Wine Events
Jancis Robinson's Wines of the Week - Date 4th March 2008
Read about Gerovassiliou's new vintage Malagousia and Estate White 2007 as featured as Wines of the Week on Jancis Robinson's website, "a wine with lovely multidimensional purity" and "both wines retain freshness and their wonderfully distinctive varietal characteristics". Click here jancisrobinson.com for the article.
Restaurant Spy in ES Magazine - Date 15 February 2008
In his review of Michelin starred Wild Honey, Mark Bolland writes "as our eyes flew over the wine list we noticed a bottle from Santorini in Greece...we drank an excellent wine grown on the slopes of the volcano that is claimed to have buried Atlantis. And congratulations to Wild Honey for putting together a wine list of such flair and imagination."
Evening Standard: Wines of the Week - Date 5 September 2007
Andrew Neather gets excited about Greek wines after tasting them at Vickbar. "I tasted a range of Greek wines last week...they did what any unique wine should do: they made me want to go there".
READ ANDREW JEFFORD IN THE WEEKEND FT - Date 18/19 August 2007
Andrew Jefford writes about the wines of Santorini in the weekend Financial Times www.ft.com and also on his website www.andrewjefford.com/blog. And try the award-winning Sigalas Santorini 2006 with our Special Offer price of £10.49 per bottle (£9.99 if you buy a whole case of 12)!

Wine News
Dynamic Sales Executive!

Vickbar is looking for a dynamic Sales Executive to join our team. Working with our portfolio of exceptional award-winning wines from New Zealand, Greece and Croatia which is the basis for a planned extension to other regions, you will be responsible for maintaining established relationships with some of the UK's top restaurants while developing new business from our rapidly expanding list of contacts, which include both private clients and off-trade customers.

You will also have the opportunity substantially to expand your knowledge of wine, since you will be able to contribute directly to the selection of our portfolio.

A competitive package is available for the right candidate. If you are an energetic,highly motivated and well organised individual with at least 3 years' wine sales experience whether wholesale or retail, please submit your CV together with a covering letter outlining your reasons for applying to wine@vickbar.com or by post to Vickbar Ltd, 5 Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6EE.

Vickbar Wines Recommended as 'Top Wines for the Christmas Table'.

In the November edition of Off Licence News Natasha Hughes outlines a selection of fabulous wines as great alternatives to the Christmas classics. If goose is on your menu, Natasha recomends Kir Yianni's Ramnista 2003. She comments "one of Greece's native red grapes, Xinomavro, could well be mistaken for Pinot Noir as it, too, has lots of zingy acidity and spicy red fruit. This makes it an equally suitable partner for your fatty, fleshy goose. Don't take my word for it - try Kir-Yianni's Ramnista 2003".

A perfect match for any Christmas pudding is a luscious dessert wine. Natasha recomends the Sigalas Vin Santo 2003 as a great match with its "rich, figgy flavours".

Results just released: Decanter World Wine Awards 2007 & the International Wine Challenge 2007

In the Decanter World Wine Awards 2007 a Gold Medal and Regional Trophy was awarded to the Alpha Estate Red 2004 (we are celebrating this with a Special Discount price), a Gold went to the Alpha Estate One 2004, and Silver Trophies went to 3 of our best selling wines - the Sigalas Santorini 2006, the Gerovassiliou Malagousia 2006 and the Parparoussis Muscat de Rio Patras 2003.

The Sigalas Vin Santo 2003 has been awarded both a Gold Medal and the Greek Late Harvest Trophy in the International Wine Challenge 2007.

Paranga 2005 in "Top 10 Summer Reds" by Sarah Jane Evans MW

Sarah Jane Evans MW lists the Kir-Yianni Paranga 2005 as one of her Top 10 Summer Reds in July's Decanter Magazine, describing it as "red fruited, soft, spicy". She also writes "When it's hot I want my reds to be cool. That means little or no tannin; a quirk of acidity to enhance the sense of freshness; and unobtrusive alcohol. I look for fruity reds that do not need food...Finally I am looking for a floral aroma, to savour while loafing in the sun."

