Newsletter Spring 2007

Dear Wine Lover,

Our Thanks
Thank you for your support over the last few years. We look forward to sharing some more exciting finds with you in 2007. We start with a favourite area of Harlequin Wines: Alsace. Now is the time to stock up with these well-crafted wines.

That Knee
Many of you have asked about the operation on my knee in October. I was able to visit Germany & Alsace to buy you some new wines. Having a driver gave me a relaxed journey and a different view on the regions of Franconia & Alsace. Similar help was forthcoming to deliver the Christmas orders to you, our customers.

Current Offer
Following our last trip it is appropriate that this offer should feature Alsace. Stocks of wine from one of our favourite regions had been getting low. Our newest supplier is the Domaine of Claude and Christophe Bléger, an independent family winemaker in Orschwiller. Not quite fully organic but going that way. Two young brothers continue the tradition of wine made in large oak casks in traditional ways.

J-J Loberger continues to produce a Riesling that delights the palate as an aperitif or to accompany a fish course. The Pinot Blanc is such good value too.

Our final supplier A Scherer provides two rich wines to complete a varied and superb Mixed Case offer.

See our website www.harlequinwines.co.uk for our complete list of new wines.

Future
Having just returned from the Angers Wine Fair in the Loire I am visiting central Italy at the beginning of March to search for new wines that will appear on our List this year.

Happy drinking

Martin Bayne
Harlequin Wines

Christmas Newsletter ‘06

Dear Wine Lover,

Winter is approaching; it is time for special celebrations, and cosy nights indoor.

Why not buy a Christmas mixed case of specially selected red and white wines? With at least six different wines from Franconia, Alsace, Loire, Maconnais and Languedoc.

To the value of £79.95 or £99.95

At the same time we can offer 2 or 3 bottle gift carriers for that ideal present at Christmas.

One bottle each, specially selected Red and White £14.50 includes carrier

One bottle each, specially selected Red, White and Rose £21.50 includes carrier

Please use the order form overleaf and note that orders from LS, HG, YO and DN postcodes received before the 20th will be guaranteed delivery before Christmas. If you need more information please telephone before you order.

With your support Harlequin Wines continues to grow. We have increased the variety of wines on our list and hold more stock than ever before. We hope you will appreciate different and exciting wines in 2007. At this festive season may we wish all our customers a very Happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year.

Martin Bayne
Harlequin Wines

Hot Summer Offer 2006

Dear Wine Lover,

Having recently returned from the south of France with wines that include a dry white, a rose and a fruit driven red, these three form our fantastic summer offer at £5.95 per bottle.

Domaine La Grangette Picpoul de Pinet L’enfant Terrible 2005
Dry white wine, pale gold with a hint of green. The bouquet is fine, elegant, fruity and floral with perfumes of hawthorn and lime. Rich creaminess, sharp and fresh on the palate, and a balanced harmony between acidity and roundness
Ideal as an aperitif or with fish and shellfish.

Chateau Coupe Roses Minervois AOC Rosé 2005
For another of our wines we have chosen a delicious rose from old friends in La Caunette. Françoise and Pascal have produced a marvelous Minervois we have featured in the past. This summer we offer a delightful rose produced from parcels of vines in the mountains of Haut Minervois (200-350metres high)
Bursting with summer fruits of strawberries and raspberries. From a blend of 40% Grenache, 20% Syrah, 40 Cinsaut

Chateau la Sauvageonne "Les Ruffes" Coteaux du Languedoc 2004
This is the winery's basic bottling, an unoaked blend of 40 percent Syrah, 30 percent Grenache, 15 percent Cinsaut and 15 percent Carignan. Dark cherry-red in colour, it offers rustic but appealing scents of plummy fruit and the "garrigues" herbal blend of Southern France. Sweet red-fruit and earth over crisp acidity and smooth tannins come together in what may be one of the best under £6.00 French reds on the market.

