{"title":"The WineSpark Big Six","description":"\u003cp\u003eIf you'd like to build your own case with some of our biggest wines, look no further!\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"martinelle-ventoux-2022","title":"Martinelle Ventoux Rouge 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eI’ve always loved the wines of Ventoux, especially as so many Rhône reds are so big and overblown these days.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe altitude of the vineyards around the imposing Mont Ventoux, as well as the Mistral wind which blows through in the summer, keeps the grapes around here healthy and gives them a lovely balance and freshness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's literally a breath of fresh air!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWinemaker Corinna Faravel, seeing this potential over twenty years ago, made the brave move from Germany to buy her own vineyards here in 2001.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is her flagship wine - made up of Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre from her beautiful, organically-farmed estate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShe does everything in the vineyards to pick perfectly healthy and ripe grapes, and the winemaking is pretty simple from there. The wine is aged in concrete tanks and bottled with a tiny bit of sulphur to preserve all that vineyard character.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you love Côtes du Rhône but maybe you miss how it used to taste - this wine is for you. It's bright, fresh and juicy, with lovely flavours of raspberry, violets and spice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCorinna sold her wine very briefly in Ireland around 10 years ago - she couldn’t be happier to be back, and I’m delighted to make it happen!\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WineSpark","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47533525729611,"sku":"MRTVTX22","price":19.81,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0512\/0645\/5483\/files\/MartinelleVentouxRouge2022.jpg?v=1716285525"},{"product_id":"mas-calamiac-minervois-la-liviniere-2022","title":"Mas Calamiac Minervois La Livinière 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis wine proves that you don’t need a grand château or generations of family tradition to make truly great wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat you do need is a talented winemaker on your side, with great grapes and the skill to bring out their best.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd that is exactly what you’re getting with Benjamin Darnault's Mas Calamiac red.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s from the La Livinière appellation of the Minervois, one of the highest-regarded areas of the Languedoc.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe secret to the quality here is in the vineyards, which are nestled in the foothills of the Black Mountain. They have a unique microclimate which gets nice coolness in the winter, and gentle heat in the summer. It’s the perfect recipe to make full, but not heavy, red wines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wine is a blend of 60% Syrah and 40% Grenache, made from immaculate grapes that have been farmed organically for 20 years.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBen then works his magic in the winery, fermenting with wild yeast, and gently pressing in a traditional basket press. He ages half of the wine in old wooden vats, and the other half in concrete eggs, for a total of 12 months.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe wood lets the wine breathe and mellow, and the concrete really brings out the bright fruit. So you get the best of both worlds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYou end up with a rich, characterful southern French red, with an amazing freshness that makes it incredibly drinkable.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WineSpark","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50902913188171,"sku":"MCSGVV22","price":17.64,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0512\/0645\/5483\/files\/WS-HighKey-0269_2.jpg?v=1768578411"},{"product_id":"chateau-leydet-valentin-saint-emilion-grand-cru-2022","title":"Château Leydet-Valentin Saint-Émilion Grand Cru 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003c\/em\u003eThis is a modern, fruit-forward, and incredibly delicious style of Saint-\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eÉmilion\u003c\/span\u003e Grand Cru.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe vineyard is located north of the village of Saint-\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eÉmilion\u003c\/span\u003e, near Pomerol. It’s right beside Château Figeac, one of Bordeaux’s most iconic (and expensive) wines.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrédéric uses a higher proportion of Cabernet Franc (19%) than most Saint-\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eÉmilion\u003c\/span\u003e wines. This results in a fresher, brighter style of Bordeaux. Medium and light-toasted barrels further enhance this style.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMy friend in France, who runs a wine club in Toulouse, has been a big fan of Frédéric and his wine for years. So when I met her at Wine Paris and told her I was looking for a good Bordeaux for my customers, she reached straight for this bottle.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnd it’s everything you look for in a good Saint-\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\" data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eÉmilion\u003c\/span\u003e. The nose is intense and dark, with lovely refined oak. On the palate, it’s broad, smooth and elegant, with good structure and length.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s just begging for something roasted and beefy on a lazy Sunday afternoon. \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WineSpark","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":52517424333131,"sku":"LEYSTE22","price":29.25,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0512\/0645\/5483\/files\/ChateauLeydet-ValentinSaint-EmilionGrandCru2020.jpg?v=1715952374"},{"product_id":"cordero-hica-barbera-dalba-2022","title":"Cordero Hica Barbera d'Alba 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis Barbera was one of the first wines I decided to bring in for WineSpark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s a deep, rich red with serious personality. ‘A bit impolite like me’ says winemaker Serena.