Private Cellar Portfolio Tasting

It’s been several years since my last Private Cellar portfolio tasting and even longer since my last in London.

A freelance day-job means that I don’t get to as many tastings as I’d like, but I was able to make an exception for this — technically consumer — event as it was held after work hours.

After years of more-conversative venues (Inns of Court, that sort of thing), this year’s venue, Clerkenwell’s Crypt on the Green, had a decidedly younger, more hipster East London vibe.

I’ve long been a fan of Private Cellar for relatively straightforward reasons. As a smallish independent they are free of the pressures to list wines either in vast quantities or from specific areas. Instead, they have an MW buyer with a flawless palate and can pick out the better-value wines, often made by capable producers in smaller quantities outside the obvious trophy-priced delineations.

Arriving slightly after the start, I had 70-odd wines to get through in a little over two hours.

Foreword afterword

If you want a brief summary of the wines, it’s that they were all excellent and demonstrably better as you move up the price points. Allow that a few wine regions carry an inherent premium due to name of cost-to-produce (Chablis and Champagne score highly on both counts here), but if your budget is in the sweet spot of £15 — £60+, there were some really lovely wines here.

I think that, if I were ever to give up the wine reviewing and go back to buying wines to consume, I would probably put a repeat order in with Laura Taylor to keep sending me interesting stuff (Laura, a co-founder who heads up Marketing, is also a trainee MW).

The Wines — highlights

There were too many wines to write up here in a single article. What follows is a selection of my personal favourites with some quickly-scribbled notes

My first oenological love; Wagram Grüner is very different to the more-famous (and expensive) Wachau Grüner in the same way that Aussie Chardonnay is different to Chablis. Austrian reds are increasingly impressive after years of not quite being there.

Grüner Veltliner Wagram, 2024, Weingut Mehofer (£14.50): aromatic and citrussy, Good+

Grüner Veltliner Neudegg, 2023 Weingut Mehofer (£19.97): more complex and mineral Very Good

Zweigelt Neudegg, 2021 Weingut Mehofer (£20.40): pale, cherries and earth, fresh and elegant Good+

Pinot Noir Neudegg, 2022 Weingut Mehofer (£20.98): pale, fresh, supple cherries and earth, lovely texture, Very Good.

Château Julia Assyrtiko, 2024 Drama (£21.20): citrus and white pepper, pure precise and linear, Very Good

Château Julia Agiorgitiko, 2023 (£26.95): pale ruby, fresh plush and supple with cherries, earth and coffee grounds, Very Good

Albariño Robaliño, Señorío de Rubiós, 2024, Orixe Rías Baixas (£17.56): lifted citrus, orchard fruits, and white pepper. Good+.

Pinuaga Rosé, Tierra de Castilla, 2025 (£15.76): bright crimson, strawberry bubblegum, red berries, orchard fruits and citrus, Good+

Pinuaga Nature, IGP Tierra de Castilla, 2023 (£16.90): deep ruby, red fruits and spice, concentrated and intense, sleek and rounded. Good+.

Pinuaga 200 Cepas, IGP Tierra de Castilla, 2022 (£28.50): ruby, red fruits, plush and supple with sleek-yet-firm tannins, Very Good

South Africa

Terroir Selection Chenel, Springfontein, 2023 (£26.86): pale gold hybrid grape, complex, citrussy and floral with microherbs, orchard fruits and fresh mint; saline and savoury, Very Good

Terroir Selection Chenin Blanc, Springfontein 2022 (£21.97): citrussy, herby, fresh melon, orchard and stone fruits, poised and precise, savoury, oatmealy texture, Very Good

Terroir Selection Pinotage, Springfontein, 2022 (£20.93): ruby, fresh red fruits and grilled smoky bacon, savoury and complex, plush and harmonious, Good+

Jonathan’s Ridge Pinotage, Springfontein, 2022 (£32.00): deep ruby, red and black fruits, smoky-toasty with oaky spice and grilled bacon; plush, concentrated and fresh with rounded, sleek tannins. Good+.

Originally published at https://cambridgewineblogger.substack.com.