12 Bottle case comprising:
4 Bottles La Grangette Picpoul de Pinet
4 Bottles Ch. Coupe Roses Rosé
4 Bottles La Sauvageonne Les Ruffes

Offer Price £69.95

Please use the order form overleaf for the above and add some favourites you may have tasted before.

Martin Bayne for Harlequin Wines

Spring 2006

Dear Wine Lover,

This offer of a case of 12 features a vineyard in Languedoc which has long been a favourite of Harlequin Wines. While usually featured with other suppliers in this part of southern France we have decided to major on Chateau Coupe-Roses from this little village of La Caunette.

Château Coupe Roses is a very old domaine located in La Caunette, high on the cliffs in the northeasterly part of the Minervois appellation of the Languedoc. It has been in the hands of the de Calvez family since 1614, but Francoise de Calvez and her husband, Pascal Frissant, have been in control since 1987. Together they have revitalized the estate.

Their vineyards are in Le Causse, the zone situated on a plateau around the villages of Minerve and La Caunette. La Causse refers to exposed rock and garrigue. At 750 to 1,350 feet above sea level, this is the highest region in Minervois. Nights are relatively cool and the growing season is the longest in the appellation. The wines have excellent acidity and freshness, without any of the overripe character that plagues many Languedoc wines.

Pascal uses no fertilizer. He employs “soft” farming methods He has very old vines that are well exposed to the sun. They get low yields to concentrate the flavours specific to the soil. Some of the wines are not even filtered nor fined.

The Granaxa from this domaine came to the attention of Parker in 2002. His verdict on the 2001 was that it was dense and very concentrated, having a complex nose of black and red ripe fruits with pepper, cloves cedar and coffee. It was sweet and full flavoured with fine silky tannins linked to liquorice and violets.

This has been one of our favorite domaines for a number of years now. If you haven't tasted any of the wines from Coupe Roses, this is an excellent place to start! These are wines that makes you want to buy all there is and it still wouldn't be enough. All are of extraordinary good value. For more information go to www.coupe-roses.com

Martin Bayne for Harlequin Wines

Summer 2005

Dear Wine Lover,

Our Thanks

Thank you for your support over the last few years. We look forward to sharing some more exciting finds with you in 2005. We start with a favourite area of many but new to Harlequin Wines: Burgundy. Now is the time to stock up with these well-crafted wines.

News

Harlequin Wines continues to grow. Our expanding range is listed on our website. www.harlequinwines.co.uk If you do not have Internet access, please phone for a paper copy to be sent to you by mail.

Our investment in our own purpose-built temperature-controlled wine store allows us to keep wines in perfect condition during this hot summer weather. We have many wines aging to improve before we offer them to you. We can also hold greater stock, enabling us to supply your repeat orders.

Half-time

Many of you have asked about half bottles. We have white, rose and reds available from some of our producers.

£10 off any order

To increase the awareness of Harlequin Wines, we will offer a Voucher worth £10 to anyone who recommends a friend, who then makes a first-time purchase from us. When they place their first order, you will receive a £10 voucher to spend on any of our wine offers.

Please send your name and address, and the name and address of the person you are recommending, to info@harlequinwines.co.uk

24.02.05

Dear Customer,

Now in its fifth year, Harlequin Wines continues to grow: we offer a much greater variety of wines - all from passionate and dedicated producers. Our newly built, temperature-controlled storage facility enables us to offer you dozens of great vintages all year round.

Last year we were delighted to introduce you to many super wines months before their discovery and recommendation in the national press and wine journals.

Remember we personally visit every winemaker whose wine we sell, ensuring we remain your link from the vineyard to your door. Look at the attached stock list. For further information about these wines please consult our previous selections (see links above).

Please take this opportunity to try some different wines and return your order form and payment without delay.

If you would like to discuss any of the wines please call. If I am unavailable I am happy to call you back at a convenient time.

Looking forward to your response.

Yours sincerely

Martin Bayne

Languedoc Autumn '04

Winter is approaching, a time for special celebrations, and cosy nights indoors.
This season, we have selected three Languedoc wines from the one of the best vineyards in the region. La Sauvageonne is a wild place with rocky red soils and steeply sloping vineyards.

