Domaine Saint Préfert

This Saturday we’ll be opening a selection of incredible wines of Isabel Ferrando, the talent behind Domaine Saint Préfert. We’ll be pouring a mix of her vibrant whites and bold, expressive Châteauneuf-du-Pape reds – including a few standout vintages as well as our wine of the week – Dhondt-Grellet Les Terres Fines Blanc de Blancs.

It’s a great chance to explore the style and story of one of the Rhône Valley’s most exciting winemakers.

Northern Italian Whites

This Saturday we’ll be opening a selection of Northern Italian whites that reflect the variety and depth of regional styles. We’ll be pouring selections like Friulano, Pinot Bianco, Arneis, and Moscato d’Asti from producers including Livio Felluga, Vietti, and Alois Lageder. 

These wines range from bright and mineral-driven to aromatic and textured, offering a clear sense of place.

Niepoort

Niepoort’s ‘light’ wines are an excellent example of the Douro’s potential to make pure, authentic and uncomplicated wines full of character and personality, without underplaying the unmistakable complexity of the old vines, high altitude vineyards and intricate soils. Over the past twenty years, no one has done more to raise the profile and quality of Douro’s non-fortified wines than Dirk Niepoort. 

Bordeaux Blanc Wines

Crisp, elegant, and refreshing—White Bordeaux wines are a hidden gem from France’s famous Bordeaux region. Crafted mainly from Sauvignon Blanc and Sémillon, they balance bright citrus and orchard fruit with a touch of floral or honeyed richness. Perfect for seafood, fresh salads, or simply sipping on a sunny day.

Prá Wines

The Prá winery is nestled away near the town of Soave just thirty minutes from Verona. The landscape and the vines are magical, with Gargenega taking center stage, at the very heart of what Graciano Prá does best – white wine. This Saturday we will be pouring all his Soave, from the ‘Otto’ which is enjoyed young and fresh, to the ‘Colle Sant’Antonio’ which carries a bit of residual sugar and evolves over time. 

Graciano also owns vines in Valpolicella where he makes red wines, including the wine of the week, Valpolicella ‘Morandina’ and his high scoring Amarone which is often regarded as one of the more elegant in the region.

Les Alexandrins Northern Rhone Selection

The Perrin family have added ‘Les Alexandrins’ to their stellar portfolio of wines, with a focus on cooler climate Syrah, specifically, Cornas, Hermitage and Crozes-Hermitage.

These wines have a wonderful freshness, backed with powerful fruit, and a special complexity that only Northern Rhone Syrah can deliver.

Clos Cibonne

Independence and originality has made Clos Cibonne one of the most sought after cult wineries in France and one of the world’s best rosé producers. They’re also rather good at making red wines, and like their rosés, they’re produced from the elusive Tibouren grape, fleshed out with a small amount of Grenache. It makes for an incredibly interesting wine-lover’s wine – similar to a crossing of Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir – full of fresh red fruits; raspberry, strawberry and cranberry with a light herbaceous edge, and a spiced note of pepper and clove that’s ideally enjoyed lightly chilled.

Domaine Francois Lumpp

The domaine has been quietly crafting some of Givry’s most expressive and stylish wines since the early ’90s and today is generally recognized as the finest in the region. This dynamic estate is now run by Francois’s daughter Ann-Cecile and her approach to viticulture, just like her father, borders on the fanatical with very careful choice of plant material to give the highest quality results. The domaine now stretches to just over 9ha of vineyards with the majority situated in prime premier cru sites or ‘sweet spots’ on the rolling hills around Givry.

The whites are all vinified throughout in barrel and levels of new wood adjusted to suit the vintage – their aim is to make bright wines which are developed rather than masked by their time in barrel – the reds are pure, poised and beautifully balanced.

Patrick Piuze

We are occasionally asked why we have so many producers of Chablis. The answer is – it’s complicated. We really love excellent Chablis, and more importantly, each producer in our portfolio has a distinct style that showcases the region in a unique and exciting way.

