Events – Blog INVINIC

How to buy good wedding wine on a budget!

INVINIC — Mon, 05 Jun 2017 22:00:00 +0000

Worried about your wedding wine? Buying wine for a wedding can feel like a tough job, particularly when you’re on a budget. Planning your wedding is a lot of work, and it’s an expensive business, too.

The good news is that buying wedding wine doesn’t need to be a nightmare. With a little bit of guidance and some idea of what you want, it’s really nothing to worry about. We’ve got together a simple guide to buy the best wedding wine without spending a fortune.

How much wine do you need for a wedding?

The first thing you need to do is figure out exactly how much wine you need. You can make this as simple or as complicated as you like, and there are a whole lot of wedding wine calculators out there.

The simplest rule of thumb is to take the number of (adult) guests and divide it by two. The assumption is that, on average, each guest will drink half a bottle. Your grandmother may be teetotal and Uncle Ed might drink three bottles’ worth, but don’t worry – it’ll average out.

Once you’ve done this simple calculation, you’ll have a good idea of the total quantity of wedding wine you’ll need. You’ve still got choices to make, but this is a good starting point.

Sparkling wine or Champagne is always a classy touch for a toast. Don’t lump this in with your calculations above, though. To work out how much Champagne you need for a toast, take the number of guests and divide by 8. This should allow everybody enough for a respectable and toast-worthy amount!

How to choose your wedding wine

You’ve got a total figure in mind, but how does that equate into actual bottles on the table? First, you’ll need to decide on a breakdown between red, white and other styles of wine. If you want to keep it really simple, go for a 50/50 split between red and white and be done with it.

If you’re having a summer wedding in a particularly hot country, you may want to favour white wines or even add some rosé to the equation. If it’s the height of winter, offering slightly more red wine might be the best approach.

Add in the amount of sparkling wine you need, and you’ve got a wedding wine shopping list ready to go!

How to buy your wedding wine

There is more choice today than ever when it comes to buying wine for your wedding. One of the most tempting is to buy your wedding wine directly from your wedding venue.

Many wedding-friendly hotels and restaurants will be all too happy to handle the wine selection for you, but be warned: This can be expensive, and you won’t always be getting a great deal. Venues can use weddings as an opportunity to shift excessive stock, or to sell you wines at an inflated margin. Take this option if you like, but be aware that there’s a better way: Do it yourself!

Find out the venue’s corkage policy. Assuming it’s favourable, your best bet is to source your own wedding wine from a shop or online.

Buying wedding wine on a budget

Picking the best wine for a wedding can often come down to your budget. With a clear budget in mind, you can shop smart. If your budget is €10 per bottle, you probably shouldn’t be looking for quality, aged Bordeaux wine. In that price range, it’s virtually impossible to find such a thing. You can, however, find great Spanish wine from lesser-known regions within that price range. The following cheat sheet will give you an idea of the best styles of wine to look for if you’ve got a tight wine budget!

Red wine:

Spanish wine has some fantastic up-and-coming regions. Here, you’ll get serious quality without paying the hefty price tag that comes with some of the more famous regions. Look at Jumilla, Navarra and Penedès. Beyond Spain, countries like Chile and Argentina can be viable alternatives to France and Italy.
White wine:

You’ll want a dry white wine that’s young, fresh and fruity. Oaked white wines are not to everybody’s tastes, so now is probably not the time for them. Spain is your friend here once more. Rías Baixas and Rueda offer a great balance between quality and price.
Sparkling wine:

When you’re on a budget, Spanish sparkling wine beats Champagne every time. Cava has you covered!

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English Wine Week 2017: What’s it all about?

INVINIC — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 22:00:00 +0000

You may have heard of English Wine Week, the annual celebration of English wine. Organised each year by English Wine Producers, the week-long campaign aims to highlight the best of English wine. English Wine Week 2017 will take place between the 27th of May and 4th of June, and will feature a range of events across the country. English sparkling wine is more popular than ever and will surely be a large focal point of the festivities. English wine does not enjoy the levels of fame and critical acclaim of Spanish wine or French wine, but its popularity is growing. Quality levels are constantly rising too.

