We want to tempt you to try wines you might not have tasted before and our pricing policy is to only charge a flat mark up on all our wines. So if the finest Burgundy, Sancerre or Bordeaux is your tipple – come and enjoy them here – and don’t be afraid of the damage to your pocket!
Sauvignon or Sauvignon Blanc is the embodiment of fresh and crisp white wine. Only in France do they refer to it simply as Sauvignon where it has its fullest expression in Sancerre and across the Loire valley. In the New World you drink it as fast as it goes into the bottle, in Sancerre it is fabulous for a few years. Interestingly more sauvignon is grown in Bordeaux than in the Loire but much of it is used in blending, particularly with semillon. New Zealand has brought a freshness that the rest of the New World is trying to emulate. We have been bringing wines from St Clair in Marlborough for almost 20 years. Neil and Judy Ibbotson are pioneers in the New Zealand wine industry. Their Sauvignon Blanc is one of the very best in the world.
Neil and Judy Ibbotson are pioneers in New Zealand - their 2008 Sauvignon Blanc was voted best white wine of 2008. A delicious example of crisp well made sauvignon.
From Anthony Hamilton Russell’s glorious vineyard near the Cape. Hemel en Arde - heaven on earth.
The wine maker Bob Berton blends a good whack of Semillon into this which gives it body and balance. A good fun wine.
Fantastic value and as fresh as they come from Marlborough. Watch out hay fever sufferers - it's so fresh it will make you sneeze!
Probably the most famous wine variety of all - says Jancis Robinson and the most adaptable. From the coolness of Chablis in the north of France to the more temperate Cote D’or, where the very finest chardonnay in the world is produced, to the new areas of Australia and South America - chardonnay can produce magnificently and varied wines. The choices here give a broad variety of styles and prices from the every day to the biggest celebration.
One of our favourites. The vineyard is spitting distance from the Med in the Langedoc. ‘No oak’ chardy, nice buttery overtones.
Great entry level white burgundy, from the south of the region. Quite floral and a hint of fruit.
We love white burgundy’s and this is smooth with a hint of oak.
We visited this vineyard on a freezing November morning (very early!). Met and had a small libation or three with the winemaker Phillipe Goulley. That was 8 years ago and we have been buying his Chablis ever since. Elegant, crisp, dry good wine.
This appellation was formed as recently as 1971. Situated between Mâcon and Beaujolais in the southern region of Burgundy. A good body and a growing fan club.
Having a strong German strong German influence here at The GlassHouse with Edgar and Donna at the helm means that we are delighted to offer some wonderful wines from the Fatherland. Whatsmore our wine merchant Hallgarten is also German and so they should know what they are doing too. Germany is a hugely under appreciated wine producing nation - just look at how long some of the wine producers below have been making wine. Our prices are set for you to experiment with these wines - and the Schloss Johanisberg is one of the world’s great wines.
Founded in 1794 but now a supremely modern wine producer from Koblenz - at the heart of the fine wine area of Mosel and Rhein. This is a great value Riesling.
From the world’s first Riesling estate – planted in 1720, but with a history that dates back to 817AD - it is not surprising that some believe this to be the finest example of Riesling in the world.
Germanic in every respect - except its location. This area has always been German until it was handed over to Italy in 1919. The area borders the Austrian Tyrol. This is a superb pinot noir made from hand picked grapes and matured in French barrels.
International wine challenge trophy winner 2007. Near Vienna. Green, gooseberry fruit with some spice. An absolute favourite of ours.
There is a growing range of interesting wines that are now avaibale at brilliant prices - here are a few of our current favourites.
Our house white, chosen on quality not on price. Crisp and clean with spicy over tones.
From Friuli and the Veneto in the north east of Italy this is our biggest seller by far. Lots of mineral characters.
A blend of Viognier and Grenache, this is a really light and refreshing summer corker. Close your eyes and you are in the south of France with the scent of the garrigue in the air.
Slightly oily, full flavours. If you don’t know this grape, it’s a must try and is becoming very fashionable. As Jancis Robinson has recently written in her FT column "Alberiño is Spain’s most famous wine grape. A speciality of Galicia, in the cool, Atlantic washed north west of the country. Its poised super refreshing wines are so distinctive and command such a premium in the restaurants of Madrid and Barcelona, that trend conscious vine growers from Oregon to Australia have been planting and selling their own versions of Alberiño."
Goodonya Viognier! That’s how you pronounce it. If you are keen on chardonnay but need a change try this. The grape originally from S.W France has found a new home in South East Australia. This is the grape in the much more expensive Condrieu from France.
With Donna and Edgar now at the helm we will begin to explore more wines from Alsace, Germany and Austria. This is one of Donna’s favourites. It is a fabulous wine.
Sur Lie means straight from the barrel so this wine has a slight effervescence. Great with seafood.
Found this wine high in the Andes in 2002. Tasted the vintage and loved it again. An amazing, light, refreshing grape from Mendoza. This could be the wine of the summer!
A little bit of fizz can certainly help the day off to a good start. An old boss of mine insisted on keeping a cold bottle of champagne in the fridge. ‘You never know when you might want to celebrate something’. We have known Francois Moutard for 15 years and his family have been making wine since 13th century.
We are also huge fans of Prosecco - brilliant sparkling wine that never gives you a hangover. Our prosecco is the best you can find - the family Carpene invented the process!
