Talk To The Winemaker - Judy Beardsall

The succession of European winemakers taking part in Talk to our Winemaker on Fromvineyardsdirect.com marches on this week, from Château Leoville-Barton in Bordeaux right across the Alps and down into the heart of Tuscany, as Judy Beardsall of Ananda di Toscana begins a fortnight at the keyboard, answering the questions wine enthusiasts want to ask the producer of this estate’s particularly Super Tuscan wine.

As the schedule for the next three months demonstrates, after Judy completes her forum on Sunday 5in August, the Grand Tour From Vineyards Direct continues to traverse some of the finest wine regions in Europe, offering a personal audience with some of the most interesting and innovative winemakers working today.

Holidays have been put on hold for the following winemakers who will all be sharing their secrets, From Vineyards Direct:

July 23rd to August 5th – Judy Beardsall – Ananda di Toscana (Tuscany)
August 6th to 19th – Jean-Marie Johnston – Pauillac (Bordeaux)
August 20th to September 2nd – Serge Mathieu – Champagne Serge Mathieu (Champagne)
September 3rd to 16th – Bernard Carré - Château de Chasseloir (Muscadet)
September 17th to 30th – Joseph Angel Mestre – Les Mines (Priorat)
October 1st to 14th – Andre Richard - Domaine de la Tourade Gigondas and Vacqueyras (Rhône)

Talk to our Winemakers is the inspiration of partners David Campbell and Esme Johnstone, the two men behind the online wine emporium Fromvineyardsdirect.com.

Using David’s years of experience as the publisher/owner of the Everyman Library, together with Esme’s wealth of wine knowledge as one of the originators of Majestic Wine and then later at Château de Sours, the premise is simple – to offer a level of access to winemakers the general public does not normally enjoy.

Log on to Fromvineyardsdirect.com and click on the Talk to our Winemakers link, post your question and within twenty four hours you will receive your reply - From Winemaker Direct! Judy Beardsall has agreed to spend the next two weeks answering questions and discussing her love of wine.

Working with winemaker Alberto Antonini, Judy has turned her dream of producing a very special Super Tuscan wine into reality with Ananda di Toscana Tuscany 2003, which David and Esme snapped up for their website. Judy is happy to discuss any aspect of her wine career, and wine in general.

Perhaps her time working in New York with one of the city’s leading wine merchants and what life is like for a wine consultant producing wine lists for clients; or wine lecturing and just what she feels about modern winemaking techniques the world over; or maybe about her best-selling wine book Sniffing the Cork.

This is a great opportunity for wine investors to ask an ex-broker for tips on building a serious cellar and investing in rare wine.

Ananda di Toscana Tuscany 2003 is described as a ‘Super Tuscan’ wine. The term relates to any Tuscan red wine that does not adhere to traditional blending laws. Chianti Classico traditionally has the Sangiovese grape as its dominant varietal, blending it with red grapes of lesser character like Canaiolo and Mammolo, and occasionally with two white grapes, Malvasia and Trebbiano.

In the 1970s Piero Antinori, whose family had been making wine for more than 600 years, decided to make a richer wine by eliminating the white grapes, and adding Bordeaux grape varieties (namely Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot). The result was the first ‘Super Tuscan’.

Ananda di Toscana Tuscany 2003 retails for £12.95 per bottle on Fromvineyardsdirect.com. All prices include VAT and delivery to anywhere in the UK and Northern Ireland. Minimum total order is 2 cases (24 bottles of 75cl equivalent) for the UK and 5 cases (60 bottles of 75cl equivalent) for Ireland.

The company also offers a collection service from just outside Calais, France, at a per-bottle saving of £1.50 for wines and £2.00 for Champagne, and a per-case saving of £18 for wine, £24 per 12-case/£12 per 6-case for Champagne.

Fromvineyardsdirect.com aims to be at least 20% cheaper than usual wine merchants.