California Wines

90% of the wine produced in the U.S.A. comes from the state of California. Its climate is unique, consistently better than those Old World regions it still strives to emulate, but much less naturally arid than many of its New World competitors. That is why the ‘New World’ style of maximising upfront fruit can be said to have originated here. Robert Mondavi in the 1960s and 1970s created the trend for Californian Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon then taken on by the huge names such as Gallo, Blossom Hill and Constellation as well as lots of small ‘boutique’ vineyards. There is plenty of good news from this area which is now the fourth largest wine producer in the world. Recent years have seen a surplus of supply of red and white juice which has helped with prices given the weakness of sterling against the dollar.

Download The California Wine Portfolio

ROUND HILL VINEYARDS
Round Hill is another of those wineries selected by our wine team for their quality, value and suitability for our On-Trade customers rather than for their off-trade reputation in the supermarkets. The wine making team is highly rated and is further recognised by Round Hill’s winning the Napa Valley award for Best Quality and Value for Money for three years running. Round Hill have also won many other accolades including the Winery of the Year from the International Wine Review.

BLUSH alias WHITE ZINFANDEL
Not only one of the U.K.’s most popular wine types but also the introduction for many young drinkers to wine. So the name has changed from White Zinfandel to Blush or Zinfandel Rosé. Why? The European authorities have decided in their wisdom that a wine label should no longer carry a misleading name of a grape variety. Now we do have to accept that White Zinfandel can be said to mislead because the contents of the bottle are not white but pink. Also the Zinfandel grape produces red or pink wine not white but you do have to wonder who the bureaucrats thought were going to be misled! There cannot be a wine better known the world over than White Zinfandel. Calling it Blush, Zinfandel Blush, Zinfandel Rosé or anything else is more likely to make drinkers wonder what they are drinking. Despite the bureaucrats, consumers can be sure that the contents will remain that most drinkable liquid redolent of summer, strawberries, raspberries and cream.

For more details contact:

	Sales Director	01924 373328	07801 922478
	Sales Director - Pub Groups	01924 373328	07801 922480
David Robertson	Wine Development Manager	01924 373328	07813 662863
	Wine Key Account Manager	01924 373328	07837 193677
Peter Skuse	Pricing and Sourcing Manager	01924 373328	07801 922461
	Wine Administrator	01924 373328	07842 126966