Boutinot
France
Like all good stories, that of Boutinot France is both long and a little bit complicated! Boutinot began as a tiny importer in 1980, specialising in French wines. Paul Boutinot himself began by personally selecting the wines from France, back in the UK he would unload the trailer by hand. And deliver the crates of wines to customers himself. But good things grow and by the end of the decade we had become a bigger and better company. A company that not only sought out great wines but made them too. After 10 years later, Boutinot France started in January 1990. The first office was in the middle of the vines in Julienas; perfectly located to navigate the Beaujolais and Macon regions on the quest to make beautiful wines.
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Samantha Bailey, who started as a wine enthusiast, was there at the beginning of this adventure. Since then, she has grown into our Master Blender and has key responsibilities: building long-standing relationships, tasting, understanding the terroir and appellations, and pushing the boundaries. She is at the heart of the whole process from blending to quality assessment, making sure there is always a Boutinot touch in every cuvée. We are proud to also count Guillaume Letang and Julien Dugas in our winemaking team. Guillaume oversees the South of France and Languedoc, whilst Julien looks after our property in Cairanne. Together they have the local knowledge to select and blend the very best wines from throughout. Eric Monnin oversees every aspect of production and makes sure everything our winemakers blend and source is top quality.
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Today, Boutinot’s French office has recently relocated to Macon, and has over 20 employees who take care of production across the whole of France, covering fresh whites and rosés from Gascony, mineral wines from Burgundy, and joyful varietal wines from Languedoc among others. We don’t use any single model to source our wines; instead, a combination of sources are used, from large-scale, high-quality co-ops to small, family growers and single domaines, as well as our own vineyards in Cairanne and Saint-Véran. Drawing on the expertise of our four winemakers and a network of partner growers, we seek to deliver the highest quality-to-price ratio possible for every wine.
Uvas Felices
Rias Baixas, Spain
Vila Viniteca is a family business, established as a food and wine shop in downtown Barcelona in 1932, just two minutes walk from Santa Maria del Mar Basilica.
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In the early '90s, co-owners Quim Vila and Francisco Marti decided to re-invigorate the business - giving it a real focus on wine (Francisco Marti was already experienced in the wine business as owner of the Ca N'Estruc etstate in Catalonia). In 2010, as the result of a joint-venture between Vila Viniteca and the team behind Comando G. (Fernando GarcÃa and Daniel Gómez Jiménez-Landi) - the Uvas Felices (Happy Grapes) project was born.
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They craft a range of intensely pure and expressive wines from old vine Garnacha (between 50 and 90 years old) in Cadalso de los Vidrios (Madrid). Here low-yielding vineyards skirt the high mountain forests in the Sierra de Gredos hills.
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The project also incorporates an Albariño produced in collaboration with Bodega Zárate in Rias Baixas.
Gomez Cruzado
Rioja, Spain
The Gómez Cruzado winery dates back to 1886 when Angel Gómez de Arteche started to produce and bottle his own wine in Haro, at the very heart of Rioja Alta.
This was in the day when the wine trade between Rioja and France passed along the Tudela-Bilbao line, and the key Rioja wineries were located around the station of Haro. The winery sits just 100m from the station to this day.
Subsequently bought by Angel and Jesus Gomez Cruzado in 1916, and more recently by the Baños family, David González now heads up the team.
He has been working with Gomez Cruzado for over 10 years, crafting wines from vineyards of old bush vines in the most elevated areas of Rioja Alta and Alavesa. He sources from almost a hundred different plots across 3 distinct regions: Alto Najerilla, Bajo Najerilla and Sierra Cantabria.
Sierra Cantabria (Rioja Alta and Alavesa): Vines grow in poor, white, chalky-clay soils, on sunny slopes at the highest part of the sierra (up to 750m altitude) - where the Mediterranean and Atlantic climates meet. The area produces wines with freshness and elegance.
Bajo Najerilla (Rioja Alta): in the triangle formed by the villages of Uruñuela, Cenicero and Torremontalbo, where the Najerilla river flows into the River Ebro. Tempranillo vines grown in alluvial soils at an average altitude of 500m – in a warmer, more temperate continental climate with a notable Mediterranean influence. Wines have high maturity and excellent ageing capacity.
Alto Najerilla (Rioja Alta): Garnacha vines over 80 years old, planted in ferrous clay soil at around 750m altitude, on north-facing slopes near the Sierra de la Demanda. The continental climate confers strong fruitiness and marked acidity on the resulting wines.
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2010, as the result of a joint-venture between Vila Viniteca and the team behind Comando G. (Fernando GarcÃa and Daniel Gómez Jiménez-Landi) - the Uvas Felices (Happy Grapes) project was born.