Pat Piuze is the king of texture. His wines are fruity and fresh and have a special dimension of viscosity that sets them apart from everyone else. Instead of making one village Chablis (like every other producer), Pat sources fruit from eight different villages scattered around the region and bottles each one separately. This is extreme dedication to terroir.

Hecht & Bannier

Hecht & Bannier is another exciting addition to our portfolio and a perfect one to complement our other producers from the southern Rhone and Provence. Established in 2002, Gregory Hecht and François Bannier produce wines that have become reference points for the Languedoc-Roussillon.

Their boutique winery focuses on regional blends typically composed of Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre and Carignan, within a diverse range of appellations, from the generic Pays d’Oc (Pinot Noir) to more specific geographical locations like Pic Saint-Loup and Minervois. This vast, ancient and sun-drenched region stretching from the Pyrenees to the southern Rhône produces some of the country’s more robust, powerful and dynamic red wines, a selection of which will be available to sample tomorrow between 10am and 5pm at the warehouse.

Lucien Crochet

We know how much you’ve loved Lucien Crochet’s Sancerre Blanc this week, so why not take a look at his other wines.

His Pinot Rosé delivers all the charm of a classic Loire Rosé while his elegant and nuanced red is made with the delicacy and precision that Pinot Noir lovers seek.

Weingut Von Winning

To celebrate the long weekend in style, we’ll be cracking open the full lineup of Von Winning Riesling for you to try. This is a wonderful way to see how reflective Riesling is of its terroir and the decisions made in the winery. Each bottle is a unique look into its specific vineyard and tasting them side by side will give the wines some perspective on value and individual style. 

Billecart Salmon

For those of you unable to join us this evening at the Waterlot, Geoffrey Loisel of Billecart-Salmon will be with us all day tomorrow at the warehouse pouring a selection of their stylish bubbles. We’ll have several styles open for you to sample, including the Brut Sous Bois, and the superb 2012 vintages of their tête du cuvées, Nicolas-François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon Rosé.

R. Lopez de Heredia

Bodegas López de Heredia is one of the wine world’s great wine treasures. Founded in 1877 by Don Rafael López de Heredia y Landeta, it remains safely in family hands to this day. During its 145 year history, It has gained a well-earned reputation as the stalwart traditionalist of Rioja, producing the same high-toned, ethereal style of Rioja that has enthralled Spanish wine lovers for generations.

Viña Tondonia Reserva is always the most claret-like, elegant, nuanced and complex, with a sense of reserve and structure that really allows it to shine equally well upon release, or after some time in the cellar.

Pouilly-Fumé vs. Sancerre

If there’s one grape variety that draws endless comparisons from different growing areas, Sauvignon Blanc is top of the list. It’s not too difficult for many of us to distinguish between Kiwi Sauvignon Blanc and one from France, but what about within France, specifically in the Loire Valley, where Sauvignon Blanc makes both Pouilly-Fumé and Sancerre? These two appellations within this lush landscape, stand as heavyweights in the world of white wine, and while both are renowned for their precise expressions of Sauvignon Blanc, they offer subtly different experiences that are worth exploring.

Both are dry white wines with a pronounced mineral nuance. Sancerre typically has a lean body with vibrant acidity with crisp notes of citrus flavors with hints of a freshly mown lawn. In contrast, Pouilly-Fumé, has a more fuller body, with aromas leaning towards stone fruits and red apple, sometimes with a floral or flinty note.

Champagne Bollinger

For those of you unable to join us this evening at The Loren, we’ll have Morgane Renaud from Champagne Bollinger on hand tomorrow at the warehouse to tell you everything you’ve ever wanted to know about this luxurious Champagne house accompanied by a glass or two of their exquisite bubbles.

