Armit bolsters California offering

Armit Wines has added four new Californian wines to its portfolio, none of which has been represented in the UK before.

The fine wine merchant has announced it is to be the new agent for Hanzell Vineyards and The Hobo Wine Company in Sonoma, Bien Nacido and Solomon Hills Estates in Santa Maria and Stony Hill in Napa Valley.

The news comes soon after a very successful pre-Christmas California offering by Armit and was described as a “strategic range review”. The new wines join Diamond Creek and Freemark Abbey in the merchant’s portfolio.

Edwina Watson, Buyer at Armit Wines, commented: “We are pleased to announce our recently strengthened Californian portfolio which includes some of the most celebrated and up and coming names from across the Golden State.  Exclusive to the UK for the first time, we are proud to introduce The Hobo Wine Company and Bien Nacido & Solomon Hills Estates, alongside the historic Stony Hill and Hanzell Vineyards.

“I visited California last August during the harvest and travelled a thousand miles to find out what makes California so special.  I was struck by the sheer diversity, quality and regional identity on offer.  All of these wineries extol the virtues of cool climate sites or single vineyard terroir. The wines are classic, very suited to the UK palate and to our customers’ tastes; they are not only delicious but they look the part too.”

The wines will be available in the UK through Armit from the end of February. One of the drinks business’ fine wine trends for 2016 focused on the continued growth of Californian wines in the UK.