Top new products: June

Rathfinny Classic Cuvée 2016

Sussex-based winery Rathfinny has celebrated its 10th anniversary by launching the first vintage of its signature-style Classic Cuvée. The Classic Cuvée is the fourth style of fizz the estate has produced, and will now sit alongside the Blanc de Noirs, Blanc de Blancs and Rosé expressions. The wine is a blend of 57% Pinot Noir, 22% Chardonnay and 21% Meunier, and spent 36 months on its lees before disgorgement. It has a dosage of 5g/l, and is described as having flavours of lemon, red apples, creamy tangerine, almond brittle and honeydew melon.

RRP: £29.50.

Contact: Lea & Sandeman, sales@leaandsandeman.co.uk

Beavertown Nanobot

London brewer Beavertown has launched a new ‘super session’ IPA called Nanobot. At 2.8% ABV, the beer contains 97 calories and is vegan. It was made using Sabro and Simcoe hops, with both wheat and oats used during the brewing process to give the beer a fuller mouthfeel. Designed to give people a “boost” during lockdown and while pubs are shut, the new brew will be available to buy via Beavertown’s revamped online shop, as well as in 230 UK Sainsbury’s stores.

RRP: £1.90.

Contact: Beavertown, webshop@beavertownbrewery.co.uk 

The Balvenie 19-year-old

Speyside distiller The Balvenie has announced the release of The Edge of Burnhead Wood 19-Year-Old, the latest expression in its Balvenie Stories range. Made using local barley malted at The Balvenie maltings, water from the Conval hills and heather from Burnhead wood, the whisky is said to have “delicate fruit notes, with flavours of light spice, honey, cloves, caramelised dates, and an oaky finish”. The distiller has recorded a podcast series telling the story behind the whisky, featuring those responsible for its production, as well as global ambassador, Gemma Peterson, and malt master David C. Stewart.

RRP: £260.

Contact: Master of Malt, 0800 033 7949

Tempus Two Copper series

Australian wine brand Tempus Two has launched its Copper Series in the UK, consisting of a collection of Old World-style wines made in a modern fashion. The first wine in the series to hit UK shores will be the Copper Wilde Chardonnay, made with grapes sourced from the Hunter Valley and Tumbarumba. Described as full bodied, the Chardonnay is said to have “subtle oak spice with flavours of white peach, melon, pineapple and red-apple skin”. The brand recommends pairing the wine with prawns or grilled fish. The launch follows the successful unveiling of Tempus Two’s Quartz series in the UK last year.

RRP: £15.

Contact: Sainsbury’s, 0800 636262

Tío Pepe En Rama 11th edition

González Byass has launched the 11th edition of its unfiltered and unclarified fino, Tío Pepe En Rama. The Sherry was bottled on 23 and 24 April 2020, and is available in both 75cl and 37.5cl formats. According to the producer, the region experienced an abnormally mild and dry winter, which gave way to a cool and rainy spring, creating the “perfect conditions” for the healthy growth of the flor yeast. Head winemaker Antonio Flores selected barrels from the Constancia and Rebollo cellars, initially picking 196 before narrowing it down to 69 before bottling.

RRP: £15.95 for a 75cl bottle.

Contact: González Byass, info@gonzalezbyassuk.com

Camden Town Heroes Lager

London’s Camden Town Brewery has launched Heroes lager, designed as a ‘thank you beer’ for healthcare workers, with all proceeds donated to charities supporting them. The beer is a rebranded version of Camden’s classic Hells lager, and is available to buy via the brewer’s web shop. NHS workers can claim a free six-pack of the lager by signing up to the brewer’s online shop using their NHS email address and entering the code ‘HEROESFORHEROES’ at the checkout. The brewer has also donated 20,000 cans directly to frontline staff at hospitals, ambulance stations and clinics in London.

RRP: £10 per six-pack.

Contact: Camden Town, webshop@camdentownbrewery.com 

Mythic Rosé 2019

Argentine wine brand Mythic has launched a premium rosé that is only available in magnum. The Mythic Rose Divine Creations 2019 is a blend of 60% Malbec, 30% Syrah and 10% Merlot, and is made from grapes grown in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza. The harvest is conducted in three stages: the Syrah grapes are collected early, the Malbec grapes are picked at the usual time, while the Merlot is harvested two weeks later than usual to achieve greater ripeness. The must is fermented at low temperatures (12ºC) in 100% stainless steel. The wine is said to have “cherry and raspberry flavours, with some floral notes”.

RRP: £29. 

Contact: Casarena, martin@casarena.com

Havana Club Tributo 2020

Rum label Havana Club has unveiled the fifth edition of its ultra-premium Tributo series. Released in a limited run of 2,500 bottles, this year’s edition pays homage to the successive ageing and blending process used in Cuban rum, carried out according to tradition. After each batch of Havana Club is blended, part of the blend is set aside and returned to casks for future rum production. The 2020 expression was selected from rum reserves from previous Tributo releases that had been kept and re-aged. The 40%-ABV expression, which is packaged in an Art Deco-style bottle, is said to have flavours of “dark chocolate, coffee, smoke and spice”.

