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THE OXFORD WINE COMPANY SECURES SOLE UK DISTRIBUTON RIGHTS FOR DOWNTON ABBEY WINES

The Oxford Wine Company has secured the sole UK distribution rights from Bordeaux producer Les Grands Chais de France to distribute a Downton Abbey range of wines in the UK.

The wines have been created to mark the relaunch of the series this Autumn much of which is filmed in the village of Bampton very close to The Oxford Wine Company’s head office in Oxfordshire.

When Mr Carson pulled a bottle of wine from the cellar for Lord and Lady Grantham, one could be assured it was a fine French Claret from Bordeaux, the wine of choice amongst the British nobility in Edwardian England.

Honouring those same wine-making traditions, the Downton Abbey Wine collection is crafted with premium fruit from the famed Entre-Deux-Mers region of Bordeaux, France by fifth generation winemaker Jean-Marc Dulong (whose ancestors might well have made the very wines enjoyed at Downton).

Downton Abbey Blanc 2012 is made from 70% Muscadelle and 30% Semillon grape varieties and has hints of tangerine and lemon citrus notes with a honeyed apricot palate. Soft, rounded and refreshing.

Downton Abbey Claret 2012 is made from 70% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon and 5% Malbec grapes and has wild berry fruit and spice with a hint of violets and soft velvety tannins.

To order - the wine arrives in the country during the first week in August and will be available in all our shops from the weekend of 9th/10th August. Both wines retail at £12.99. To order them online click here for the Claret or here for the White  Alternatively please call 01865 301144 or email orders@oxfordwine.co.uk

MASTERCHEF FINALIST COOKS SUSHI FOR CIRENCESTER SHOP FOOD AND WINE TASTING

Koj Kojima co presented a brilliant tasting of sushi matched with top class wines at our Cirencester branch on 25th July which was an instant sell out. David Almeida, our Cirencester branch manager said: “I couldn’t believe how fast this event sold out. Our food and wine tastings are always popular, but this was something else – we will be having Koj back for another event soon.”

Koj (perhaps better known to you as Andrew Kojima from Masterchef 2012) left a career in the City to retrain as a chef at restaurants ranging from a Japanese noodle bar in Soho to Gordon Ramsay's three star flagship restaurant on Royal Hospital Road, London. Now based near Tetbury in the Cotswolds, he cooks privately for dinner parties and the occasional gala dinner to celebrate special occasions. Although he is very at home with British-European food, he has a particular love of Japanese food through his father who was from Tokyo. Koj has appeared as a guest chef at various venues across the UK, including a three day stint at Soushi in Cirencester. He also teaches Japanese cooking as a guest chef at Lucknam Park Cookery School near Bath and the Dancing Trousers Cookery School near Lechlade. He writes for magazines such as Cotswold Life, Crumbs and Spears and is a judge in the Great Taste and World Cheese Awards.

 To register your interest in any tastings at Cirencester please contact David on 01285 659792 or david@oxfordwine.co.uk

Talking Wine with Ted Sandbach - November

It was a good vintage in England last year but this year’s is reckoned to be the best ever after a long warm dry summer. In addition the nights have been warm, almost Mediterranean, so with no substantial temperature drop the grapes have ripened more easily. There could even be a problem with over ripeness and not enough acidity in some areas - not a problem often encountered in the UK!! The good harvest will be especially welcome for Nyetimber, arguably the best known English sparkling wine, who took the painful decision not to harvest any grapes at all in 2012 due to the poor quality of the vintage. The UK wine business is thriving with over 135 wineries and more rapid expansion and investment which will soon demonstrate that English wine is much more than a curiosity.

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