • 2006 Vintage: IWSC 2009 - Bronze

Press Quotes

  • 2009 Vintage: "Unfussy and flavoursome – and excellent value left our panel in no doubt, this was Gold material. Black fruit flavours with hints of spice and a medicinal note to the nose. On the palate, consultant Sarah Jane Evans MW said: 'Very juicy, with a mocha note. Very fun - good House Wine,' while consultant Peter McCombie MW simply said 'Gutsy!' Food matches range from pub classic shepherds pie to plum crumble." Sommelier Wine Awards 2012 2006 Vintage: "A medium-ruby wine that has plenty of light, savoury, earthy notes and some tannins supporting the finish. 'Dark fruits and spicy, slightly meaty richness' said an approving Tom Forrest." In a competition where only 5 Golds were awarded to Rhone wines, 4 were supplied by Boutinot, with 2 actually being made by Boutinot. "...we must also pass special congratulations to Boutinot. Its two cheaper reds were excellent value for money and ought to be must-stocks for any venue." "Quite how the winemakers have managed to produce a Gold list-winning Rhone red at this price, I have no idea. Ridiculously good value, with approachable fruit but also a real sense of place, this wine deserves to be the workhorse red on lists up and down the country." Sommelier Wine Awards 2010, Judges Comments

Wednesday 15 August 2012

New Wine Stock Arrival

Make sure you come back to visit our wine store soon! www.frenchwines-direct.co.uk, we will have more stock available as from Wednesday 5 September 2012

Is your favourite wine out of stock? 

Feel free to contact us with any request or feedback you may have to make sure we bring in your favourite French Wines.
Email: sales@bernadswineroute.co.uk

 Et Pour Finir! 

And finally we would like to take this opportunity to thank you all, for your continued business and your appreciation for our selection of exclusive and affordable wines.

Sunday 20 May 2012


Bernard's Wine Route - SWA Award List 2012


The Sommelier Wine Awards is a wine competition with a difference, since it started in 2007 it has grown to become the key competition for wines trying to increase their presence in hotels, pubs, bars and restaurants, as well as the first point of reference for the UK's on-trade wine buyers.  Not only are wines that sell in the High Street supermarkets not permitted to enter*, but all of the judges are members of the on-trade, too. Visit our online shop: www.frenchwines-direct.co.uk 
Gold  

Wine
Vintage
Region
Find it on our website
2010
Burgundy
2009
Rhône

Silver 
Wine
Vintage
Region
 Find it on our website
2010
Gascony
 
2006
Cotes de Provence
 
2009
Bordeaux
 
2007
Alsace
 
Bronze 
Wine
Vintage
Region
 Find it on our website
2010
Rhône
 
2010
Languedoc
 
2011
Languedoc
 
2010
Gascony
 
2010
Rhône
 





Monday 12 March 2012

UK still top of Champagne list!

The UK remains the biggest importer of Champagne in spite of a 2.7% fall in volumes in 2011, the Champagne Bureau has reported.
More than 34.5 million bottles of Champagne were shipped to the UK last year, compared to a little over 19 million to the US, 14 million to Germany and less than 10 million to Belgium.
But other countries showed big increases in exports, with the US up 14.4% and Germany and Belgium both up 8.5%.
Champagne Bureau director Francoise Peretti said: “Champagne shipments for 2011 closed within a whisker of the volume for 2010. In the current economic climate, that’s both remarkable and testimony to the longstanding love story between UK consumers and Champagne.” “With big festive events to come this year including the Olympics, Paralympics and Diamond Jubilee, the prospects for 2012 look even better.”

Published:  09 March, 2012
By Christine Boggis
www.offlicencenews.co.uk

Sunday 19 February 2012

New, available on our website: Gallia French Beer

Gallia Beer. Founded in 1890, Gallia became an iconic Beer brand in Paris until the 1960s when the high cost of production caused the Beer to cease production. In 2008, two Parisian friends revived the beer with its original recipe and gradually began to place it back in the bars and restaurants of the city.

The beer is a pilsner style 5.5% abv "blonde" lager, available in 33cl bottles. Chill well, close your eyes and imagine you are in a chic Parisian bar !

Ingredients:  A 5.5% abv pilsner, blonde, sparkling beer. In 33cl bottles.

Additional Information:  In 2010 two French entrepeneurs decided that as Paris was one of a few cities in the world that did not have its own beer, they would revive a once iconic brand and return to the city its authentic great beer. Founded in 1890 by Jean-Jaques Wolhunther, the Gallia brewery produced beers in central Paris. The brewery was in full production in the capital until its closure in 1969. Using the original recipe and distributed in Paris since 2010, Gallia can now be found in many reknowned places such a Chez Colette, Bon Marche, Lafayette Gourmet and many small, chic bars around the capital.

http://www.frenchwines-direct.co.uk/details.asp?int_id=153

Wednesday 1 February 2012

What sort of wine drinker are you? - Opinion - Eastern Daily Press

What sort of wine drinker are you? - Opinion - Eastern Daily Press

As your eyes no doubt confirmed recently, over the past three decades, Britain has transformed itself into a nation of wine drinkers, an increasing number of whom actually understand what they’re drinking and where it came from.

Gone are the days when a cheap bottle of plonk with a colourful label was considered the perfect accompaniment to a boil-in-the-bag Vesta curry. We’re considerably more sophisticated nowadays. Indeed, when it comes to drinking wine, researchers believe most Britons fall into one of six categories.

First up are ‘the entertainers’ – couples who open a bottle most evenings and are prepared to try any wine variety, especially if it’s on promotion.