What is English Wine Week?

English Wine Week is a national campaign held across England each year, whose aim is to raise awareness for the country’s wine industry. Participants include English wineries, retailers, restaurants, sommeliers and more. The week is all about spreading the word of English wine, and this is done through a variety of fun, interesting and educational events. The timing of the event is lined up with the beginning of England’s summer tourist season, making it perfect for those visiting from Spain, France and elsewhere.

English Wine Week events

The events of English Wine Week can vary from one year to another, but obviously English wine is the centre of attention. Some of the most popular events of recent years have included:

Vineyard open days, where English wine producers open their doors and welcome visitors. Wine tourism is more commonly associated with Bordeaux, Rioja and the Napa Valley, but English vineyards are well worth visiting, particularly during English Wine Week. Open days (or visits by appointment) are a great way to learn about winegrowing, how wine is made, and – most importantly – how it tastes!

In-store tastings and events, often collaborations between English wineries and wine retailers. Consumers can visit their favourite wine stores and have the opportunity to taste English wines, and often to meet the people behind the wine. Part of the charm of English Wine Week is that the winemakers will often be present at these tasting events, and will be all too happy to share their knowledge and passion!

English Wine Week special offers, either in-store or at the winery, can allow consumers to buy English wines at special discount prices. Individual outlets will have their own offers (though not all stores or wineries will offer such discounts), but this is a great time to shop around and snap up a bargain in English wine.

Attending English Wine Week

So, are you going to English Wine Week 2017? If you live in England, keep an eye out for promotional material as English Wine Week approaches. Talk to your local wine merchants. If you live outside England and are planning on travelling for English Wine Week, consult the English Wine Producers website.

Have you ever been to English Wine Week? Are you attending this year? Tell us about your experience below!

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Wines Festivals in Spain

INVINIC — Wed, 02 Jul 2014 22:00:00 +0000

The Summer season begins and outdoor festivals and celebrations come one after the other, all around the country, some of them deeply linked to the wine culture. Let us briefly sum up some of them:

The Battle of Wine (Haro, La Rioja)
In the morning of St Peter’s day, June 29th, takes place the Battle of Wine in the city of Haro where two, at least theoretically, opposing camps soak each other peacefully, using the local wine as ammunition untill both are fully drenched and purple. This festivity was declared of National Tourist Interest, so be prepared for big crowds.

Fiestas del Albariño (Cambados, Pontevedra)
Also considered a Festivity of National Tourist Interest, this one is the oldest wine festival in Galicia and the second oldest in Spain. It takes place the first Sunday of August and it exhibits more than 50 stands from local producers. The festival also offers various musical performances, workshops, expositions and fireworks.

Grape Harvest Fair (Jumilla, Murcia)
This festival, declared of Regional Tourist Interest, was born to honour the wine culture and its importance in the municipality. For two weeks, usually the fist two weeks of August, more than 30 differeent activities designed for all ages take place in Jumilla, including the traditional grape treading, parades and the popular ceremony offering the first grape must of the season.

Wine Treading (Logroño, La Rioja)
As part of the San Mateo festivities (Spetember 21st), the ceremony is carried out traditionally by two people, dressed in the regional folk costume, arms joined and barefoot, who produce the first grape must to be offered to the Virgin of Valvanera, patron saint of the town. The festivities are quite folkloristic and traditional, we will find more than enough chances for local wine and food tasting, parades, fireworks and the classic bare-hand pelota tournament.

Wine Cavalcade (Toro, Zamora)
During the celebrations of the grape harvest, the cavalcade takes place the second Sunday of October when more than fifty carts and carriages parade along the old city, laden with baskests of grapes, accompanied by the vintagers in traditional folk costume and carrying traditional farming tools.

