Top 10 new products

Gordon’s Elderflower

Gordon’s is looking to capitalise on the gin category’s current growth and an ongoing popularity of flavoured spirits with the launch this month of an elderflower variant.

Made with natural elderflower and “flavourings”, the 37.5 abv Gordon’s Elderflower follows up on the launch last year of Gordon’s Crisp Cucumber.

Predicting that this new launch will “take the market by storm,” Katerina Podtserkovskaya, marketing manager for Gordon’s, said: “With gin in strong growth, now is the perfect time to push the category forward even further with this new flavour launch.” According to Nielsen MAT data to November 2013 the UK gin category is growing 5.8% ahead of total spirits.

RRP: £16.11 for a 70cl bottle or £73.88 for a case of six. The product is also available in pre-mix cans for £1.95 each.
Contact: Diageo +44 (0)20 3036 0289

Veuve Clicquot Rosé Couture Collection

Veuve Clicquot has launched an haute couture inspired gift box for its rosé non-vintage Champagne. Containing a single bottle and two flutes, the pale pink packaging unfolds “like the pleats of a beautiful dress”. Building on this bespoke high fashion theme, the house has also introduced a second gifting option in the form of a hand-stitched case which is able to keep a single bottle chilled for two hours.

The new presentation packs are available from Selfridges and urban-drinks.co.uk,

RRP: £76.99.
Contact: Moët Hennessy UK +44(0)20 7808 4400

Quinta dos Murças 2011

Portuguese producer Esporão has launched its first ever vintage Port in the form of Quinta dos Murças 2011. Timed to coincide with Alentejobased Esporão’s 40th anniversary, the release also comes from one of the most highly acclaimed vintage Port declarations in recent years.

Bought by Esporão in 2008, Quinta dos Murças lies on the steep northern bank of the Douro close to Regua. Its vines are aged between 15 and 65 years old and are mostly the traditional Douro varieties, although there is also Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc. The same estate also produces unfortified wines under its Assobio Douro DOC brand. This part of them portfolio is expanding too, with the creation of a white from the 2011 vintage and a 2013 rosé.

RRP: £55.
Contact: Barwell & Jones +44 (0)20 8418 2888

Camus Borderies VSOP Limited Edition 2014

Cellar master Patrick Léger has drawn on Camus’ close connection to the small cru of Borderies for the creation of this limited edition VSOP Cognac. Named after the stone walls, or “borders”, which are a typical feature of farms in this corner of the Charente region, Borderies AOC is the smallest of the six Cognac crus, representing just 5% of the category’s winegrowing area. It is here that the Camus house has focused its efforts to become one of the largest landowners in this cru.

With this limited edition release, Léger has worked to accentuate Borderies’ characteristic “lively, mineral style”, using eaux de-vie derived exclusively from Ugni Blanc. Each bottle has been individually numbered and features the signatures of both Cyril Camus and Patrick Léger.

RRP: £47 (in duty free markets)
Contact: Maison Camus +33 5 45 32 28 28

Concha y Toro Frontera

Concha y Toro is relaunching the Frontera wine brand in the UK this month with labels inspired by Chile’s 19th century “Lira Popular” story-telling method. Illustrations tell the story of each grape variety in the range: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc.

The Merlot label features this poem: It was a little blackbird // That gave me my name // Mirlo they called it // beautiful and dark // Two things we share // Along with a joyful song // Grapes with magical roots.

Available in the UK through Tesco and Asda, Frontera’s initial range will be joined later in 2014 by a rosé and Chardonnay.

RRP: £6.99
Contact: Concha y Toro UK +44 (0) 1865 873 713

Ramón Bilbao Rosé

Ramón Bilbao is departing from the traditionally intense colour of Spanish rosados with the launch of this pale-hued, positively Provençal-style offering.

Made with Garnacha grapes, the rosé takes its inspiration from the claretes, or pale rosado wines, traditionally associated with Rioja’s Alto Najerilla region. Having introduced this rosé in Spain last summer, the company is now armed with a gold medal from the Mondial du Rosé and expanding its focus into export markets.

The latest vintage will be presented on the Ramón Bilbao stand at ProWein (Hall 04 / A25).

