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Alan Snudden - The General Wine CompanyThe annual General Wine Company Liphook Wine Fair is being held on Saturday 24th September at the Millennium Hall. Tim and his team will be opening over 200 wines, launching a spirits masterclass and providing all the usual fun.
£2.50 entry per person
Saturday 24th September
11am - 4pm, Millennium Hall, Liphook
View Liphook Wine Fair 2011 in a larger map
Chilean wines on tasting in Petersfield at The General Wine CompanyColchagua Valley
Pop into the Petersfield shop this weekend to taste some beautiful wines from the Colchagua Valley in Chile.
It's been called "The Next Napa." And for excellent reason.
As the modern Chilean wine industry has matured, and come to rely ever more on scientific methods for drawing the best from its exceptional soils and microclimates, it has become apparent that the Colchagua Valley offers exceptional advantages for growers and producers alike.
It's a situation not unlike that of the Napa Valley 50 years ago. And it's what has attracted Viña La Playa and other fine wineries to this pristine spot.
Located about 80 miles southwest of Santiago, the Colchagua Valley is about 75 miles long and averages 22 miles in width. It enjoys a balmy, Mediterranean climate matched in only a few other places on earth. With no smog, the air is exceptionally clear, and the region is noted for its abundant and extraordinarily luminous sunshine. The average annual rainfall, which occurs mostly in the winter months of May to August, is about 24 inches. Humidity is low, and frost is unknown.
As Pacific maritime breezes sweep around the coastal mountain range into the Colchagua Valley (a horseshoe-shaped sub-region of the Rapel Valley), they cross Rapel Lake and follow the river inland. La Playa's vineyards are "first in line" for the benign influence of these afternoon breezes, which temper the effects of the hot summer sun and lead to crisp, cool nights. Temperatures in the long summer season (November to April) fluctuate by as much as 40°F from day to night.
Also vital for great grapes, of course, are good soil and water. The deep sedimentary soil of the Colchagua Valley contains a mixture of fine-textured loam clay and loam silt, bordered by medium-textured volcanic soil in the foothills. Towering above the Valley to the east are the mighty Andes, including the 14,038-foot Tinguiririca Volcano. Melting snow feeds the Tinguiririca River, which rises at the foot of the volcano and carries pure water to the valley below.
All these factors create a terroir of near-perfect conditions for the vineyards, including an exceptionally long growing season of warm, dry weather. Grapes that mature slowly can develop their varietal character to the fullest, yielding wines bursting with fruit -- a characteristic that has earned the Colchagua Valley an honored place on the world's wine map. A further blessing is that Chile is entirely free of phylloxera.
In fact, Colchagua wines (especially red varietals) are now widely recognized for their excellent quality. In recent international wine judgings -- such as the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, Challenge du Vin, Civart, International Wine Challenge, and the International Wine and Spirits competition -- the Colchagua Valley appellation has garnered more than half of all the medals awarded to Chilean wines. And in Wine Spectator's annual Top 100 list, Colchagua wines were #3 in the world in 2003, and #2 in 2004.
Futher, Colchagua Valley was named 2005 Wine Region of the Year by Wine Enthusiast, which called it "one of the country's most successful regions," and noted that "the natural advantages of the Colchagua Valley are yielding some of the most compelling wines in the world."
Currently the Colchagua Valley is planted to about 50,000 acres of vineyards. The predominant varietals are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Carmenère, Malbec, and Syrah, with lesser amounts of Chardonnay, Sémillon, and Sauvignon Blanc.
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Something is happening…
A shuffle of boxes, a flurry of 200 corks squeaking and popping open and a thronging buzz of people at the Millennium Hall in Liphook?
It must definitely be that exquisite time of year once more!
Indeed 12 months has raced past but we are all gearing up for the annual hootenanny-esque gathering that is the General Wine Company Wine Fair.
This year will see over 200 wines available for sampling, supping and delighting in. Naturally, many of our wine producers will be flying in especially and manning their stations, as well as the familiar characters whom make up the front of house teams in both the Liphook and Petersfield shops (+ a couple of the guys from our warehouse to scare the public)
We will also be a hosting a selection of workshops and mini-talks by a few producers for those looking for a little more info ‘straight from the winemakers mouth’.
Everyone is welcome as ever from 11am-4pm for £2 on Saturday 25th September.
James Alexander
As the annual Wine Fair edges ever nearer like a glass to anticipating lips, more of our esteemed wine makers are joining the throng.
The General Wine Company is delighted to announce that the famous face of Andrew Nugent (and the rest of him!) will be on the Bird in Hand station on 25th September at the Wine Fair.
Everyone is welcome to come and chat to him and discover more about his quiet but steely determination to grow Bird in Hand into one of the world’s great wineries.
As Andrew says, “We live and work at the winery. We know the best thing we can do for our community is grow and produce the best wine and olives we can. Our success will be our community’s success. A high tide lifts all the boats in the bay. At Bird in Hand we’ve assembled the best team of people, we’ve painstakingly selected the perfect terroir and we’re well on our way.”
Andrew will be on hand to explain his vision in more depth, and hopefully, if we are very good, we might be able to convince him to give us a masterclass in the side room.
Join us, as this year really is set to be the best yet.
Looking forward to seeing you there.
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Wine Tasting Evening with Jack Valentine at The Crown Inn, Chiddingfold
Date: Wednesday 21 July
From: 19.30pm
Cost: £25pp - admission by ticket only
The Crown Wine Club are proud to present Italian v Spanish Wine Tasting evening hosted by Alan Snudden of the General Wine Company.
Come and while away a summer's evening tasting a fantastic selection of wine and eating delicious Italian & Spanish canapes carefully created by our chefs Kevin Stuart (Head Chef at The Crown Inn) & Mark Evans (Head Chef at our sister hotel The Ship in Chichester)
With live music from Crown favourite, Mr Jack Valentine singing classic RatPack
To buy a ticket or for more information call 01428 682255
