Welcome to “What we're drinking”

All members of the Corks Out team are a little crazy about wine! Therefore, it seemed a good idea to share with you our own personal favourites.

Each month we will all update this section with one of our much-loved wines. It might be something that we found particularly good as a food accompaniment, an easy drinking everyday value for money wine or an exciting wine that gave us that “Wow” feeling.

If you have any comments on these wines or would like to tell us about your own favourites we would love to hear from you. Maybe we could create a “What you’re drinking” section!  Scroll down to read our individual comments....

Ruth Yates

Well, what can I say…. except, if I had a £1 for every time someone asked me what my favourite wine is then I would be a very wealthy woman. All I can say is that I have been incredibly lucky to have tasted thousands of wines during my 19 years in the wine trade and hopefully over the next few months I can share some of those delights with you. I will, however, say that I love fizz, I love white Burgundy and I love Sauvignon Blanc. 

Ruth's wine of the month -Lustau Fino Sherry £14.95.

''This is one of my favourite mid week easy drinking wines, it’s absolutely fantastic value for money and has much more going on than your average Chenin Blanc, it’s clean, fresh and fruit-driven on the palate and has some nice length to it.  I recently drank a glass or two with some pasta carbonara and it really cut through the creamy sauce.''

Click here to read Ruth's Blog

Richard Yates 

Most of you will know Richard as the Concha y Toro man and after 16 years with them the passion of Corks Out finally got to him so much that he felt this was what was truly in his heart. So, you can be sure that a few of his favourites will be coming from South America as that’s where his expertise lies, however, I do know that he enjoys quality European reds too.

Richard's Wine of the month- Morton Private Estate Viognier 2009 £13.95.

'' I choose this because in January 2012 Ruth and I will be visiting a number of wineries in New Zealand and we will not miss out on an opportunity to enjoy a glass or two of this beauty when we are in Hawkes Bay. I love Condrieu, the Rhone region which gives us Viognier and, as is often the case, the New World pretenders do not get close when they try to emulate the classics. However, Morton are an exception and this wine delivers all the peachy, apricot style that Viognier offers. It has well balanced acidity and a creamy backdrop topped with luscious fruit. We will raise a glass to you all whilst we enjoy the NZ summer!''

Tom Scargill | Chester

Tom has spent some time in the wine trade over the last few years and his wine knowledge and enthusiasm show in the store and at tastings.  In his spare time he performs in a band, so you never know where you might see him in the future.

Tom's Wine of the month-Cigliuti -Lamothe Bouscat - Pessac Leognan Blanc, Bordeaux, France - £19.95.

''Criminally over shadowed by the region’s renowned reds and the sublime dessert wines of Sauterne et al; this wine shows that Bordeaux’s dry white wines deserve serious recognition and appreciation. This is classic Pessac Leognan with oaky aromas of toast and cream brightened with some underlying green fruit character. Rich yet dry; the palate has notes of brioche, green apple, peach and custard cream. Irresistable.''

Hayley Staunton | Web

Hayley passed her WSET wine exam in 2008 which is when she started work for ‘Corks Out’, since then she has moved on from working within retail to our fast growing website. Hayley will be working in the offices of the Stockton Heath shop but you may see her dotted about the store on the odd day. Whether it be wine or website you want to chat about she’s always happy to help.

Hayley's Wine of the month -Duette Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere £10.95.

''This wine has wonderfully balanced tannins and rich fruit flavours. I bought a bottle for a family member at Christmas to my surprise he cracked it open there and then. It is excellent value for money too!!''

Graham Simpson | Heswall

Graham joined the team in May 2009 as the manager for our Heswall store. If you live in Heswall you will probably all remember him as the manager of the Nicolas (Odd Bins store) in Heswall. He has spent many years in the wine trade, has fantastic knowledge and a great palate for wine tasting.  I can only warn you that his knowledge and enthusiasm is very infectious, therefore, if you want to know more about wine and you live in Heswall then Gray is your man.

Gray's Wine of the Month - Marques de Casa Concha Merlot 2009, £11.99.

''Ok, so it’s cold, very cold indeed. We’ve got the madness of Christmas out of the way and now it’s time to sit back and relax a bit. So what better way than with a glass or three of this absolutely bang-on Chilean Merlot? It personifies the words ripe, lush, deep and intense. With good use of oak to balance the wealth of black fruit and ripe tannins, this Merlot will warm the cockles of anyone who tries it this January.''

Jo Bradshaw | Stockton Heath

Due to our expansion, Jo has come on board to help the business out in the admin department, now with 5 shops, an extended warehouse, 20 team members and 102 wine and spirit suppliers the admin side begins to take up more and more of your time. This will allow me to get back into the stores again and spend more time concentrating on purchasing more exclusivities and exciting products. Jo lives locally to Stockton Heath and after speaking to her as a customer in the past i can assure you she appreciates a quality glass of wine.

Jo's wine of the month- Morton Mimi Sparking £9.99

''I bought this as a gift but was forced to open it when unexpected guests arrived. Apologies to the person who never got their gift and next time I’ll definitely be buying it for myself!''

 Jeremy Cowen | Chester

 Jeremy is Manager at our Chester store. Jeremy, or Jem as we call him has worked closely with wine for the past 11 years and was the youngest ever manager in Oddbins history, which was where his career in wine started. Since then he has travelled the wineries around the world and been Head Sommelier at some of the well known restaurants around the UK. His passion for wine and spirits and the retail sector is fairly obvious when you meet him. 

