Top new products: September

1. Esprit Gassier rosé

Provence’s Château Gassier has launched a limited-edition “lifestyle” cuvée called Esprit Gassier. The château has created 500,000 unique label designs based on its original brightly coloured, floral design, with 250,000 ‘Day edition’ labels and 250,000 ‘Night edition’ labels printed. The rosé is a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Cinsault, and has aromas of white peach. Six-bottle cases are sold with three bottles of both day- and night-edition labels. Based in Puyloubier, in the Côtes de Provence Sainte-Victoire appellation, Château Gassier was founded in 1982.

RRP: €12.

Contact: Château Gassier, paul.alary@chateau-gassier.fr

2. Humble warrior sparkling 

Plant-based tonic brand Humble Warrior has launched a range of sparkling drinks that are hoping to tap into the health-conscious adult soft drinks market. Comprising three flavours – tulsi & pomegranate, reishi & pineapple and turmeric & mango – the drinks were developed by herbalist, phytochemist and nutritionist Michael Isted. Pictured is the reishi and pineapple flavour, made with seven plants, including rosemary, pineapple, pink grapefruit, guava, gotu kola (a medicinal plant) and reishi, an immune system-boosting mushroom.

RRP: £3.79.

Contact: Humble Warrior, accounts@the-humble-warrior.com

3. Raasay Gin

The Isle of Raasay Distillery, the maker of the first legal spirit from Raasay, has released its first Hebridean gin. The spirit is made with a blend of botanicals including juniper, rhubarb root, lemon peel, orange peel, coriander seeds, angelica root, liquorice root, orris root and cubeb pepper, as well as Raasay’s own triple-distilled base spirit. The juniper was sourced from the island itself, with the assistance of local botanist, Dr Stephen Bungard. The 46% ABV gin is described as “fresh and aromatic, with bursts of juniper and orange, and a rich rhubarb note”.

RRP: £35.

Contact: The Isle of Raasay Distillery, info@raasaydistillery.com

4. Les 14 Quelles

Hollywood actor John Malkovich has launched his wine range in the UK; they are made from grapes grown at his home in Provence. Malkovich first planted vines at his farmhouse in the Vaucluse region in south-east France in 2008, and produced his first vintage in 2011. With four hectares of Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon planted, the star produces under the Les Quelles de la Coste label. Pictures is his top wine, Les 14 Quelles, made from a blend of 60% Cabernet and 40% Pinot Noir that is aged for nine months in new French oak. Just 800 bottles are made each year.

RRP: £45.

Contact: Jeroboams, orders@jeroboams.co.uk

5. Gosnells canned mead

London’s only meadery, Gosnells in Peckham, is aiming to “revolutionise the whole mead category” with the launch of mead in cans. Claiming to be a first for Europe, the range comprises four variants: Citra Sea, Hibiscus, Hopped and Sour. Available in four-packs of 33cl recyclable cans, all products in the range have an ABV of 4%. Pictured is Hopped, which was inspired by IPAs and spiced with big hops for a long, dry, floral finish, and is designed to pair with spicy foods.

RRP: £15 for four cans.

Contact: Gosnells, contact@gosnells.co.uk

6. Loch Lomond single malt 2002

Loch Lomond Whiskies, the official spirit of The Open, Women’s British Open and Ladies Scottish Open golf championships, has released a limited-edition single malt Scotch made with US women’s golf star Cristie Kerr. Major champion Kerr also owns and operates Kerr Cellars in Napa Valley, and is a qualified sommelier. The Loch Lomond Single Malt Vintage 2002 has been finished for six months in French oak casks that she donated and which previously held her Pinot Noir. Bottled at 48.14% ABV, the spirit is packaged in a navy blue box that bears Kerr’s signature.

RRP: £250

Contact: Loch Lomond Whiskies, info@lochlomondgroup.com 

7. Brännland claim ice cider

Brännland has released a new brand called Claim, which it describes as a new-generation ice cider. Made from 100% Swedish apples, the cider contains 90g/l of residual sugar and has an ABV of 8%. According to the producer, it has aromas of tea, honeysuckle, strawberry and white flowers, with flavours of golden kiwi, white grapes, pomegranate and rose petals on the palate. Brännland says the sweet cider has ageing potential and that it can be enjoyed as an apéritif or paired with cheese, desserts or savoury dishes that require pairing with sweetness and acidity.

RRP: £16.99.

