Farmer follows his nose to world's fine flavours
Dec 5 2008 by Helen Savage, The Journal
I WAS delighted to bump into Lance Strother at a wine tasting event in Edinburgh a few weeks ago.
Not only is he the most enterprising wine merchant in north Northumberland, but he combines this with farming 900 acres near Chatton and manages a thriving shoot. Last week I caught up with him again at his home, Fowberry Moor Farm.
“I went into the wine business because I enjoy wine, not because I had to make money”, he told me (for all but one of the 40 years that Lance has been in charge, the farm has made a profit). The decision was made on June 2, 1982, when he got a bit carried away at an auction and bought too much vintage port. “I had no training, I took no exams, I just followed my own taste buds. Most people have some grounding in the wine business. I was naive and had nothing. I bought some petit chateau clarets and some lovely vintage Armagnac and hoped that people round here would buy it.”
But they didn’t. In 1993, Lance’s accountant told him to become more business-like, or else sell off or drink up the rest of his stock.
By word of mouth and a lot of hard work, he accepted the challenge and built up a good business, though I suspect that the prospect of drinking his stock would not have been too much of a hardship. As he says: “I don’t sell anything I don’t like. If something no longer pleases me, I take it off the list.”
He’s so proud of his selection that when I asked him which wine is his favourite he insisted that, “if you blindfolded me, put the list in front of me and gave me a pin, I’d be happy with whichever wine it came down on.”
Only when I pushed him very hard did he admit to a recent favourite in Langmeil’s “Fifth Wave” Barossa Valley Grenache – a monumental Australian red. It’s set to make its debut on the list very soon.
These days, Lance’s taste is firmly orientated toward the New World. “You can see that France isn’t strong – I tick a few boxes like Chablis, Sancerre, Châteauneuf du Pape and I’ve a few clarets – and I haven’t a lot from Spain or Italy. Australia is what sells. I really like the wines.”
But South Africa is also impressive and there are some fine New Zealanders too.
Despite his new, business-like approach, Lance’s prices are keen. “Most of the wine I sell for functions is in the £4.50 to £6 bracket; but for private parties I like to suggest my ‘fighting range’ between £5.50 and £8.” Lance will deliver anywhere within a reasonable radius of Wooler, which means 30 to 40 miles from the farm. But if you’re having a day out in the north of the county and want to drop in (though it’s advisable to phone first) you’ll find a very warm farmhouse welcome at Fowberry Moor.
“I’m in the business of selling fun,” Lance says (not for the first time). If people leave here with a smile on their faces, my job is done.”
It is a truly lovely setting in which to taste wine (there’s always something open to try) and Lance is touchingly proud of the land he’s inherited. He’s a thoroughly genuine enthusiast and is delighted when I profess enjoyment of the wines he’s opened for us to try together.
We begin with a 2007 Spanish Chardonnay from Navarra from Bodegas Artajona (£7.81), which we both agree was better than most of the wines from Navarra we’d tasted together in Edinburgh. It is gently oaked and quite complex with a coconut-like aroma. Next in line is a South African Sauvignon Blanc from De Grendel at Tygerberg (£7.95). It’s the new 2008 vintage which has just arrived and this is Lance’s first chance to try it too.
I’m very taken indeed with its heady, floral, grassy, green pepper scent and subtle, lingering mineral flavour. Lance likes it, but thinks it will be better still in a few months’ time. A South African Merlot impresses me so much that I decide to make it my wine of the week.
If you want to buy any of these and the couple of hundred other wines squirreled away at Fowberry Moor Farm, give Lance a ring on (01668) 281234 or 07968 349440. There’s no website. He doesn’t do computers, and you’ll need to bring cash or a cheque book. If you want the wine delivered to your door, Lance will do it himself.
Although the rest of the family get roped in to give an opinion about the wine he’s thinking of buying, the rest is strictly a one-man operation. Long may it continue.
Wine of the Week
Makana Merlot 2005, Lance Strother Wines – (01668) 281234 – £5.43.
Medium-bodied, ruby red from the Cape, with lots of ripe, brambly, spicy fruit, balanced by fresh acidity and just enough tannin to give it a bit of bite. Outstanding value. Fine with pasta, but good enough to partner a roast.