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Jerez, European City of Wine

INVINIC — Sun, 01 Dec 2013 22:00:00 +0000

Jerez de la Frontera, in the province of Cadiz, was elected European Wine City 2014 at the 17th Recevin General Assembly (European Network of Wine Cities). Jerez de la Frontera took the baton from the Portuguese city of Palmela and Italian Marsala, home of the first and Second Edition.

Jerez stood out for for its 7,000 hectares of vineyards and a production of 60 million bottles a year, presuming to be Spain’s most exported wines.

Wine cellar “La Concha”

The history of Jerez is intimately bound to the vine, to the production and elaboration of wines, and probably we could not understand one without the other. It is a very unique, singular area, for its geographic situation between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and for its intense rainfalls for 30 days on a yearly average. This unusual combination results in a few special features when it comes to winemaking.

The typology ranges from the dry and pale, like Fino or Manzanilla, to Amontillados, Pedro Ximénez, Moscatel, Medium, Cream, Oloroso and Palo Cortado. Sherry Vinegar and Brandy de Jerez are also produced in this area.

Wine Cellar “Real Tesoro y Valdespino”

The wines are cellared in some of the most impressive bodegas in Jerez, known as the cathedrals of wine, and also Europe’s most visited. These wineries were the first to open doors to visitors in the 19th century. They are located in the heart of the old city center and they are part of the landscape of the city.

Finally we’d like to recommend a good wine from this land: Fino la Ina. A fortified wine, made from Palomino grapes at Bodegas Lustau. Its colour is pale gold, dry in flavour and very aromatic. It is best served cold and has an alcohol content around 15 degrees. It is recommended as an aperitif to accompany ham, seafood or any kind of tapas.

Photos: www.cadizturismo.com and Ignacio Palomo

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IV Annual Exhibition of Premium Distillates & II Annual Cocktail Exhibition by Peñín Guide

INVINIC — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 22:00:00 +0000

The Peñín Guide is one of our models when talking about wine, but also when it comes to distillates. It has recently taken place in Madrid its yearly meeting with the world of coktails and spirits, in an era in which this trend is more than ever on the rise.

The figures leave little doubt, the event was attended by more than 170 product brands just in the venue dedicated to Premium Distillates.

More than 940 references were offered taste and sample between gins, vodkas, whiskeys, rums, tequilas, pomace brandys and pisco liqueurs in the Cocktail Salon and more than 800 participants despite the event was only open to press and industry professionals. It was a year of consolidation.

For the first time this year, there was an area devoted to Mixers in which different soft drink brands, bitters and juices were able to share a common work space with distillates.

In addition, there were talks, workshops and discussions concerning new trends and even a Master Class provided by the DO Brandy de Jerez, the producer with a stronger presence in this year’s edition, followed by gin, whiskey, rum and vodka.

Until the next edition, you can find a great selection of spirits in our store, what is your favorite?

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Vega Sicilia Unico, on top of Spanish wines

INVINIC — Wed, 22 Aug 2012 22:00:00 +0000

We have talked in the past about Bodegas Vega Sicilia, now we want to share the wine-tasting that Pablo Alvarez offered to the attendees at the New World Wine Experience 2011, organized by Wine Spectator.

The wine in question is the Vega Sicilia Unico 1994 (96 points). According to Pablo Alvarez, one of the best vintages of the winery in the ’90s. It’s worth mentioning that Bodegas Vega Sicilia, in its 140 hectares of vineyards, produces only 3 brands: Vega Sicilia Unico, Vega Sicilia Unico Reserva Especial and Valbuena.

In this video, Pablo Alvarez explains the particularities of the Tempranillo grape in conjunction with a very complex climate and soil, and tells us why Vega Sicilia Unico cannot be produced every year.

