Sugar Loaf Vineyard

We're huge fans and supporters of White Castle Wine who have a vineyard just north east of Abergavenny. 

It's named after the local castle which is one of three Monmouthshire fortress originally wooden forts, the other two castles are Grosmobt and Skenfrith. The castles were owned by Edward I in the mid 1200s, now all ruins they are owned by Cadw.

We have visited the vineyard but haven't been to the castle. That scenario was repeated on our last holiday in Wales, we haven't climbed the mountain but we did visit Sugar Loaf Vineyard located north west of Abergavenny.

As well as a wine shop the vineyard has a beautiful cafe with a large balcony terrace overlooking the vines.

It was superb to sit and enjoy the countryside with a cuppa and teacake. I always find it peaceful to be amongst vines and felt very relaxed sitting on the terrace.

Sugar Loaf Vineyard's first vines were planted in 1992, there are now over 5000 vines over 5 acres growing 7 grape varieties. The vineyard offers self guided tours and tastings but because it was one of this year's hot days we decided on just a tasting, one flight to share as Hubby was driving. Something I would certainly recommend especially as it was just £6 for the flight of four wines.

From left to right the wines were: 

Calon Lan 2025 - a crisp white made from Reichensteiner, a grape from the Riesling family. Full of apples flavours there is a similarity to Sauvignon Blanc

Y Fenni 2025 - an aromatic white with floral notes. This wine made from Solaris, Sirrus and Seyval Blanc has flavours of lemon and elderflower.

Sugarloaf Blush 2025 - four grapes make this light rosé, Regent, Rondo, Triomphe d'Alsace and Seyval Blanc. It has a beautiful colour linking superbly to it's summer fruit flavours.

Deri Coch 2025 - made from Regent and Rondo it's one of very few Welsh red wines. A light bodied red with plenty of berry flavours.

We enjoyed all four wines, they would all certainly pair well with the delicious choice of food on the menu. My preference was Calon Lan, a bottle of which is now in our cellar.

The Sugar Loaf Vineyard shop also sells wine gifts and lovely products from The Sugar Loaf Soap Company. It's a great place for a trip out and somewhere we'll visit again although we may need to book a table as it does get busy.

Valentine's Day Wine Tasting

Last month Hubby and I hosted another wine tasting evening for our friends, there was no definite theme although we did include a few nods to it being Valentine's Day.

The room always looks good when everything is set up; glasses, quiz sheet and importantly the wine list with tasting notes.

It had been requested that we try new wines which is a little tricky as we have been hosting these evenings for over 12 years, probably 3 times a year ... that's a lot of wines already tasted. 

However with new wines in our supermarkets appearing and our recent trip to The Wine Society we did serve 12 new wines.

Our evening started with Asda's Wine Atlas Garda made from Garganega grapes using the charmant method when the second fermentation is in large stainless steel tanks. This was a lovely sparkling wine enjoyed by everyone with flavours of red apple and lemon sherbet.

Our rose and white wines all had something interesting on their labels and were from France, Austria, Sicily and Portugal 

As we were trying new wines our French wines were my favourites with a difference. I have enjoyed Duo de Deux Mers from the Wine Society many times but it was a first to try Duo des Plages, a rose made from Cinsault and Grenache. From Rousillon in Southern France this rose had plenty of fresh fruit with a smooth finishing giving a subtle grapefruit flavour.

I really enjoy Sauvignon Blanc from the Tourraine region in the Loire Valley and this white caught my eye with its unusual spelling, Le Cheteau. It was very much enjoyed by those who like Sauvignon Blanc.

Carricante from Sicily is a new tasting for our group. Wine making is an important part of Siclian heritage with this grape variety being grown in Eastern Sicily for at least 1000 years. Carricante wa a light wine with floral notes and peaches flavours with a subtle mineral edge to its finish.

Our other two wines were from The Wine Society, one was in their Enomatic Wine tasting machines, the other had an unusual label depicting a bell. 

Gemischter Satz from Familie Mantler was a delicious Austrian wine made from two grapes we had tried before and a new variety. This unoaked white was 80% Gruner Veltiner, 15% Muller-thurgau and 5% Muskateller. It was a really good wine that we would not have discovered if it hadn't been an offered tasting at The Wine Society.

The bell on the label of Casa Ermeinda Freitas Sino Grande pays homage to the daily rhythm of the Vineyard that was established in 1920. From one of Portugal's largest producers this wine made using Fernao Pires, Antao Vaz and Verdelgho was full of apple flavours with citrus high notes.