"Mine are the highest vineyards in the Languedoc," claims Gavin Crisfield, winemaker of La Sauvageonne with vineyards up to 400 metres, scoured by a cleansing wind; Gavin runs his estate along biodynamic principals.

Formerly a sommelier in the UK he determined that the life of a vigneron was his heart's desire and searched for several years before finding the dramatically beautiful estate of Sauvageonne in 2001. The search for the best terroir to express the character and quality of the region took York-based businessman Fred Brown and his winemaker 2 years. With a passionate belief in not using chemical herbicides or pesticides and a rigorous approach to concentrating the grapes on the vine through pruning, Gavin produces wines of depth and character that reflect their 'terroir'.

Numerous wine critics have spoken at length about the beautifully crafted wines Gavin has produced.

Wine of the Week 25th November 2003, 'very rich and satisfying (without being absurdly heady), a great bottle to cheer a dark night.' jancisrobinson.com

"Soft and rich with clinging tannins." 16 points - Malcolm Gluck 'superplonk' - The Guardian UK.

Wines of the week Aug 14th 2004 - Jonathon Ray, Daily Telegraph UK

Les Ruffes 2002

wine produced on volcanic soil.
Varietals: 40% Grenache, 30% Carignan, 20% Syrah, 10% Cinsault.
Yield: 25-30 hl/ha.
Terroir: Ruffes, Grit and Schist.
Harvest / Vines: Shoot selection, green harvest, leafs pulled, harvested by hand.
Wine making: De-stemmed, short and warm fermentation, three weeks on skins.
Ageing: Tank.

Pica Broca 2002

wine produced from a particular schisteous parcel of land
Varietals: 50% Syrah, 35% Grenache, 15 % Carignan.
Yield: 27 hl/ha
Terroir: Grit / Schist.
Harvest / Vines: Shoot selection, green harvest, leaf pulled, harvested by hand.
Wine making: De-stemmed, daily pigeage (cap punching), three weeks on skins, malolactic in barrel.
Ageing: Tank (30%) and Oak (25% new).

Puech du Glen 2001

a wine produced from the highest part of the vineyard.
Varietals: 90% Syrah, 10% Grenache.
Yield: 15-20 hl/ha.
Terroir: Schist.
Harvest / Vines: Green harvest, leaf pulled, harvested by hand.
Wine making: De-stemmed, cold soak (3days), daily pigeage (cap punching), four weeks on skins, malolactic in barrel.
Ageing: 100% Oak (70% new).

Enjoy the above and look out for our special Christmas Offers. In 2005 wines from Burgundy, Beaujolais, The Rhone and the Loire in future offers from Harlequin Wines.

Dear Wine Lover,

Our Thanks

Thank you for your support over the last year. We look forward to sharing some more exciting finds with you in 2004. We start with a favourite area of ours: Alsace. Now is the time to restock after the Christmas and New Year revelries.

News

Harlequin Wines continues to grow. To accommodate our expanding range, we have invested in our own purpose-built temperature-controlled wine store. This allows us to keep wines in perfect condition for your benefit and enjoyment. We can also hold greater stock, enabling us to supply your repeat orders.

£10 off any order

To increase the awareness of Harlequin Wines, we will offer a Voucher worth £10 to anyone who recommends a friend, who then makes a first-time purchase from us. When they place their first order, you will receive a £10 voucher to spend on any of our wine offers.

To take advantage of this offer, please use one of the following links to open a printable order form in a new window, and send the printed, completed form to us by fax or post (details on the form). Two alternative formats are provided for your convenience.

Adobe Acrobat pdf format (recommended)

Microsoft Word format

Dear Wine Lover,

Our Autumn 2003 offer is a combination of Franconian and Loire wines. We at Harlequin believe this is a true European Union - we hope it gets your vote.

