Wine Club: a summer selection from Tanners of Shrewsbury
I've been in Vienna, drinking Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch like a fish. It's thirsty work being a lush and I also patronised the fabled Loos American Bar rather more often than I should have.
It's such a seductive spot, LAB, and their Corn 'n' Oils are very fine, and I can never resist a very fine Corn 'n' Oil. Heck, I can't even resist a bad one. I should grow up.
It's been a rich diet and, much as I love Austria and its increasingly tasty wines, it was a relief to sample such a wide-ranging non-Austrian selection for this offer from Tanners of Shrewsbury, with the successful seven wines chosen with summer in mind.
The 2022 Hain Piesporter GoldtröpfchenRiesling Kabinett (1) from the Mosel is so lovely and, if like me you spurn hot drinks, you'll find it an ideal mid-morning hydrator. Oh, come on! It's only 8 per cent vol and is so fresh, so easy-going and so full of juicy, off-dry apple and herbs that it's perfect. I'd choose this over Earl Grey any time. £14.50 down from £15.50.
The 2023 Tanners White Burgundy (2) has been on Tanners' list for yonks, so beloved is it. Made by the excellent Cave de Viré cooperative near Mâcon, it's soft, smooth and elegant, with subtle touches of butter encircling the white stone fruit and apple. It's so classic and so good. You could pay half as much again for a better-known name and get half the pleasure. £14.50 down from £15.90.
If you prefer your Chardonnay sans any oak (not that the wine above has much), the 2022 House of Certain Views Unwooded Chardonnay (3) will be right up your street. From the celebrated Andrew Margan in Australia's Hunter Valley (he learned his trade in Bordeaux and then with Tyrell's), it's cool fermented in stainless steel allowing the fresh lemony, melony flavours which finish crisp and dry to really shine. It's a class act. £14.50 down from £15.60.
The 2022 Gouguenheim Malbec Reserve (4) also boasts an exhilarating freshness so typical of the high-altitude wines grown and made in Mendoza, Argentina. With violets on the nose and wonderful, rich, ripe hedgerow fruit in the mouth, finishing with hints of both chocolate and beef tea, it's a cracking wine that begs to be brought out with the barbecue. £14.50 down from £16.20.
Seven wines from Tanners of Shrewsbury chosen with summer in mind
The 2023 Saint Antonin 'Les Jardins' Faugères (5) is my wine of the offer. It's impeccably made and has everything I love about reds from the Languedoc. An organic blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan, it's full of rich, almost sweet dark berry fruit, hints of herbs, liquorice and spice, and although the tannins are soft as anything I found myself almost chewing it in the mouth. Gosh it's good. £14.50 down from £15.50.
The 2022 Castillo Monjardín Pinot Noir (6) is that rarity, a Pinot Noir from Spain, of all places specifically from the foothills of the Pyrenees in Navarra. I wasn't expecting much but, goodness, one sip and I was all over it. Produced from vines skirting the Camino de Santiago, it's crammed with ripe cherry fruit cloaked in the gentlest of tannins. It's rich and juicy and very drinkable. £14.50 down from £15.80. Finally, just because I enjoyed it so much and because it's brand new to Tanners' list, we've the Tanners Traditional Method English Sparkling (7), made expressly for them in the south of England by… well, they're very coy about this and won't say. The label credits Rolling Green Hills, a mysterious producer who make a number of other fizzes too. But it matters not who it is because it's a gorgeous sparkler – apple-fresh with touches of toast and cream – made in the Champagne Method from the champagne grapes and with Mrs Ray away visiting her mother, I delighted in seeing off the bottle on my tod with ease. £25 down from £27.50.
Wines 1-6 are offered in any combination you wish (8). All said wines have club prices of £14.50, so whatever its composition, the mixed case will be £174. Wine 7 is offered in pairs and as an addition to any mixed dozen of the still wines at the online checkout. Delivery, as ever, is free to UK mainland.
Order online today or download an order form.
To find out more about our Winemaker Lunches, Masterclasses and Wine Tours, visit spectator.co.uk/tastings.