All our red wines had striking black and red labels,  nod to Valentine's Day.

Our first wine was Asda's Extra Special Sicilian Reserve. A Nero d'Avola wine full of dark fruits with a superb note of chocolate on its finish. Produced in a warm Mediterranean climae with cooling coastal breezes it is aged in French oak barrels before a further 12 months maturation in the bottle.

Staying with an Italian wine our next tasting was Masso Antico Primivito from Puglia. It's name is taken from Masseria, an old farmhouse on their first vineyard that was covered in old gnarled vines, hence the detail on the label.

Four Portuguese varieties were used to make this delicious deep red wine; Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Cao. Beefsteak The Beast is matured in port barrels and as its name suggests pairs well with steak.

From The Wine Society and full of dark fruits flavour Baccolo Appasimento Rosso Veneo was enjoyed by everyone. A tribute to the ancient wine divinity Baccus, Barcelona had intense flavours from the Merlot and Corvina being partly dried before pressing.

Our final red was from one of my favourite French wine producers, Cellier des Dauphins. The Reserve Intense is a blend of Cotes du Rhone grapes Grenache and Syrah with the addition of Mourvèdre giving a complex flavour of blackberries, blueberries, plums, spice and vanilla.

All the reds were very well received, each having subtle differences that highlighted the right pairing and occasion for each to be enjoyed.

Our final tipple of the evening was Asda's Espresso Martini Cream Liqueur. I did think of pouring everyone a Baby Guinness but as this had very similar flavours I thought it worth a try as an easier pour. It was delicious, a great easy drink but not quite a Baby Guinness shot or Espresso Martini. 

Another super tasting with a few extras for Valentine's, I wonder what wines will be next!

The Wine Society

We've been members of The Wine Society for over 10 years and have attended their wine tasting events in Birmingham and Leicester. 

It's £40 to become a lifetime member which opens up a huge variety of wines with free delivery on every bottle. There is no requirement to buy a certain quantity to receive lower prices, the wines are the price displayed and even a single bottle is delivered free of charge.

We haven't visited The Wine Society Cellar in Stevenage before although we did visit their beautiful Cellar in Montreuil-sur-mer in France, sadly now closed. They host many tasting and members events at Stevenage so we booked for a drop in tasting, the Premier Inn is just up the road making a perfect weekend away .....until, due to technical maintenance, the tasting was cancelled but as the Cellar shop was still open until lunchtime and our hotel booked we travelled to Stevenage as planned.

The Wine Society is huge, they do offer a warehouse tour which we hope to do one day. I loved the layout and feel of the Cellar with some bottles laid in racks and comfy leather chairs. There was a huge range of French wines, I did spot a white Chateauneuf-du-Pape which of course was added to our order.

There was a huge variety of Champagne and Sparkling Wine which we didn't really look at, I was too absorbed with the lovely Old World selection. Another good reason to visit again and who knows next time we may be allowed 'in the cellar' ... yes I want one! 

The Cellar at The Wine Society has two Enomatic Wine counters which serve a tasting of wine at the push if a button. There was a great selection from all wine countries and a variety if producers. I really liked the Ardèche Viognier and in the red selection The Society's Corbière's and the Lascar Carmenère.

We ordered a selection of wine to be delivered on Wednesday, and they arrived as promised today at the time given by the courier. I ordered my favourite Duo de Deux Mers Sauvignon along with the Chateauneuf-du-Pape. In our red selection we ordered The Society's Cote du Rhone which is produced by Domaine Jaume who we have visited in Vinsobres. 

The Wine Society staff also gave us a bottle of Verdicchio because of the tasting cancellation which was very generous of them. 

Although not our day as expected we really enjoyed our visit to The Wine Society and are now looking forward to trying our wine purchases at home and hopefully visiting Stevenage again.

Wine tasting on Voyager

As part of our cruise on a sea day we did a wi e tasting in the fine dining Silver Fork restaurant.  We were a group of twenty with the tables set in fours with the five wines already poured and a cheese platter each.

Our wine hosts were very good, the first wine tasting since our ship came out of dry dock so a special event for them. They had great knowledge of wine and the five we tasted which were a mix of Old World and New World wines.