RRP: €5.99
Contact: Bodegas Ramón Bilbao +34 941 310 295

Jameson Limited Edition

Irish whiskey brand Jameson is once again releasing a special limited edition label as part of their annual St Patrick’s Day celebrations. The Pernod Ricard-owned brand has teamed up with Irish illustrator Dermot Flynn to create the new design, which is inspired by the “sights, sounds and atmosphere” of Dublin.

Among the aspects of Dublin life featured on the label is famous pub The Stag’s Head, literary luminary WB Yeats and a selection of “local” Dublin phrases. The bottles went on sale last month across 40 markets worldwide, including travel retail. Jameson’s global brand director Daniel Lundberg, declares: “In addition to its smooth, balanced taste, one of the things that whiskey fans around the world tell us they love about Jameson is its intrinsic Irish character.”

Contact: Pernod Ricard +44 (0)20 8583 4484

Don Papa Rum

Don Papa Rum, the world’s first single island rum from the Philippines, is launching in the UK following a deal between the Rémy Cointreau-owned Bleeding Heart Rum Company and spirits brand developer Marblehead.

Created in 2012, the rum brand’s name is inspired by Papa Isio, a leading figure in the 19th century Philippine Revolution against Spanish rule. Distilled in small batches using high quality sugar cane from the island of Negros Occidental, known locally as Sugarlandia, Don Papa Rum is then aged for seven years in American oak in the foothills of Mount Kanlaon, before being blended and bottled on Negros Island.

Introducing the brand, Emma Wykes, managing director of Marblehead, said: “Don Papa truly brings something special to both established rum drinkers and new explorers to the category.”

RRP: £29.95 for a 70cl bottle.
Contact: Marblehead +44 (0)141 955 9091

i heart Brasil sparkling Moscato

As Brazilian fever hots up ahead of this year’s FIFA World Cup, Copestick Murray has added this sparkling Moscato option to its “i heart” brand. Produced in partnership with Vinicola Aurora, one of Brazil’s largest producers, the 8.5% abv wine is made using the Charmat method which is a blend of Moscato Bianco and Moscato Giallo from the country’s Serra Gaúcha region.

“We are really excited about the latest addition to the i heart range, with i heart Brasil showing the endless possibilities for the brand,” says i heart wines brand manager Rachel Archer. “We have worked with Vinicola Aurora on a bespoke blend for the UK market and we are also happy to be introducing a lower alcohol wine at 8.5% into the i heart range. It was very important for us to find the right lower alcohol wine, and for the lower alcohol to be natural. 2014 is set to be another strong year for the i heart brand.”

RRP: £9.99.
Contact: Copestick Murray +44 (0) 1672 519 390

Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve and Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve

Yamazaki Distiller’s Reserve and Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve, described by Suntory as “the next generation of Japanese whisky”, have been created from a number of casks hand selected by a team of blenders.

Liquid contained in both whiskies has been aged for between eight and 20 years, though Suntory have decided not to declare an age statement on the bottle, claiming that “age should not be the sole parameter of quality”.

In particular, Suntory claimed the new releases presented an ideal opportunity to showcase some of its younger malts “that possess a rare vibrancy and energy”.

The distiller said: “the quest was to deliver a truly exceptional Japanese no-age-statement whisky without taboo. “Distiller’s Reserve represents the House of Suntory’s ongoing commitment to challenge what a Japanese whisky can be.”

Yamakazi Distiller’s Reserve is comprised of liquid aged in sherry casks, mizunara casks, French oak Bordeaux wine casks and American oak casks. Blended by Suntory chief blender Shinji Fukuyo, the 43% abv whisky is described as having notes of strawberry, cherry and mizunara on the nose, and flavours of raspberry, peach and coconut.

Hakushu Distiller’s Reserve uses a young lightly peated malt along with a heavily peated and 18-year-old American oak whisky in its blend. Also blended by Suntory chief blender Shinji Fukuyo and bottled at 43% abv, the whisky is described as having notes of peppermint, melon and cucumber on the nose, and flavours of yuzu, grapefruit and lemon thyme.

RRP: £42

Contact: Cellar Trends +44 (0)1283 217703