A Rosé Summer? News of Kir-Yianni Akakies Rosé 2006

The Akakies Rosé 2006 has been selected to show in the "Top 100 Rosé Tasting" this month (London International Wine & Spirit Fair 2007 at Excel). This tasting showcases the best rosé from around the world and has been chosen by a panel of respected UK wine writers and MWs.

"These are great food wines - a match for autumn stews as well as summer picnics...leap at any opportunity to taste this splendid, full, fruity rosé" - praise from wine journalist Natasha Hughes, describing the Akakies Rosé 2006 in a recent article on rosés in Off Licence News.

Vickbar wines in the Decanter World Wine Awards 2006

The Gerovassiliou Viognier 2005 won a Regional Trophy while silver awards went to three vintages of dry Assyrtiko made by Sigalas, the Sigalas Santorini 2003, the Santorini 2004 and the Santorini 2005. A Silver also went to the Alpha Estate Red 2004.

Two other Greek wines, from Biblia Chora and Lyrarakis won International Trophies for white blend over £10 and single varietal red under £10 respectively.

Figures published in Decanter also reveal that, contrary to a common misapprehension, the Greek award winners were exceptionally competitive in price. Among Trophy winning wines Greece had the lowest average price of all countries; its average price was less than half that of France and less than a quarter that of Portugal. Among all medal winning wines Greece had the sixth lowest average price among twenty countries; countries with higher average prices of medal winners include New Zealand, Australia, Spain, Italy and Portugal.

High praise in a review of Greek wines by Wine and Spirits Magazine

A number of wines by our producers have scored highly in a feature entitled "Mediterranean Summer" on wines of Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal in the August 2006 issue of the American Magazine Wine and Spirits. Among them are the Gerovassiliou Avaton 2003 (93 points), the Gerovassiliou Malagousia 2005 (92 points), the Sigalas Santorini 2004 and the Voyatzi Estate Red 2003 (both 91 points), the Kir Yianni Paranga 2004 (90 points), the Gerovassiliou Syrah 2002 (89 points), the Kir Yianni Akakies 2005, the Alpha Estate Red 2004 and the Kir-Yianni Yiannakohori 2003 (all 88 points) and the Alpha Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2005, the Tselepos Mantinia 2005 and the Mercouri Estate Antares 2003 (all 87 points).

The introduction to the feature by the Tastings Director, Peter Liem, relates a first encounter with Gerovassiliou's Malagousia at the Chanterelle restaurant in New York: "The wine was thrilling, its floral and minerally aroma an intricate counterpoint to the subtly exotic flavors of Chef Waltuck's food. Weeks later, we were still talking about it."

Vickbar winemakers win awards in the International Wine and Spirits Competition 2006

In the recently announced results the following were awarded silver and named best of class: Sigalas Santorini 2003, Kir-Yianni Ramnista 2001, Gerovassiliou Estate Red 2003 and the Pavlidis Syrah 2004. Silver awards also went to another three Sigalas wines, Santorini 2005, Santorini barrel aged 2005 and Vinsanto 2003.

Jancis Robinson discerns refreshment factor

In her regular column in the Financial Times on Saturday 8 July 2006 Jancis Robinson included two Vickbar wines, the Sigalas Santorini 2004 and the Gerovassiliou Malagousia 2005 in a selection of thirteen from around the world recommended for possessing "the refreshment factor that is paramount in summer". The Santorini is described as “the current vintage of an old favourite from this volcanic island – all lemons and minerals” and the Malagousia as “very intriguing”, “headily perfumed” and having “green leafy notes too”.

To read the whole article visit www.jancisrobinson.com.

Arrival of Greek wine hailed as "the most important development" in the last five years

In winereviewonline.com on 13 June 2006 Michael Franz writes,"What is the most important development for wine lovers in American wine during the last five years? Not direct shipping litigation or the greatness of 2005 Bordeaux or the rise of screw cap closures. I'd be happy to join in friendly argument with anyone who wants to make a case for one of these, and when doing so, I'll contend that the most important development is the arrival of great wine from grapes we didn't know from a country we didn't appreciate: Greece"

Among the wines praised by Franz are the Gerovassiliou Avaton 2002 and the Parparoussis Nemea Reserve 2003 (both 92 points), the Kir-Yianni Ramnista 2001 (91 points)and the Gerovassiliou Chardonnay 2004 (90 points).

To read the whole article visit www.winereviewonline.com