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Spectator
a day ago
- Spectator
Wine Club: a summer selection from Tanners of Shrewsbury
I've been in Vienna, drinking Grüner Veltliner, Zweigelt and Blaufränkisch like a fish. It's thirsty work being a lush and I also patronised the fabled Loos American Bar rather more often than I should have. It's such a seductive spot, LAB, and their Corn 'n' Oils are very fine, and I can never resist a very fine Corn 'n' Oil. Heck, I can't even resist a bad one. I should grow up. It's been a rich diet and, much as I love Austria and its increasingly tasty wines, it was a relief to sample such a wide-ranging non-Austrian selection for this offer from Tanners of Shrewsbury, with the successful seven wines chosen with summer in mind. The 2022 Hain Piesporter GoldtröpfchenRiesling Kabinett (1) from the Mosel is so lovely and, if like me you spurn hot drinks, you'll find it an ideal mid-morning hydrator. Oh, come on! It's only 8 per cent vol and is so fresh, so easy-going and so full of juicy, off-dry apple and herbs that it's perfect. I'd choose this over Earl Grey any time. £14.50 down from £15.50. The 2023 Tanners White Burgundy (2) has been on Tanners' list for yonks, so beloved is it. Made by the excellent Cave de Viré cooperative near Mâcon, it's soft, smooth and elegant, with subtle touches of butter encircling the white stone fruit and apple. It's so classic and so good. You could pay half as much again for a better-known name and get half the pleasure. £14.50 down from £15.90. If you prefer your Chardonnay sans any oak (not that the wine above has much), the 2022 House of Certain Views Unwooded Chardonnay (3) will be right up your street. From the celebrated Andrew Margan in Australia's Hunter Valley (he learned his trade in Bordeaux and then with Tyrell's), it's cool fermented in stainless steel allowing the fresh lemony, melony flavours which finish crisp and dry to really shine. It's a class act. £14.50 down from £15.60. The 2022 Gouguenheim Malbec Reserve (4) also boasts an exhilarating freshness so typical of the high-altitude wines grown and made in Mendoza, Argentina. With violets on the nose and wonderful, rich, ripe hedgerow fruit in the mouth, finishing with hints of both chocolate and beef tea, it's a cracking wine that begs to be brought out with the barbecue. £14.50 down from £16.20. Seven wines from Tanners of Shrewsbury chosen with summer in mind The 2023 Saint Antonin 'Les Jardins' Faugères (5) is my wine of the offer. It's impeccably made and has everything I love about reds from the Languedoc. An organic blend of Syrah, Grenache and Carignan, it's full of rich, almost sweet dark berry fruit, hints of herbs, liquorice and spice, and although the tannins are soft as anything I found myself almost chewing it in the mouth. Gosh it's good. £14.50 down from £15.50. The 2022 Castillo Monjardín Pinot Noir (6) is that rarity, a Pinot Noir from Spain, of all places specifically from the foothills of the Pyrenees in Navarra. I wasn't expecting much but, goodness, one sip and I was all over it. Produced from vines skirting the Camino de Santiago, it's crammed with ripe cherry fruit cloaked in the gentlest of tannins. It's rich and juicy and very drinkable. £14.50 down from £15.80. Finally, just because I enjoyed it so much and because it's brand new to Tanners' list, we've the Tanners Traditional Method English Sparkling (7), made expressly for them in the south of England by… well, they're very coy about this and won't say. The label credits Rolling Green Hills, a mysterious producer who make a number of other fizzes too. But it matters not who it is because it's a gorgeous sparkler – apple-fresh with touches of toast and cream – made in the Champagne Method from the champagne grapes and with Mrs Ray away visiting her mother, I delighted in seeing off the bottle on my tod with ease. £25 down from £27.50. Wines 1-6 are offered in any combination you wish (8). All said wines have club prices of £14.50, so whatever its composition, the mixed case will be £174. Wine 7 is offered in pairs and as an addition to any mixed dozen of the still wines at the online checkout. Delivery, as ever, is free to UK mainland. Order online today or download an order form. To find out more about our Winemaker Lunches, Masterclasses and Wine Tours, visit
Daily Mail
24-05-2025
