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The team at Cellarmaster has been very busy in the past month servicing many new resorts that are listing our wines as well as clearing new shipments of fresh, gorgeous wine from Australia and New Zealand. Wines that I am sure will tantalize your and your guests taste buds. I urge you to read about Janice McDonald - one of the leading winemakers in the Margaret River, who I had the pleasure of meeting recently in Sydney. We also reveal the secret of the Cellarmaster business model; discuss Organic & Biodynamic wines, recent award winners, and preview new wines on the way, and much more… I hope you enjoy. Linas Zalk
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Astute General Managers improve their services We have noticed that General Managers, Food & Beverage Managers, Purchasing Managers and Sommeliers using Cellarmaster’s logistics are able to both improve their bottom line and lift their level of service. The critical advantage of the Cellarmaster business model means that you can source your wine from our temperature controlled warehouse at a moment’s notice. We have a permanent stock of over 2000 cases of premium wines constantly available and ready for immediate delivery to your doorstep. We pride ourselves on shipping the best wine, in the best condition. That’s why all of our wines are shipped in temperature perfect conditions using reefer containers. Once these wines arrive in Male, they are immediately transferred to our temperature controlled storage at the Bonded Area of the airport where they are cellared at a constant 15°C. So what does this mean? It means your wines haven’t traveled the world at 80°C in a sea container and lost their vitality. Nor have they been sitting in the sun at the airport waiting to be picked up. Cellarmaster delivered wines travel and sleep First Class at a constant 15°C from the moment they leave the winery to the moment they arrive at your doorstep. And to prove it, you can inspect our facilities, along with our shipping and storage temperature records and Bills of Lading to see for yourself. What's the advantage? The advantage to you is that you won't suffer critical stock outs during the peak season while you wait two weeks or more for your promised air shipments to arrive. All you need to do is contact us and we will have your order ready for your next Dhoni. How will this save money and improve service? Apart from the fact that our prices are already competitive, the other big cost advantage with Cellarmaster is that you will be outsourcing your storage expenses while eliminating logistics headaches. Cellarmaster will carry your long term inventory while you concentrate on what you do best - giving pleasure and service to your guests. Leave the worry of stock levels, reordering wines, shipping, arranging de vanning of containers, customs clearance and providing temperature controlled storage to us. To arrange samples and orders please contact: Sheila Verna Obordo
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Janice McDonald – a Stella winemaker I recently had the opportunity to catch up with Janice McDonald of Stella Bella at the Wine Focus Australia: Sydney 2008 exhibition. Janice is one of the most gifted winemakers in Australia. Here’s what I discovered… Janice McDonald is the winemaker of Stella Bella Wines and the creative force behind the company’s wine brands - Suckfizzle, Stella Bella and Skuttlebutt. Her path to winemaking has been a winding one. From her early days of marine biology, Janice admits she spent more time browsing bottle shops than books and before long realised that marine biology was far too dry for her taste. So she moved to Wagga in New South Wales to study winemaking. During her six years of part-time study, Janice worked at various wineries in the Hunter Valley, Coonawarra and Victoria. But after completing her qualification she again veered away from winemaking. A fellow student at Wagga, master brewer Phil Sexton offered her a job with his newly established Matilda Bay Brewery in Fremantle, Western Australia. Unfortunately for Phil, Janice had already landed a position at Vasse Felix. “I’d become interested in Margaret River after attending a tasting of cabernets,” says Janice. “I’d been struggling to connect my brain and palate, to recognise the flavours described on wine labels. With Margaret River cabernet it all clicked. The cassis and mint was all there in my mouth!” After Vasse Felix’s ’85 vintage, the brewing job was still on offer and Janice took it. Those were Fremantle’s heady days of the America’s Cup. Matilda Bay Brewery had the distinction of owning a number of pubs in the port town, filled with customers keen to try new beer styles. “We were a small-batch boutique brewery with a captive audience and we experimented with new brews on a regular basis. It was a