Tomatzso

For many small producers wine is a disaster area.  Why? Because they have great quality wine that is ageing well, and they just cannot sell it.  It is the story for Italy and France, probably for Spain and Portugal, and likely other new world producing regions.  Wine that sells for £20 a bottle is sitting in cask simply because the volumes or the market is not there.

Wine is also a disaster area because when you go to some of the larger wine retailers and super markets, and want to buy a decent bottle of wine for around the £10 mark, there is a 50% chance you will be off loaded with some mass produced, high alcohol, clumsily made, over oaked product of one of the large drinks companies.  It will give you a headache if you drink more than a glass. Not always the case, but too often.

My hope is that the larger supermarkets will get in touch with these fine smaller producers of wine, with excess volumes of superb stock, do some own label bottling, and start selling really fantastic wine for £10 a bottle.

But if anyone wants to buy simply the very best wine available for an unbelievably low price - you can do worse than go to Sebastian, a market stall holder in Lyric Square in Hammersmith - he is there about once a month, and is there today 1st November, and tomorrow, until about 6pm.

Tomatzso's team of authors have drunk cases of his superb wine over the last few months, had memorable evenings, and fairly clear heads the next day.

For example there is Duo - a Bordeaux from 2005: compares well with a wine costing £15 a bottle - and Sebastian is selling three bottles for £10.  The label design might not be the finest, and it has a screw top - but who cares if the quality is marvellous.

How is this accomplished?

(a) Sebastian works with a small group of wine buyers

(b) Each has a real understanding about the important qualities of a wine: for example, and rather uniquely, the wines they sell are around the 12% alchohol level, rather than 14% to 15% which often destroys good character, or covers bad character.

(c) They go to wine auctions of wine that has been rejected by supermarkets; wine that insurers of the contract have to pick up and then sell.  The reason for rejection can range from having a cap as opposed to a cork closure (these French can be very picky) to the labeling not stating it is kosher (as was the case for a consignment rejected from the US rectenly), to any number of reasons that in no way affect the quality of the wine.

(d) They purchase a large number of the cases of the wines that represent great quality at a truly remarkable price

(e) They sell it in the UK, and other European countries, at a price that still makes them a good margin, but offers a fantastic deal for the wine enthusiast.

Also Sebastian's stall sells wild boar, venison, duck cured sausages - again at three for £10 - produced in a small factory in Auvergne.  They go very well with the wine.

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