The Specialist Importers Trade Tasting 2014

The Specialist Importers Trade Tasting (SITT) 2014 took place in London on 26th February. I could only attend for a short time, but here are some of my highlights, listed in order of UK wine suppliers:

Astrum Wine Cellars
• Tornai Zenit 2013

Made from grapes grown on the volcanic soil near Lake Balaton. Aromatic, fruity, honeyed and with well-balanced acidity, this is a good value and interesting white wine from Hungary.
• Coca & Fito Terra Alta "Jaspi Blanc" 2012


The elegant label matches the elegance of this wine. Delicate and floral, with a Riesling-like citrus acidity, plus notes of melon, stone fruit and cream from the three months lees-ageing, this is a delicious white wine from the Catalonian region of Terra Alta, west of Montsant and Priorato.

Robert Rolls Fine Wines
• Domaine Michel Caillot Bourgogne Blanc 'Les Herbeux' 2010
Notes of citrus and cream with good acidity characterise this classy Burgundian Chardonnay.
Pol Roger
• Maison Joseph Drouhin Mâcon Lugny 2012
Fresh, floral and fruity, with notes of pear, apple and a touch of citrus freshness.
• Domaine Josmeyer Riesling Le Dragon 2011
This lovely wine from Alsace starts off with a perfumed nose, which then leads on to an elegant palate of lemon and lime, green apple plus well-balanced acidity.
Armit Wines
• Masseria Li Veli Askos Susumaniello 2011, IGT Salento


What a find! Almost extinct, there are only three wineries that grow this ancient variety, thought to be of Greek origin. The nose is very fruity, full of cherries and berries plus mint and eucalyptus, while the palate shows further fruit character with herbal notes, smooth tannins and good acidity. This Italian red wine, from Puglia in the south of the country, would accompany lamb or game dishes superbly.

New Generation Wines
• Weingut Türk (Kremstal) Gruner Veltliner Sandgrube 2012
A lovely example of this Austrian white grape variety, with apples, herbs, spice and minerality.
• Weingut Türk (Kremstal) Gruner Veltliner Sandgrube 2011
An even richer example of Gruner Veltliner, kept on its lees, with good depth.
• Pegasus Bay (Waipara) Bel Canto Riesling 2011
A super wine from this famed New Zealand producer, known for its top-quality Rieslings. This rich and elegant white wine primarily displays citrus and stone fruit notes with good minerality. Although dry, the 12g of residual sugar help to bring out the beautifully fruity quality of this wine.
Howard Ripley
• Weingut Joh Jos Prum Wehlener Sonnenuhr Spätlese 2012
A supremely elegant, delicate, fresh and floral white wine from Germany with fruity notes of apple and stone fruit plus a mineral backbone.
Casa Leal
• Luis Patrao Vadio 2013
A Portuguese discovery from the ever-reliable Casa Leal, Luis Patrao is a young winemaker with three hectares of family vineyards in the Bairrada region of Portugal. There are only 4,000 bottles of this white wine, full of citrus, apple and mineral notes, made from a blend containing mainly Cercial. Grab one while you can!

This review is replicated from my original Facebook post.