There’s always a splendid down-to-earth buzz in the Grade II-listed Mackie Mayor; and there was plenty of it in the room on the day of Boutinot Wine’s tasting.
I’ve been to many a tasting, and I can say hand on heart, or perhaps hand clasping glass, that this was one of my most enjoyable in terms of vinous discoveries – and rediscoveries.
Every table had an uplifting ‘oooh’ moment; and as ever there wasn’t enough time in the day to discover all of the potential ‘ooohs’.
Manchester's Mackie Mayor - a perfect venue for an on-trade tasting
The day, explained Boutinot’s on-trade channel marketing manager, Georgina Bickers, was structured as a mix of producer-led tables and themed experiences.
Says Bickers: “We do about 50-50 of producer tables versus themed tables that are not quite free pour, but a bit more of a relaxed range.
“Within those free pour tables, we have everything that’s new, so naturally everything that we’ve brought on since we’ve last shown wine to people.
“We go for a venue that is a bit of a draw; more of a native environment to the people that work in hospitality. It's about being social and presenting ourselves as people and a partner; hopefully we'll carry our trade visitors through their career in wine and give them a bit more of a zest for the industry.”
Highlights this year included new producers from Uruguay, Japan and Australia, including Peter Lehmann, reflecting both Boutinot’s diverse global portfolio and its dedicated winemaking estates worldwide.
Lorris Cazals of Maison Chavin
Themes included No & Low; What’s New; Glass of 2025; Wine List Heroes; Somm Essentials; and the Producer Zone (with several visiting producers on hand to pour and explain their wines).
No & Low is a thing – we know that – as are lower ABVs generally, and not just to reduce taxes but also to appeal to modern sensibilities.
Says sales director Dan Sharp: “In product development we have spent the last two years really getting to grips with ABV. A few years ago, it wasn’t necessary to think can we make good wine at 10 and a half or 11% ABV. But with the escalating costs on our customers’ businesses, it’s been important to get that category right and deliver wine in quality at those ABVs – to be able to be proud of them.
“And it is important for the consumer to be happy with the quality and almost not notice at all that there’s been a difference. I’m really proud to say the buying team and the winemakers are really getting that right at the minute.”
Boutinot’s no-low range includes 0% sparkling, rosé, and white wines from producers such as Chavin in France, alongside innovative options like verjus for mixology and cooking.
Riesling has proved particularly effective as a zero-alcohol option due to its aromatic intensity, while still maintaining flavour and body in the absence of alcohol.
And sustainability is a key driver for Boutinot. Says Bickers: “We have quite aggressive targets of average bottle weight reduction. We’re doing that where we can across our own production, which is only the right thing to do for the planet.”
To showcase that, a sustainability table highlighted the weights of bottles and how new ones and old ones differed. After using my lifting muscles, I went on to the wines.
Here are some of my many standout wines on the day
Tuttavia Peach Moscato
The Tuttavia Spritz range speaks of sunny days, picnics and festivals. And very appealing it is too. The tasting booklet teased with the words “lusciously fruity fizz”; and I for one absolutely loved these handy 25cl cans (mainly 5% abv) popped through with summertime flavours. The Tuttavia Peach Moscato was perfectly stone-fruited with that floral moscato vibe. Others gaining a tick in my book were Tuttavia Blueberry Moscato, Tuttavia Rosé and Tuttavia Orange Spritz.
Bazar Pinot Noir Gewurztraminer, IGP Pays d’Oc, 2025
This inviting cerise-coloured wine caught my eye – not least because it was a new blend to me. Maison Boutinot in the Languedoc co-ferments Pinot Noir (80%) and Gewurztraminer (20%) to make what it describes as “a wine that's fun, bright, and bouncy”. It’s a juicy fruit bomb full of cranberries and cherries. I wasn’t picking up much of the classic Gewurtz aromas, but hey, it’s a summertime shoo-in.
Boutari Kretikos, PGI Crete, 2024
This a blend of two indigenous grapes Kotsifali and Mandilaria which are hand-harvested. The wine is one of my favourite styles, with ripe red fruit, Parma violets and a dusty, savoury edge. It was one of two wines from Crete producer Boutari in the tasting’s What’s New section - the other being Boutari Vidiano, PGI Crete 2024 - Vidiano being another native grape.
Pyren Vineyard Pentagon Gamay
I’m a pushover for Gamay; and here I was, happily pushed over on this new wine for 2026. The grapes are whole bunch fermented, carbonic maceration, with maturation in 500L French oak.The wine is supple and tempting with cherry, raspberry, strawberry and a little cooked plum. Pyren Vineyard is in the Pyrenees in Victoria, Australia – a region perhaps well-known for Shiraz. And in a nice lined-up way, the Gamay was grafted over Shiraz vines about four years ago.
Las Cholitas Chardonnay and Las Cholitas Malbec
On the New table, and the colourfully labelled duo Las Cholitas Chardonnay and Las Cholitas Malbec. The labels celebrate the Bolivian women whose “contribution to the wineries and vineyards of the Uco Valley is an invaluable resource”. They’re famed for their traditional dress and bombín, the bowler hat. Both wines are from Tupungato in Argentina with vineyards at 1200 metres above sea level. This leads to a fresh, approachable style.