The economic climate means times are difficult for wine producers in both countries, production costs are higher in Germany, so good value wines are rare. We have risen to the challenge of finding some excellent exceptions to this rule, from our old favourites: the Schmitts and Castell - featured in our November 2001 Harlequin offer.

Franconia

During our Summer visit to Franconia, we discovered a number of exciting developments. Bruno Schmitt now has his own business of Trockene Schmitt and is working more closely together with his brother Paul, also a winemaker. The younger, innovative brothers continue to be guided by the principles of their late uncle Robert Schmitt, by producing exquisite bone dry white wines. However, some red vines are being planted, so watch this space!

Another new red vine planter is Bernhard Schmitt of Richard Schmitt, who has recently visited Italy and America to study wine-making further. These vines are too young for commercial production yet, but we have tasted the promising beginnings of impressive new products and will keep you informed.

Loire

For the French connection, we chose Domaine Hubert, because of the popularity of the 1997 Bourgeuil we sold in 2002. The Domaine Hubert Vielles Vignes which is produced from a small number of 50-year-old vines, has been expertly aged, allowing the tannins to soften and resulting in exceptionally beautiful cabernet franc characteristics. A serious wine.

Harlequin Wine Tasting Evenings

If the wines featured in this offer have heightened your interest in the Franconia region, let us know and we will hold more of these wines in stock. Some sections of Yorkshire Sommeliers have already enjoyed experiencing more interesting and expensive wines from Europe at our Harlequin Wine Tasting evenings. We would be happy to organise a Wine Tasting for your group, colleagues, or friends; please contact us for more details.

Enjoy exploring these new wines; we look forward to hearing your views.

Dear Wine Lover,

April 2003

Last Easter, we had our first Touraine offer, which was so successful that we sold out very quickly. This February, we returned to visit the Confrerie des Vignerons de Oisly et Thesee. The wines featured in this brochure come exclusively from this one producer, a co-operative with the reputation of being one of the best collective wine producers in the whole of France. The scale of production means that grapes which do not reach the quality reequired are sold on to other wine-makers, enabling the co-operative to achieve a level of constant excellence in every bottle.

A highlight was tasting the just-bottled Sauvignon Blanc 2002 with the Managing Director, Phillipe Angier. Its lemony, zingy taste bowled us over as a "must-have" wine. This wine, we disovered later, had won a gold medal at the Angers wine fair.

We learnt from Phillipe that the harvest last year was under threat due to a wet and cold August in the Touraine. However, September surprised everyone by providing three weeks of perfect growing conditions. The Sauvignon harvest gave a yield on 45/55 hectolitres per hectare, 12% alcohol due to the last three weeks of sun. The acidity was equally concentrated. The subsequent maturation on the lees gave the full Sauvignon Blanc qualities.

Similarly the 2000 reds are now reaching their best potential. The Cot, a Bordeaux grape now returning to fashion, is made in a lighter style than the typical Cahors but fully shows the customary blackberry fruit aroma. The complex Cabernet marries the fruit styles of the Cabernet and Franc grapes to give a full-bodied wine now reaching its best.

Hurry and order these fantastic wines at the superb value prices.

Harlequin Wines

Dear Wine Lover,

Wonderful Winter Warmers

In response to the many of you who have requested some warm fruity red wines, our winter offer features some southern French reds. On a recent visit to Languedoc, one of our favourite regions, our search for good value wines was rewarded in Faugeres and Minervois.

In our search for value and quality we revisited a producer at Chateau Grezan in Faugeres, 20 kilometres north of Beziers in the department of Herault. Both the wines we selected are highly recommended as accompaniment to numerous winter dishes.

At Chateau Coupe Roses, Françoise Le Calvez Frissant and Pascal raise vines and produce wines, with meticulous care and devotion to quality. They have carved out a path with their own particular requirements and convictions. Pascal is attentive to the microbial life around the roots of the vine. He waxes lyrical when explaining about the Schist ground, which the vines have to fight through, in order to grow.