Jeremy's Wine of the month - Marin – Old Vine Garnacha, Carinena, Spain – £10.75.

''This drinks like a wine twice its price and really shows how good Spanish Garnacha ( Grenache ) can be when grown responsibly. Made from truly old vines, it has aromas of mature dark fruit, prunes and toasted oak. It’s medium bodied on the palate, with soft, sweet tannins and vibrant flavours of strawberry and raspberry.''

Kieran Mills | Alderley Edge

Kieran is part of our Alderley Edge team. He  has a wealth of knowledge built up over a decade with Oddbins as manager at Didsbury and Liverpool branches. With a continuing vinous enthusiasm, he is relishing the opportunity to share his voyage of discovery with all of you and is excited about the new changes at the store with regard to 'Taste' our new adventure into wine!

Kieran's Wine of the Month- Clos du Ferre Muscadet sur Lie £9.99.

'' It’s not so much the mussels you have to be wary of, more the Muscadet. I can put minds to rest on this one though, its fabulous. Bone dry with perfectly balanced acidity that won’t make the sides of your tongue curl up and with notes of hazelnut, it’s not too dissimilar to a Chablis in character. There was no hint of a spritz but the finish was very classy. This sort of wine could give Muscadet a good name. And whilst there are still some R’s left to come why not get stuck into a bowl of moules and give this one a test drive over your tastebuds. '' 

Adrian McDonald | Stockton Heath

Adrian who likes to be called Bob (don't ask me why) joined the Corks Out team at Stockton Heath inJuly 2010, having previously worked in various sectors of the on and off wine trade for 6 years. He is very enthusiastic about spirits, mainly focusing on whiskies and cocktails due to his experience in hotels. That said, he is also partial to the wines of Southern France and Italian reds, so if you’re looking for a good Barolo you know where to come, and Bob will be happy to help.

Bob's wine of the month -Delamain Pale & Dry XO Cognac 

'' Now that Christmas and New Year are out of the way I pondered what I could drink to see out the last few weeks of my 20’s (my 30th is at the end of the month if anybody fancies getting me, say, a Lafite 1982…). Having often been accused of being older than my years & after becoming a convert after a trip there last year, I decided that the Delamain Pale & Dry XO Grande Champagne Cognac was a good choice!

One of the few remaining family run houses, Delamain produces nothing less than XO Cognac that is aged for a minimum of 20 years. The house style is floral, delicate and full of finesse – the Pale & Dry certainly delivers on this front. Called Pale & Dry as its pale appearance comes from the natural colour of the old casks in which it is matured with no addition of caramel, and dry as it only has natural sweetness. The liquid itself has powerful floral aromas with distinct vanilla flavours. The palate has a mellow roundness that develops into full bodied fruitiness with a long, slightly spicy finish. As entry levels Cognac’s go, this is non too shabby! Perfect for sitting by the fire on a cold January evening wondering what happened to my youth….''

Sally Vickers | Stockton Heath

Sally joins Jo in the admin department at head office and as part of the Corks Out team they should never beunderestimated for two reasons really, one, because they are huge help to the rest of the team in keeping things going and secondly, they have also have a bit of a passion for wine.  

Sally's wine of the month- Trivento Sparkling Brut £9.95.

''Hi – Happy New Year!

 So is January officially the most depressing month of the year? January Sales calling me but completely spent up after the Christmas festivities, gained too much weight, hate my presents blagh , blagh, blagh.

All is not lost! I love this quote by the great Actress Bette Davis "There comes a time in every woman's life when the only thing that helps is a glass of Champagne" Ok, so I cant afford a bottle of our Armand de Brignac Brut Rose (aka Ace of Spades)  - snip @ £407.49 but there are always ways to feel as though you are splurging on yourself when you are not – Try a bottle of Trivento Sparkling Brut At £9.95 ,a little imagination can go a long way… ''  

Chris Duggan | Heswall

Great knowledge in the drinks industry after many years running City Centre Cocktail bars in Liverpool and Chester. He has travelled around Europe learning about products from their source, From Finland for Vodka to Italy for Wine, Scotland for Whisky to Munich for Beer. Next for him is the Caribbean for Rum. So come down and let him introduce you to our range.

Chris's wine of the month- Glenrothes Select Reserve £39.78.

''You may not be familiar with this distillery but have probably heard of the blended malt named Cutty Sark? Well this whisky was mostly composed by the Glenrothes single malt and in 1987, Christopher Berry Green (BBR) approached the Highland Distilleries to call for the Glenrothes to be released as a single malt of it’s own and to this day produces 5 million litres per year. 

It is a fruity, citrusy malt with layers of orange peel and spices. This winter warmer is deep, rich and rounded making this a tribute to the master distiller John Ramsey (recently retired) who has perfectly balanced the fruit, wood and spice in this whisky.''

Matt Cox | Stockton Heath

Matt, joined us here at Stockton Heath in July, in the past he has had hisown business and worked for his brothers business ‘The Yew Tree Bunbury’ (if you haven’t been it’s definitely worth a try http://www.theyewtreebunbury.com/ )  Matt has a great sense of humour (you have to be quick), he also has a passion for wine of course and passed his Intermediate WSET wine exam with distinction recently.  Favourite wine of the moment is a good Pouilly Fume and in his spare time he’s a bit of a DJ, we will have to get you out in the garden at Stockton Heath Matt!!!