Staff picks + 15 years of 40 maltby st. merch
It has been a while since our last lot of staff picks, but at last here is a selection of wines that those behind the bar, in the kitchen, and in the warehouse have been enjoying in recent days. Also, we have made a limited run of t-shirts to commemorate 15 years of 40 Maltby Street.
The wonderful artwork by Anna Hodgson and Harry Darby is screen printed onto a mid weight organic cotton t-shirt. They are available online or at 40 Maltby Street. Act fast if you want to have this essential piece of summer clothing! Read more…
SUMMER SELECTION + SEASONAL BOX
Summer is here, or was. In any case it is lurking in the air. Parks and gardens are awash with ox-eye daisies, honeysuckle, foxgloves; and revellers, picnickers, and sunbathers have been making the most of it. Our kitchens too are bursting with the produce of the season; creamy new potatoes, crisp lettuces, sweet broad beans, summer berries, and more.
The season and its food call for another change in our wine drinking habits and so we have put together a selection that we are currently enjoying that span a range of styles, colours, and regions but that are all perfect for now. Read more…
new wines from CostadilÀ
May is drawing to a close, and with it a dose of heat that gives us a glimpse of the months ahead. In anticipation that the sunny days remain, here are three timely new arrivals from Costadilà; bright, salty, fresh wines from the traditional heartland of Prosecco.
Costadilà began in 2006 in the hills above Conegliano in the province of Treviso. Ernesto Cattel embarked on a project that went well against the grain. Read more…
New from CAHORS + THE LOIRE
Summer is almost upon us!
Parks, streets and gardens are completely awash in a sea of lush green shoots and colourful blooms… we have bluebells slowly fading, while wisterias, tulips, and geraniums are in full bloom, and the first elderflowers of the season too. Coinciding with this turn are new releases from our Anjou-Saumur winemakers, and wines from Ostal Levant in Cahors; they arrived recently, and after a short rest they are now ready. Read more…
Harry Lester & Patrick Bouju at 40 Maltby Street
For our next 15th anniversary event we will be joined by two people without whom we wouldn’t be here doing what we are doing: chef Harry Lester and winemaker Patrick Bouju. Harry will be cooking a special menu and Patrick will be pouring his wines for two services.
We first met Harry when he was part of the team that opened The Anchor and Hope way back then. He settled in Auvergne with his family in 2007, and both Steve and I spent summers cooking at his Auberge de Chassignolles. This was a formative experience for both of us and it ended with us starting Gergovie Wines together and opening 40 Maltby Street soon after. Read more…
New from the Auvergne + Spring Seasonal Box
Spring, glorious Spring!
Warming sunshine, a gentle breeze in the air, gentle misty rain (and an occasional downpour); shoots and leaves sprouting everywhere. This shift in seasons – and in the rhythm of our lives – is typically marked by the arrival of new wines from our spiritual home, the Auvergne.
We have also put together a Spring Seasonal Box that draws from the wines that we have been enjoying the most in this transtional phase, from producers across the length of France, but also a couple from the Veneto and Tarragona. Read more…
NEw from Domaine La BohèmE + 15 years of 40 Maltby St.
New wines from Patrick Bouju and Justine Loiseau of Domaine La Bohème have arrived! And we are also pleased to announce the 15th anniversary of our bar 40 Maltby Street!
The annual tranche of wines that we get from Patrick Bouju and Justine Loiseau are often a reminder of our first meeting with Patrick in 2009 and our early years in importing, and selling the wines of Patrick and his friends in the Auvergne and further afield. It was also through Patrick that we first attended Les Dix Vins Cochons in Chateldon that December, encountering – for the first time – a roster of winemakers that have deeply influenced the way we think of, drink, and talk about wine; and who have since become incredibly influential within the world of natural winemaking. Read more…
NeW FROM JEAN-YVES Péron
It is with great pleasure that we are able to offer new wines from Jean-Yves Péron!
A native of Savoie, Jean-Yves has for more than two decades been championing and producing complex, often intense and profound wines from the steep slopes of his home. His old vines, scattered around Conflans, are planted on unique mica-schist – fine, and peppered with glittery elements of quartz. Conversely, his other vines in Fréterive lower down in the valley are on éboulis calcaire, or limestone scree, chunkier and more crumbly. In his cellar, Jean-Yves works meticulously and to the beat of his own drum. Read more…
New from Fabio Gea
We are delighted to offer new wines from the inimitable Fabio Gea!
Fabio, his wife Valeria and son Leonardo, were recently in London on a long-awaited visit. We spent the loveliest of Sunday afternoons with them at Leo’s on Chatsworth Road in Hackney. Head chef/co-owner Peppe Belvedere and his old friend Gaia Enria cooked a sublime Piemonte-inspired feast, accompanied by Fabio’s wines, a combination of new releases and special bottles. These new releases from his cellar showcase his unorthodoxy and his experimental spirit imparts an incredible delicacy and wonderful energy to them. Read more…
MORE NEW ARRIVALS: ABRACADABRA, BELLY WINE EXPERIMENT, ANDREA CALEK
These last days of winter often call for wines that warm us… but also bottles that carry the suggestion of spring. In this season we also turn to wines that are lifted, filled with purity of fruit, and carry the promise of balmy nights and warmer days!
