A fresh wind of change is blowing through the picturesque Vinho Verde wine region in northern Portugal. For a long time, this region was known primarily for its light, sparkling white wines. But today we are experiencing a true renaissance of wine culture that is captivating wine lovers around the world.

Jaboulet & Perrin! Nicolas Jaboulet Nicolas Jaboulet, one of the most famous North Rhône wine producers, will release his first wine resulting from the joint venture with the Perrin family of Château Beaucastel. It is Nicolas' first project since leaving the Paul Jaboulet Aîné family empire, which owns the mythical, iconic Hermitage La Kapelle, in early 2009. In this family business he worked for a long time as sales manager. Since 2006, Paul Jaboulet Aîné has belonged to the Frey family from Château La Lagoon in Bordeaux and the only original family member left is Frederic Jaboulet (France and Export Director). Perrin family Château Beaucastel, owned by the Perrin family, is one of the leading estates in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. They own vineyards throughout the South Rhône such as Vinsobres, Vacqueyras, Gigondas, Cairanne and Châteauneuf-du-Pape. The new joint operation will market its wines under the name Nicolas Jaboulet, Perrin Frères. Due to a strict selection, only small quantities of each wine are produced - between 3,000 and 10,000 bottles per vintage. Marc Perrin, one of the four Perrin brothers involved in the project, says: "We have had an interest in the North Rhône for a long time, but wanted to separate this from our other winemaking activities. Now we have finally got the opportunity we have been waiting for ." The first four wines - all vintage 2007 - are called Hermitage Rouge, Hermitage Blanc, Côte Rotie and Saint-Joseph. They're coming onto the market right now. Nicolas Jaboulet says: "We are starting with just four appellations, but will be looking for Cornas and Cordes-Hermitage in the future". maître philippe Maître Philippe sells Saint-Joseph almost exclusively because it goes well with cheese and meat and can be drunk straight away. The other three are great storage wines that we can of course also order for you. Ask in store for prices. All wines are delivered in wooden boxes of 6. Saint Joseph 2007 (100% Syrah) Strong and rich on the nose with wild dark fruits such as blueberries and blackcurrants. Typical aromas of Syrah on a granite floor: violets, graphite and bacon. In the mouth it is extensive with gentle tannins. The finale repeats the dark fruits. This strong wine impresses with a beautiful elegance. Enjoy it now. The bottle (75 cl. ) costs €19.90 Download the Press Revue Wine Spectator as a pdf Download the information sheet Saint-Joseph 2007 as a pdf Download the Crozes-Hermitage 2009 leaflet as a pdf Download the Côte Rotie 2007 information sheet as a pdf

Hecht & Bannier was founded by Gregory Hecht & Francois Bannier in 2002. The cornerstone of this company is the extensive knowledge of vineyards and wine cellars. Each year they visit hundreds of private wineries to select the finest wines and retain the freedom to select only the best from these producers each year. Once this is done, they meet for a tasting to design the perfect blend. Cultivation areas are Minervois, Saint Chinian, Cotes du Roussillon Villages, Faugeres, Maury and Languedoc. In their work, Hecht & Bannier attach great importance to preserving the typical Mediterranean strength, balance and freshness of the wines. THE IDEA "We are convinced that Languedoc-Roussillon, the most talented vineyard in France, is not yet getting the international recognition it deserves." say Hecht & Bannier. "Our wines allow wine lovers to discover the exceptional quality and richness of our region. Often our wines come from cooler mountain foothills, where 100-year-old vineyards are not uncommon. In order to preserve the typical Mediterranean strength in our wines, we also maintain their balance and Freshness. That's our mantra for all the growing areas we produce from." SELECTION "We select the interesting wines for our blends of tastings from each growing area during the harvest and throughout the year. We select our wines from wine cooperatives, young winemakers and from well-known wineries. We only buy wines that are fully fermented and bring them to our estate. We are not bound by any contract to the wineries. Freedom is very important for the wineries and for us because every year we take the liberty to select only the best wines from these producers." so Pike & Bannier. BLOSSOM The blend is designed from selected samples (15 to 30 from each growing area). Each blend is based on 5 to 10 different wines. Hecht & Bannier: "With every blend we want to show how well the individual wines complement each other. We want to remain true to our concept from one vintage to the next and highlight the particularly successful grapes from each region every year." MATURATION Maturation, which they consider to be the core of their work, is particularly important to Hecht & Bannier. That is why they select the wines as early as possible to then take them to their cellars. For the aging of the wines, they prefer large wooden barrels, especially Demi Muids for a gentler micro-oxygenation. The Demi Muids are special barrels, especially for the wines from the south of France. They hold 600 litres, which is 3 times the capacity of a "bordelaise" or "bourguignonne" cask. Relatively less wine is in contact with the wood and the thickness of the stave, 45mm vs. 27mm, allows the development of a ideal structure of the wines. However, 30% of the wines also mature in tanks in order to bring the fruitiness and freshness into the blend.

