During May, Hard To Find Wines presented a private tasting for Chelsea Wine Society. At first glance, that may not seem like too difficult a task for a wine importer and retailer. However, instead of a standard tasting, Hard To Find Wines was challenged to create a re-enactment of the Judgment of Paris! The Judgment of Paris - France v California The Judgment of Paris, also known as the Paris Wine Tasting of 1976, pitted Californian wines against French wines in a blind tasting. On the Californian side were Chardonnays and Cabernet Sauvignon. On the French side were white Burgundys and Bordeaux. The wine tasting was organised by Steven Spurrier, a British wine merchant who himself only sold French wines. It is said Spurrier believed the French wines would easily overcome the Californian competition. Continue reading →

For many wine drinkers, Pinotage is very much a marmite grape variety, or so many think. The Pinotage varietal was developed in the early part of the 19th century in South Africa by Abraham Perold, the first viticulturalist specialist at Stellenbosch university. The idea was to produce a form of Pinot Noir, notoriously difficult to grow, that would thrive in...

Mont Rochelle in the French Quarter of Franschhoek is the newest addition to Virgin Limited Edition and was purchased by the Richard Branson company back in 2014. Since then the old farm has been transformed into a luxurious hotel, as well as investing heavily into the infrastructure of the wine farm. The vineyard is located in a perfect position within...

Way back over a decade ago when Hard to Find Wines was started, South African Wines were the first we imported from vineyards including Haute Cabriere, Glenwood and Du Toitskloof. Now our range of SA wines online stands at over 200 wines, one of the most comprehensive ranges available of SA wines online in the UK. The old favourites from our...

When approached a few months back by Vierkoppen to see if we were interested in stocking their wines, there was a hint of trepidation. This is in no small part to the fact that the location of this vineyard in Robertson, South Africa, holds mixed feelings for me. If we were to rewind 10 years, Robertson was hardly considered as...

Hard to Find Wines now lists over 100 wines under £10 a bottle. All offering excellent quality in a diverse range of styles to tempt every palate. Over the past 10 years we have built up a substantial portfolio of wines we believe to offer fantastic value for money. With over a third of the price of a bottle of...

Having been searching for sometime for a new Martinborough producer to add to our portfolio, last Summer was a eureka moment when stumbling across Te Hera Estate at the London World's Leading Wines fair and were compelled to introduce our clients to their incredible Te Hera Pinot Noir. The estate was originally planted in 1996 and produces stunning Pinot Noir...

Over the past 10 years we have had the pleasure of importing some fantastic quality wines from all over the world. However, we continually strive to find new wines and boutique vineyards offering exciting and tasty wines for our clients to enjoy. Inevitably this means some wines have to make way for the new, and currently we have a selection...

With new UK guidelines on how much booze we should drink now at the paltry level of just 14 units per week for both men and women, just how can we make our units stretch? Probably the best way is to lower the alcohol content of your wine (although the 7 glasses a week quoted are based on just 10.5...

As we stare headlong into the run up to Christmas, happily we are now in possession of the new vintage of Cabriere Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2015. Although the quality of this wine from the Von Arnim family in Franschhoek has always been very consistent, from the couple of tastings we have done with it out and about over the last...