Description
Well, February flew by quickly didn’t it!?
It was such an exciting month for us; wine trips to France & London plus lots of Scottish tastings. This months wine pack is full of brand new listings that we loved from these recent tastings!
In March we celebrate our 10th birthday!
Chris started Cork & Cask in March 2013, he ran it 7 days a week pretty much single-handedly until the team started to grow in late 2014… it has been going from strength to strength ever since & now we are a team of 7!
With the incredible support from our Marchmont locals we have been able to navigate some tough periods & overcome all the hurdles of recent times.
We know the only reason we have survived 10 years is because of you. So thank you!
As a birthday celebration – We will be offering the chance to win a bottle of Champagne with every order including a March pack!
Good Luck!
The March Wine Pack includes:
Tetramythos Antiphon Red (Greece) –
This is a lovely new release from organic Greek winery Tetramythos who we have stocked for years now. We tasted this in London last week & chatted with the winemaker, we knew it would be a good fit for our shelves. The beautiful label caught our eye too!
Antiphon is a blend of 3 native Greek varieties – Mavrodaphne, Agiorgitiko and Mavro Kalavrytino aged for 5 months on the lees in a variety of vessels including a 5000l wooden foudre & stainless steel. A bright, vivacious wine full of crushed raspberries, cherries, thyme & rosemary on the nose. The blend of grapes & vessels for ageing give bright, fleshy plum flavours with a creamy blackberry finish. This is a medium bodied red with lots of fruit in the glass.
Panagiotis Papagiannopoulos of Tetramythos makes wine in the rugged mountain vineyards of the northern Peloponnese. Working organically with indigenous varieties he crafts vigorous, saline wines from these high altitude sites that are cooled by the sea breezes coming in from the Gulf of Corinth.
The beautifully wild vines are planted in a variety of different soils at altitudes between 650 to 1050 metres. These are true cool climate vineyards mostly north facing on the slopes of Mount Aroania, where breezes from the gulf of Corinth help produce fresh & balanced grapes. Today they farm organically, focusing on the native varieties of Roditis, Mavro Kalavrytino (the ski resort of Kalavryta is just up the road), Agiorgitiko & Malagousia.
Las Orcas Solar de Randez Rioja Reserva 2016 (Spain) –
This organic Rioja was another star from our recent London tasting!
A wonderful Reserva that offers unbelievable value. It has a nose of dark plums, cedar & hints of tobacco, on the palate it is beautifully elegant & light on its feet. Incredibly balanced & smooth. Aged in French oak barrels for 24 months, plus 16 months of bottle ageing.
Raimundo Abando of Bodegas Las Orcas used to compete in triathlons at an international level, but now puts all his energy into producing & ageing some very elegant Rioja. He is the 3rd generation of winemakers in his family, dating back to 1900. Most of the production is Tempranillo but he also makes a great-value white from Viura (which we now stock because we loved it!) & some of his wines contain a touch of Graciano to add perfume. The Rioja Alavesa is sheltered from the hotter conditions lower down the Ebro valley by the Cantabrian Mountains, enabling Rai to make wines with higher acidity, lower alcohol & more freshness. We know this will become one of your new favourite wines for all those Rioja fans! One to taste, fall in love with & then treat yourself to another bottle for Easter weekend next month.
Gaintza Txakolina Rosado (Spain) –
It felt like good timing to squeeze a Rosé into the pack for one of those sunny March days that we hope are on the way!
A Rosé is a rare treat, this is made in very small quantities due to the scarcity of the Spanish local red Hondarrabi Beltz grape, a relative of Cabernet Franc grape. Fresh red cherry, raspberry & cranberry flavours are the perfect match for Spring nights.
Txakoli comes from the Basque country on the cool, green Atlantic coast of Spain. Typically it’s a slightly spritzy dry white, with a saline tang, cousin of other Atlantic wines Muscadet & Vinho Verde, it’s a natural partner to the abundant local seafood. This Rose has all of this same flavour profile but with a very pretty pale pink colour & a little red berry added aromatics.
Four generations of the Lazkano family have produced & sold Txakoli. José Antonio, grandfather of the current owners, used to make wine at home for family consumption & to sell locally, until they set up the Gaintza cellar in 1923. The family have a deep respect for their land & the local traditions but they’re also looking ahead, adopting modern technology where the wines benefit. They own 25 hectares of vineyards bathed by the fresh Cantabrian sea air resulting in wines of immense freshness.
El Camaron Albarino (Spain) –
Another brand new Spanish bottle to the shop! We know you love Albariño so it is nice to bring a new one in just in time for those Spring/Summer Scottish Seafood BBQ’s!
Capturing the purity of Albariño, with citrus, nectarine, minerality & saline notes throughout. The palate is light & fresh yet offers underlying depth & texture.
Vineyards are very close to the raging Atlantic which infuses the wines with characteristic salinity & lively acidity, whilst the granite soils create incredible depth of flavour, making it the perfect match with seafood & inspiring the name, El Camarón (Spanish for shrimp).
Cantine Rallo Vicoletto Orange Wine (Sicily) –
This has been a very popular wine since last year, we tasted the new vintage last week here in Edinburgh & it was even better than before!
This organic orange wine is a bright yellow/orange & hazy in colour thanks to the natural approach to winemaking, with no stabilisation, fining or filtration which results in a wine with very low sulphur levels.
The bouquet is a wonderful mix of citrus, grapefruit, apple & white flesh fruits with a hint of Mediterranean blossom. Catarratto is a very widely planted Sicilian variety that has a lovely sunny citrus fruit element to it combined with a little spice & grip from the skin contact.
Working organically, the Vesco family focus on creating fragrant crisp Catarratto & perfumed fresh Nero d’Avola from their hillside vineyards. These vineyards are certified organic & are nestled high up in the hills south of Alcamo to take advantage of the slightly cooler temperatures, even in the Sicilian sunshine.
Santhiago Real Companhia Red Blend (Portugal) –
This is a great value & delicious Portuguese red from just outside Lisbon. We have been looking to expand our Portuguese wine range so this is the first of many new additions you should pop in to find out more!
The iconic Real Companhia Velha is the oldest wine company in Portugal, with a history of over 260 years of port production.
This red is made from a selection of the best Cabernet Sauvignon, Alicante Bouchet, Aragonez & Trincadeira was carefully picked from Santhiago Vinyards to make this fantastic wine. The selection of grapes was carried out in the vineyard first, transported to the winery in small boxes where a second selection was done before vinification. All vineyard work is carried out in as sustainable manner as possible.
Richly fruited, with juicy dark berries, a hint of spice & wild herbal notes, giving lift & freshness to the wine. An approachable & easy drinking style, with an elegant structure, firm well-balanced tannins & defined, refreshing acidity.
T’s & C’s:
This competition is for the chance to wine 1 X bottle of 750ml champagne.
It is open to over 18’s only.
Purchases that qualify for entry have to include the March Wine Pack & be purchased in the month of March 2023.
We will choose the winner from all the customers who have purchased a March wine pack on March 31st.
Each order including a March wine pack will count as one entry.
Delivery will be free within the Edinburgh bypass. Delivery charges outside of Edinburgh may apply.
The champagne will be delivered in first week of April 2023.
