So you love wine. That means you're part of the 28 million wine lovers in the UK.

But the hassle of going to the store after a long day of work, wandering the aisles, and getting confused about which one you should get seems daunting.

That's because it is! Who wants to spend the time looking for a bottle of wine when you could just be drinking and enjoying it!?

If this sounds like you, then you are going to want to read on to learn why you should be joining a wine subscription service today!

Experts Pick the Wine for You

If you are just getting into wine, or love wine but don't ever know what to pick when you are in the store, then Res Fortes is the perfect option for you. You don't have to worry about picking your wine options, as they are picked for you!

You will get to try all new tastes based on the preferences that you give us!

This is also great as a wine gift because it can help others learn more about what types of wine they like, too!

Save Time With a Wine Club

When you are part of our wine club, whether a rose wine subscription, a UK wine subscription, or a French wine subscription (or any other), you don't have to go to the store to pick out your wine. Instead, the wine comes right to your door!

Customize the Box

One of the best parts of our subscription service is that you can customize your wine box. Although you are not the one picking out the exact wines, you get to pick what you want in it.

Do you want all rose? Do you want a mix? Are you looking for sweeter wines?

Whatever it is, you simply have to tell us your preferences so that we can appeal to your senses!

Exclusive Offers

At Res Fortes, we believe in delivering exclusive offers and extraordinary benefits to our esteemed wine club members. As a valued member, you'll receive a range of enticing privileges and discounts that are simply unparalleled.

We take pride in curating diverse and enticing offers that are sure to impress. When you join our wine subscription, rest assured that you'll always be treated to something special. Discover the joy of being a part of Res Fortes and elevate your wine experience to new heights.

Rose Wine Subscription and More

Are you ready to join a rose wine subscription? Or are you interested in another type of subscription as a wine club member?

Then you will want to check out Res Fortes. We offer many different options for you - whether you like red or white wine, you won't be disappointed. 

You can sign up for our wine club here today!

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Time to tantalize those taste buds!

We’re pairing each of our wines with a different item that you can cook on the BBQ

Res Fortes White

Grilled Halloumi, the saltiness of the cheese goes well with the crispy acidity of the white wine. Served over a salad for extra freshness

Res Fortes Rose

Throw another shrimp on the barbie! Lemon, garlic and parsley tossed over the shrimp is a classic BBQ pairing for a citrusy fresh rose.

Res Fortes Red

Merguez sausages (spiced lamb) and salty padron peppers

Merlot Madness

Caramelized roast veggies, we like onions, mushrooms, asparagus, and bell peppers but you can change it up to your tastes, or seasonal veg availability

The Traveller

Leg of lamb, marinated in herbs and olive oil, plenty of rosemary and butterflied over very hot coals. Extra points for using different types of fire wood to enhance the smoky flavour

The Brave

Côte de bœuf simply seasoned with cracked black pepper and lots of salt. Don’t forget to rest it while the wine is decanting, and serve with a sprinkle of flaky salt.

Which combo would you pick?

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Searches for wine have seen a “huge acceleration” on Google since 2019. Cyril Grira, who is retail and omnichannel director at Google France, said that there has been a 30% growth in the number of searches for wine since 2019. Read the full article here

The taste test is perfectly acceptable

Have you ever had a waiter/ sommelier bring your wine out to taste before pouring for the table? This can sometimes seem formal or awkward while they wait for you to taste and approve the wine while everyone watches on.

The reason for the initial tasting is to ensure that the wine is not "corked" aka tarnished with a fungus which can grow in the cork, causing a musty bad smell, like that of wet cardboard.

Drinking wet cardboard is not glamorous, nor something that we want you to be subjected to - so we have all of our corks screened for the fungus which causes cork taint. This technology is helping eliminate wasted wine due to cork taint.

Res Fortes uses a technology in our corks which eliminates the risk of a corked wine.

Because you deserve to drink good wine, every time!

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Terroir of Roussillon Recognition

Read the latest article written about Res Fortes on the particular Terroir of Roussillon and the fight for it’s recognition. This area of France is where our vineyards is located in Languedoc at the foothills of the Pyrenees mountains, and as we say, the terrain is not for the faint-hearted.

