Sulgrave Village Shop provides a regularly changing selection of wines covering a wide range of styles. There are written labels for all the wines to provide a brief summary of the style and flavours so customers will have a reasonable idea of what they are getting and, hopefully, won’t be disappointed.
See the following pages for more information on how the Sulgrave Village Shop wines are selected and and advice on what wine to drink this Christmas.
Unfortunately the duty and tax on wine is very high which means that, at the cheaper end of the range, a relatively small percentage of the cost of the bottle is the price of the wine. So how do we at Sulgrave Village Shop manage to provide a range of palatable wines at such reasonable prices and still make a small profit for the shop? The explanation is that our trusty buyer has located an outlet for so-called ‘remaindered stock’. These wines may be the result of retailers becoming bankrupt and the bailiffs selling off stock at very low prices, the offloading of stock by big retailers who don’t have enough bottles to supply all of their stores or the clearance of stock to make way for new lines. The end result is that we have been able to purchase many wines at a very good price and are thus able to sell them cheaper than they cost in the big stores or on line. But we don’t buy wines just because they are cheap. Almost all of our wines have been recommended as being particularly good value and a number have won awards in international wine competitions.
WHAT WINE TO DRINK THIS CHRISTMAS
The old adage “white wine with white meat, red wine with red meat” is now considered a bit old hat. A really heavy red wine would certainly not be the best choice for a fish dish or delicate chicken meal but these days most wine lovers would choose a light to medium-bodied red as first choice to match the rich flavours of the Christmas roast turkey.
But before sharpening the carving knife we shall need something to sip as we open our presents on Christmas morning, so try one of the shop’s excellent value sparkling wines – the delicious, honey-scented Vina Maipo Sparkling Brut from Chile or the delicate strawberry pink Conde de Caralt Rosada Cava from Spain. If you prefer a still white wine, we have an excellent range in the shop so why not be brave and try a bottle that you have not sampled before? And don’t be swayed by the “Anything but Chardonnay” brigade. Our Promised Hill Unwooded Chardonnay is a very pleasant un-oaky tipple which may convert you.
With the Christmas lunch I would probably go for the excellent Sacred Hill Cabernet Merlot which has some cellar-age and should be drinking very well. Or if you still believe in the “white meat with white wine” mantra try the Red Hill Pinot Grigio which should stand up well to the strong flavours of the turkey and trimmings.
Merry Christmas to all our wine customers.
Scan down to see a few examples of our current labels.