Arriving in time for the changing season are new wines from Auvergne-based Hannah Fuellenkemper of Abracadabra, and Claire Sage, Guy Enoch, and Aimé Duveau of Belly Wine Experiment. Along these sit the new releases from veterans Andrea Calek and Stephana Nicolescou, based in Alba-la-Romaine, the Ardèche. Read more…
A piedmontese feast at Leo's with Fabio Gea
On Sunday 15th February we will be at Leo's for a long lunch to celebrate the food of Piemonte and one of the region's most fascinating winemakers, Fabio Gea.
Fabio is a singular character who makes singular wines in Neive at the heart of Barbaresco country. He will be with us pouring some new releases alongside a list of his wines by the glass and bottle including some older bottles from the Leo's cellars. Read more…
NEW YEAR, NEW ARRIVALS & MAZièRE
We are steaming through January, resolutions holding steady for the time being. So as we do at the start of every year we have released a host of new wines in an attempt to buoy spirits and brighten the days.
There are new wines from Karl and Eva Schnabel in South Styria, Leo Dirringer in Alsace, Simon Busser in Cahors and Davide Spillare in Gambellara among others. We highlighted the wonderful wines of L'Absurde Genie des Fleurs just before Christmas and having spent much of the festive period drinking them thought we should do so again, the 2024s really are exceptionally delicious. Also deserving further mention are two new sparkling wines from the inimitable Alanna Lagamba to fizz away the January blues. And we are delighted to have received some wines from Mazière in Padern, Corbieres! Read more…
christmas 2025
We are nearing the end of the year and preparations for the festivities are well under way! Exciting new bottles now rested and ready, and rarities that we have pulled out of our cellar are on our shelves and online alongside our Christmas Box available in 3 and 6 bottle packs. This year’s line-up was picked with a focus for Christmas Day and will see you (or the lucky recipient) through from morning to evening. Read more…
Staff picks for autumn
Brilliant hues of vermillion, gold and orange are awash across treetops this year! This incredible display of autumn foliage is a result of the unusually long and sunny summer but mounds of brown crumbling leaves are starting to gather and the autumn equinox shifts our drinking and eating habits. In these cooler months as our cooking becomes heartier we reach for wines that carry just a touch more Read more…
New from Henri Chauvet, the Tricots, and Domaine des Trouillères
Whilst in certain cooler climes, some winemakers are still very much in the thick of the harvest; in the Auvergne it is coming to an end as, like here, autumn is quietly creeping up altering the rhythm of our days and our appetites. Indeed, it is at this time of year and the food it brings that wines from the volcanic slopes of the Auvergne come into their own and we crave them all the more. Read more…
Summer New Arrivals: L’Absurde Génie des Fleurs, and more
At the end of June we had the pleasure of welcoming Tom and Miha of L’Absurde Génie des Fleurs to London. We have just received their 2023 wines, a vintage where we can really see the fruits of 10 years of work in their vineyards. Read more…
New Arrivals from Patrick and Justine - Domaine La Boheme
We are delighted to release new wines from Patrick Bouju and Justine Loiseau, including Lulu and the well-loved Festejar – this time both as a blanc and a rosé! Read more…
Introducing Karl & Eva Schnabel
Karl and Eva welcomed us to their beautiful corner of South Styria at the end of March 2024 when the cold of winter hadn't quite left the slopes of the Sausal mountain that juts above their home and cellar. Read more…
New arrivals from Ostal Levant
We were introduced to Louis and Charlotte Pérot by our good friend Simon Busser who makes stunning wines in the nearby commune of Prayssac on one of the Lot's extravagant meanders.The Pérots left Paris and bought a house and winery at the end of 2015. Read more…
A delayed harvest:
A visit to Catherine Bernard and Nicolas Allain, August 2022
Harvest cannot begin yet. Thirst-driven wild boars roved through Catherine Bernard’s vines several nights before; ravaging fruit, vines, and the land alike in their passage through her oldest plot, La Carbonelle. In this Mediterranean heatwave, wild boars quench their thirst on the berries and disinter the roots of vines for nutrition; breaking and ripping young branches, tender roots and leaves. Boar damage–a first for Catherine and her son Nicolas Allain–combined with a punishing heatwave, and an unexpected drought translate to unexpected losses and a need to adapt and delay their 2022 harvest. Read more…
New from Costadila - August 2020
Costadilà began in 2006 in the hills above Conegliano in the province of Treviso. Ernesto Cattel embarked on a project that went well against the grain. The rolling hills of the area are incredibly beautiful but with the popularity of its much drunk export, Prosecco, agricultural practices changed. Read more…
SPRING TASTING - SUNDAY 28TH APRIL 2019
We are very pleased to announce that tickets for the 2019 edition of our Spring Tasting go on sale today. As usual we will be joined by our friends Tutto Wines and a very exciting group of winemakers at The Round Chapel, Hackney.
