Our Top 5 Christmas suggestions for 2017

'Tis the season to be jolly! Here are our top 5 Christmas/New Year wine suggestions.


Gift Packs
Christmas is all about giving after all. We have some great gift packs ready to be sent. We can send to you or to the gift recipient. We can include a personalised note.

We also have digital gift cards at various price points that can be redeemed on line.

Jump on line or give Helen a call on 0260 206 016 or 0414596395 for ideas.

Champagne

Many of us look forward to a glass or two of bubbles with friends and family over Christmas. This one is fantastic. Its being poured in some great restaurants in Australia and around the world.  Its well-priced enough to pour a glass for your family (well maybe!) By the bottle its $56 or save in a six pack.

Rosé
We are thrilled to see the rise and rise of dry rosé. Rosé sales now exceed white wine in France, and it has really taken off in Australia in the last few years. We have 3 lovely rosé wines. 

Chateau Rollan de By 2008

This is a special wine that would go perfectly with turkey and ham and everything festive. It recently out scored the famous Chateau Margaux and Chateau Cheval Blanc (featured in the movie Sideways) in a blind tasting. Both these wines sell for >$1000 per bottle. We heard its being served on Air France business class! This is $59. A special wine to enjoy over the holiday period. Limited stocks. Find it here.

Mixed packs

We have some great mixed packs at various price points with a mix of rose/whites/reds and dessert wines. 

Don't forget we can send to your holiday address. 

Some clever customers have done this in previous years and had a case of their favourites delivered to their holiday accommodation/agents. Brilliant! Click here to buy.

Courier deadlines are approaching so please jump on line and order ASAP.

Whatever you are doing this holiday season, eat and drink well but drink responsibly.

Melbourne French Christmas Market

Next week-end its the Alliance Française de Melbourne French Christmas Market.

Open from 10am to 5 pm Saturday 9 and Sunday 10 December 2017.

Free entry.

Come and see us for a wine tasting, grab some bottles to take home, order some wine for delivery or pick up some gifts. You might find your new favourite French wine!

We will have some great deals for you.

Asparagus and Loire Sauvignon Blanc

One of our favourite things in spring is fresh Asparagus. We are lucky enough to have our own asparagus patch, but the supermarket asparagus is a seasonal treat as well. We love to serve it simply: microwaved, blanched in cold water (to stop it over-cooking), a squeeze of lemon (or lime or orange), a drizzle of good olive oil, Murray Salt and black pepper. Add a grating of parmesan if you are feeling indulgent.

We love it with Domaine Villebois Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley. Read on »

August has become Taste Champagne

Taste Champagne has become one of the premium Champagne events on the Australian wine calendar.

Organised by Tyson Stelzer and BlackEvents, 200 cuvées from 72 Champagne houses will be featured including our own Champagne Jeeper and Achille Princier grower Champagne.

It kicks off this week in Sydney and Canberra to sold out events, followed by Brisbane and Perth. There are still tickets in Melbourne but be quick!

If you are going please come and say hello.

To celebrate this month of Champagne events, we are offering 10% off our range of Champagne. 

Stock up for the spring races and end of year events ahead! Use code CHAMPS10 at the check-out.

Click here to see more.

Brisbane French Festival 2017

DiscoverVin is looking forward to participating in the Brisbane French Festival this week-end. 

Come and say Bonjour at the Wine Pavilion and taste some of favorite French wines from South-West France and the Rhone Valley. We will have some wines available at festival only discounts.

It''s possibly Australia’s biggest French festival – Le Festival – and has released its full programme, promising a weekend in Brisbane of food, wine and French culture like no other.

This year’s festival, from Friday 7 – Sunday 9 July 2017 in South Bank’s Cultural Forecourt, will see the return of festival favourites as well as a host of new French-inspired acts.

The Wine Pavilion returns for the fourth time in 2017, and is be dedicated to French wine, Champagne and spirits.

The Pavilion will welcome visitors in a fashion that has proved very successful during the previous years. Entry to the Pavilion is free for all Festival visitors, allowing everyone to talk to exhibitors and have a look at their products. However, a great way of visiting the pavilion is to buy at the entrance a tasting glass which includes three tasting tickets. The price in only $10 and enables you to sample three of the exhibitors’ wines offered for tasting.

DiscoverVin is able to take orders for delivery after the festival and we are offering great deals during the festival.