Domaine Bertagna

Eva Reh from Domaine Bertagna in Vougeot has a wonderfully diverse range of appellations across the Côtes de Nuits and is making some of the region’s most compelling wines. While they are perhaps best known for their elegant, silky red wines, they also produce one of the world’s rarest white wines – Vougeot Blanc – which we managed to secure a small allocation.

Spanish Whites

While Spain’s red wines, like Rioja, Ribera del Duero and Priorat, often steal the limelight, Spanish white wines are hidden gems. They span a broad spectrum of styles, from crisp and aromatic Albariño, to the elegantly perfumed Godello, and the rich and complex Viura. Plus, they’re often of great value for the quality, making them an ideal choice for those looking for something different beyond Sancerre and Chablis.

Chilled Summer Reds

While red wine is usually served at room temperature – in Bermuda especially, it can still be a touch too warm – there’s a growing appreciation for the energy and vibrancy that a slight chill can unlock in certain styles, so the Two Rock team has chosen a dozen reds for you to enjoy over the summer months, and served slightly chilled (20 to 30 mins in the fridge), will elevate their flavors and make them even more thirst-quenching and attractive.

Schloss Gobelsburg

This Saturday we’ll be sampling a range of Rieslings and Gruner Veltliners from one of Austria’s leading producers. The wines of Schloss Gobelsburg make a superb addition to any collection – often left to ripen longer than many of their neighbors – these are wines of significant substance. They always demonstrate a richness and opulence, but the hallmark Gobelsburg acidity balances the richness beautifully and the wines are textured, complex and full.

It’s one of the oldest wineries in Austria and an historic monastery, which has had vineyards as part of the estate since the 12th century. The estate is now run by Michael Moosbrugger, who is also the man leading the Austrian vineyards’ quality classification, and he very much leads by example.

Sauvignon Blanc

As we’re sliding into the warmer months we thought we’d dedicate this Saturday’s sip to the summer’s all time favorite grape, Sauvignon Blanc. For many, it’s considered to be the definitive summer white and It’s undoubtedly the most popular grape variety on the rock by a considerable margin with the Loire Valley and Sancerre in particular being most people’s go to region. The best Sauvignon Blanc wines come from cooler climate regions and we’ve selected for this Saturday’s sip wines from France, naturally, but also New Zealand, South Africa, Australia and the US. The varietal expression from these countries is incredibly diverse but a common thread in all these wines is that they are vibrant, fresh, pure and zesty in their own way and tick all the boxes for ideal sunshine wines.

Our Favorite Rosés

A chilled glass of rosé on a warm summer’s day is one of life’s great pleasures. From the pure Pinot Noir-based wines of Burgundy to the full bodied, the fruit forward Rhône blends of Tavel and Bandol, and the cherished, sun-kissed quenchers of Provence, there’s a rosé for every occasion. 

Canalicchio di Sopra

Francesco Ripaccioli is one of Montalcino’s most dynamic and progressive young winemakers working in Montalcino today. His grandfather Primo Pacenti founded the estate in 1962 and in 1967 Canalicchio di Sopra became one of the twelve founders of the Consorzio del Vino Brunello di Montalcino. The estate’s 19 hectares to the northeast of the town are split between the enviable Montosoli and Canalicchio vineyards which offer high altitude coolness, unique exposure, and a selection of varied microclimates, enable Francesco to produce some of the finest expressions of Sangiovese marked with their signature purity, energy and understated power. 

Hamilton Russell

For the past 25 years, Hamilton Russell’s incredibly successful Burgundian-style wines have set the standard of quality and class for South African wine. Located in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley region, Hamilton Russell occupies one of the most southern estates in Africa and with vineyards only a couple of kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean, it provides ideal conditions for producing understated and restrained Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Anthony Hamilton Russell and his wife, Olive, are solely dedicated to expressing the vineyard’s personality in all of their wines. Extremely small yields mean that they keep demand high and the unmistakable elegance of the wines highly individual.