Contact: Connoisseur Estates, Heleneh@connoisseurestates.co.uk

8. Brookie’s Mac liqueur

Cape Byron Distillery, the producers of Brookie’s Byron Gin have made a roasted macadamia nut liqueur called Mac. The liqueur is made by steeping macadamia nut shells, roasted macadamia nuts and native Australian wattleseed in a wheat-based neutral spirit, before adding pure spring water from Mount Warning and a touch of natural sugar cane syrup. The liqueur has flavours of butterscotch, cacao and coffee, and is recommended to be served on ice with a squeeze of lime or stirred with whisky and bitters over ice like an Old Fashioned. It can even be mixed into coffee and ice cream to make a unique take on an affogato.

RRP: £35.95.

Contact: Sea Spirits, michael@seaspirits.co.uk

9. Elysian Brewing Raspy Whisper

Seattle-based Elysian Brewing has released a brew combining chocolate and raspberry as part of its first innovation series beer release. Called Raspy Whisper, the beer is a 3.6% ABV raspberry and chocolate gose. Created to meet demand for lower-ABV drinks, the beer is brewed with 9kg of raspberries, more than 2kg of chocolate cocoa nibs and a touch of sea salt. It was made with a combination of wheat, pale and acidulated malts together with Simcoe and Magnum hops and Indian coriander. Packaged in four-packs, the beer is available in 12oz cans.

RRP: US$4.79.

Contact: Elysian Brewing, +1 206-767-0210

10. Campo Viejo Albariño

Pernod Ricard-owned Spanish wine brand Campo Viejo has launched an Albariño made from grapes grown in the Rías Baixas region of northwest Spain. Released in light of “growing demand for light and fresh styles”, the Albariño follows the launch of Campo Viejo’s Tempranillo Blanco in 2016. The UK is the first market in which the wine will launch, with bottles set to hit the shelves in Sainsbury’s and be sold online through Ocado.

RRP £10.

Contact: Pernod Ricard, General.PRUK@pernod-ricard.com

11. Rebelle aperitif

London’s Rebel Distillers has launched an apéritif that combines traditional botanical copper pot distillation with perfumery and flavour extraction. Purporting to have a third less sugar than Aperol, the rose-hued drink has aromas of tropical mango, yuzu and lavender, while on the palate it is bittersweet with herbal notes and “lingering citrus’. Matt McGivern, CEO of Rebel Distillers, says the apéritif can be used to make a spritz, mixed with Champagne and also used in a Negroni.

RRP: £19.

Contact: Master of Malt, trade@masterofmalt.com

12. Mini King Cobra

Following the success of its King Cobra, a Pilsner-style lager double-fermented with an ale yeast, Cobra Beer has released a 375ml bottle to the on-trade. The mini bottles will make their first appearance in Kama by Vineet, located within the newly renovated Harrods Dining Hall. Made in Belgium’s Rodenbach Brewery using the barley, malt and hops from Bavaria’s Hallatau region, and crucially, rice, the beer undergoes primary fermentation before being refermented in the bottle.

RRP: £9.50.

Contact: Molson Coors, uksupport@mcdirect.com

13. BBR Classic Barbados Rum

Berry Bros & Rudd has announced the addition of four rums to its classic range. Curated by BBR’s spirits buyer, Doug McIvor, the new rums hail from Nicaragua, Guatemala, Jamaica and Barbados. Pictured is the Barbados rum, which was produced at the Foursquare Distillery. It is said to have aromas of sweet honey, with flavours of ripe banana and melon. McIvor says he looked for “balance and complexity, maturity and texture” when choosing the rums, which are all bottled at 40.5% ABV in 70cl bottles.

RRP: £28.

Contact: Berry Bros. & Rudd, bbr@bbr.com

14. I Love MCR Strawberry Jam Gin

Manchester brand I Love MCR has unveiled a pink a strawberry jam gin in partnership with Mancunian jam producers F. Duerr & Sons. Bottled at 38% ABV, the gin is made in small batches at the City of Manchester Distillery, and is flavoured with Duerr’s classic strawberry jam. Gin botanicals include juniper, angelica and orris root, while the jam contains 66% fruit. The gin has been produced exclusively for I Love MCR. Duerr’s of Wythenshawe is one of the oldest family-owned jam makers in England, having been in operation since 1881.

RRP: £29.

Contact: I LOVE MCR, ilovemanchester.com/shop

15. Ashdown Estate White 2018

Sussex’s Bluebell Vineyard has launched its first still wines made from grapes from the 2018 vintage, including an estate white made from Chasselas, which it is also trialling in a sparkling wine. An early-ripening variety, Chasselas is the most widely planted white grape in Switzerland. Grapes were harvested for Bluebell’s version on 27 September, and the wine is said to have aromas of green apple and citrus blossom, with flavours of nectarine and white melon. Bluebell has 1.6 hectares of Chasselas planted, and is also trialling the variety in 100 bottles of sparkling wine.

RRP: £14.95.

Contact: Ellis Wines, orders@ellis-wines.co.uk