And tasting today at our Bishopsgate shop from noon

Washington - the northwest Pacific facing state, not the District of Columbia - is a marginal area for grape growing in the US. There are pros and cons to this. It is so much further north than California that it has more daylight for much of the growing season and it has reliably warm and dry autumns. It ripens its flavours before sugars are too high and the wines have a delectable freshness. But it has a continental climate, so although it is on the same latitude as Bordeaux it has regular forty degree summer heat spikes and in the winter less frequent but still significant vine killing freezes.

Together with great geology, all these factors help make wines that attracted Greg Harrington to the region. He and his wife Pam founded Gramercy in 2005 after a lot of tasting and working the harvest in 2004. Now they are established favourites in the US and Uncorked. Greg was a sommelier in a previous life – we don’t hold it against him - and these wines are all food friendly team players, rather than reflections of a bombastic ego. Syrah is the popular choice, but the Tempranillo is no slouch and the Cabernets are refined and restrained. Since we love 'em so much we thought it appropriate that another Master Sommelier should present them to you, so Gearoid Devaney MS will be on hand to pour and share the ideas and the wines. /CW