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They craft a range of intensely pure and expressive wines from old vine Garnacha (between 50 and 90 years old) in Cadalso de los Vidrios (Madrid). Here low-yielding vineyards skirt the high mountain forests in the Sierra de Gredos hills.
Cave de Tain
Northern Rhone, France
At the foot of the famous hill of Hermitage, the Cave de Tain co-operative produces five appellation d'origine contrôlée wines: Hermitage, Crozes-Hermitage, Saint-Joseph, Cornas and Saint-Péray.
Cave de Tain also owns a 21 hectare domaine within the prestigious Hermitage appellation where the head winemaker, Xavier Frouin, supervises every stage of vinification from grape sorting to bottling.
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The Cave has established an enviable reputation for authentic wines that express the full character of their individual terroirs, thanks to careful and non-intrusive vinification methods. Over the years, traditional techniques have been enhanced by the latest developments in modern winemaking. Cave de Tain's new cellars were completed in late 2014; a total investment of €10m has dramatically reinvigorated winemaking facilities, increasing the Cave's ability to produce top quality wines.
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Cave de Tain is a dynamic and forward-thinking co-operative, proud of its sustainability programme and a certified member of Vignerons en Dévelopement Durable since 2009. Natural means of improving vine health such as épillonnage and pheromone sprays to disrupt insect pests’ breeding patterns are employed, and they are committed to using organic viticultural practices wherever possible. This also serves to increase the biodiversity of the vineyards, further boosting vine health, reducing the need for chemical phytosanitary treatments and improving the quality of the fruit.
A note on sustainability
They work to reduce their carbon footprint by utilising natural sources of energy, e.g. by fitting farms with solar panels, by the methanisation of grape marc to generate electricity, and by grinding up and composting the vine prunings instead of burning them so as to improve the quality of the soil and to hold onto the carbon trapped within them. Currently, up to 75% of their production waste is recycled, rainwater is captured for use on the estates, and a collective “river contract” has been drawn up to prevent the pollution of the local groundwater. Water usage in the cellar has been reduced by 90% simply by re-examining all of the ways in which it is used.
Bodegas La Val
Rias Baixas, Spain
This Rías Baixas pioneer was founded in 1985 and has made its name over the past two decades for producing classically-styled, great quality Albariño.
There are five sub-regions in Rías Baixas. Bodegas La Val are based in Condado do Tea - away from the coast and just over the Portuguese border.
In 2003, a brand new winery was built in Arantei, overlooking the Miño river, equipped with the most modern winemaking equipment. Its vines are around thirty years old and they are grown on the Pergola system, as is typical in the region. This aids the ventilation of the grapes, protecting them from excess humidity and moisture that leads to rot. All fruit is hand-harvested.
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With over 90 hectares of vineyards across the region, La Val is one of the largest vineyard owners in Rías Baixas, and all its wines are produced from its own grapes. As a result, it is one of the most reliable sources of good quality, moderately-priced Albariño.
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A note on sustainability
All treatments are carefully considered and strictly monitored in accordance with technical criteria supported by technology such as weather stations on each plot that give daily updates regarding diseases such as mildew, powdery mildew, black rot and botrytis. These treatments are logged in a field book and are compared with phytosanitary remains analysed by an accredited laboratory. La Val has also instigated a project to search for nanoparticle alternatives to the biocidal products used in all aspects of winemaking. Although the effectiveness has varied across the differing processes, La Val has managed to substantially reduce its sulphur dioxide use in the latter stages of its winemaking operations.
Cave de L'Ormarine
Herault, France
Cave de l'Ormarine is an award-winning co-operative which produces wines from the tiny Pinet de Picpoul appellation in the Hérault. The Ormarine cellar was established in 1922 when vignerons from Pinet joined forces and formed a winegrowers' association. Today, the Cave de l'Ormarine is a conglomeration of five separate co-operatives from across the Hérault, each with their own specific terroirs and styles of wine. It is proud to have 470 members farming more than 2,500 hectares of vines.
Its flagship Picpoul wines are fresh and terroir-driven, and hugely influenced by both the Mediterranean Sea and the Etang de Thau, which act as a thermal regulator for the vineyards. In fact, it is said of Picpoul that, "Son terroir, c'est la mer (Its terroir is the sea)."
Cave de l'Ormarine has made significant investment in its winery, and prides itself on the high quality standard and traceability of its grapes.