Then there’s ‘the adventurers’, people who know the difference between a Californian merlot and a New Zealand pinot noir, but are prepared to try anything, provided it’s good.

Of course, we’re always going to have the ‘easily pleased’ grouping, folks who harbour few preconceived ideas regarding wine, so they stick with what they’re familiar with.

Similarly, we all know ‘Chardonnay girls’: females who enjoy wine because it doesn’t fill them up like beer. A bottle shared between friends is an essential addition to their post-work chats.

‘The connoisseurs’ appreciate that good wine should be savoured, not guzzled and are prepared to pay for a recognised vintage.

And finally, there’s ‘the enthusiast’, something of a traditionalist who isn’t keen on New World wine. The enthusiast insists upon good quality French wine.

As the economic crisis continues to bite, however, the wine industry believes UK wine consumption will start to fall as consumers “drink better and less”. The International Wine & Spirit Research’s forecast predicts that between 2012-15, UK consumption will decline by 4.13pc. The process has already begun: in 2011, the UK fell from fifth position to sixth in the list of wine-consuming nations worldwide.

Despite this, the wine industry is cautiously optimistic. It maintains that Britons will continue to enjoy wine, though their habits may change and they’ll buy better quality – but less of it.

Last week, Majestic Wine released impressive figures covering the nine-week trading period to January 2 which revealed that total UK store sales were up 8.4pc. It means that for the first 40 weeks of Majestic’s financial year, like-for-like UK store sales growth was 2.7pc.

Majestic Wine has long been a well-run business, although it operates in a sector which is being squeezed particularly tight. To a degree, it relies upon discretionary expenditure which can be tweaked, halted or reduced at a moment’s notice, a feature which has impacted upon its share price. Indeed, despite another sparkling performance from its online division, Majestic’s perceived reliance upon discretionary expenditure has made investors understandably hesitant when it comes to buying its shares

While wave after wave of gloomy news washes over us all, it’s difficult to ascertain which way the economic wind is blowing. Nevertheless, as we struggle to adhere to our new year resolutions, mindful of the euro’s impending collapse and probable fallout, it’s enough to make you think, ‘well, another glass of wine won’t do any harm.’ Whether such an approach is enough to maintain the short-term value of Majestic’s shares is, however, debateable.

Read Peter Sharkey’s blog at http://www.mymoney24.co.uk/

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For good and afforable good wines...make sure to check our latest February wine offers at http://www.frenchwines-direct.co.uk/page.asp?int_id=43

Thursday 12 January 2012

Chat-en-Oeuf - Best Rosé...at the Vancouver Wine Magazine Awards

Chat en Oeuf Rose Best in class...Our Chat-en-Oeuf Rosé wine was recognised as the Best Rosé wine at the Vancouver Wine Magazine Awards. The Chat-en-Oeuf Rosé 2010 was the pick of the bunch in the Rosé category (1stJanuary 2012). Read more >

Chat En Oeuf Rose
Chat-en-Oeuf Rosé

Only £5.19...

...buy it from our website now Chat en Oeuf Rosé

www.frenchwines-direct.co.uk  


Read more

Monday 9 January 2012

Fine Wine - Wine case and Accessories Gift Set

Hello as seen during the last Garden Village Market, now available to buy from our online wine shop http://www.frenchwines-direct.co.uk/details.asp?int_id=151 and at the market. This fine wine gift-set is complete with a range of useful tools - the perfect gift for all wine enthusiasts or collectors! This fantastic wine and accessories gift set includes:
 Wine-Gift Wine-Gift Wine-Gift

- 1 x Wine case (holds standard sizes wine bottles)
- 1 x Waiter’s friend corkscrew
- 1 x wine thermometre
- 1 x Bottle stoper and pourer
- 1 x Wine drip collar
- 1 x Wine bottle stopper  

Check this video out -- Great Wine and Gift-set ideas from Bernard's wine route

Thursday 5 January 2012

New Year, New Stock at Bernard's wine route!

We hope you all had a great Christmas and we wish you all the best for the New Year. 
We thought we would let you know we have just received some new wine stock, check our website now! www.frenchwines-direct.co.uk 

New: Cuvée Jean Paul Rosé

We have just brought in, this new fantastic easy-drinking rosé. A vivid pale strawberry pink with aromas of crushed red berries, laced with an exotic twist. On the palate instantly appealing soft berry flavours mingle with a smooth, yet textural finish to make this an uncomplicated, easy drinking fresh and fruity dry rosé of real character.
 
Awards & Press
2009 Vintage: Iinternational Wine Challenge 2011 – Bronze medal



I know what I am having with my curry tonight!

Start browsing our website now www.frenchwines-direct.co.uk

Monday 2 January 2012

Join Bernard’s wine route at the Garden Village Farmers Market

  • When: Saturday, 7 January 2012
  • What time: 10:00 until 14:00
  • Where: St Margarets church hall and grounds, Chester Road, Garden Village, Wrexham opposite the 4 dogs pub, Wrexham
Description:  20 local producures selling the best high quality local food you can buy, together with a mix of artisan stall holders. food producers include meats from Home farm including bacon, sausages, beef, lamb, chicken and eggs. chesses from knolton farm, D's pate's, french flavo......ur, uncle peters award winning fudge, moiras vegetables, creative cakes, veggie fayre, moreish bakes, orchard pigs with pies & artisan breads, bernis jam. , artisan producers include sutton handmade, soaps jewelery, cards, paper products, welsh crafts, cards. please make every effort to support this wonderful local market which is fast becoming one of the best markets in the area, which is growing month by month with new and interesting stalls. please click the attend button if your coming.