What a Great Year for Signature Wines!
Posted on Wed 10th Dec 2014 at 08:56
Signature Wines have had a pretty stonking year. Not only have we had some great feedback from wine drinkers and suppliers, particularly small wine businesses, but we've also been delighted by the response to Stobi's wines which have won a few awards along the way.
For example, three of our Stobi red wines won bronze awards at the The Sommelier Wine Awards earlier this year: Stobi Vranec, Stobi Vranec Veritas Reserve, and Stobi Syrah Barrique. Further honours were yet to come. At the Balkan International Wine Competition, held in Bulgaria, Stobi were awarded a gold medal for the delicious Syrah Barrique 2011, followed by silver medals for both the Vranec Veritas and their Chardonnay. Later still, both the Syrah Barrique and the Chardonnay 2013 were also given bronze medals at the Decanter World Wine Awards – they now almost have too many awards to fit on the bottle! As well as medals, the wines have also caught the eye of many critics this year, all of whom have given us delightful reviews. Luiz Alberto, for example, picked Stobi’s Vranec Veritas 2011 as one of his three favourite Macedonian wines and featured the vintage on his Wine Hub blog.
Elsewhere, Stobi’s Vranec was Tom Cannavan’s Wine of the Week on the Huffpost Lifestyle website, where he posted an entertaining video clip containing a very positive review. We were also selected as wine of the week in the Independent’s Food and Drink section, where our Aemilia wine, exclusively blended by our Master of Wine Jo Ahearne for Waitrose, was spotted by wine critic Terry Kirby, who called it a wine with “real concentration and power, with a nice, spicy edge.”
For a more in-depth look at Stobi’s wines, including tasting notes, this blog by Derek Smedley MW, who has toured the vineyard, is essential reading. You can also find another expert opinion from Rose Murray Brown, another Master of Wine who has embraced Macedonian wines with gusto. As well as great reviews in consumer publications, we’ve also come to the attention of industry magazines such as Harpers, The Vine and the Scottish Licensed Trade News.
One of our absolute highlights of this year, however, was undoubtedly receiving a glowing review from the doyenne of wine, Jancis Robinson, who said of our Vranec Veritas Reserve 2011: “Lots of vigour and some slightly tarry light tannis. Fiery and fun. The fruit is singing! And then it all tightens up on the finish. No suggestion of excess heat. This is open and impressive.” We'd like to thank everyone who has tasted and reviewed our wines this year, whether you're an expert critic or simply someone who emailed to say how much they enjoyed what Stobi has to offer. We already have a busy 2015 schedule ahead of us, and look forward to seeing you or hearing from you at some point along the way!