The Château Miraval is tucked away in its own valley in the old village of Correns - incidentally the oldest organic village in France - and covers 500 hectares. The magnificent chateau sits in a basin surrounded by ancient woods, olive groves, vineyards and abundant water supplies. The healthy wildlife combined with the beautiful Provençal climate and the quality of the Mediterranean way of life make it an enchanting oasis. Miraval's exclusive location embodies an exceptional terroir. Terroir is the expression of the soil, climate and history of the land - the essence of wine. The vineyards are at an altitude of 350 meters and enjoy warm, sunny days and cool nights. It brings freshness and balance to the wines. Today, the Château Miraval is owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie and the cultivation, aging, control and distribution of the wines is carried out by the Perrin family of the Château de Beaucastel. The release of the Miraval red and white is planned for September 2013 and next year 2014 there will be a Grand Vin in white and red. The natural clay and limestone soil composition allows for an important water supply while allowing excess water to be drained. It is very important for healthy grape ripening. Miraval sits at the foot of the Via Aurelia - an extensive route built to accommodate Roman expansion in the 3rd century BC. BC - symbolizing centuries of history. After Celtic settlement and Roman occupation, the estate served as a refuge for monastic practice and as the home of members of the French court from the 14th century. In 1970, the well-known jazz pianist and composer Jacques Loussier bought Château Miraval and turned it into the Le Studio de Miraval recording studio. A number of well-known musicians have come here, such as Pink Floyd, Sting, Sade, The Cranberries and the Gipsy Kings.

Louis Lefebvre and Béatrice d'Anselme, winegrowers from the Rhône, come to visit and serve a selection of their wines. Her son Marin, himself an aspiring winemaker and currently part of Maître Philippe & Filles, provides active support. In addition to the red wines “Carpe Diem” and “Trilogie”, which are already known from our range, there are also various white and rosé wines on the tasting table. A tasting dedicated to wine and family traditions - that can only be good!

In mid-July, Philippe and his wife Evi were back in Portugal. Actually, mainly to visit the Vinho ao Vivo wine fair in Porto, but of course the two discovered and experienced much more.

Champ Divin's Crémant du Jura has been the undisputed team favorite for about 3 years. So it was really time to finally visit the winemaker couple Valérie and Fabrice Closset on site. In addition to Crémant, we were able to taste many other very special and typical Jura wines.

At the beginning of June we took the whole family on a small wine tour from Champagne, through Burgundy to the Jura and visited some winegrowers. You learn best when you can see, hear, feel and taste where the wine comes from. Besides, nothing beats personal relationships! A highlight of the five-day trip was the visit to Champagne Moutard in Buxeuil, one of the smallest communes of the Côte des Bar in southern Champagne. Read and see here how warmly the "Buxeuil Boys" welcomed us and immerse yourself in the "Champagne Feeling" with us!

Those who can't do, teach! This is a famous quote from Woody Allen that has been the subject of much controversy. We would also like to contradict the master and simply turn the quote around: those who can, teach! And we do that as part of our seminars on cheese, wine, sardines and champagne, to which we cordially invite you! Get to know the different tastes and possible combinations of certain products in a small, sociable group and, in addition to background knowledge, take a colorful bouquet of enjoyable impressions home with you!

Some classics just never go out of style - including the classic pairing of cheese and wine. That's why our long-running seminar "Les classiques" is exactly about that. Here we pair five cheeses you'd find on a classic cheeseboard—mountain, goat, blue, bluevein, and red smear—with five wines. What goes well: red, white or champagne? Where does the cheese come from, what makes it special, what historical anecdote can you tell about it? We answered all these questions again this time and, incidentally, tried our hand at the cheese platter together with the participants. A really nice and very enjoyable evening!

Because the first edition was so successful last year, we're going into the second edition in March with our cardboard party! The concept is simple: because we are slowly needing space for our many new discoveries, we cordially invite you to taste various wines in a nice atmosphere and then take your favorites home with you in boxes with a pallet discount of up to 25%. On Friday, March 11th from 5pm to 8pm at Emser Straße 42 !

We have two new Côtes du Rhône in our range: the cuvées "Carpe Diem" and "Trilogie" from Domaine Lefebvre d'Anselme. But even better than this news alone is that these wines come from the family estate of our intern, employee and aspiring winemaker Marin Lefebvre. On Thursday March 3rd we cordially invite you to an unscheduled informal tasting where Marin will pour his wines and try to answer all your questions. It will be an enjoyable afternoon - we look forward to seeing you!