The key? In his own words, “the Tempranillo grape is the best in the world when well matured, but it is also the worst when the process is not completed correctly.”

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International Wine Guide 2012

INVINIC — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 22:00:00 +0000

Catavinum (Vitoria-Gasteiz), with 14 years experience in the development of guides and wine competitions, organizes and develops the International Wine Guide.

The aim of this contest is:
To inform consumers and wine professionals about the quality of the winning wines, and to help spreading knowledge about them.
To contribute to the diffusion of the culture of wine and reasonable consumption.
To provide guidance to consumers, of which 80% expect international references on wine.
To strengthen the production of good quality wines.

The competition is open to all wines in the world: still, sparkling, sweet / semisweet, etc… and the jury is formed by the tasting committee of Catavinum.
This Contest has an international dimension, since it involves producers and wineries of the major countries (Spain, Portugal, Hungary, France, Italy, Germany, South Africa, New Zealand, Canada, Sweden, USA …) and the results are promoted at an international level in order to present the best wines in the world.

On May 31, 2012 the results of the latest edition were published. Some of the Spanish wines which obtained best results were:
GREAT GOLD (95-100 points): Cérvoles Estrats 2005
GOLD (90-94 points): Alta Alella Blanc de Neu 2009, Alta Alella Lanius 2011, Cérvoles Red 2006, Pago de los Capellanes Reserva 2008

We encourage you to taste them!

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Vinexpo Asia-Pacific 2012

INVINIC — Mon, 28 May 2012 22:00:00 +0000

After its resounding success in 2010, Vinexpo Asia-Pacific, the International Wine Exposition for Asia and the Pacific, will be held in Hong Kong on 29, 30 and 31 May, 2012.

In 2010, Vinexpo Asia-Pacific reached a new threshold, with 882 exhibitors from 35 countries that, for three days, offered the widest range of wines to more than 12,600 visitors and professionals who came from all around the Asia-Pacific area.

According to the latest study of IWSR/Vinexpo, Asia will experience the largest increase in wine markets in the next 5 years with a 5% annual growth compared to the world average which is less than 1%. The Asia-Pacific region remains the main consumer of alcoholic beverages, with 50.6% of total consumption of alcoholic beverages in the world. This is why the market for wine and spirits in Asia is particularly strong.

Having abolished taxes on wine, Hong Kong has become the gateway to Asia for the wine imports. Hong Kong is attractive and influential in Asia, making it an advantageous place for holding international events such as Vinexpo Asia-Pacific.

During the course of this exhibition, it will be attended by more than 1050 exporters and wine producers from 28 countries. Also, 14-15000 visitors and professionals are expected from throughout the Asia-Pacific. These visitors come from all sectors: trade (import, export, sales), retail, hyper and supermarkets, hospitality (cafes, restaurants and hotels), duty free (duty free shops, airlines, ferry/cruise lines), and e-commerce.

It is interesting to know the perception they have of Spanish wines, its positioning in the market and the possibilities for Spanish wineries to succeed in the Asia-Pacific. Many experts agree on some points:

There is great ignorance of Spanish wine. However, the perception people have of Spain is positive and relatively well known for flamenco, tapas and sports.
There is no importer specializing in Spanish wines, nor shops or restaurants.
Spain has not yet reacted to the phenomenon of wine in Hong Kong. There are few campaigns to penetrate the market and to promote Spanish wines.
Importers and buyers complain that wineries do not follow-up, information on wines is poor as it is usually not translated to English or other languages, and the vast majority of partners barely speak English.
Spain lacks a strategy as a country to promote its wines.

The wineries and Spanish professionals should realize that Hong Kong is the gateway to the huge Asian market, because there are no taxes on wine and no problems for the export of wines. In fact, it is easier to ship wine to Hong Kong than to the Canary Islands, which is very convenient to carry out tastings or fairs for the promotion and finding of buyers in the region. The city has become a center for the wine business in the world and it is eager to learn. Although for now the buyers’ attention is focused on Bordeaux, sooner or later, the Asian market will seek wines from other regions and so the Spanish wine has to be present and break into this market as soon as possible.

