Furnace for Argyll

Linda Ward, from Minard, who led the wine tasting session at Furnace Village Hall last Friday, has been named Sales Representative of the Year 2007 in the UK’s Natural and Organic Awards of Great Britain. Vintage Roots, the company she works for, has itself had the major distinction of being named Specialist Independent Merchant of the Year - Decanter Wine Retailer Awards 2008. Decanter Magazine is the bible of the wine industry.

Vintage roots specialises in organic wines. This simply means that the wines are produced by organic methods and avoid the addition of chemicals in the process. They’re just as punchy or just as light as non-organic wines. Their legs are every bit as long. They’re just less likely to leave you with a hangover.

You don’t have to be at one of Linda’s wine-tasting sessions for long before understanding why she is Salesperson of the Year. She doesn’t ’sell’. She just loves what she does. She loves the wines, the vineyards, the producers, the links with food - and she loves talking about them. So she’s conversational rather than lecturing, informative, tuned in and has the gift of a light touch at this sort of session.

This time she was showcasing wines with a seasonal relevance and as the tastings went on, her audience felt more and more seasonal. Funny, that.

Vintage Roots wines can be ordered direct from Linda and Ian by the case; or from Mike at the Village Shop either by the case or by the bottle.

Mike has been talking to her about another session - and some interesting ideas are emerging about what that might be. Watch this space.

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