5 Reasons to buy Saint Amans Gin

Anne MacColl-Turpin and Jean-Louis Turpin are artisan producers of grape alcohol based French gin, created, distilled, bottled and shipped from the Saint Amans Gin Barn in SW France.

5 reasons to buy Saint Amans Gin

1. Anne (French-Scottish) and Jean-Louis (French-French) launched Saint Amans Gin in summer of 2019 and have already won Best French Gin and the Bronze Design Awards at the World Gin Awards 2020. The move from Scotland to France last year was for JL to get back to his roots, feel better in mind and body as he has Parkinson’s, and do something he loves from his many years in the food and drink industry.

2. Saint Amans gin normally sells via small distributors in Scotland and in France, to high end bars, hotels, cafes and wine shops. For the months of April and May, we are now selling directly to friends (parce que vous êtes tous nos amis), and friendly wine shops including free shipping to UK and France for a minimum of 6 bottles using our special lockdown/stock-up code – AMIS6

3. Saint Amans Gin is sustainable and circular economy friendly. Made from “grape marc”, the organic by-product from Languedoc grapes.

4. In these times, it feels good to drink delicious gin produced from from 18 natural and organic ingredients from a pollution-free environment in South West France.

5. Loved by French and UK sommeliers, reviewers describe Saint Amans Gin as “smooth, delicious, delicate and complex”. We are proudly French, authentic, premium, gluten-free. We’d love you to try it and we welcome your feedback.

Made with love in Occitanie, South of France, we deliver across France and the UK, from our barn to your door.

Find our shop at www.saintaman.com. Bonne degustation!

5 reasons to buy wine from Dunleavy Vineyards

In our latest 5 reasons post Ingrid Bates of Dunleavy Vineyards in Somerset argues why you should support a really small producer.

"About 70% of my wine is normally sold to restaurants so with all of them closed currently we’ve been trying to spread the word about our offer of free local delivery and now free UK mainland delivery.

I’m lucky to live in a city where people love local produce so as word spreads I am getting quite a few orders locally and across the UK. I am hoping this may change the buying behaviour of people who normally only buy from bigger retailers. It’s fun to try good local wine."

5 reasons to buy from us:

1. Have a direct, positive impact with a tiddly producer. Despite social media appearances, Dunleavy wine is the product of two people; grower and business owner Ingrid & winemaker Steve all based in Bristol/Somerset.

2. Our wines are really good! That should be the first reason or equal first if that’s possible. The proof is in the fact that some of the best restaurants in Bristol, Bath and London normally sell our wine.

3. We try new things and aren’t tied to convention - we have an unusual sparkly red that is amazing.*

4. We aren’t organic but grow as sustainably as we can - we love nature and wildlife (Ingrid has a background in Biology and Entomology).

5. Our wines are fun! We have very cool labels and love sharing our story on social media. You can follow the seasons of our growing year on social media (insta/Facebook/Twitter) as the various stages of the vineyard year pass.

You can order from us online at http://www.dunleavyvineyards.co.uk

and find us on

instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dunleavyvineyards/

twitter: http://twitter.com/DYvineyards

facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dunleavy-vineyards-367937737674/

* I also love their pinot noir rosé FB.

5 Reasons to buy Paso-Primero wines

Paso-Primero is a small family-run company making award-winning wines in the Spanish Pyrenees. Coming from Shrewsbury in Shropshire we might not have expected to fall into the wine industry but since discovering it we’ve definitely made the most of our opportunities.

What we don't have in wealthy benefactors or family estates we more than make up for with a huge amount of passion for what we do. Check out one of our case deals on www.paso-primero.com and see how we’ve achieved that dream.

5 reasons to buy from us:

- You get award winning wines at table-friendly prices.

- We make fruit-forward, approachable, pass-me-another-glass wines which are bright, fresh, young and proud of it!

- You will be supporting a small family business.

- We have exclusive case rates and and can make bespoke orders tailored to suit your tastes.

- Buying direct from the producer means the person who made the wine is packing your case, plus your money goes further!

All of our wines are available on our website and some of our merchants are still selling too including Tanners, Whalley, Country Wines, Vinotopia and Kelder.

You can find us at www.paso-primero.com and @paso-primero on Twitter and @pasoprimero on instagram. Contact us at info@paso-primero.com

And maybe a sixth reason . . . They didn't mention it in their post but Tom and Emma also had to contend with the horrendous floods in Shrewsbury earlier in this year. "Being Shropshire locals we sell most of our wine in the county so we took a hefty blow with the floods and some businesses we work with opened for barely a day before shutting again" says Tom. "Nobody has had a good run but it does feel like we have our fair share to get through in 2020. We launched the business six months before the Brexit vote though so we’re used to dealing with chaos! "

5 reasons to drink Black Chalk English sparkling wine

Hampshire’s Black Chalk is a relative newcomer to the English wine scene. It launched in 2018 and currently produces two vintage English sparkling wines; Classic and Wild Rose. Both wines are small batch and made in the traditional method and are a blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Meunier and Pinot Noir.

Stylistically, purity of fruit is key, along with structure and a complex, balanced palate. The careful use of oak for a proportion of the wines and time on lees helps to develop this complexity.

Winemaker & co-founder, Jacob Leadley sets out 5 reasons why you should support them:

1. Hampshire-based Black Chalk sells much of its two sparkling wines – Black Chalk Classic and Black Chalk Wild Rose – through restaurants and retailers. As a result, we are currently focused on direct to consumer sales and are offering free nationwide delivery on three bottles as well as a free tour & tasting voucher to be used when we are post-COVID 19.

2. Black Chalk is still a relatively new venture, which officially launched less than two years ago. We are currently in the midst of a winery build, which will be ready early summer, in plenty of time for the 2020 harvest. A delayed Grand Opening will be planned for later in the year, and, quite frankly, everyone should be invited…

3. The team is key at Black Chalk, which is retaining all its staff. They will be hard at work either making their own deliveries around Hampshire or in the vineyards which they acquired back in January. Social distancing rules apply.

4. Winemaker & co-founder, Jacob Leadley, is behind the hashtag #theBIGenglishwinegoodfriday, an initiative resulting from a tweet he sent out last Friday: “If every person in the UK that loves English or Welsh wine bought a bottle direct from their favourite producer I think we might secure an entire industry and their workforce on one very enjoyable evening.” #theBIGenglishwinegoodfriday tasting will take place on Twitter at 7pm on 10^th April, with several other English wineries taking part. Just buy a bottle from an English or Welsh producer either direct or from a retailer and tune in.

5. The 2016 is the 2^nd vintage made by Black Chalk – and is now available on line in “Classic” or “Wild Rose” at £35 and £40 respectively: www.blackchalkwine.co.uk. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram @blackchalkwine.

5 Reasons is a free platform for small food and drink producers, importers and retailers to speak in their own words about what they do. See What is 5 Reasons all about? for a fuller explanation.