Light bodied, crisp and refreshing sparkling wine. For me, its definitely my preference on a day to day basis and its credit crunchingly cheaper. In Venice you will hear the locals ask -..’time for a proseccino?’
Light bodied, crisp and refreshing sparkling wine. For me, its definitely my preference on a day to day basis and its credit crunchingly cheaper. In VenWe love this. Francois Moutard and family have been making champers here for 600 years!ice you will hear the locals ask -..’time for a proseccino?’
We buy this because we get free tickets to all the tennis - no, not only that reason! Its good bubbles as you know - sell a dozen a week. Our great friend, former Kiwi Davis Cup tennis player John McDonald - a big mate of Rod Laver - is Lanson’s ambassador. Good move by them.
Solely made from chardonnay. Vivacious fine nose. Been to vineyard - have sampled all of Francois’ Champagnes. This is my favourite.
From a family owned vineyard of only 11 hectares this champagne comes from one of the most highly rated champagne villages - Mareil sur Ay. This champagne is literally hand crafted and every bottle is hand remuaged (riddled) and bottled. It is then matured for three and a half years producing a beautiful, elegant and stylish champagne. This is Donna’s favourite.’
Currently the world’s favourite red wine - and rightly so. Complex and tricky to grow and at its finest in Burgundy where it is the only red grape used in red Burgundies. Wine makers everywhere try to tame the grape and to emulate those wines made in this fabulous part of France.
This is a real pinot. Fruit flavours abound with some farmyard smells. Clean finish, St Clair at their best.
Givry was by all accounts the favorite wine of King Henry IV - coming as it did from the birthplace of his mistress. Light but well structured and a great example of a burgundian pinot noir.
Without doubt the finest pinot outside Burgundy. Located in a sublime vineyard at Hermanus along the coast from Cape Town. Chosen by the Hamilton Russells specifically to grow burgundian style wines as the vineyards are cooled by the south Atlantic breeze. This is a real treat.
This is a genuine slurping pinot. The sort of "sideways" - the movie stuff - for later in the evening when the pocket requires discretion. Made high up in the Andes, one of the highest vineyards in the world.
A famous wine from a vineyard founded in 1903, this well made wine is a vibrant example of a rich fruit pinot with a touch of spice. A great wine for lamb or duck
From the southern end of the Cote de Beaune. Santenay produces rounded but very robust wines. Absolutely delicious.
From the heart of the Cote de Nuits in the area famed for the finest pinot noirs in the world. This wine is well known for being long lasting sturdy and quite tannic. Given its status in 1855. This 1997 vintage is now drinking brilliantly. This is where our pricing policy comes into its own - simply unbelievable value here at The GlassHouse.
My favourite wines from the southern Rhone should have a bit of "the farmyard" about them - concentrated, beefy red wines at great prices, brilliant with duck or couscous or steak. This wine epitomises the region.
"The best village in the Southern Rhone." Rich colour, full nose, jammy flavours. Syrah tough with the usual Grenache. If you only want to drink one Cotes du Rhone, then this should be it!
Northern Rhone. Straight Syrah - smoky bacon flavours, plum fruit with hints of black olives.
Grenache - Prunes and chocolate. A big red wine grown in the heat of southern Rhône. One of my favourites on our list.
Fifteen different grapes, one flavour. The pope’s house wine is always superb and Andre Brunel is one of France’s most respected wine makers.
The Andes overlook this superb vineyard. Full bodied and good value.
Our mate Bob Berton’s lovely intense Cab Sauv. Tons of fruit flavours as you would expect from the South Australian region.
Merlot/cabernet blend. Warm cooked fruit character with a good smack of oaky, vanilla flavours.
From the famous vineyard on the side of table mountain. This wine is not Stellenbosch - it's better! Heaps of rich, velvety fruit with blackberry overtones.
Great everyday red. Smooth and good quality - our house red.
Beaujolais from the hills. Elegant floral nose. Cherries and summer fruits on the finish.
Bold and brassy shiraz, typically pepper flavours. The only winner from Australia for a long time.
These Argentinean Malbecs are the bench mark for this varietal. This is a rich and complex, attractive after taste. Gorgeous with steak.
Fleshy merlot, generous yet velvety. Perfect house merlot.
Sangiovese of course! Full aroma with a hint of cherries, plums and dried flowers.
Been selling this for years. A classic rioja. Fireside flavours, smokey bacon.
Our wine expert Daniel O’Keefe has picked out this beauty as the wine of the year. Medals galore, superb. From one of Spain’s most inspiring and oldest wine making areas in an isolated part of Cataluna, inland from Tarragona. Huge, rich and gorgeous.
Simply gorgeous. Oak aged for 12 months in new barrels ensures very soft tannins. The wine is unfiltered and comes in the heavyweight ‘sommeliere’ bottle. The wine gives aromas of sweet black cherries, tobacco and vanilla.
We love them -with or without a dessert - or sometimes with cheese. We have made these prices so attractive they are a must try!
A delicious dessert or aperitif. Vivianna Echeverria gave us a taste at the London wine trade fair a couple of years ago and we loved it - as much as she loves our wine expert and supplier Daniel O’Keefe.
Grand vin de Bordeaux. Next to Yquem; this is the best!
Pineapple and marmalade flavours, with a light oaky finish.