Wines are for the Brave

Many wine aficionados emphasize the importance of the hills and the low yields for growing high quality grapes, and as such is one of the main reasons we have setup in this location.

Read the full article here

Don’t forget your cork screw!

The benefit of using corks is their ability to age gracefully, along with the wine which it encloses.

Natural corks (made from the cork oak tree) are the winemaker's choice for ageing premium wines.

Though a cork will keep liquids in / or out (depending on which side of the bottle you're on!), it will allow oxygen to get in and out. There are tiny air pockets in the natural cork, which allows minuscule amounts of oxygen into the wine, catalyzing the development of aromas and flavours as the wine ages.

Does size matter? A cork can be anywhere from 25-60mm long - the longer the cork, the more likely it is to remain in tact and viable!

If you want to see this in practice, check out a bottle of our BRAVE (2017 vintage) wines, super drinkable now, but also ageing well through to 2030!

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Sustainable Winemaking - Corks!

As you well know, there are many ways to close a wine bottle. From cork to screw tops and everything between…The important part is getting into the wine but let's rewind for a moment.

Picture this: you're in France, having a picnic along the Seine. Crumbs of your baguette surround you and that creamy brie needs a little wine to go with it. You reach for your bottle, but NO! You forgot the corkscrew!

It is for this reason that you should always be carrying your emergency corkscrew. But anyways. The point is, most wines in France, and even lower end bottles will be sealed with a cork. This is partly esthetics/ tradition/ preference of winemakers. It is also cultural. You will notice from country to country that different methods are used depending on where you are.

Other reasons to use cork, and the primary reason for us at Res Fortes, is sustainability. They are natural, reusable and recyclable. Corks are harvested from the bark of the cork oak tree. This is the only tree whose bark regenerates, getting smoother with each harvest.

*For each ton of cork produced, the cork oak forest can sequester up to 73 tons of CO2, and thus helps to reduce the Global Warming Potential.

I'll leave it at that for now, but there are many more fun and interesting fact's for the cork dorks out there!

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Languedoc-Roussillon...What's the difference?

The Languedoc Roussillon is grouped together as a wine region in the South East corner of France.

Did you know that the Languedoc produces about 90% of wines in the region, while the Roussillon is producing 10%.

We like to think that the small 10% is where the magic happens. The Roussillon is in the furthest south corner, creating an amphitheatre to the Mediterranean, stretching west along the Spanish/ Catalonian border across to the Pyrenees.

Old vines in the Roussillon produce smaller yields, resulting in more intense flavours and concentration of the grape.

While the regions are often lumped together, the two can have extremely varied characteristics from varietals, to vineyards, soils and wine profiles.

The Roussillon is known to be more rugged in terrain, steep slopes, mountainous and schist soils. While more difficult to work the vineyards, these conditions can produce incredible potential for wine styles, new and old as well as ideal conditions for organic farming.

The Res Fortes team has to do market research of course, and we enjoyed a sunny day this past autumn trying out many local delights at a Roussillon winetasting event in Perpignan.

What have you tried from the Roussillon lately?

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Do you know when we prune our vines?

Pruning is very important process in creating Res Forte’s special blends of wine, because we are choosing the buds that will produce the fruit for next year's harvest.

Once it is cold enough here in the South of France - usually in January through February, the pruning begins after the vines have entered the dormant stage.

During dormancy, the vines are not photosynthesizing and the sap that usually delivers nutrients to the vine is not flowing, it is "sleeping" remaining still and will not drain out when cut, thus keeping the nutrients in the vine.

Another benefit of pruning is that it removes any diseases which my be forming in the vines by cutting off bad growth - cuttings are then burned to eliminate any maladies. If the cuttings are not diseased, the tractor can chop up the cuttings, replacing organic matter into the soil.

Pruning encourages healthy, active vines, maximum growth of grape bunches, with quality, concentrated fruit.

Plus, Moritz loves any excuse to get away from his screens, get some fresh air and let Lola run around the vines!

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What a great question? Our answer - Rosé all day

...And all year if you ask us

Here's why you should be drinking Res Fortes Rose all year long.