very exciting and exacting time to learn fermentation technology and how to run a business.” When Fosters bought Matilda Bay in 1990, Janice was invited by Phil to establish Devil’s Lair winery in Margaret River, finally she moved into fulltime winemaking. In 1997 Janice with her partner Stuart Pym took over an old and under-performing vineyard at Augusta in the south of the Margaret River region of Western Australia. From this small yet unique vineyard, the Suckfizzle wines have evolved to the iconic status they enjoy today. During the early days of Suckfizzle, Janice found “other interesting’ plots of grapes around the Margaret River district. “We were keen to use them but they didn’t fit the ‘single vineyard’ philosophy of Suckfizzle, so Stella Bella was born.” There are now nine wines under the Stella Bella umbrella, all of which reflect Janice’s keenness to think outside the square of what’s considered ‘the norm’ in the wine industry. They currently use Muscat grapes to create the Pink Muscat which is refreshingly sweet wine , slightly fizzy and low in alcohol, Sangiovese and Cabernet to make an Italian style red blend and a varietal Tempranillo, a grape more at home in Spain. “The temperate maritime climate of Margaret River offers a wonderful opportunity to grow these varieties and the better known Cabernet , Chardonnay, Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc all very well.“ The newest addition to the brand family is the Skuttlebutt range which Janice describes as brightly fruity, easy to drink and with a price point to match - social and accessible wine. From the humble beginnings of 200 cases of Suckfizzle in 1997, Stella Bella Wines has experienced exceptional growth and crafted a reputation for Margaret River wines of consistency and quality in a highly creative brand portfolio. “We are not interested in creating a huge amount of wine and then trying to find a home for it. To stay happy in this business we want to concentrate on maintaining our unique style and quality.” Recent Reviews
Stella Bella Sauvignon Blanc 2007
Stella Bella Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2007
“Stella Bella has grown from a minnow to a large fish in Margaret River, without missing a beat. Nowhere is this more evident than with this wine, with its classic mix of herbs, grass, citrus and gooseberry. Great line and flow to the finish. Now – 2009. With yabbies.”
“This wine comes from one of my favourite producers at Margaret River. There are three tiers to the range of wines that in addition to Stella Bella also includes the outstanding Suckfizzle and the value for money Skuttlebutt. Each range is made to a distinctive and consistent style and standard, with the Stella Bella sitting nicely in the middle and offering great value for money and real quality. The Stella Bella range is sourced from Margaret River and includes a mix of exotic, classic and regional signature blends. This excellent blend is a delicate yet intensely flavoured expression of the semillon and sauvignon blanc mix. The palate has a creamy richness with fresh lively tropical fruits still dominant. Plenty of nice lingering flavours with a sprightly crisp acid.”
Stella Bella Chardonnay 2005
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Our New Zealand wines have reached Maldivian Shores! As we were updating our news our latest container of New- Zealand wine arrived in Male. These are all beautiful and cover what New Zealand really does best. Aromatic white wines including Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and of course Pinot Noir have now arrived from New Zealand’s top wine houses which include: To arrange samples or orders for these wines please contact: Sheila Verna Obordo |
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Sales Training Kits at your disposal In response to requests from many resorts, we are developing a range of sales training kits for your wine teams. These have been designed to help your staff guide guests with their wine selections. If your Head Sommelier is run off their feet and the wine team needs authoritative help in guiding the hesitant guest with their wine selection, please contact: Sheila Verna Obordo |
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Organic and biodynamic wines coming soon Good health and the search for eternal youth have always been with us and there are wines that may help. We have a range of organic, biodynamic and preservative free wines on the way, that have been created for the health conscious wine enthusiast. At its most basic level, organic wine is made from grapes that have been grown without the use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides using the principles of biodynamic agriculture. Today these biodynamic wines are becoming known simply as BD wines. Some grape growers who have adopted biodynamic methods claim to have achieved improvements in the health of their vineyards specifically in the areas of biodiversity, soil fertility, crop nutrition, and pest, weed & disease management. Biodynamic winemakers claim to have noted stronger, clearer, more vibrant tastes, as well as wines that have a longer shelf-life. Cellarmaster has a range of Organic, Biodynamic and Preservative Free wines currently available for sampling. Please contact: Sheila Verna Obordo |