This year there is a Wine Bar within the Pavilion. You will be able to buy a glass of DiscoverVin wine. The bar will sell Exhibitors’ wines exclusively. (This is in addition to the French wines including DiscoverVin wines available at the main Festival bar.)

One of the wines we will have to taste, on offer at a special price  and to enjoy by the glass is the new 2015 vintage of Domaine Roche Audran Cotes du Rhone. This is a fabulous grenache/shiraz blend, from an independent producer in a stunning part of the Rhone Valley (below). If you are in Brisbane this week-end, come and have a taste!

Taste the Tour Packs 2017

Get set for the Tour.

It’s that time of year again. It's time to enjoy the legendary Tour de France! Aussie Richie Porte is one of the favourites with team BMC, which will add to the Aussie interest, but who doesn't love the scenery anyway?

You can enjoy the sights of the racing and the stunning scenery whilst enjoying a selection of French wine.

The wines in this 6 pack are sourced from vineyards in Burgundy, Bordeaux, the Rhone Valley, Provence (the home of rosé), Madiran in South West France, and Jurançon in the foothills of the Pyrenees. This year these regions are covered during the final 2 weeks of the race. You can drink each wine when the tour reaches that region, or just enjoy whenever you want, before during or after the Tour! Grab some Tour snacks, turn up the heating and enjoy. Follow the virtual peleton on social media. #tdf #tdf17

These wines (2 whites, 3 reds and a rosé) represent very good value for money and are a great introduction to DiscoverVin’s french wines. And all at a fraction of the price of a ticket to France!

6 wines in the Taste the Tour Pack 2017:

Burgundy (stage 7, July 7) 
Domaine Lupé-Cholet Comte de Lupé, Bourgogne (Pinot Noir ) 2014
Bordeaux region (stage 10, July 11) 
Maison Sichel Sirius Bordeaux Blanc 2014
Madiran – South West France (stage 11, July 12) 
Producteurs Plaimont Madiran Collection, 2012
Jurançon – in the foothills of the Pyrenees (stages 12 & 13, July 13 &14)
Château Jolys, Jurançon Sec, 2014
Rhone Valley (stages 16 & 17, July 18 & 19)
Domaine Roche Audran Côtes du Rhone 2015
Provence (stages 19 & 20, July 21 & 22)
Domaine de la Croix Irrésistible Rosé, cru classé Provençal rosé 2014

For more information click here

In Global Celebration of Chardonnay

Poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning could have been writing about Chardonnay when she penned her famous Sonnet 43: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height.”

On 26 May the whole world will be celebrating that “depth and breadth and height” - because it will be International Chardonnay Day.

And what’s not to celebrate! Chardonnay is the second most planted white wine grape in the world and the fifth most planted grape overall. It is a chameleon among wines. It comes in many flavours and styles and matches so many types of food. 

Party on!

Chardonnay’s endless potential and depth of character has seen it described as “a red wine masquerading as a white.” From the classic, full bodied, oak-aged Chardonnays to the lean, minerality of young, un-oaked styles, to the light and zesty blanc de blancs Champagnes, Chardonnay earns it name as the “king of grapes”.

 

And if that isn’t enough to inspire the gathering of friends to celebrate the joys of Chardonnay on 26 May then consider this. On the flavour and aroma wheel of wine descriptors, its characteristics virtually populate the whole compass. Chardonnay can exhibit fruit flavours such as lemon, apple, pear, pineapple, passionfruit, peach, citrus/lemon zest and fig.  Or floral attributes like honeysuckle, lemon balm, jasmine or apple blossom. It can even be tinged with almond, butterscotch, creamy, oily and waxy notes. And oak-aged Chardonnays can delivery further nuances of vanilla, butter, coconut, baked pie crust, caramelised sugar, crème brûlée and praline

As a French wine importer, DiscoverVin has recently added wines from Burgundy and Champagne to its list of exceptional, independent producers from Bordeaux and South West France.

On International Chardonnay Day it will be party time from the birthplace of Chardonnay in Burgundy, France - to the new world Chardonnays of Australia, New Zealand and the Americas – and everyone is invited.

To celebrate, DiscoverVin is singling out its new Chardonnays from Lupé-Cholet in Burgundy – and the mouth filling Jeeper Grande Reserve blanc de blancs Champagne to be the life of the party.