ANJOU AND BEYOND, 2019
Leaving Angers, crossing the swollen Loire and descending into the valleys of the Layon and its tributaries it is easy to see why the region was so important for wine production in the Middle Ages. The Plantagenets and elite of mediaeval Angers must have been well pleased to have such a special place on their doorstep as they sipped their Gouais and Plant d’Anjou.
A VISIT TO BARRANCO OSCURO
There is something visually spectacular upon entering the Alpujarra’s region in which Barranco Oscuro’s vineyards stand that takes time to fathom.
It begins with the steep ascent from coastal paths, arriving in mountains around 1,300 metres above sea level. Views stretch as far as the eye can see before turning and stretching again.
CHRISTMAS AT 40 MALTBY STREET
As the Winter Solstice approaches all our minds are brightened by planning a few days of extravagance at the end of the month. For many the revelry starts early in December (or before) and we see this at 40 Maltby Street—old friends reuniting, colleagues letting their hair down and a general sense of goodwill to all men.
A VISIT TO MARIE & VINCENT TRICOT
We were invited for lunch with Marie and Vincent Tricot not long after out Fête du Vin in Chassignolles at the end of July. The usually refreshingly temperate Auvergne was in the grip of the same heatwave that seemed to hold all of Europe for much of this summer; that Sunday certainly felt like one of the hottest.
NEW FROM CÀ DE NOCI
Emilia Romagna has always had a strong draw for us. The rolling hills to the south of the region's ancient towns are spectacularly beautiful and home to some of the best food you can find. Sitting at a table eating warm crescentine with lardo and drinking Lambrusco is one of the finest dining experiences to be had.
SPRING TASTING 2018
We are very pleased to confirm that we will be holding our Spring Tasting again this year with our friends and fellow importers Tutto Wines on Sunday 29th April. The tasting will be at the Round Chapel on Lower Clapton Road in Hackney and will run from 11am until 5pm (with last entry at 4pm). We recommend arriving earlier rather than later to avoid disappointment.
CHRISTMAS AT 40 MALTBY STREET
Festive plans are well underway here - the warehouse has been filled to the rafters with wine; the Christmas beef is hanging; and the mince pies are being filled. Across on the continent the vines are entering their rest period and the juice from autumn is well on its way to becoming wine.
OCTOBER 2017 & A VISIT TO COSTADILÀ
Autumn has fully descended on us, with the streets full of plane leaves, darker nights and sluggish mornings. Now that the weather is cooler we have begun shipping wine again, and so are looking forward to several new arrivals over the coming months.
SEPTEMBER 2017 NEWSLETTER
As London has begun to feel autumnal we thought it would be a good time for a newsletter. We have all returned from our summer holidays, having spent some of it together in Tuscany hosting our annual Fête du Vin (or more aptly Festa del Vino this year) with our friends from Pacina.
A VISIT TO MAZIÈRE
Corbières is one of the most dramatic and beautiful areas in the Languedoc. Climbing up from the populated coast and the plains around Perpignan it is a shock to come across this craggy, undulating, precipitous, wind battered landscape. It is no surprise that the Cathars chose this area to build two of their most mind-bogglingly remote fortresses - Quéribus and Peyrepertuse.
SPRING TASTING 2017
On Sunday 30th April we will be returning to the Round Chapel in Hackney with Tutto Wines to host our annual Spring Tasting.
The tasting will run from 11am-5pm and entry will be £15. There will be lunch cooked by our team from 40 Maltby Street, as well as glasses of beer and wine for the fatigued.
A VISIT TO PACINA
The hamlet of Pacina, just south of Siena, originated around 900AD as a monastery. The cellar and foundations from this time remain cold and dark beneath the main house.
FEBRUARY 2017 NEWSLETTER
A very belated Happy New Year from all of us at Gergovie Wines and 40 Maltby Street. The beginning of the year saw all of us scattered across the globe (Australia, Venezuela, Japan, France, Sweden, and Cornwall), which meant we were able to have one of our chefs Will Gleave take the reigns for our first day back in January.
DECEMBER 2016 NEWSLETTER
The last few months have proven to be rather busy for us; with visits to producers, new wine arrivals, and the inevitable Christmas preparations. So, it seemed like a perfect time to reinstate our long neglected newsletter.
SPRING TASTING 2016
On Sunday 1st May 2016 we will be joined by our friends at Tutto Wines once more for our Spring Tasting. This year we are particularly excited as the tasting will be held in the beautiful Round Chapel on Lower Clapton Road, Hackney.
The tasting runs from 11am to 5pm. Entry is £12 on the door, which entitles you to a tasting glass and free rein to taste with over thirty of Europe’s most exciting growers.
THE AUVERGNE
The Auvergne was once one of the most important wine producing areas in France planted with Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Gamay d'Auvergne. Loads of coal heading to Paris (the area's other precious natural resource) would also bring the area's wines to supply the bustling Auvernat bistro trade that was booming in Paris in the mid-nineteenth century.