Moritz crafts his wines with structure and mouthfeel, making them not only great drinking on their own on a sunny summer day, it pairs really well with foods like salmon, prawns cream/ olive oil pastas , and chicken. They're also a great way to start an evening with some nibbles , or have on it's own of course!

Magnum sized bottles are perfect for parties, gatherings, and holidays too!

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Level up your rose game…Have you tasted barrel aged rose?

Today we take you from grape (our rose being a blend of Grenach Noir, Syrah and Grenache Gris) to glass of the Res Fortes Rose.

After whole bunch pressing the grapes, the juice goes into a big stainless steel tank. From that tank between 5-8% of the juice is moved into barrels.

We are using 4-5 year old French oak here to add and develop flavour. In addition to the oak, we are also get flavour and structure from the wine lees.

Lets get nerdy for a second…

The wine ferments in the barrel, and as the fermentation happens, the lees (finished/dead yeast) sink to the bottom of the barrel.

We then mix the lees (called bâtonnage) once a day for 3-4 weeks.

After 3-4 weeks, we take the wine out of the barrel, and try to keep the “light fluffy” lees in the wine, and let the heavy/thick lees stay sunk in the bottom of the barrel.

We then clean the barrels, discard the thick lees and put the wine with light lees back into the barrels.

Bâtonnage is done again, once per week until the taste profile is to our liking.

The barrel aged wine (remember this is only a small % of the rose wine). eventually gets put back into the stainless steel tank to rest and blend before bottling.

So what is the point of all this lees business? When done correctly, mixing the wine with the lees creates a creamy/ nutty flavour. It gives the wine more structure and body, and results in a more rounded fruit flavour.

Phew, that was a lot of wine making talk! Hopefully you’ve worked up a thirst reading that and can now crack into a bottle for a taste test!

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Barrel Aged Wines

French/ American/ New/ Aged.... What to know about Res Fortes barrel ageing in a nutshell

There are many different styles and approaches to take with ageing wine. One way to develop wine profile, flavour and style is by barrel ageing. Winemakers can age completely or partially and then even blend the wines to create the desired outcome for the final (bottled) product.

Here at Res Fortes, Moritz prefers to use 4 year old puncheon (500l) or standard Bordeaux (225l) barrels. Older barrels are less intense oak flavours - this keeps the flavours of the grapes and representation of the vineyards unmasked

Plus, isn't there something romantic about a barrel room, and tasting the wines straight out of the oak?

Have you ever tasted wines directly from the barrel? What did you think?!

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Elegant Wines: From Grape To Glass

Our wine starts from the earth - we nurture our organically grown grapes through the winemaking process with Moritz overseeing every step of the way!

Here are a few ways we make sure the finished wine is elegant and fresh.

Fresh Fruit Flavour

Picking the grapes early holds the fresh fruit characteristics (we are not searching for dark fruit, full bodied, over ripe wines). We believe by picking earlier we keep the characteristics of the vineyard .

Acidity

The earlier you pick, the more acidic the grapes are. We aim for balance to keep the citrusy acidic flavours in the white and rosé wines. The acidity in the red wines helps create age-ability.

Texture & Flavour

For the reds, we can change the texture by changing the amount of time that the wine or juice touches the skins of the grapes. This extraction changes the colour and flavour of the wines'.

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Hard University featuring Res Fortes Red and White Cotes du Roussillon Wines

Time to Start selling our Cotes du Roussillon wines into USA!

A goal for every wine producer is to try and tap into this market & with 52 states available to sell into, it certainly has a lot of Wine opportunity available

Each state in the USA is pretty much its own individual country, they each have their own rules and laws and, in many ways is similar to Europe. The Challenge of selling into all states requires 3 things: a lot of work, a large investment and a lot of wine. At this stage I only have one of these things, the fact that I am happy to do a lot off work! 

I want to achieve selling my wine to 3 states in my first year of trying, Massachusetts, New York and California. So my first stop was the wine expo in Boston. This was a two-day event and I had a lot of fun meeting some great people, from both the trade side of things as well as the general public. 

During my time in Boston I also managed to have a look around Harvard University and enjoyed an hour-long lecture by the ex-president of Georgia. 

Here are some photos from Boston and the Boston Wine Expo 2017