RRP: €400.

Contact: Sophie Menzies, sophie@rtc.london

Pommery Grand Cru 2008

Champagne Pommery has released its Grand Cru Vintage 2008 following on from the 2006 release. The fizz is made from a blend of 50% Pinot Noir and 50% Chardonnay grown in seven grand crus sites. According to the Champagne house, it has aromas of “peony, hawthorn, pear, apricot and strawberry with flavours of acacia honey, plum and blood orange on the palate”. With a dosage of 8g/l, the producer recommends serving the sparkler with white meat dishes such as Bresse chicken with kaffir lime. Other recommendations include pan-fried foie gras with plum chutney or a risotto made with black truffles from Perigord.

RRP: £60.

Contact: Matthew Clark, 0344 822 3910

E&J Gallo Prophecy Rosé

US wine group E&J Gallo has launched its Prophecy brand in the UK, starting with its rosé. Available in Tesco and Asda stores nationwide, the southern French wine is said to have flavours of “fresh red berries, melon and citrus”. The bottle features tarot card-inspired labels designed by award-winning artist Victo Ngai. The rosé features the Goddess of the Wheel of Fortune dressed in pink, mirroring the colour of the wine.

RRP: £10.

Contact: Tesco, 0800 323 4040

Sorcova Pinot Grigio 2019

Romanian winery Cramele Recas has launched its Sorcova Pinot Grigio in the UK. It is made using grapes from the best vineyards in three regions (Recas, Dobrogea and Vrancea in equal proportions) that were harvested at night or early in the morning to avoid heat damage. The grapes were crushed and pressed, with the free-run juice drained off and put into stainless steel tanks where it remained for three weeks during fermentation at 10°C. According to the producer, the wine has flavours of “grapefruit, melon, apple and peach”, and is 100% vegan.

RRP: TBC.

Contact: Waitrose, customerserviceteam@waitrose.co.uk

Redbreast Dream Cask

Irish Distillers-owned whiskey label Redbreast has announced the release of its third limited-edition Dream Cask. Inspired by the flavours of the Iberian Peninsula, Redbreast Dream Cask Ruby Port Edition is the first Redbreast expression to be fully finished in a single Port cask. The whiskey was created by master blender Billy Leighton, in collaboration with blender Dave McCabe. It marries four whiskies dating back more than 30 years, which were set aside during the crafting of Redbreast 27 Year Old. Aged for a minimum of 28 years in a combination of ex-Bourbon barrels, an oloroso Sherry butt and a ruby Port seasoned cask, these spirits were blended in the ruby Port cask to mature further as a single Dream Cask. Bottled at 51.5% ABV, the spirit is said to have notes of “dark chocolate, plums and cinnamon”.

RRP: €490.

Contact: Irish Distillers, idpr-sales@pernod-ricard.com

Anspach & Hobday The Lager

London brewer Anspach & Hobday has added a lager to its core range following its recent expansion into Croydon, south London. The Croydon site has been fitted with horizontal lager tanks where the beer spends at least four weeks as part of the required cold maturation process. The tanks help reduce the hydrostatic pressure on the yeast, allowing it to go about its work comfortably, while the long, flat bottoms of the structures increases the contact area between settled yeast and the beer. Made with German malt and European hops, the lager is available in 440ml cans, and will be available in pubs and bars when they reopen.

RRP: £10.50 for four cans.

Contact: Anspach & Hobday, hello@anspachandhobday.com

Fox & Fox Chairman’s Vat Brut

Sussex wine producer Fox & Fox has released a limited-edition wine called the Chairman’s Vat Brut 2014. While Fox & Fox co-founder Jonica Fox of usually determines the composition of each of the estate’s wines, this particular cuvée has been blended by her husband Gerard. Only 1,018 bottles of the 60% Pinot Noir, 20% Chardonnay and 20% Pinot Gris blend, which was disgorged in December 2019, have been produced. With five years’ lees ageing, the wine is said to have flavours of “apple, citrus zest and toasted brioche”.

RRP: £39.99.

Contact: British Wine Cellar, hello@thebritishwinecellar.co.uk

Roseline Prestige 2019

Château Sainte Roseline, one of the 18 Provence Cru Classé estates based in Les Arcs, is now distributing its wines in the UK via Benchmark Drinks. Its pale Provence pink Prestige 2019 combines 50% Cinsault, 40% Grenache and 10% Syrah, with the grapes harvested at night, from the end of August to the end of September. After fermentation at 16 to 18°C the wine is drawn off its lees and kept cool and fresh.

RRP: £15.

Contact: Benchmark Drinks, rich@benchmarkdrinks.com