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI’d never tasted it before - its tiny production would have been way too small to come across my radar before. And that’s the best thing about it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s from an area called Bricco Gatti, well-known to experts as one of Alba’s best vineyards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe vineyard is a prime south-west facing site - the extended afternoon sun gives the Barbera grapes serious power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s lovingly tended to, vine by vine, by Serena’s brother Gabriele. He’s at peak happiness surrounded by the bees, bugs and butterflies that thrive in the vineyard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis attention to detail doesn’t happen anywhere else in the region. And the meticulous work speaks for itself in the wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s unmistakably Italian on the nose, with aromas of dark fruit, dried herbs and tea leaves. Then it’s rich, creamy and powerful on the palate - if you love your Italian reds, this is absolutely guaranteed to be right up your street.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WineSpark","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53061734891851,"sku":"COHBA22","price":27.23,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0512\/0645\/5483\/files\/Hica_Barbera.jpg?v=1722606426"},{"product_id":"la-mateo-rioja-tempranillo-vendimia-2022","title":"La Mateo Rioja Tempranillo Vendimia 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003eMateo Ruiz is a quiet guy, but he comes alive when talking about his super-premium La Mateo range.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHe takes the top 5% of his grapes, and uses up 50% of his resources on them.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhich means he takes his best grapes from his best vineyards, allocates his best oak barrels, and gives them all the time they need to age to perfection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIt’s from an underrated sub-region of Rioja called Rioja Baja. Because of the higher altitude, 50-year old vines, and limestone-clay soils here, it’s just another level of Rioja than what you might normally be able to get your hands on. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eLook out for Mateo’s grandfather, father and uncle on the label - this wine is a tribute to his family who spent decades toiling in the fields growing grapes for the family business.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WineSpark","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53722205749579,"sku":"LMTV22","price":26.45,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0512\/0645\/5483\/files\/la-mateos-vendima-2016_55240237-e62a-4d58-8008-79f1ff5f0476.jpg?v=1711642322"},{"product_id":"cillar-de-silos-ribera-del-duero-crianza-2022","title":"Cillar de Silos Ribera del Duero Crianza 2022","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eRibera del Duero is a wild and remote part of northern of Spain, right next to Rioja. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eWith its baking hot days and chilly nights, it’s an unforgiving place to live, let alone grow grapes. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003e‘Three months of summer, nine months of hell’, is how the locals describe it.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eBut these extreme conditions, combined with a patchwork of old vines, are exactly what Tempranillo needs to make truly world-class wines.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eOscar describes this as his signature wine. Dozens of high-end restaurants and bars across Northern Spain rely on it as a big seller, so it needs to be consistently brilliant every single year.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThe Tempranillo grapes for this are sourced from 40-80 year-old plots across three villages around Oscar’s winery. \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eIt spends 13 months ageing in second- and third-use French oak barrels, which were first used for Oscar’s iconic Torresilo wine. It’s then aged for a further year in bottle to bring all those fruity and oaky flavours together.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-weight: 400;\"\u003eThis is an amazing example of affordable and approachable Ribera del Duero, whether you’re new to Ribera or a complete convert like me.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WineSpark","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55811068592459,"sku":"CDSCR22","price":22.92,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0512\/0645\/5483\/files\/WS-HighKey-0211.jpg?v=1729091539"},{"product_id":"cordero-hica-barbera-dalba-2023","title":"Cordero Hica Barbera d'Alba 2023","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis Barbera was one of the first wines I decided to bring in for WineSpark.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s a deep, rich red with serious personality. ‘A bit impolite like me’ says winemaker Serena.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI’d never tasted it before - its tiny production would have been way too small to come across my radar before. And that’s the best thing about it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s from an area called Bricco Gatti, well-known to experts as one of Alba’s best vineyards.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe vineyard is a prime south-west facing site - the extended afternoon sun gives the Barbera grapes serious power.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s lovingly tended to, vine by vine, by Serena’s brother Gabriele. He’s at peak happiness surrounded by the bees, bugs and butterflies that thrive in the vineyard.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis attention to detail doesn’t happen anywhere else in the region. And the meticulous work speaks for itself in the wine.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s unmistakably Italian on the nose, with aromas of dark fruit, dried herbs and tea leaves. Then it’s rich, creamy and powerful on the palate - if you love your Italian reds, this is absolutely guaranteed to be right up your street.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"WineSpark","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57496414060875,"sku":"COHBA23","price":27.3,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0512\/0645\/5483\/files\/Hica_Barbera.jpg?v=1722606426"}],"url":"https:\/\/winespark.co.uk\/collections\/the-winespark-big-six.oembed","provider":"WineSpark","version":"1.0","type":"link"}