Autumn Rugby Internationals 2017 are here!!

For all you rugby fans out there you’ll already be enjoying a great start to the Aviva Premiership and the European cup competitions. November as usual welcomes the Autumn International  season where the intensity of rugby really heats up with non-European teams visiting for their annual round of competitive Tests against their european counterparts.

It promises to be an enthralling set of matches with the World Champions and World No.1 New Zealand playing 5 tests. All of the top 10 in the world are represented including the rugby world cup hosts for 2019 - Japan - who are playing Australia and France during the programme. 

With the games running over 5 weeks between 4th November and 2nd December, there will be a total of 22 games. Many of us will enjoy watching the matches with good food and drink whether it be at home, in the stadium or your favourite pub or restaurant.

With that in mind we take a look at a few of the countries participating in the tournament and explore some of the wine producers from those countries. We’ll leave it to you to decide what the world ranking should be based upon wine rather than rugby!

Australia - The Wallabies! 

The Barossa Valley in South Australia can be found just north-east of Adelaide and has a hot continental climate ideal for red varieties. Often premium, deeply concentrated reds are produced from old vines that have seen little water during viticulture. 

It’s the home of a number of famous Australian wine companies which includes our Standish the Standish  - this 2005 shiraz was sourced from a 98-year old vineyard in Vine Vale. A beautiful purple colour with layers of fruit and aroms of lavender, blueberry, black rasperries and more - it’s rich, structured and is always one of the first on our ‘teamsheet’. 

New Zealand - Home of the World Champions and World No.1 - The All Blacks! 

Located towards the north-eastern side of the South Island, Marlborough is the home of new world Sauvignon Blanc. It is New Zealand’s largest wine region with over 20,000 hectares under vine and with its cool climate and high sunshine levels is ideal not just for Sauvignon Blanc but also Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. 

‘Try’ our organic Sauvignon Blanc from Loveblock wines - it has those classic flavours and aromas but with the addition of  Vermentino, Pinot Gris and Gewurtztraminer gives a fantastic nuance to this great wine. 

Argentina - The Pumas!

Think of Argentina and wine and two things spring to mind - Malbec and Mendoza. Originally from vines in Cahors, France, Malbec is probably Argentina’s most famous wine variety with ~75% grown in Mendoza. This region is located in the foothills of the Andes mountain range around 3000-5000 feet above sea level. The region has a high diurnal range where there is a wide temperature range between day and night that the grapes are exposed to. This allows for gentle ripening of fruit that produces ripe and well integrated tannins. 

Get some early points on the board with our MAAL Biutiful Malbec - an unoaked, deep red with aromas of spice and cassis - this wine is incredibly smooth owing to its well integrated tannins. 

Italy - Forza Azzurri!

Italy - the home of the very special Barolo. Grown and produced in amongst the hills of Langhe in Piemonte of north-east Italy, the  Nebbiolo grape is famous throughout the world. A variety that is held in high regard for all the right reasons. Our Cossetti Barolo is no different - a family who have been producing quality wines since 1891. It is a magnificent red, with great structure, refined by ageing in Slavonian oak barrels. A long lived wine meant to accompany food, especially meat, game, venison dishes and aged cheeses.

We hope you enjoy the rugby and the spirit of the game of rugby wherever you are and regardless of the results!

As you know, here at Woodshire Wines we are passionate about our wines and the great winemakers that make it possible for us all to enjoy them. Please feel free to leave a comment on the blog. Indeed if there is a topic you’d like us to blog about or a particular wine you’d like us to consider adding to our range just let us know.