Our first white was Canyon Road Sauvignon Blanc from California, a 2023 vintage it was a soft sauvignon blanc but with plenty of citrus flavours. Produced in stainless steel vats this wine had a crisp cleanest and paired really well with the Brie cheese from or platter.

Our second white was Spanish, much lighter in colour made from Macabeo and Chardonnay. From Andalucia it had quite a floral nose and slightly oily in the mouth. A very easy drinking wine from the Old World.

The rosé wine in our tasting was quite dark in colour. Made by C K Mondavi this White Zinfandel from California was quite sweet and for me had an abundance of dried fruit along with a strong flavourof quince, however other tasters discovered strawberries and sweet fruits. This was paired with red Cheddar which softened the wine's sweetness.

Moving on to our red wine with Morpho Helena Pinot Noir from Chile. A grape always distinguished by its light redness this red also had the expected Pinot Noir flavours of strawberries and cherries. Our hosts suggested pairing this with the Gouda cheese and it did add to the wine's flavors.

Our final red, and final wine, was Bottega Chianti Acino d'Oro from Italy. Certainly the darkest of our wines with an intense deep red in colour, this Tuscan wine made from Sangiovese had plenty of ripe dark fruit flavours. Our final cheese was a very salty blue and paired very well with our final wine, reducing it's tannins and adding to its fruit flavour.

We really enjoyed our wine tasting, a good opportunity to learn more and chat with our fellow cruisers. However we were a little disappointed as the wines displayed next to the event advertising and sign up sheet included a Sancerre but it wasn't in the actual tasting line up. Hubby did comment this to the wine hosts: today we had a call to our cabin to say we would have a complimentary bottle of Sancerre at our table at dinner.

What a treat, the wine manager came to see us personally and yes we had a complimentary bottle of superb Sancerre, a real treat .... thank you Marella Voyager 

Spanish Wine Tasting

Last week we visited our friends who live near London, they love Spanish wine and food with both their families originating from Spain. Dave loves wine, which is how we met many years ago, and on Friday hosted a wine tasting evening for a few friends. Agnes provided a lovely variety of foods to accompany our tasting, it was a lovely evening and nice to meet everyone. 

Our evening began with a Cava Gran Reserva 2021 from The Wine Society. From their Exhibition range this wine had an abundance of bubbles with a yeasty, biscuity flavour along with a lovely citrus finish. Having spent 30 months on its lees gives this bottle of bubbly a delicious complexity which was enjoyed by all. 

The three whites we tasted were all from The Wine Society but they were from different regions of Spain: Terra Alta Barcelona, Galicia and Rioja. Our first white was a Garnacha wine, Far del Sud Garnatxa Blanca 2024. This was my favourite white, not surprising as it's Grenache Blanc if grown in France. It had plenty of apply flavours and not being oaked was delicious for me. 

The history about Far del Sud on the back of the bottle was fascinating, I love learning about how wines get their names - ' The old Boda Lighthouse, located in the heart of the Elbro Delta where we find the island that gives it its name, was built in 1864 and presented at the Universal Exhibition in Paris in 1867. Known as the Eiffel Tower in the Delta, was practically destroyed during the Civil War and toppled by a storm on 24 December 1961. The new lighthouse, built in 1983, watches over the old one buried under the sea "surrounded by the opulence of the Buddha landscape where the water is smooth and the rice is green" 

Pazo do Mar Blanco Ribeiro 2024, our second white, was a blend of four grapes: Treixadura, Torrontes, Albarino and Godello. I have tasted Ribeiro wine before and really enjoy their crispness which comes from being a region on the Atlantic coast. Giving floral aromas and crisp fruity flavours that had a depth of complexity this white would be a great pairing with seafood, my thoughts were instantly of pairing this with a hot steaming bowl of mussels. 

Our final white was liked by many but not for me, I do struggle with wines both white and red from Rioja. Navajas Bianco 2021 is a Crianza, young, wine made predominantly from Viura that are harvested towards the end of September and fermented in stainless steel tanks. It spends six months in new American or French oak barrels giving a vanilla edge to its flavour. It was quite a bright wine with strong fruity flavours that produced a long finish. 

Our first red was also from the Rioja region, Cune Rioja Crianza, purchased from Sainsbury's. CVNE, Compania Vinicola del Norte de Espana, is a wine brand we have tasted at a few wine events with Heather Dougherty DipWSET. I have enjoyed their sparkling wines but still struggle with the Rioja reds. 

