Friarwood adds Domaine des Masques wines to its line-up

Independent retailer and on-trade wholesaler Friarwood Fine Wines has added Provence organic winery Domaine des Masques to its portfolio.

The range, which is produced by Rhone Valley winemaker Yves Cuilleron, comprises a Chardonnay, Viognier, a Syrah and Grenache blend rosé, and a Syrah.

Friarwood’s head wine buyer, Auriane d’Aramon said the wines had “ample freshness”, precision and great minerality, due to the “unique” terroir of its minerally rich soil of clay & limestone, and the altitude of the vineyard, which is situated 500m above sea level at Saint-Antonin-sur-Bayon on the Cengle plateau, close to Aix-en-Provence.

The vineyard was bought by Carl and Sophie Mestdagh in 2003, who added  Viogner and Grenache to the existing Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah vineyards and boosted biodiversity with the addition of an olive grove, as well as lavender and thyme plantations.

The independent London wine merchant, which opened its second retail site in 2017, in the affluent London suburb of Wimbledon Village predominantly supplies hotels, restaurants and private members clubs, but its retail forms an important side of the business, accounting for around 20-30% of sales. 

Since md Ben Carfagnini took over the shop in February 2015 following the death of Friarwood’s founder Peter Bowen, the young team have concentrated on expanding the range, which was previously heavily dominated by high end wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy. Since then, D’Aramon has added wines from the Loire, Portugal’s Dao region, the Rhone, Bulgaria, and expanded its range of Spanish wines as well as Super Tuscans, while also looking to the New World, Australia, Argentina, Chile, Canada and South Africa.