Alliance Wine has boosted its Spanish portfolio with the addition of boutique Valencian producer Celler del Roure.
Celler del Roure produces a range of wines based mainly around indigenous Valencian grape varieties such as red Mando and white Verdil. Aside from regenerating plantings of these local grapes, the estate also uses the traditional local method of ageing wines in clay amphorae or tinajas. Alliance claims that using the amphorae "produces relaxed, integrated wines with very little sulphur".
Garech Byrne, Spanish buyer at Alliance Wine, said: "We are really pleased to have Celler del Roure in our portfolio as these are truly delicious and interesting artisanal wines, made by great people. They offer something totally different from Spain and we are looking forward to introducing them to the UK market."
Alliance Wine, set up in Scotland in 1984, recently announced it was opening a London office in order to boost its sales into the capital's on-trade and south east market.
The office is on Bermondsey Street in south London and wine development director Giles Cooke MW said the trade should "expect to see Alliance's activity level and profile increase around London and elsewhere" as a result.
There are now 12 staff, out of the 60-strong firm, working out of London, and Cooke said Alliance's sales director travels down every week.
"The core focus for us is independents and the UK on-trade as well as developing our international channels," outlined Cooke. The group has wine projects in Australia, Spain, the south of France and Italy, and has just started in South America in Chile and Argentina. "It's quite a fundamental part of our business model, which adds value for UK customers and gives us the ability to trade outside of the UK."
Alliance Wine won the Wine List of the Year at the International Wine Challenge 2014.