Pierre Chainier Brut Rose, AOP Crémant de Loire NV
You’ve got to love a crémant. I have to keep trying them to make sure that I do. Pierre Chainier is both a négociant and the owner of some 250 hectares of vines in the heart of Touraine. The producer was showcasing 10 wines at the tasting. This is a blend of 50% Pinot Noir, with Cabernet Franc and Pineau d’Aunis having equal shares of the remainder. This salmon-coloured crémant has had 12 months on the lees; it tastes of raspberry, strawberry, and those dried red fruits in Special K.
Le Dolci Colline, Prosecco Rosé DOC, 2024
I can happily miss trying a Prosecco; but I’m glad I tried this one. There’s 10% Pinot Noir in this pink cuvée. The wine has spent two months on lees. This makes for a very soft, creamy-textured Prosecco with floral notes and red berries – strawberry and raspberry. Adria Vini is a winemaking venture jointly owned by Boutinot and Araldica Castelvero, the leading co-operative in the Monferrato hills of Piemonte.
Conviviale Primitivo, Salento IGT, 2024
This is also made by Adria Vini and was a highlight red for me; I believe it was brought along as an ‘extra’ by the team. It is smooth, delicious and well-made; with notes of black pepper and figs; and blackberries as fresh and ripe as if they’d just been plucked from bushes in an autumnal sun-dappled Italian field.
Peter Lehmann The Black Queen Sparkling Shiraz, Barossa Valley, 2020
I’ve never been a fan of sparkling Shiraz, but clearly I’ve been tasting the wrong ones. Here fruit is selected from four vineyards; after fermentation the wine is matured for 12 months in French hogsheads; then it is bottle-fermented and left on its lees for 36 months. Port is used as an expedition liqueur to emphasise rich Christmas cake characteristics. Kapow, I was blown away. This was an eye-opener and delicious. More please!
Azienda Agricola Scarbolo Salvadi, Friuli Grave DOC
The label says Pinot Grigio dalla Vigna Codis; but the wine in the glass does not immediately say Pinot Grigio. I didn’t take a picture of its colour; probably because I was so thrown by it. It is the hue of copper. Grapes are fermented in tonneau with some stems and native yeasts; there is gentle punching down, and it is racked after around two weeks’ skin contact. It is then aged for 12 months in the fermentation barrels and sees malo. It’s a fascinating sip: Grippy and chewy yet clean and sharp; with ginger, red apples, scrumpy cider and dried herbs.
Chavin Zéro
I tried five Chavin Zérono-alcohol wines. All prefixed Chavin Zéro, they were Sauvignon Blanc; Blanc de Blancs; Rosé; Pinot Noir and Cabernet Merlot. The process is fascinating – the wines need to be complex and giving before the alcohol is removed to make sure a good baseline of character and aromas remains. The Sauvignon Blanc was vibrant and citrussy; the Pinot Noir had seen five months in barrel before it wasde-alcoholised; and the Cabernet/ Merlot was probably my favourite of them all, with defined red fruits and structure.
Julie Ruiz and Heaphy Wines
Heaphy Sauvignon Blanc
This terrific selection of New Zealand wines from Nelson-based producer Heaphy kept me busy for some time. The 2025 vintage of Heaphy Sauvignon Blanc was driven with grapefruit, lime zest and lemon, much more understated and elegant than some of its ‘noisy’ passion-fruited cousins to the east in Marlborough. A 2024 Heaphy Riesling kicked in with red apples and dried honey and lime; and the tantalising Heaphy Pinot Gris 2024 spoke of stone fruits and a teasing tickle of ginger.
Domaine Boutinot Sélection Parcellaire La Truffière, AOP Cairanne
“Red shoestring liquorice” I said. Someone nodded. Then that savoury edge of tapenade said “hello” and all was good with the world. Syrah plays the driving role in this blend with Grenache coming in at 30%. Apparently only 2,400 bottles of this wine were crafted by Domaine Boutinot Rhône, which was founded in 2010 when Boutinot recognised “the quality of the terroir and the winemaking potential of Cairanne”. This is a super-expressive wine with a very long finish.
A trio of California whites
It feels mean to group these wines together as one mention here: but Shadow Point Chardonnay, Cline Cellars North Coast Viognier and Giornata Il Campo Bianco so ably summed up the entire tasting. On every table across the room there was a group of wines it was hard to steer away from. And so, to this corner of California.
Shadow Point is from Boutinot USA, with the grapes growing a hillside away from the Pacific in Monterey: Brazil nut texture, quince, peaches and dried apple flakes. The Cline Cellars North Coast Viognier is Mendocino County: No oak and no lees here, just Viognier showing off fulsome apricot and peach flavours greedily developed in the Californian sun. Then to Giornata Il Campo Bianco, and a trio of Italian white grapes from Paso Robles – equal shares of Falanghina and Vermentino, with Trebbiano at 20%. It is punchy and zesty with grapefruit and lemon with a slice of wet knife and some sea air.
Morris of Rutherglen Classic Muscat
Go on then, who else saves a sweetie to the end of a tasting? This was everything it should be and more, including that sense of naughty-but-nice luxury which comes with tasting it on a Monday afternoon. There are four classifications of Rutherglen, and here we sit with the second, the “classic”. And even though it’s easy to get lost in the opulent figginess, the dried fruit, the toffee and the spice, it’s good to take a palate check – and seek out the freshness, the rose petals and Turkish Delight.
Jane Clare DipWSET, the founder of One Foot in the Grapes, is a former regional newspaper editor, freelance journalist, WSET educator, and member of the Circle of Wine Writers and the Association of Wine Educators.