Cune brand came about simply due to a typo in the late 1800s, the acronym C.V.N.E. being mis-read and the V change to make the word Cune, a name the Bodegas have stayed with ever since. This young red wine made from Tempranillo, Granacha and Mazuelo grapes is matured in American and French oak barrels for a minimum of 12 months. It is Spain's top seller with plenty of flavours of dark berries, a touch of liquorice and vanilla notes leading to a hint of spice on its finish. I will always take a sip of a wine, even if I think it's not for me: this wine had great flavours but still not my style of red. 

The Wine Society's Parcelas Ecologico Monestrall 2023 was next in our red tasting, I really enjoyed this wine made from the Monastrell grape known as Mourvedre in France. This wine was produced in the warmer climate of Southern Spain, inland and at a higher altitude to benefit from the Mediterranean warm breezes. A rich dark red in colour with aromas of dark fruit this wine had plenty of texture with its berry flavour and peppery notes, a really delicious red that paired really well with the Red Fox cheese provided by Agnes. 

Our final red was one Hubby and I have enjoyed many times, Papa Luna 2022 from The Wine Society. From Calatayud Zaragoza region, inland from Barcelona, this Garancha, Syrah, Mazuelo wine is made from old vines and was the full-bodied wine of the evening with many layers of dark fruits giving a mouth full of deep flavours. It is a wine that calls out for a cosy winter night, a roaring fire and comfy sofa, although I have previously enjoyed it in the summer with the rich flavours of a bbq. 

After three great whites and three super red wines our evening finished with two sherry tastings: Palo Cortado produced exclusively for Waitrose and a small bottle of Very Rare Oloroso.

I know very little about sherry, a trip to Jerez is on our to visit list. A light orange colour the Palo Cortado sherry had plenty of flavours of orange with a nutty background whereas the Oloroso was much darker in colour and had more of a spirit finish probably due to it being blended with brandy. 

It was a really good evening hosted by Dave and Agnes, great to meet new wine appreciative friends and try a variety of wines from Spain - thanks to everyone for a great night. 

White Castle Winery

Our first visit to White Castle Vineyard was a few years ago when our daughter and (now) son-in-law adopted a vine for us following our discovery of this superb wine by winning a couple of bottles in a raffle. We were delighted as you can see in my blog post in 2021

We have revisited Robb and Nicola a few times since, in particular to purchase Welsh Sparkling Wine to celebrate our daughter's engagement to her Welsh love and for a super tour & tasting with our wine friends. 

The White Castle dream was to have a winery at the Vineyard making their wine pure Welsh from ground to bottle. 

The dream came true in 2024 with the opening of Y Gwindy, a superb purpose build winery with a row of impressive stainless steel vats and all the necessary wine making equipment including a bottling machine. 

White Castle wine is now grown, nurtured, harvested and produced on site making every drop 100% Welsh.

It's been a great growing year for the vines producing an abundance of grapes with riping happening earlier than previous years. When we visited Siegerrebe and Pinot Noir Précoce had already been harvested, pressed and were happily fermenting in the vats. 

We tasted both and although cloudy and still developing they were delicious, especially the Pinot Noir Précoce with a deep red colour and evidence of complex flavours maturing.

Robb and Nicola's hard work is evident all around the winery, as is their passion for what they are producing. Everything is in place and ready for the next harvesting which was happening just a few days after our visit. 

Y Gwindy had a wine smell that just made me smile, a smell I have appreciated in many wineries across Europe. One fragrance in particular means wine; that for me is wood, in particular oak, and filled the air from the White Castle branded barrels sitting ready for their next fill.

There are still a few finishing touches to happen in the winery, mostly finding the easiest working place for equipment, this is a discovery that will happen over the next few months as Y Gwindy is in full swing with this year's bumper crops.

One item to find its permanent place is the lovely board Robb and Nicola have had made to thank those who helped crowd fund their dream.

White Castle now produce a sparkling Cabernet Franc Rosé, a great addition to their range and one that came home with us along with Regent, our Christmas Day red. 

A sparkling Cabernet Franc is a new discovery for me that I'm keen to taste but I'll be opening it for something special with time to savour, as yet who know why or when that will be but hopefully soon.

Thank you Robb & Nicola for such a warm welcome, it was a real pleasure to visit Y Gwindy, your pride and enthusiasm is a delight to see. We'll certainly be calling by again on one of our travels to Wales, diolch.