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Awards, awards and more awards! Our Cellarmaster portfolio just can’t stop winning awards! Kilikanoon Mort’s Block tops ‘Dow Jones’ Index
It appears Australian Riesling is providing a bright spot in American lives with US consumers buying more Australian Riesling than ever before. According to the Wall Street Journal, Dottie Gaiter and John Brecher’s recent article said Australian Riesling sales surged 31% by volume in the year ended 30th September which is ‘evidence of the increasing sophistication of America’s wine palate’. Coriole Vineyards
‘The Optimist’ Reserve Chenin 2005 – 94 points
McPherson Wines 2008
Gold medal 2007 Basilisk Shiraz Mourvedre
Stella Bella
Rating 95 points – Outstanding Rating 94 points - Outstanding Highly recommended 90 to 93 points
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The Wine Navigator is back in town Linas Zalk, our Wine Navigator will be back in the Maldives from 30 October to 9 November. After a short break back in Australia to search for some more stunning wine, Linas will be back in the Maldives to meet with our customers. “One of the priorities for this visit will be to meet with resorts and help them problem solve their wine lists” says Linas. “With the high season soon approaching, I want to make sure that our customers will have a continuous supply of the best wine possible. It’s all about working out the wine styles and price points”. If you would like to meet with Linas to discuss the Cellarmaster portfolio, or to plan some staff training, or discuss your future orders please contact: Linas Zalk
or Sheila Verna Obordo |
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Wine preview – exclusive new wines on the way We are expanding our wine offering with four new exciting wines available for resorts. Each of these wines has limited stock, so make sure you get in quick to secure your order before they all go. Stella Bella Pink Muscat 2008 – exclusive limited shipment This is a really fun wine that can be drunk as an aperitif, by the glass or as a desert wine. Also well suited to mini bars, it comes housed in a stylish 375ml bottle. Salmon-pink in colour with a slight spritz on opening; this muscat displays a blushing pink bouquet full of the delicate fragrance of rose petals. Grapey and floral-fragrant, the rosa of the berries is sumptuously expressed, exotically combining with the flavours of Turkish Delight, rose water and summer berries. It’s a very pale shade of pink and has a slight spritz in the glass. The aroma is a lovely fresh, clean muscat-grape fragrance, which really invites you to take a sip. The alcohol is low and the body very light, so don’t expect a lot of flavour. The fruit is lifted by some residual sugar which makes it a lovely sipping wine well accompanied with a fresh bunch of grapes. This muscat is in very limited supply, so we may need to allocate it to one or maybe two resorts only. If you’re interested in trying a sample, hurry and contact: Sheila Verna Obordo
By Farr Saignee - Pinot Noir Rose 2006
By Farr Chardonnay 2007
By Farr Shiraz 2006
These three wines are also exclusive with limited shipments, so if you’re interested in trying a sample, hurry and contact: Sheila Verna Obordo |
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New Marketing and Sales Assistant We are pleased to announce that Sheila Verna Obordo has joined our sales team. Sheila is a bubbly personality who understands wine. Our best wishes to Michael and a very warm welcome to Sheila from Cellarmaster. |
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EVENT OF THE YEAR: CELLAR MASTER LAUNCH What a day it was! With over 40 movers and shakers from the wine elite of the Maldives resorts, and over 200 wines and three visiting winemakers, by the end of the day Ibrahim Rasheed and Linas Zalk were both ecstatic and relieved with the fantastic response. The day was non-stop. It started gently with But it didn’t end there. Our visiting wine team of Simon Napthine of TarraWarra Estate (Australia) , Blair and Amanda Gibbs of Spy Valley ( New Zealand) and Ed Donaldson Senior Winemaker at Pegasus Bay ( New Zealand) then embarked on a blitz of Wine Training sessions at Four Seasons, Conrad and Soneva Gili. It was a very intense week but follows in the philosophy of Cellar Master - Where Wine Comes First. We plan more events during the year, so keep your eye on our newsletter.
