Welcome to the Hic! Blog. We hope you find the content, musings and rambling's of our resident Imbiber both enlightening and informative.
Thank You For Supporting the Help 4 Hospitality Charity
I just wanted to take this opportunity and say a BIG THANK YOU to all our wonderful customers for their support over the past 3 months in helping us raise funds for the hospitality industry. The government-mandated closures on 21st March 2020 had a resounding effect on the industry, resulting...
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HELP 4 HOSPITALITY & THE DRINKS TRUST
As you will no doubt be aware, the impact that the counter measures taken by government to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus has had a dramatic effect on the UK economy. The imposed shutdown of the hospitality industry has had a resounding effect with a reported 200,000+...
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A COVID-19 STATEMENT FROM HIC!
~~~ UPDADTED 28th MARCH ~~~ Although the recent government announcement that 'off licences' are included on the list of essential business and could remain open, we have decided to keep our retail premises closed to the general public until further notice. It is the safest option and one which...
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Brash Higgins | World Class Minimal Intervention Wines
Brash Higgins is the alias of Brad Hickey, a Chicago native whose wanderlust took him around the world, developing a love of wine and food on the way. On returning to the United States he ended up in New York where following a stint as a food writer, he...
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LISMORE | An Estate Not To Forget.
Less than 2 weeks before Christmas 2019, Samantha O’Keefe, owner and winemaker at South Africa’s Lismore Estate, lost her winery and family-home to fire. Originally from Los Angeles, Samantha took the plunge and bought her farm outside Greyton in 2000 in what was then an untested wine region of...
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Bashall Spirits | Preserving & Celebrating Heritage
Based in the idyllic village of Bashall Eaves in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley, Bashall Spirits has created a contemporary range of craft gins inspired by family recipe books that date back to the 1700s. Using these treasured hand-written Victorian and Georgian transcripts the family have been able to gain an insight...
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The BLUE Campaign - A Managed Approach to Re-Wilding the UK
Hic! is proud to support the Blue Campaign as part of its commitment in helping restore Biodiversity and Biomass across the UK. Adopting the roadside grass verge outside our property we have implemented a sustainable planting scheme with carefully selected perennial plants ideally suited for foraging pollinators. We've put together...
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François Cotat | Sancerre 2018
François Cotat is one of a small number of brave, individual and idiosyncratic winemakers striving to create wines of character and individuality. Located in the western portion of the Sancerre appellation, Chavignol has a unique type of soil called, in French, “terres blanches.” The region is essentially a chalk plateau...
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Jim Barry Wines | 2020 Halliday Wine Companion Winery of the Year
Congratulations to Jim Barry Wines who have just been named the 2020 Halliday Wine Companion Winery of the Year. Certain names resonate strongly within Australian wine history and Jim Barry is one of them. It was Jim Barry’s drive that helped shape South Australia’s Clare Valley as a benchmark producer...
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Refreshing Flavoured Gin Combos | A Perfect Summer Tipple!
We've added a trio of new and exciting flavoured gin's to our online range with some interesting flavour combinations that are delicious as part of your favourite cocktail, or equally wonderful enjoyed on their own. With two Royal Warrants and over 300 years of history, Berry Bros. & Rudd...
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Don't Panic! - Hic! will be PSD2 Compliant
Payment is a fundamental aspect of the shopping experience no matter where and what you’re buying and it’s especially important when purchasing online, where trust and security are top of the agenda. For online businesses (such as us), selling in the European Economic Area (EEA), there is a new...
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Domaine Huet | A celebration of Biodynamic Vouvray
“The biodynamic Huet estate comprises three key terroirs with clearly identifiable personalities … it is justly regarded as the leading property in the Vouvray region.” Clive Coates MW, The Great Wines of France Biodynamic farming was introduced to Domaine Huet in 1990 but, in a sense, the Vouvray wine...
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Gift Boxed Viña Arana Rioja Gran Reserva 2012
Stocks of the brand new award winning Viña Arana Rioja Gran Reserva 2012 have now arrived, just in time for Father's Day! Individually presented in a stunning Gift Box the new Gran Reserva from La Rioja Alta S.A has recently won Platinum at the Decanter World Wine Awards 2019 with...
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Champagne Drappier - A New Wave Producer Keeping the Dream Alive!
In an article on New Wave Champagne producers, Jancis Robinson documented how the face of Champagne has changed over the last few decades and highlighted challenges facing the most powerful brands. Historically, the major Champagne Houses were the uncontested kings of sparkling wines, wielding big budgets and building powerful brands...
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Ron de Jeremy...For Adults Only!
Cheekily named after the most famous male adult entertainment star ever, the Ron de Jeremy rums are hand-crafted to a recipe created by another legend, 75 year-old Cuban master distiller Francisco ‘Don Pancho’ Fernandez, who has been directly responsible for the success of countless rum brands, including Havana Club....
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The Owl & The Dust Devil - Augmented Reality For Wine
Finca Decero is a single vineyard estate that was launched in 2008 and since when has gone on to achieve critical acclaim for its small, focussed portfolio of 5 high quality red wines. Decero, meaning ‘from scratch’ consists of one hundred hectares of vineyard newly planted in 2000 at 1050...
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La Rioja Alta Viña Arana - The Birth of a new Gran Reserva!
With a history dating back over 125 years, La Rioja Alta, S.A. - widely recognised to be one of the finest wineries in the Rioja region - have just announced the release of a brand new Rioja Gran Reserva. The new Viña Arana Gran Reserva 2012 is the first...
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Wine Folly: Wine Guide 101 Beginners Guide to Wine
We've recently received a great free guide from the team over at Wine Folly and we thought it would be good to share it here on our blog. Titled "Wine 101 - Beginners Guide to Wine" the handy 21 page guide provides a useful resource for those interested to discover...
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A Tuscan Treat...Olio dell'Ornellaia Extra Virgin Olive Oil
We are pleased to announce that stock of Tenuta dell'Ornellaia's Extra Virgin Olive Oil has now arrived.....and just in time for the festive season! Presented in an attractive gift box this award winning olive oil is always a firm favourite with our customers and a must have for every gourmand...
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Top Tuscan Wines from Casa Brancaia Now Available Online
In 1981 a Swiss couple, Brigitte and Bruno Widmer, fell in love with the abandoned Brancaia estate in Chianti and purchased it. Just two years later, Brancaia came in first place in an important Chianti Classico tasting, which catapulted them onto the international wine stage. Today, Barbara Widmer, oenologist...
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