Amathus Launches Wines With Personality

Since 1978, Amathus has proudly been supplying a comprehensive range of wines, spirits and beers, meticulously sourced from around the globe.Amathus, which has 8 retail locations in London, Bath, and Brighton, takes pride in its expertise and exclusive portfolio.

The newly launched Wines with Personality, showcases 12 inspirational producers from across the globe, each capturing the essence of their diverse vineyards in the bottle in a range of styles, including organic, biodynamic, natural and sustainable. Each producer has been meticulously selected for their unique story, superb location and original technique.

“Amathus has carefully sourced a selection of beautifully crafted wines that have an equally compelling tale behind them”, says Jeremy Lithgow MW, Head of Wine at Amathus. “We are constantly trying to diversify and complement the existing collection of wines we have available and to understand the importance of championing undiscovered wines from different regions, countries and growing cultures. Therefore, it is no surprise that all of the 12 wines are exclusive imports to Amathus.”

From grape to bottle, Amathus takes us on a journey across four continents, to tell the stories of the wines’ distinctive lives.

PORTUGAL

The journey starts in Portugal with the Azores Wine Company, a project by famous Portuguese winemaker Antonio Macanita who aims to resuscitate old varieties and ancient vines. Growing on one of the globe’s unique viticultural regions, the volcanic Azores islands, the vineyards lie adjacent to the windswept sea and have been painstakingly dug out of solid lava.

FRANCE

We then visit France with Alex They and his 200-year-old estate located in the Languedoc appellation in Corbières, Chateau Vieux Moulin. Alex is passionate about exploring new angles of winemaking with his range of organic, low sulphur wines in eye-catching, illustrated packaging.

One of the most exciting grower Champagnes of recent years, Champagne A Bergère owns 65 hectares of vineyards split between the prestigious Côte des Blancs, Valée du Petit Morin and the Côte de Sezanne. Adrien Bergère heads up the estate with a primary focus on Chardonnay and terroir, low dosage across the range, and judicious use of oak to tease out the full potential of the wines.

 Another French producer, the young Victor Roth took over his family estate, Domaine Robert Roth, in the southern sector of Alsace, converting it to organics. Victor launched a range of irresistible and well-priced aromatic whites that have singled him out as a talent to watch.

GERMANY

Moving to neighbouring Germany, brothers Martin and Georg Fusser are regarded as two of the country’s brightest winemaking talents. Their family estate, Weignut Fusser, has been converted to full biodynamics and has become a prominent member of Respekt Biodyn, a group featuring the highest profile and most progressive biodynamic wineries in Germany and Austria.

ITALY

We travel south to Italy, to the entrance of the Dolomite mountains near the border with Austria. The monastery Abbazia di Novacella is one of the world’s oldest continually active wineries, founded in 1142. One of the finest winemakers in the quality-focused Alto Adige region, Abbazia di Novacella regularly receives the top Tre Bicchieri (Three Glasses) award from the influential Gambero Rosso Italian wine guide.

GREECE

From one Mediterranean producer to another, located on the island of Evia, Greece, Avantis Estate is led by Lenga and Apostolos Montrichas. The talented duo combines international and indigenous varieties to great effect making modern wines awash with Greek personality in a unique micro-climate, which supplies the vineyards with essential humidity.

UK

We end our European leg of the journey in the UK, among the rolling hills, woodlands and deep-cut ghylls of the Sussex High Weald. Jonica and Gerard Fox, of Fox & Fox, produce high quality sparkling wines characterised by their extended lees ageing, which gives them tremendous complexity and depth of flavour.

SOUTH AFRICA

We then stop by Metzer Family Wines in South Africa, headed by surfer and skater Wade Metzer, one of the country’s most talented winemakers. Crafting high-scoring world-class wines from old vineyards, Wade believes his job is to translate the grapes into wine with minimal intervention; focusing on picking the best possible fruit, which is then gently barrel aged before release.

ARGENTINA

A flight to Argentina takes us to the foothills of the Andes, where Maricruz Antolín, of Bodega Krontiras, is based. Widely regarded as a rising star of the Argentinean wine scene, Maricruz has been awarded Young Winemaker of the Year by Tim Atkin MW. Bodegas Krontiras was established in 2004 with a view to making pure, terroir-driven expressions of Argentinean wines and in 2012 it became one of the first fully biodynamic wineries in the country.

AUSTRALIA

Our second to last destination is South Australia’s Eden Valley, where Will Gilbert, of Gilbert Family Wines, specialises in cool-climate wines with a common thread of elegance, purity and structure. Gilbert Family Wines is at the front of Australia’s new wave, making a wide range of wines both in traditional and more experimental styles.

NEW ZEALAND

Finally, we head to a small sustainable estate in the Moutere Hills sub-region of Nelson, in New Zealand’s South Island. Blackenbrook Vineyards, run by Daniel and Ursula Schwarzenbach, makes great value pristine aromatic whites and Pinot Noir. The unirrigated vineyards are managed sustainably, and the wines are mostly vegan, with a gravity-fed winery built to Daniel’s specifications.