- Daily Mail
The stunning Portuguese escape that's just 3 hours from London and inspired hit movie Casino Royale
FRIDAY 12pm A 30-minute drive from Lisbon airport and I'm at Penha Longa Resort (from £242, Forget its renowned golf courses, I'm here for the pair of Michelin-starred restaurants and, given its spot in Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, forest walks – plus a monastery. 1.30pm Hammock tested (I have a garden suite), it's Mediterranean tapas time at Arola, in the resort. Port pairings at its artisanal chocolate shop follow. The pastel de nata chocs rock. And the sardine-filled ones? I blame the port for my bravery and verdict: 'Ooh, creamy!' 4pm Time to visit the 14th-century monastery to marvel at its architecture and fancy myself as a monk in its kitchen. Next? An 'hour's walk' to recharge my city-weary soul with the magic of the surrounding natural park. Two hours later I'm back, no longer lost, just exhausted. 7pm At Michelin-starred Lab, the taster menu (from £134) is pure theatre: first up, a ceramic cockerel is moved around a table etched with a map of Portugal – where it stops, regional bites are served. Later, geisha dolls proffer oyster tempura, and cured yolk comes gold leafed. SATURDAY 9am After brekkie it's a 15-minute drive to the Portuguese riviera for a boat tour of Cascais bay. We hear of the town's history as a magnet for European royals and – in the war – spies, including James Bond writer Ian Fleming, who found inspo for Casino Royale here. 12pm On to Cascais's cobbled streets and farmers' market, where crockery, clothes and unfeasibly large tomatoes await. Next – call it my starter! – ice cream at Portugal's best-known spot Santinis, then lunch at the marina's Marisco na Praça to mainline lobster rice (£40 for two). 2pm I've never experienced wind like it – standing at Cabo da Roca, a headland known for its gusts and being Europe's western-most point. I try (and fail) to spy New York across the Atlantic, so head to Boca do Inferno (Mouth of Hell), a cave created by the sea's waves. 7pm Dinner is at the resort's Midori restaurant, Portugal's only Michelin-starred Japanese. Hidden behind a secret door and seating just 18, its Japanese flavours with Portuguese soul warrant a hail of chef's kisses (tasting menu from £134). My usual M&S sushi can't compete. SUNDAY 7am It's early but I can't resist another (short!) walk – just me, birdsong and a few robot mowers out there – before yoga in the meditation garden (above). A massage at the spa, a dip in the pool and, go on then, a round of golf before the airport. Crazy golf, that is.
Scottish Sun
21-04-2025
- Scottish Sun
I visited Europe's cheapest wine destination – with glasses of plonk for £2 and help-yourself fridges on hiking trails
This UNESCO-registered valley is famous for its breath-taking views and pretty villages where you can sip delicious wine for as little as £1.80 WINE NOT I visited Europe's cheapest wine destination – with glasses of plonk for £2 and help-yourself fridges on hiking trails Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) IT sounds almost too good to be true but in this river valley strung like a harp with vineyards, you can eat, and drink, for under £10. Winemakers in these stunning villages with pastel-painted houses even place help-yourself honesty fridges on footpaths. 11 This stunning river valley is a 22-mile stretch of the Austrian Danube called the Wachau, about 70 miles upriver from Vienna 11 Make sure to hike to the Thousand Bucket Mountain, located right by the riverside and featuring benches and a little stone hut on the top 11 Try a platter of Blunz'n, local blood sausage served with grated horseradish, in Spitz 11 Winemakers in the Wachau place help-yourself honesty fridges on footpaths 11 Villages in the valley feature pastel-painted houses Moreover, in season those winemakers run their own improvised taverns in barns and courtyards serving traditional farmworkers' grub washed down with fruity whites priced as little as £2 a glass. This earthly paradise is a spectacular 22-mile stretch of the Austrian Danube called the Wachau, about 70 miles upriver from Vienna. There's nothing secret about this UNESCO-registered valley, but most of its visitors are on Danube cruises intent on Vienna or Budapest, so they get barely more than a glimpse as they come gliding