Bella Wines 12,000 page views. Good or bad?

I have been writing this occasional blog for a couple of years now. The focus is clearly on wine and wine tourism. This is a good window to see what is happening with Bella Wines and also Bella Wine Tours or for me to communicate future events. However I need and value a bit of feedback from time to time. What do you think?
Do you have suggestions for what you want to see or read?

Bella Wines Ltd www.bellawines.co.uk is a UK registered company that I started over 13 years ago. We have worked closely with wineries from Australia, South Africa, Bordeaux, Rhone and the Languedoc Roussillon in order to introduce exciting wines to markets. We sell wine in the UK, Ireland, USA, Singapore and China. We normally work with regional wholesalers and retailers and occasionally we supply multiple retailers or supermarkets. But that depends on the wines and the size of the winery. Sometimes there is no point linking a small winery to a large distributor, as someone inevitably suffers.
We are currently working with a select group of growers in the Languedoc Roussillon, Rhone Valley and Bordeaux. We have ceased working with Australia and South Africa, as we feel that there are some greater wines still to explore in France at better value. Languedoc and the Rhone are still undiscovered in so many ways, whilst Bordeaux has some pure class.
If you own a wine business, a shop, wholesale, or internet business we would be very happy to send you our latest wine list.

In the last couple of years I have gradually developed the wine tourism side of our business www.bellawinetours.com. This has essentially come from demand from our customers as well as a willingness to share some of the excitement involved in the wine trade. During the last 22 years working in the wine trade in Europe I have met some fantastic people. On many of the wine tours to Bordeaux and the Languedoc we meet some of these characters. A real mixed bag ....journalists, artists, wine makers, millionaire Chateau owners, shop owners, restaurateurs, Masters of Wine, Hotel owners, tractor drivers, musicians, negociants, agents, dreamers and lovers! We can not promise all of them, however we always deliver something fun, interesting and unique.
We currently have wine tours organized in April, May, June, August and September. We would be very happy to arrange a trip to Bordeaux or the south of France and see what is really 'behind the scenes'.

But we would really appreciate some feedback! Please feel free to contribute to this blog on the comments section. Likes or dislikes are always worth voicing.
I have some exciting new plans for this blog and our websites, twitter and Facebook accounts. So please keep following, 'friending' or simply being there. We value your interest. Thank you.

Warren Buffet buys wine distributor

We have been snowed in down herein the Minervois for 3 days. Thank God we have still had electricity and water. The vines are in their dormant phase at the moment, so the snow is no problem.

It is certainly interesting times in the wine world. Some distributors in the UK and USA are finding business tough and exchange rates crippling. It does not help in the UK with an insecure and unsure government, who seem to be indecisive. Maybe the general election in May will at least clear the air.
What is definitely sure is that wine taxes will rise in the forthcoming budget on March 24th. So it really is an opportunity to stock up on wine if you have parties, functions planned for the coming weeks/months.
The World of wine is also changing with new areas developing and some areas being effected by natural disaster...Chile's recent earthquake and the ongoing water shortage in Australia.
Sometimes investment and wine consumption turns to recognized 'brands' and known names when times are tough. That is why our Bordeaux sales have been so strong in the last year. We have introduced many people to the delights of Chateau de la Riviere in Fronsac as well as Chateau La Gaffeliere in Saint Emilion and a host of other excellent Chateaux. It is bizarre that these wines are more expensive than the average UK bottle price, but maybe people turn to safe areas rather than trying to explore in a recession.
That is why this article is interesting. Warren Buffet is a very shrewd investor. He normally looks at long term investments. So he has analysed wine and seen an opportunity. Lets hope we have more optimistic news in the wine world over the next few months. 2010 is proving challenging, but there are areas to grow and develop.

Two Glasses of Wine

  When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the

  mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine...

  A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began,

  wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.  

 He then  asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

  The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The

  pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

  He then asked the students again if the jar was full.  They agreed it was. The professor next picked up  a

  box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

  He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous'yes.' The professor then

  produced two glasses of wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively

  filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

  'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I  want you to recognise that this jar represents your life.

  The golf balls are the important things; your  family, your children, your health, your friends, and your

  favourite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

  The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car. The sand is everything

  else; the small stuff.

   If you put the sand into the jar first, he continued, there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls.

   The same goes for life if you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff.

   Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical

   check-ups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18 holes. There will always be time to clean the house

   and fix the disposal.

   Take care of the golf balls first; the Things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.'

   One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented. The professor smiled.'I'm

   glad you asked. It just goes to show

 you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a

   couple of glasses of wine with a friend.'               

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Just a note to wish all customers and friends of Bella Wines a very Happy New Year.
This year will undoubtedly be challenging for business, however there will also be many positive opportunities for successful business ventures.
Although the UK and most of the World are having an economic slow down we still need to eat and drink!! Maybe we should drink less but drink better quality. Maybe we should look for better value wines from lesser known areas.
Bella Wines are very well placed to offer great value wines from emerging areas such as the South of France as well as cool climate areas such as Orange, New South Wales in Australia.
We firmly believe that you can have great fun with wine at all price levels. We want more people to be aware of the exciting wines that we have available. Therefore we have major plans to develop the business during 2009.
We wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope to see more of our friends, family and customers during 2009.