Wine

On March the 4th 2013 I started my new job as a Wine Merchant for Firth and Co (www.firthandco.com), based in Bedale North Yorkshire.  Having had no previous experience in the wine industry I was set with the arduous task of having to visit vineyards throughout France and Northern Spain during November 2012.

After 3 weeks, 4000 miles, 20 odd appointments, 1 rough night in the car, 1 running away from the police as a result, 3 foot long sandwiches order by mistake to eat by myself, 90+ wines tasted, becoming part of 1 family and 1 Birthday spent driving 800 miles later......I made t back to the UK.

Rioja Alta, Spain

My role in the company is to manage it.  We are a small team with Andrew at the helm, Stewart as our warehouse keeper and delivery driver, Sarah our part time book keeper and myself.  I manager the warehouse with Stewart and am in charge of the invoicing.  Together Andrew and I look after the stock levels, organise selling trips which I carry out and produce exciting wine lists.

Domaine Gavoty, Provance

Domaine Bouchabeille, Languedoc

The Fun Bits

Tasting wine is really fun.  Tasting all of those flavors and textures and smelling those smells is exciting, fun and mind boggling.  The amount of information that is required is massive with a sub category within a sub category, down to the row of vine from a small parcel within a village of a regional specification within a valley and a region and a country.

  All of these changes only scrape the surface on what effects the finished result; the altitude, weather and aspect to only name the effecting factors above ground.

Terroir is another entity within itself, soil structure, soil typography and drainage are only a few factors.   

Domaine Pierre Ferraud, Beaujolais

    

I have been given the go ahead by my boss to maybe start thinking of another trip abroad.  Into planning mode I will go soon...where will it be?