Domaine Lupé-Cholet Château de Viviers Chablis 2015

 

Domaine Lupé-Cholet Château de Viviers Premier Cru Vaillons Chablis 2014

 

Domaine Lupé-Cholet Comtesse de Lupé BourgogneChardonnay 2014

 

Domaine Lupé-Cholet Mersault 2014

 

Domaine Lupé-Cholet Puligny-Montrachet 2014

Champagne Jeeper Grande Reserve NV

Opening night French FIlm Festival Albury-Wodonga May 5

The Alliance Française of Albury Wodonga is holding its annual French film festival at the Regent Cinemas in Albury on May 5-7, 2017.

The Friday night opening session includes some snacks and a glass of DiscoverVin wine in the ticket price! The movie, a comedy titled Saint Amour, stars Gerard Depardieu. It is apparently, a hilarious road trip around the wine regions of France! 

Be quick to buy tickets as this session usually sells out.

This is one of our favourite events for the year. Hope to see some of our local friends there. 

Champagne Jeeper Dinner and launch event in Adelaide

Announcing a four course dinner with matched Champagnes in Adelaide.

This will be the first time that Champagne Jeeper struts it stuff in SA.

Champagne Jeeper has a great history, follows strict environmental winemaking practices and has unique packaging. But most of all it has an amazing taste! (4 stars in Winestate Magazine)

This will be a memorable night of Champagne and fine food.

Come and try your new favourite Champagne. See eventbrite for tickets.

Burgundy Dinner C'est Bon Brisbane May 12

This will be a special dinner at C'est Bon French restaurant in Brisbane. It features some fine wines from Burgundy from Domaine Lupé-Cholet made by one of Burgundy's best wine makers Albert Bichot. These wines are new to Australia. As well as some premier cru Burgundies, there will be a glass of Champagne on arrival and a rare dessert wine to end. 

Burgundy native and restauranteur Celine Damour and her team have devised a menu of classic regional dishes.

If you love good food and wine then this is a night not to be missed!

Booking details here or phone 07 3891 2008

Sexy Red Comes of Age

Style magazine has written about our NEW Beaujolais-Villages...

Read more at discovervin.com.au

This World Malbec Day – Think French!

In the world of wine, the French will invariably tell you that they did it first. But when it comes to Malbec wine, there’s no argument - they did!

So when World Malbec Day rolls around on 17 April, give credit where credit is due. Rather than breaking out the empanadas and gaucho boots - and going all Argentinean, lift a glass to those who did Malbec first, the French - and who are in a class of their own.

Malbec’s traditional heartland is in the south west of France in Cahors where it is known as the Black Wine of Cahors. The city of Cahors (above) sits on a bend of the Lot river which snakes through this stunning region.

Although historically one of the six grapes allowed for blending red Bordeaux, further south west in Cahors, Malbec reigns supreme. It is the dominant red varietal where the region’s appellation controlee calls for a minimum of 70% Malbec in its reds.  Says The Guardian (UK): "Cahors is that rarest of all wines: both a rising star and a timeless classic."

It was French agronomist Miguel Pouquet who bought French grape vine cuttings to Argentina in the mid 19^th century. But it was his godfather, Seur Malbek in France for whom the grape was named in the late 17^th century, who was the champion of this ‘timeless classic’.

Cahors Malbec draws on the legendary Dordogne soils to display complexity and structure with a full bodied, tannin backbone that unashamedly points to longevity. In its modern form its gorgeous, brooding colour belies its sensual elegance.

In recent years, as the world-wide interest in Malbec wines has increased, the Cahors producers have prominently displayed Malbec on the front labels. They have become one of the first French wine regions to label by variety not just by region.

We have found a steadily growing following for our Cahors Malbec. The Argentinean Malbecs made in their sunny Australian style have helped open people’s eyes to the variety.  But, on this World Malbec Day, for those looking for something more complex and definitive, discover the ‘black wine of Cahors’ and in particular, our Chȃteau Haut Monplaisir Prestige. Once you go black – there’s no going back.” 

Château Haut Monplaisir Prestige 2006

AOC Cahors-Rouge

100% Malbec

Certified Organic  

Our Tasting notes:  Deep garnet red colour. The nose is intense, with notes of red fruit, spices and blackberry jam.  Crisp and even, this wine presents aromas of blackcurrant and blackberry on the palate, along with a mineral note.  The finish is lengthy and complex, with notes of chocolate and spices, and with just a hint of woody aromas. Fabulous malbec, aged and drinking to perfection.

RRP through www.discovervin.com.au $35.00