Mistral

So, after 12 months with Mistral Wine Bar in Chester, it's with a heavy heart that we've decided to evolve it into something else. The last year has been a wonderful insight into the world of hospitality and in particular the highs and lows of running a city centre venue. Our short pop up license expired and Mistral has decided not to renew it. We are extremely proud of our little wine offering though and have had incredible amounts of fun showcasing our rare wines to some very passionate customers. It's also a great feeling to know that everyone who visited Mistral had the best experience we could possibly give. All of our Facebook, Google and TripAdvisor reviews stand tall at 5 stars. As such we’d like to thank everyone who came out to support us; you made it what it was. With the prospect of a more commercial lease, and the outlook for Chester and wine retail in general however, we've have decided it's not an area in which we wish to continue our creative energies. Patrick is looking forward to converting the premises into an extension of his Crichton Bespoke tailoring brand, while Paul will continue to expand his rapidly developing search engine and wine media platform. Thank you once again to everyone who shared a glass or two with us.

Maybe we should start using some of these in - links to odd corkscrews for sale welcome 😉

‪Lovely vibe in Mistral over the weekend. ‬

Corporate function at Mistral - get in touch for more information on how we can host wine themed afternoons or evenings for your company.

The 2018 campaign is underway and its barrage of daily offers has inspired us to crack open a few back vintages. This has to be one of the best right bank bargains around at the moment - with five years of age to it this fleshy but gentle fruit driven blend of Merlot (70%) and Cabernet Sauvignon is the perfect lunch time claret. The Galineau family has been making wine at Château La Gramondie for three generations since 1858. Today they boast 35 hectares of cool clay soils in which Merlot thrives.

Braced for a fine Port tasting ! ! ! 🍷

Spring is here and we'll be marking it with a tasting of some of the freshest and most delicious small grower wines. Whether you're a fan of bone dry whites, fruit given rose' or mountain grown reds, Mistral is the place to find your next favourite wine. Join us at 7.30pm on the 24th of April for our casual, free pour tasting. It's £25 a ticket. There's plenty of wine. What else do you need to know? See you there!!!! https://www.mistralwine.co.uk/events/2019/4/24/wine-tasting-spring-wines

We’ve got some stunning cellar recommendations that are just a screaming to be opened up tonight. Aged Burgundy, earthy Tuscan gems, rare Austrian and Swiss reds, exotic whites from Greece and Turkey and magnums of old vine Lebanese Cinsault. Calling all wine lovers, come and say hello and discover something unique.

Mistral updated their business hours.

So, I've just done the world's toughest Italian wine exam incorporating video presentation, blind tasting, essay questions and a 90 minute multiple choice paper. Held in Verona, seriously knowledgable wine professionals from all over the U.S., Europe, China, Australia and just about everywhere else you can think of put themselves through intense study and a gruelling four day seminar in preparation. But, I'm proud to say I made it through and have joined this exclusive community of Vinitaly Italian Wine Ambassadors. Yes, you guessed it, we'll almost certainly be serving obscure Italian grapes for the next few weeks. Come in and say hello. See you soon - Paul

The shop is open today for any last minute gift needs.

Or just pop in for a lovely little glass of something. 🍷 🎁

Franciacorta... Italy’s answer to Champagne. This one’s 100% Chardonnay tended and harvested by hand, aged on the lees for 24 months (Champagne’s minimum is 15 months).

It’s fruity, a little bready, persistently bubbly and available by the glass this weekend.

Italian wine tasting on tonight. Come and try some of Italy’s up and coming producers.

Confirmed!!! We've got wines from Cantine de Falco in Wednesday's Italian wine lineup. Pretty sure the Salento Negroamaro will go down an absolute storm.

We’ve been experimenting today... our Saturday special is Krohn White Port & Tonic cocktails. It’s the new Aperol Spritz! Just £5.50

The countdown is on to our Italian wine tasting event on Wednesday evening. We'll show you Italy's answer to Champagne - it's called Franciacorta, made with 100% Chardonnay. Elegant fizz you should be stocking up for summer with...... :)

Another fabulous shot of the evocative landscapes from which our wines originate. Here's Fattoria di Magliano's Tuscan coastal vineyard where they grow the white Vermentino grape. It produces an fragrant and exotic white wine with a ripe and juicy mouthfeel. We can't wait to show it next week at our Italian wine tasting evening. Still some tickets left so do get in touch if you feel like discovering something new.

Here is a great aerial shot of the Visintini estate in the North East of Italy. We will be presenting their fabulous extended skin contact Pinot Grigio and their aromatic Ribolla Gialla (a cool local variety) at our Italian wine tasting event on Wednesday evening. We still have some tickets left it you would like to join us. Get in touch. Send us a message / email etc. Cheers!!!

Loving the sunshine today!
Prosecco Weds continues. Just £15

So, here’s what low intervention Sicilian white wine looks like. This comes from - one of our favourite producers - we’ll be hosting a walk through tasting of Italian wines on March 27th and this fascinatingly delicious wine will be amongst them.

Chilled afternoons are in order this weekend.

Grab a pal, a glass of something and a sharing board. 2pm til late.

By the glass this weekend... well until we run out... should have ordered more :-/

This Lemoss Frizzante is produced in the old, traditional Prosecco style; Col Fondo. It's 100% Glera (the prosecco grape), a little lighter than the sharp bubbles of many a Charmat Prosecco found everywhere. Natural, indigenous yeasts are left in the bottle through secondary fermentation to the end product where it also undergoes malolactic fermentation. This adds some lovely brioche-style aromas & flavours to the usual fruity, citrus, apple .

Softer, refreshing but dry Prosecco for grown-ups.

Our new house wine going down a treat - soft, fruity Nero d’Avola from Sicily, organically grown and made with love and care. Pop in for a glass and say hello.

Is this the perfect Mother's Day gift??

Franciacorta is perfectly poised at the moment. Italy's answer to Champagne is enjoying the perks of a sort of cult status amongst wine lovers. Yet to command the eye watering prices of vintage Champagne, Franciacorta, situated in the rolling hills of Southern Lombardy, represents one of the steals of the wine world. Produced using the traditional sparkling method, with the secondary fermentation taking place in the bottle, the wines are fresh, elegant, complex and utterly delicious. Yes, as merchants we want to sell more, but as wine drinkers we're glad Franciacorta remains well off the radar of the casual consumer. We get to drink excellent fizz for a fraction of what it's worth. Ever since we opened we've sold Azienda Ferghettina's 'Miledi' vintage brut. This version, packaged in a stylish single bottle box is a fabulous present and perfect for celebrating with the family. 1000 days ageing on the lees, it boasts notes of brioche and citrus with fine, persistent bubbles.

We love this so much that we’re opening magnums of it this afternoon. Perfect with a cheese board and / or charcuterie...

No average wines here!

Paşaeli create fresh, dry wines from local Turkish grape varieties along with some more recognisable imports, grown in Marmara and along the Aegean coast.

Try something new this weekend.

Wine Tasting Wednesday!!!

We’ve got all these lovelies available to try tonight. We’re going far beyond the usual Med countries with wines from Greece, Turkey & Lebanon.

There’s some lovely food thrown in too. Just £25 for the night.

https://www.facebook.com/events/324296634847690/?ti=icl

We found a pretty little silver bracelet after Saturday night (yesterday). Get in touch if you think it’s yours.

The first of our Eastern Mediterranean wines have arrived for our tasting on the 27th of February. We have a white from in Turkey, a blend of old vine and low yielding Cinsault, Grenache and Cabernet Sauvignon from and from the slopes of Aenos in a blend of and - can’t wait - plenty more exotic wines to be added.