As we sit here in our little corner of England whiling away the evening with a glass of 1995 Chateau Leoville Poyferré perched in front of us, (I have just won a few quid at Newbury!) I can’t help but ponder how things have failed to move on in my life since this rather lovely wine was made in that major 12 months of my life………

In 1995 I was just starting my new business with my partner (he went onto far greater things!) who was very keen to buy up property on the edge of any small town and create a string of wine shops throughout the land. Sadly this did not correspond one jot with my plan to build a small wine business that would keep me in the manor to which I was soon to become accustomed. We did have an annual lunch meeting in London to discuss his plans for world domination and on one such occasion I asked him if he had many shareholdings in companies and how I was doing compared to the others? He pondered this for a while, finishing his three cheese pizza (I was paying) and rather rudely replied that he had 14 companies throughout England and I was undoubtedly the runt of the litter!!....things have not changed a lot there then.

Another major event in 1995 was the occasion when the future Mrs Mason announced that it really was time I asked her the big question and stumped up for a ring. Sarah had clearly run out of numbers in her black book and had decided that I was marriage material. She was not at the lunch in London so was not fully aware of the situation and I was not sure if I should tell her or not!

Having weighed up my options and decided there was no one else anywhere willing to take the risk I kept quiet about runts and litters and went for it. From that day to this I realise that I am inherently untidy with an aversion to hanging up towels or putting away shoes. I do not wash up, I am a little on the heavy side although still fanciable after a very long and expensive dinner. I do not earn enough money and should certainly live in a much bigger house that is nearer a major shopping centre…….again this has not changed a lot since 1995.

I do waffle on…..

As I am sure everyone has heard, wine prices in France are on the up. The emerging markets in China and India have meant that the individual Chateau of Bordeaux and the Village wines of Burgundy are finding it hard to keep up with demand. Wines like Chablis, Sancerre and Puligny Montrachet will become harder to find as they will almost certainly start to be allocated but we will do our best to keep up.

Lucy keeps yelling at me for changing so many wines each time because the stock taking and till work is always a nightmare but I do think it is more fun for everyone to keep the list moving. You will find several new clarets and I think our burgundian offerings are improving with every list.

Italy is a Country that is catching everyone’s eye and some of the senior reds are beautiful with good food and could look very good value against the more famous French Wines.

Interestingly I see that the New World only features 16 wines on the list. I think this maybe due to the fact that the wines are sold by the grape and tend to get bookmarked all together. How many new world Sauvignons do we need? Should we be considering the different terroir and climate of each individual region?......the answer to these questions is probably yes and in future I will just have to try harder!

Enjoy the Wine List.
William Mason

For a detailed look or to download the wine list in its entirety, please click here.

About William Mason Fine Wines
William has been a wine merchant for all his working life and in 1996 he set up his company working from home in Norfolk. The policy has always been to find good affordable drinking wines from around the world that looks good and tastes good. He does not tie himself to any agency agreements and likes to chop and change the wines as and when vintages change and more exciting finds appear. The company is now based in offices and a warehouse in Hingham (still in Norfolk), where there is a showroom and a tasting room if anyone wants to call in. The Company also has some good stocks of Fine Wine and offers advice and cellaring to those that want to get in early and take advantage of the surge in wine prices. Throughout the year there will be wine events and tastings held at the Peat Spade so if anyone wants to test the above Company policies that might be a good time!
www.williammasonfinewines.co.uk