MORE IN MORPETH ARTICLE – Spring 2024
At G&G the start of each year always brings a moment of reflection as we look back on the previous 12 months and identify the areas where the business is performing well, and what areas we could do better at.
So, you can imagine my delight when looking back we found that wines that had performed very strongly for us were from our Aussie and NZ range.
You may ask why I was so pleased about that?
Well, firstly, some of you may know that Australia was the country that inspired me to come into the wine industry. It was my visits there that gave me the encouragement to take the jump (and the pay cut. There’s no money in this game!) and seek a new career in an area that I was passionate about. Wines such as Torbreck’s GSM (£21.00 at G&G), Vasse Felix Chardonnay (£30.00), and Yalumba Viognier (£18.50) are ever-presents in my wine rack. On special occasion I reach for that bottle of what would be my Desert Island discs luxury item- a bottle of Tyrell’s Vat 1 Semillon (£50.00…not cheap I know. But amazing!). Not only those, but the reasonable priced Corryton Burge Cab Sauv from South Australia (£14.25) is an excellent wine for the price. There’s so many more and I could go on and on and on!
As for NZ, some of you who visit G&G may have noticed one of our team has a certain antipodean twang to their accent. Bryce is a very proud Kiwi who is incredibly enthusiastic about the wines of his homeland- and rightly so! There is nothing like NZ Sauvignon Blanc and it is one of the most popular white wines available at the moment (we recommend Esk Valley Hawke’s Bay for £15.50). However, there is so much to NZ than the zingy, zippy, crisp whites of Marlborough. You’ve got the excellent Rieslings of N. Canterbury, the complex Chardonnays of Hawke’s Bay, and the increasingly popular Pinot Noirs of Central Otago. Not only that, but there is also nowhere, and I mean nowhere in the world can create the velvety rich Syrah’s of the Gimblett Gravels. It is truly unique. Try Trinity Hill Syrah (£30.00) to see what we mean.
But as well as their excellent plonk, it is the antipodean approach to wine which inspires us the most at G&G. Whether you claimed to be an expert on wine or know nothing at all, the guys in the industry who we’ve come across from this part of the world always make you feel appreciated and welcome when talking to them. It is that non-judgemental and inclusive approach that I have looked for us to adopt at G&G. You can walk into our shop knowing nothing at all about wine, but we will do what we can to make you feel at ease and help you out. As far as we are concerned, the only daft question is the one not asked.
So what does the success of our Aussie and NZ range mean for the future? Well, more wines from Australia and NZ and tasting events featuring these two great nations! And believe me, there is so much for us to choose from!
G’day
Mark
