GLASGOW’S sumptuous Trades Hall provided a fitting venue for Uncorked Scotland, an event which brought the richly varied wine portfolios of Tennent’s, Matthew Clark & Bibendum together under one glittering roof.
Over 250 wines from all around the world, specially selected to highlight ‘exceptional quality and outstanding value’, were available for sampling, with representatives from both the winemakers and the distributors on hand to offer information and add that colour to the background stories that makes each wine unique.
To help trade buyers navigate these liquid riches, organisers had set out ‘tasting trails’ to suit different business priorities, whether that be selecting wines to be sold by the glass, or picking ‘trade up’ bottles that can encourage customers away from house wines.
There was a particular focus on the rosé category, which has been growing across the on-trade, both in value and volume. But there’s more to rosé than just the Provence style, so exhibitors were on hand to demonstrate the virtues of a diverse array of rosé style wines from around the world.
However it was indeed a Provence-made Maritime Brise that particularly caught the attention of SLTN’s resident pink wine enthusiast, who then went further out of her comfort zone to endorse a Cullinan View Pinotage from South Africa’s Western Cape.
Meanwhile, the older palate of SLTN’s red wine connoisseur was completely satisfied by a powerful, woody, Chateau Ste Michelle Columbia Valley Merlot, from Washington State, USA.