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A note on sustainability
Cave de L’Ormarine attaches great importance to the protection of its environment and its vineyards. From 2013, its members set up a pheromone-based mating-disruption programme to naturally eliminate insect pests from the vines without chemical treatments. As a co-operative, it has decided to move its vineyards towards organic farming. Some of its members have been doing this since 2011, already allowing it to offer a range of wines sourced from certified organic grapes.
Cave de l’Ormarine obtained Terra Vitis certification in 2018, highlighting its involvement in sustainable and integrated viticulture and its respect for nature, humans and wine. Furthermore, since December 2016, it has been certified as IFS FOOD Version 6.1 (International Featured Standards), an internationally standardised framework for food quality and safety management.
Domaine Berthelemot
Meersault, Burgundy
Berthelemot is a young domaine, created as recently as 2006, as a result of the merging of the mature holdings of the Jean Garaudet and Yves Darviot estates. As well as initial acquisitions in Beaune, Pommard, Monthélie and Meursault, in 2012, the estate purchased established plots in Puligny, Chassagne, and again in Meursault to meet the demand for its white wines.
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The success of the domaine is down to the hard work and talent of its founder, Brigitte Berthelemot, together with her estate manager and winemaker, Marc Cugney. The vines are planted in limestone soils in very good sites at a density of around 10,000 per hectare, they are kept in top condition, and the team responds quickly to regular analyses of the soil and the vines in order to assess appropriate cultivation methods using the bare minimum of herbicides and phytosanitary treatments.
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Although each harvest differs in regards to the degree of maturity and the levels of sugar, acidity and tannins within the grapes, the goal is always to produce the best wine possible reflecting the nature of the land and the characteristics of the year.
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A note on sustainability
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As well as the Agriculture Raisonnée certification awarded in 2009, the domain is committed to the specifications of the HVE (Haute Valeur Environnementale) programme and it attained Level 3 in 2015. Berthelemot is currently in the second year of its conversion to organic farming and should receive its formal certification next year.
Cave de Turckheim
Alsace, France
Widely regarded as one of the best co-operatives in the world, Cave de Turckheim lies at the mouth of the Munster Valley. Working closely with 180 partners, its vineyards span the full breadth of Alsatian terroir and grape varieties. Cave de Turckheim only produces wine from the grapes of its member growers, it is a récoltant not a négociant.
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Substantial investment in the winery has enabled the team to vinify many parcels of grapes separately, offering Michel Lihrmann (senior winemaker for 25 years) the chance to highlight each wine's nuances in his signature dry, yet fruit forward, style.
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Committed to producing the highest quality wines, growers are encouraged to keep yields low - for example, Cave de Turckheim voluntarily caps yields for its Grands Crus vineyards at 45hl/ha rather than the permitted 55hl/ha - and to pick the grapes by hand. This is part of a long term and innovative strategy of sustainability that includes developing the largest holdings of organic vineyards in Alsace, using natural alternatives to chemical treatments, and a green overview of all vineyard practices. Alongside some great organic wines, the extensive range runs from the excellent value Tradition wines right through to individual Grand Cru bottlings, plus fantastic Crémants d’Alsace and Vendange Tardive dessert wines.
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A note on sustainability
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An awareness of social and environmental concerns has always been high on the agenda for the Cave de Turckheim’s growers. They were among the first in France to practice integrated agriculture, an approach which combines the best of modern tools and technologies with traditional practices, lowering the consumption of energy and other resources, reducing environmental pollution, conserving biodiversity and promoting sustainability. In 2014, all the members of the co-operative obtained Agri Confiance Volet Vert (Green Section) certification and in 2015, they all obtained High Environmental Value Level 2 certification. The growers are aiming for HVE Level 3 certification in late 2019.
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In 2008, a number of growers decided to commit to the rigorous standards of organic viticulture. As part of Alliance Alsace, approximately 70 hectares of vines are now cultivated organically, having obtained organic certification in 2011, with a further 30 hectares in transition. These vignerons have revived ancestral practices, tilling the soil and undertaking work that facilitates the elimination of weeds and the combat against the two major diseases: powdery mildew which is tackled with sulphur and mildew which is treated with copper sulphate. Natural fertilisers are also used (nettle, horsetail, comfrey and dandelion), fortifying the vines and increasing their natural resistance. Organic winegrowers meticulously observe their vines, enabling them to intervene in the right place and at the right time, rather than treating the plants systematically.
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Turckheim’s commitment to the environment extends to the winery where it strives to conserve natural resources. Sorting waste for recycling, reducing its carbon footprint, using solar panels, and preventing pollution are just some examples of how environmental considerations are present in every aspect of its daily work. Committed to both the environment and its customers, Cave de Turckheim also plays an important role in the local economy.