We are a UK web based wine importer and distributor specialising in wines from the Piedmont Region of North West Italy. We supply home consumers, corporate clients, restaurants and independent shop both directly and through our website. We specialise in wine events and organised tastings. If you would like to organise a tasting please contact us. We are the exclusive importers for a number of boutique wineries including Cossetti, Sassi and Urscheler.
The business is owned and run by four friends who have combined their different skills and expertise to convert their passion for good wine into a business:
- Brian & Christine Marshall - The UK arm of the team, Brian looks after the company finances and business development while Christine, who is actually a professional writer (credits include Coronation Street and several Radio 4 plays), sells the wine to anyone who agrees with her that the big boys in the wine business should not have everything their own way. Stand still long enough and she will be sure to hand you one of our business cards.
- Ingrid & Phil Blades - Bought their own Piedmont vineyard 4 years ago. As well as managing many aspects for the Piedmont side of the wine business, they grow grapes from which they produce their own red and white wines. Being close to many of the other local Piedmont wine producers allows them to source great wines from other small producers that would not otherwise get imported into the UK. They are the local experts on the ground, this allows them to select the best wines and find the hidden gems that make Piedmont Wines stock list so interesting. Phil can often be found taking interested persons on tours around his vineyard. Ingrid meanwhile remains poised to rescue the same people when she thinks Phil has forgotten that not everyone wants to know the history of every single vine in the vineyard - all 15000 plus of them.
Why Only Wines From Piedmont?
- Mainly because they are unique and generally not so well known. Piedmont as a region has something different to offer.
- It can be really difficult to find them in the UK - and Phil & Ingrid are ideally placed to find those "gems" in their back yard.
- We have stayed clear of wines that taste predictably like many modern wines from all over the world. The boutique producers we work with do not make wine lacking in individual character.
- All our wines are produced on family estates made up of relatively small parcels of land and practically all our classified wines derive from native vines.
- All our producers use traditional growing methods and vines are worked and harvested by hand.
Why Are We Different
- All wine is the end product of grape juice fermentation. With modern production techniques knowledgeable enologists can take grapes grown anywhere in the world, blend them in vats according to a chemical recipe and churn out predictable, pleasant wines that taste the same year after year. Supermarkets sell thousands of bottles of such wines and to some extent shape consumer's choice and perceptions of quality because of their competitive pricing ability. By restricting our stock list to the Piedmont region we know that we can guarantee all our wines reflect the tastes of specific grapes grown in the region best suited to the varietal.
- We source only from producers whose wine is defined by the intensity of the varietal character of the grape and its unique sense of place.
- All our boutique wines have come from handpicked grapes grown and made into wine using exacting standards.
- Our wines are produced in very small quantities; you will not find them on the supermarket shelf.
- We have close relationships with every one of our wine producers; we personally taste and approve every wine that gets added to our list.
- We source wine from producer's who work in balance with nature. Care of the land in which the grapes grow is of equal importance to production techniques.
- We buy direct from the vineyards and pass our savings on to our customers.
- We do not 'price up' in order to make special offers, when we advertise special deals it involves genuine discounts.
Service Standards
- We believe that there is a lot of pretension about wine appreciation which often puts people off trying to learn more. We therefore avoid using unnecessary jargon, hype or high brow wine-speak.
- We encourage people to ask for advice and information on any of our wines and appreciate any feedback that our customers take the time to give us.
- We aim to provide through our web site and special events programmes, the information that encourages people to confidently explore our grape varieties and enjoy new wines.
- We take pride in providing a personal service to all our clients
- We have tried to make the on-line ordering and delivery service as user friendly as possible.
- We create and edit our wine tasting notes to help people choose a wine to suit every occasion and food pairing.
- Piedmont Wine act in accordance with the 2003 Licensing Act. We will not sell wine to anyone under the age of 18. By placing an order you confirm that you are at least 18 years old.
- We ship wine from our bonded warehouse in the UK and offer an efficient delivery service.
|
