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Oriel redefined
By Darryl Beeson
oriel n : a projecting bay window corbeled or
cantilevered out from a wall [syn:
oriel window] There is no generally admitted difference between a bay window
and an oriel. Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913). Stand
within an oriel, and one has a certain advantage of view, a positioning.
"Oriel (the wine) is poised to turn the premium wine
business on its head by creating one international brand that consumers will
know and trust," boasts founder John Hunt, a long time wine aficionado and
collector. "By taking old-world, locally-focused winemaking traditions and
blending them with modern day business practices, Oriel brings a wide variety of
limited-production wines from the top winemakers around the world under one
label."
Hunt has commissioned two dozen of the most esteemed winemakers in the world,
including Philippe Melka (consulting winemaker for cult winery Bryant Family),
Alain Raynaud (winemaker for some of the most sought- after small-production
wines in Bordeaux as well as consultant to Colgin) and John Duval (winemaker for
Penfold's Grange for over 15 years) to make wines under the Oriel banner. Each
winemaker creates a tiny quantity of a truly handmade wine that expresses the
best of the local soil, fruit, climate and culture, the whole package of
influences often referred to as"terroire." Oriel presently offers 27 wines from
24 appellations in eight countries.
"The premium wine market can be very confusing, even for those who know about
wine. There are over 60,000 wine labels available today. Oriel's goal is to
provide high quality, small production wines from some of the worlds' top
winemakers, and at the same time, make these wines a bit more affordable.
Providing consumers with a reliable option in the premium wine world by offering
quality, variety and value is extremely important to me. I want to make Oriel a
reliable brand that consumers can trust," says Hunt.
Each bottling indicates the origin of the wine: the region. From Bordeaux, to
Spain's remote Priorat, to prime Napa real estate like Rutherford, the vineyard
location with longitude and latitude coordinates, the grape varieties, be they
Sangiovese or Tocai Friulano, and last but not least, the respective winemaker's
signature is on the bottle, so to speak. Currently, the largest production of
any one of the Oriel wines is less than 3,000 cases, with most hovering around
the 500-case mark. Remarkably, because Oriel has the overhead of just one brand,
the cost to bring the wine to market is lower. Most Oriel wines are safely
priced in the $15 to $25 range.
Oriel winemakers are given a blank canvas when making wine and are encouraged to
create expressions of their specific terroir. They make decisions on vines,
vineyards, yields and barrels, without worrying about a winery accountant
eschewing quality over cost. They are proud to be a part of the all-star
winemaking team year after year, but will drop out of the Oriel line-up for a
year if their region happens to have a poor vintage.
Choosing an Oriel wine at a restaurant or wine store means getting a wine that
was handmade in small batches and is representative of its native terroir.
Oriel's range of international wines encourages exploration of a world of great
wine—from lesser-known regions and varietals such as a Grüner Veltliner from
Falkenstein, Austria (Oriel's Ortolan, made by Christoph Körner, $20) to a great
bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon from Rutherford in the Napa Valley (Oriel's
Midnight Rambler, made by Gerry Rowland, $30) Considering that Oriel's
winemakers have made some of the most sought- after wines in the world, the
Oriel label empowers consumers with access to wines they might otherwise not be
able to afford or find.
Orbit is Oriel's wine club and takes members on a "voyage of discovery" with its
diverse selection of great wines from around the world—a journey of the senses
across dozens of regions and varietals. For a fixed $79 per month (including
shipping) Orbit members receive two to four different Oriel wines every
month—normally priced between $15 and $75 per bottle. Membership is monthly and
can be discontinued whenever one likes. "Orbit is the best offer I have come
across in 30 years—it allows members to get through the all-too-often closed
doors of the magical world of wine," comments Steven Spurrier of Decanter
magazine.
Retailers and restaurateurs recognize the price-quality ratio that Oriel
provides. Some top restaurants have dedicated whole pages of their wine list to
Oriel wines (e.g. Cru in New York and Tosca in Boston) while Sotheby's Café in
New York has dedicated their entire wine list (25 wines) to Oriel. Top retailers
and wine bars are stocking as many as 20 different Oriel wines because they
recognize the unique price-quality ratio and Oriel makes life easier for their
staff and customers alike. "We sell one-hundred cases of Oriel per month and our
customers are trying regions they have never tried before," comments Andrew
McMurray, Vice President of Zachys in New York. "We've found a similar trend
through direct sales on our website,
www.oriel.net," comments Oriel's Managing Director Kelly Ford. "Our clients
often try a more traditional Oriel wine such as a Cabernet or Chardonnay to
start, and then we'll see their orders move toward the more esoteric wines from
Spain and Austria."
The Oriel winemaking team has unsurpassed experience at wineries around the
world, including Bryant Family, Château d'Yquem, Château de Sours, Château Ste.
Cosme, Château Guiraud, Château Lascombes, Château Quinault, Colgin Cellars,
Domaine de Chevalier, Domus Area, Dutton Goldfield, Gran Clos, Hacienda
Monasterio, Hartford, La Crema, La Val, Le Fonti, Nicodemi, Penfold's Grange,
Petrus, Poggio Antico, Reichsgraf Von Kesselstatt, Ridge, Royal Tokaji, Sesti,
Stags Leap, Venica & Venica, and Weingut Durnberg.
Remarkably, because Oriel has the overhead of just one brand, the cost to bring
the wine to market is lower. As mentioned, most Oriel wines are priced in the
$15 to $25 range. Visit
www.oriel.net for more information.
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Darryl Beeson travels the world looking for wine, spirits,
food and travel discoveries. A former sommelier, he has ditched the silver
ashtray and bulky chain from around his neck. It is much easier, now, to proceed
through airport security.
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