through. The Wachau, and its lip-smackingly fruity Grüner Veltliner wines, deserves a lot more than this. Last year I too was one of those cruise transients. It was during a brief layover by the Wachau's prettiest village, Dürnstein, that I wandered down the riverbank, heard the sounds of clinking glassware, and found myself on a bench in an orchard, drinking a chilled white that seemed impossibly cheap and delicious. I'd just been seduced by my first heuriger, a word which means 'new wine', often drawn straight from the barrel. This one was run by the Leonhartsberger family, quite a coincidence given that crusader Richard the Lionheart had been in Dürnstein, too. Within a couple of months I was back, intent on exploring the Wachau's villages, its hiking trails, and sampling some more bargain wines. There are, apparently, some 250 craftsman winemakers in the valley, their output too small for wider distribution, so they sell instead from their own cellar doors, alongside a variety of local cheeses, hams, sausages and pickles. According to the calendar, key villages like Weissenkirchen had 18 heuriger to choose from, and Spitz had 27, and although they take it in turns to open, I wasn't going to go thirsty. Best travel money options: currency, cards and tips for spending abroad Over the next handful of days, travelling by a mix of rental bike, local bus and train, I managed to visit half a dozen. In Weissenkirchen, for example, I tried a sheep's cheese salad at Trautsamwieser (£5.50, which has a spectacular little terrace just above the village rooftops, and was full of jolly locals getting pie-eyed on wine that cost £1.80 a glass. 11 11 Stunning views after a day spent hiking the Panoramaweg 11 The help-yourself honesty fridges mean you can enjoy a nice glass of wine whilst looking over the Danube In Spitz I tried heuriger Özelt ( where a grumpy waiter brought me a platter of Blunz'n, local blood sausage (£6.50) served with grated horseradish, and the wine came in quarter litres (£3.80). And in heuriger Hamböck ( in the outskirts of Krems, the main gateway to the Wachau, I ordered the grammelschmalzbrot, bread slathered in pork lard and topped with onions and paprika. Thanks to the trusting locals, I was able to watch the sun go down over the Danube, and raise a nicely chilled glass to the departing day It was a lot better than it sounds: the onions gave it crunch, the lard gave it body, the paprika gave it spice, but - as often in these things – the location had extra magic, with a view across the rooftops to where the abbey of Gottweig straddled the hilltop like a baroque fortress. Plus the Grüner Veltliner here cost just £1.80 a glass. But perhaps the best moment was after a day spent hiking the Panoramaweg, up through beautifully tended vineyard terraces into a little side valley by Spitz. I ended up in the evening on a modest hill grandiosely called Thousand Bucket Mountain, so slathered in vineyards that it surely produced far more buckets than a measly thou. Thousand Bucket is spectacularly located right by the riverside, with a couple of benches and a little stone hut on the top. The view was magnificent, but it had another surprise up its sleeve, because inside the stone hut was a fridge filled with bottles of wine, payment for which (by card) was completely honesty-based. Back home, a help-yourself minibar on a hilltop would be ransacked before you could say blood sausage - but not here. Thanks to the trusting locals, I was able to watch the sun go down over the Danube, and raise a nicely chilled glass to the departing day. Everything you need to know about visiting Austria Brits must have at least three months left on their passport from the day they plan to leave the country. Tourists do not need a visa if visiting for up to 90 days in a 180-day period. Make sure your passport is stamped on entry and exit. Travellers may be asked to show hotel booking confirmations and that they have enough money for their stay at the border. Holidaymakers may also need to show proof of insurance. Austria is one hour ahead of the UK. The country uses the euro with around €10 working out to £8.55. Flights to Austria from the UK take roughly 2 hours - depending on the destination. 11 The valley's villages boast incredible vineyards, such as the one in Weissenkirchen 11 The view over the Panoramaweg was magnificent
