Last year we decided that in 2013 we were going to have a stand at Prowein for our educational brand Spanish Steps. The brand is designed to take you on a vinous journey through some of Spains lesser known regions, in this vision inparticular the wines in the range come from 5 areas within Castilla Y leon. The 5 DO's are; Rueda, Bierzo, Arribes, Toro and Ribera del Duero.

So we decided to take the plunge at Prowein purely because we wanted to reach out to an international target market, mainly to larger multiples and retailers who could promote this exciting brand. Here are some photos and a running commentary of our trip.

So living in Essex we decided to take the exciting route over to the show by getting the overnight Stena Line ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland. We were transporting the wine ourselves so it made sense. The crossing was enjoyable apart from the horrendous winds and humongous waves which tossed you around your cabin from midnight until 5am when we had to get up :/

We woke feeling fresh as a daisy...... our departure from the ferry was quick and efficient in true Dutch style and we set off to set up at Prowein Dusseldorf. After navigating the system of deliveries and set up we had the stand complete and looking fantastic, not bad for our first attempt. The show was good and very enjoyable, we had lots of appointments booked on the stand which was great because the general footfall was not huge in our part of the Spain hall. We made some new contacts so we are pleased overall with the show.

In the evenings we managed to drink our bodyweight in local beer, in the local brewery's. They are simply the 'place to go' so it would be rude not to! Always bumping into familiar faces we enjoyed beers and food with many friends from accross the globe. It really does bring everyone closer together, friends united in a foreign land. If you have ever been to a brewery in Dusseldorf you will know how it is, hustling, bustling and busy, beers are plonked down on you table by uber efficient waiters who know when you are thirsty and they mark your tab on your beermat.

Below are some photos taken at our favourite brewery Schlussel...

Business cards are on order (because of new email addresses), so we've decided to put the QR code on the cards too.

Situated just opposite the bustling hub that is Liverpool Street Station, and tucked away on New Street, it's a chilled out safe haven for any wine lover! The concept of the shop is great, because not only do they have fridges and shelves full of the worlds wonderful wines but also an array of wooden tables and chairs where you can sit and relax. The New Street Wine Shop offers corkage of £8 on any bottle purchased in the shop and serves wines by the glass, which you can sip at in the warmly lit venue. If you're feeling peckish, which most people are once they have had a glass or two, they offer a wonderful menu of charcuterie, cheeses and nuts. If you haven't been there, you really must go and check it out for yourselves. A perfect place to meet friends after work or to kill some time when you're waiting for a train.....  http://www.newstreetwineshop.co.uk/

Left: Menu for mixed plates of Charcuetrie and cheese.

Right: A nice glass of Southern French red, and a plate of delicious salami, and Jamon...with bread! Heavenly it was!

Below: A snap shot of the bar area where the food and drinks are prepared by specially trained staff.

Duncan Murray Wines Tasting (Market Harborough)- 19 October - Click here

Tesco Wine Fair (Edinburgh) - 20/21 October - Click here

Tesco Wine Fair (London) - 27/28 October - Click here

The Wine Gang show (London) - 3 November - Click here

The Butchers Arms (Priors Hardwick) - 20 November - Click here

Three Wine Men consumer tasting - 8/9 December - Click here

CHEERS!!!

Our next stop after Quinta de Gomariz was Cazas Novas, again in the Vinho Verde region in the Baião area. It boasts outstanding views accross the valley, and a small watchtower with a hammock where we enjoyed a Superbock before lunch. The estate is owned by Carlos Coutinho and the house at the centre of the beatifully pruned gardens is also a guesthouse for visitors to the area. The house also has a pool, which is a basic essential in any Portuguese summer. The wine we take from here is a delicious white wine called Cazas Novas made from two varieties - Arinto and Avesso. It's crisp, zingy and full of citrus.

After lunch we headed to the Douro where we were off to stay the evening at the wonderful Quina Nova estate, about 20 minutes along some precarious backroads from Pinão. The estate is magnificent, and was originally owned by Burmester - a traditional Port house. The Amorim family took over in 1999 and turned it to a winery which made table wines as well as Port and created stunning hotel accommodation too. The whole estate is planted on the steep terraced slopes of the Douro, with schist soils made up of granite and limestone. The site is very hot and dry which gives the Quinta Nova wines their typical Douroesque style. Before dinner we even managed a brief, and much needed dip in the pool.

 Arriving on Sunday 15th July on an evening flight we woke up fresh and early to begin our trip on Monday morning heading straight into Vinho Verde. First stop was Quinta de Gomariz in Ave, where we met up with Vitor Mendes for a tour of the winery and vineyards. The site is lush and green with vineyards full of Alvarinho, Loureiro and much more, with the Espadeiro variety trained high on canopies around the circumference of the vineyards. When inside Vitor showed us the proud selection of trophies that they have achieved over the years - the most impressive selection I must say. We then tasted the wines which lived up to their achievements and tasted a delicious sparkling Alvarinho which is a new venture that the winery are working on....

Here are some photos of the stand from the three day show.

From Portugal; Falua, Duorum, Joao Portugal Ramos, Sanguinhal, Casal Branco, Lusovini, Quinta de Sant'Ana, Sabe, Quinta Nova

From Spain; Valsanzo, Arroyo Family vineyards, Monte la Reina, Adegas Altameira, Arribes del Duero

From Brazil; ViniBrasil

Come and See us on stand G4...

To book an appointment email us at oakleywine@btconnect.com

In February Cube Communication were announced the new UK office for Wines of Portugal, they are an excellent company with a great track record already in the wine industry. We got to know the team when they were organising the Tesco Wine Fairs last year, and they are a great bunch. The first Wines of Portugal show took place in February at Lords, and saw a record turnout of Portuguese producers and the new POS looked excellent. Here are some photos of the day.

The next big show was the Annual Wines of Spain show at Old Billingsgate, this was a great event and we showed our modest Spanish range including our educational brand Spanish Steps. Here's a photo of our stand - we managed to misplace our new banners we had created so it was a bit bare - but less is more I say.

The Next show we attended was Prowein in Dusseldorf. Nick has visited before but for Charlotte this was a first, it was huge and the wine choice was out of this world. We had a lot of our producers from both Spain and Portugal exhibiting, and also our Brazil partners ViniBrasil. The show was spectacular, here are some photos from the days we were there.

Nick visiting the ViniBrasil stand

Charlotte drinking Weissbier!

                                    The Portugal stand at Prowein - showcasing all of the new Wines of Portugal POS.

All in all it's been a very busy year so far, but we are not complaining. Nick and Janes trip to Brazil blog will be coming soon so watch this space.....