In western Minervois, we visited Chateau Villerambert-Julien and discovered Michel working hard supervising the "pumping over" (remontage is normally done twice a day) to increase the colour extraction during the vinification process of one of the 2002 reds. His vineyard consists of clay and marl to favour the Syrah grape, and slate and schist, which is drier, and favours the Grenache grape. Veins of pink marble occur on the north of the property, a feature that is unique in the world of winemaking. In this extremely mineral soil, only the Grenache can survive, giving wonderfully concentrated wine.

We continue to be impressed with these extremely good wines at great prices available in the Languedoc. What a good idea for those Christmas presents!
We suggest you buy to drink by the fireside or keep for the Christmas celebrations.

If you crave some white wines, we have obtained the last few bottles of the 1999 vintage of Bruno Schmitt's Randersacker Maarsberg Albalonga Spatlese. We would also be happy to supply further Alsace wine from our summer offer.

Please contact us by phone, fax or e-mail. We look forward to hearing from you.

Have a Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year.

Martin Bayne

Dear Wine Lover,

The time to drink excellent wine is here again

Thanks to the many of you who subscribed to our Touraine offer. It was so successful that we sold out, and so our apologies to those of you who wanted to order but were late in applying.

We have recently come back from a visit to the Alsace wine region in Eastern France close to the German border. This has long been a favourite wine-producing area of ours, and we continue to be impressed with its very good wines at great prices.

In our search for value and quality we revisited a small producer in Bergholtz, Domaine Loberger; a name familiar to many who prize the elegant wines produced by Jean Jacques Loberger. We have chosen two of their wines - a charming Riesling produced from old vines, and an equally exciting Tokay Pinot-Gris. Both are highly recommended as accompaniment to food. Buy for the summer celebrations: weddings, graduations, and alfresco parties?

On a recommendation from one of our friends we discovered Vignoble A Scherer in Husseren-les-Chateaux. The Scherer family acquired the chateau in the 19th century and Christophe, the son of Andre and Marie-Anne, maintains the family tradition of handpicked fruit, aging in old oak casks and bottling after 8 months. Our selections are a Pinot Noir and a Grand Cru Gewurztraminer.

Both producers welcome guests to visit. A telephone call prior to the visit is preferred. You might be interested to know that the BBC travel programme on Sunday 7th July will feature Alsace. We would be happy to arrange wine tours of the regions from which we have selected our wines. Already a party of 20 have visited Franconia. For further information please contact us. We would also be pleased to arrange introductions to enable individual visits during your own holidays: again, do not hesitate to ask.

Alsace wines have always been expensive, yet the prices we have obtained for these serious wines will really take some beating. We are looking forward to hearing from you, and don't forget that the best offer is our mixed case.

Martin Bayne

Dear Wine Lover,

I am writing to introduce an exciting development in Yorkshire.

As someone passionate about quality wine myself I have, in recent years, spent a lot of time visiting many of the vineyard regions of Europe. I now wish to share with a wider audience some of my discoveries.

Harlequin Wines has been set up to cater to a select number of like-minded wine enthusiasts. I have found that many mail order companies offer very ordinary wines, and did not cater for people like me who were looking for quality, interest and value for money.

The idea for Harlequin Wines came during a visit to the Franconia Region of Germany, and that is the source of our first offer. It is a region that does not feature very heavily in most wine merchant's lists - why? Because the sales within Germany themselves are extremely high. However, it has taken several visits, and a lot of negotiation direct with the makers, to source a small allocation of superbly made, and attractively presented, wines.

My selection gives a good overview of the style of wine from this delightful part of the world - therefore I particularly recommend the mixed case offer.

I intend to make limited offers from other parts of Europe throughout the course of the year, and am keen to share my discoveries with you.

Ordering cannot be more simple. An order slip is attached to the enclosed leaflet, and I do take credit or switch cards. Delivery will be made shortly after order, but please reply quickly as supply is limited.

For each offer I will send you a leaflet detailing the wines. If for any reason you would prefer me not to write please let me know. However, if you know of anyone else who may be interested in receiving details again please let me know.

Thank you for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you.

Yours faithfully,

Martin Bayne