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KILIKANOON We are proud to announce that one of Cellar Master flag ship wineries Kilikanoon has won the trophy for Best Shiraz (worldwide) for its 2005 Kilikanoon Oracle Shiraz at the world's biggest wine competition, the International Wine Challenge in London. This competition, with its 400 judges and 9000 blind tasted wines adds another dimension to the Kilikanoon’s impressive track record, where it won the Best Shiraz (worldwide) Trophy at the London International Wine and Spirits competition for the 2001 Oracle Shiraz. We think this double happiness!
Winemaker Kevin Mitchell has a world following amongst the wine elite. In ten short years since its birth, Kilikanoon Wines has achieved an enviable track record of awards and accolades from leading wine writers, judges and critics. A fitting tribute to the talent, passion and attention to detail of founder and chief winemaker, Kevin Mitchell. Leading American wine writer Robert Parker Jnr has been glowing in his praise of the Kilikanoon range of wines. In 2005 he said of Kilikanoon, “This is one of the most brilliantly run wineries in Australia, and the quality of the entire portfolio is impressive thanks to the enviable talents of winemaker Kevin Mitchell…also one of South Australia’s “good guys” (Wine Advocate # 161, October 2005). This was followed in 2006 by “Kilikanoon produces some of Australia’s finest wines thanks to the talents of winemaker Kevin Mitchell, who continues to add impressive cuvees to the portfolio.” And “Kilikanoon produces some of the world’s finest value-priced, full flavoured, dry reds.” (Wine Advocate, November 2006). And its not only with red wine that Kevin Mitchell weaves his magic. Kilikanoon’s Morts Block Riesling is a classic Australian style riesling. We think it will suit true wine lovers …the wine literate drinker, as it has a kerosene nose and is absolutely bone dry but then on tasting it explodes with citrus freshness and many layers of gorgeous flavour. |
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Cellar Master stands by its philosophy 'where wine comes first', providing the ultimate care for every bottle during the journey from cellar to table. Our climate controlled chambers are the first of their kind in The Maldives and ensure that our wines are always delivered to you in peak condition. When so much time and energy has gone into making some of the finest wines in the world, why would you compromise on quality during the transportation process? All our wines are shipped and stored in our special climate controlled chambers in Male, keeping them at the perfect temperature to prevent spoiling. Studies on wines shipped in dry containers revealed exposure to high temperatures of 140°F (60°C). While insulated blankets and quilts can help reduce temperature, these temperatures are still high enough to result in:
We welcome you to inspect our climate controlled chambers For further information on climate controlled shipping & storage click here. |
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After numerous requests from resorts in the Maldives, we have expanded our Portfolio to now include a spectacular variety of New Zealand wines. This meant embarking on a whirlwind visit to New Zealand that uncovered more than we ever expected. After some thorough wine investigation, we have now returned to the Maldives with rubies, diamonds and pearls… an absolute treasure chest of wines that you must try.
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It goes without saying that New Zealand has captivated the world with its stunning Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs. So much so, that many international wine enthusiasts now simply ask for a “Marlborough” when ordering a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc. While Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs have become synonymous with New Zealand wine, we’ve discovered this country also has a lot more to offer. From Rieslings, Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, complex Sauvignon Blancs, and Semillon Sauvignon Blanc blends - New Zealand winemakers have also mastered Pinot Noir, creating some thrilling Côte d’Or-esque examples. Visit our website Here are some of the feature wines from New Zealand, which you will find in our portfolio. |
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If you are interested in listing this wine or any of the Kilikanoon range (pictured right) on your lists please call 
