It's lashing down rain outside but I'm already thinking of the next BBQ, and what goes well with a good BBQ? Other than sun of course, a nice wine!

Hi All wine lovers,

Check out the latest featured wines from Laithwaites Wine

South Ridge Cuvée Merret 2008

From £16.66 per bottle
Dazzling homegrown sparkling to rival Champagne from Britain’s “King of Fizz”
South Ridge Cuvée Merret - Laithwaites -This does sound good:
Dazzling homegrown sparkling to rival Champagne from Britain's "King of Fizz"
South Ridge Cuvée Merret comes from the estate that won the International Wine and Spirit Competition's World Wide Trophy for Best Sparkling Wine. Owner Mike Roberts is officially the "King of Fizz"! Even Her Majesty popped open a few bottles at her 80th birthday bash in London - preferred choice, not patriotic duty!
Everyone wants this wine - including the French. Several big Champagne houses have made overtures to buy the estate. As Oz Clarke says "British fizz is the closest thing there is to Champagne" - indeed the South Downs boasts the same combination of chalk and clay as Champagne!
Lovely light gold, with a very fine mousse - always a sign of quality fizz - and an elegant, creamy character. Brimful of delicious melon and honey flavours the finish is soft and full. Delicious on its own and with canapés.




Laithwaite Sauvignon Blanc 2010

From £8.99 per bottle
The citrus-charged Sauvignon that sparks a mad scramble for cases with every new release!
Laithwaite Sauvignon Blanc - Laithwaites
The citrus-charged Sauvignon that sparks a mad scramble for cases with every new release!
Read what Tony has to say about his mouthwatering Sauvignon
"The first white wine I ever sold was a pretty terrible, rather yellow Bordeaux Semillon. But then I found a man who had figured out how to make a crisp, fresh, green-hued Sauvignon Blanc; what they called then a 'modern' style of dry white. The late Dominique Guillot de Suduiraud ran INRAT: the Wine Research Institute of Bordeaux. He built himself the first stainless steel winery in Bordeaux and put in the refrigeration which revolutionised white wine making.
From then on I have championed the 'new' Sauvignons of Bordeaux. I brought in the first Aussie Flying Winemakers to 'crisp up' our whites even more but to my surprise I found that a cheeky young local boy we'd hired to help them handle the sometimes stroppy winery staff could make a white I found even better. Turned out he'd trained at Haut Brion: a First Growth that makes a rather good white itself. Ever since 1993, Jean-Marc Sauboua has made my Sauvignon.
We recently opened the new 2010 LSB alongside the Cloudy Bay we'd opened the night before. We were eating a plain grilled bream. Now although CB is without question unmatched for its extraordinary 'vegetal' and even 'animal' flavours, we did feel that the more 'mineral' LSB worked best because it did not drown out the delicate flavours of that fish.
So I can reassure Jean-Marc (who worries about this a lot) that he is still my favourite winemaker! Couple of cases at least, this year, JMS."



Wilson Gunn Pax Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre 2007

From £14.99 per bottle
Spice-filled Aussie red blend handcrafted by Parker-rated winemaker Henry Laithwaite.
Wilson Gunn Pax Shiraz Grenache Mourvedre - Laithwaites Spice-filled Aussie red blend handcrafted by Parker-rated winemaker Henry Laithwaite.

Here's what Tony says about his son's magnificent wine:
"Has aged far better than I think Henry ever expected. I remember he worried a lot about this wine at first. He sold it too cheap I think - for a good bit less than his others. Now, I would love to pour this for one of our friends in the Rhone valley. They'd think it subtle enough to be one of theirs - but where's that hint of mint come from?
Four years have allowed its personality to come out from behind the big fruit and power of its youth. Grapes grown near stands of eucalyptus can sometimes pick up that mint - and a lot of us just love that uniquely Aussie twist.
And there's more than that; elemental hints of the earth - it's a wine to sip slowly all evening and pay attention to. And that's not just a proud Dad talking. We had this with two new season lamb chops. "Perfection," his mother said."



Opi Malbec 2010

From £7.79 per bottle
Exclusive Malbec that’s swept judging boards and secured its place as a true favourite!
Opi Malbec - Laithwaites Exclusive Malbec that's swept judging boards and secured its place as a true favourite!
Here's what Tony has to say about this magnificent Malbec:
"Opi is what his baby sister called Rodolfo Sadler. He's never lost the nickname because it fits perfectly. Such a gentle, shy, smiling, affable man, modest to a fault.
I visited him last month, and for the cameras tried to get him to reveal just how he makes wines so delicious that he has two permanently in our Top 20. He just shrugged and said that he is only making wine the way his family have made it for generations. That is typical of him ... but just not believable. The truth is he has a special gift even if he doesn't know it. Though the laughter in his eyes suggests that maybe he does.
Enjoy this brambly, spicy classic at your next BBQ and open an hour beforehand - Malbec loves to 'breathe' a little. But buy TODAY - Malbec is huge in the US, making UK allocations very precious!"



Andrew McPherson’s The Full Fifteen 2009

From £7.79 per bottle
Full-flavoured, Aussie blockbuster from a New World master – with 15% punch!
Andrew McPherson's The Full Fifteen - Laithwaites Full-flavoured, Aussie blockbuster from a New World master - with 15% punch!

Everything that's great about Australian wine - crammed into one bottle. Big, rich, ripe cherry flavours, full fruit aromas and all backed up with a whopping 15% alcohol. You can almost taste the sunshine in the glass!
This is wine made for enjoyment - by a "no nonsense" innovator who has been working his magic for three decades. Careful ageing in American oak lends a delicious spicy toastiness to the velvety brew. The Full Fifteen is meant to be drunk, it's definitely not for the sniff and spit brigade!
Maximum alcohol, maximum flavour but minimal stocks. The Full Fifteen is not available in any UK supermarkets or on any high street - just from us.



Il Papavero NV

From £6.29 per bottle
An irresistible favourite – look to the Poppy wine for versatility, value, flair and flavour!
Il Papavero - Laithwaites
An irresistible favourite - look to the Poppy wine for versatility, value, flair and flavour!
"If all table wine was this good, we'd never leave the table!" said one leading critic when trying Il Papavero. It's been a chart-topping favourite of yours for years - a wine for all seasons; the silken Italian charmer that everybody adores.
The secret? Papavero maestro Scipione Giuliani selects only the ripest, most flavoursome grapes from the top performing regions of each Italian vintage. It's the best of all worlds - make sure your wine rack is never without some!