The Spanish wines that are having better reception in the Asian market so far are Viña Gravonia Crianza (Viña Tondonia, Rioja) and Marco Real Reserve 2005 (Bodegas Marco Real, D.O. Navarra), which are on the top 10 list of best wines published by the magazine Wine in China. Among the top 50 are also San Román and Prima (Bodegas Maurodos), and Muga Reserve (Bodegas Muga).

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FIVE 2012 the success of green wine

INVINIC — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:00:00 +0000

The 3rd International Green Wine Fair (FIVE) took place this week in Pamplona (Navarra – Spain), with great success.
Over fifty wineries, and importers from twenty countries participated in this event, which was organized by the Association of Ecological Agriculture of Navarra (AEN), that points out the moment of “great excitement” that green wine is currently experiencing.
In fact, the Swiss Institute for Research in Organic Agriculture states that Spain is currently the largest producer of green wine in the world, having dedicated in 2010, a total of 57,000 ha to organic viticulture (5% of the total production of Spanish wine) of which 29,187 ha (over half of the total) are in Castilla-La Mancha. In addition, last year there were 456 wineries and bottling companies of organic wine in Spain.
However, domestic consumption is quite low, as almost 90% of production is exported. The consumer profile of green wine is that of a person with a medium-high purchasing level, with a high cultural level, and resident in countries like Germany, Scandinavia, USA and Japan.
The AEN says that these data cannot be assessed within the parameters of the industrialized production, since this crop is related to the quality and natural conditioning (climate and soil type), and the absence of the use of synthetic fertilizers.

According to Francisco Robles (president of the Federation of Enterprises with Organic Products from Spain, FEPECO) in the ecological wine sector, demand outstrips supply. In the words of Edorta Lezaun (president of the AEN) “the consumer detects that it feels good, that it’s healthier, that it has no pesticides, and it is also environmentally friendly, and the demand is increasing… there is no other secret”.

Remember that you can buy some of the best green wines from Spain on our online wine shop www.invinic.com.

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Finally, the Vijazz 2011

INVINIC — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 22:00:00 +0000

A new edition of the Caixa Penedés Vijazz will be taking place this weekend (1st, 2nd and 3rd of July). This 5th edition offers a spectacular view of the best Penedés wines and cavas in an international jazz festival environment.

The Vijazz is an event organized by the Penedés Tastavins Academy to present the wines and cavas of this Denomination of Origin at jazz beat. This year’s edition counts with a spectacular program in which well known national and international artists will be participating together with 47 wineries offering more than 300 wines to taste. The Vijazz will be offering many other activities like winery visits, street performances, guided tastings, pairings and other cultural visits.

The wineries exhibiting at the Caixa Penedès Vijazz 2011 are:
1+1=3, Albet i Noya, Avgvstvs-Forvm, Can Feixes, Can Ràfols dels Caus, Castell del Mirall, Castell d’Or, Castellroig, Cava Nadal, Emendis, Esteve i Ferrón, Eudald Massana Noya, Finca Valldosera, Heretat Mas Tinell, HMR Mont Rubí, Jané Ventura, Jaume Llopart Alemany, Jean Leon, Joan Sardà, Llopart, Loxarel, Marrugat, Martí Serdà, Mas Bertran Viticultors, Mas Can Colomé, Mas Codina, Mas Rodó, Mascaró, Miguel Torres, Mont Marçal, Oriol Rossell, Pardas, Parés Baltà, Pinord, Planas Albareda, Recaredo, Rexach Baqués, Riedel, Ruben Parera, Torelló, Torres Prunera, Trias Batlle, Vallformosa, Viladellops, Vilarnau.
You can have a complete program overview at the Vijazz official web page.

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