Benjamin Bridge partners up with Friarwood Fine Wines

Benjamin Bridge and Friarwood Fine Wines have announced that they have created a partnership in order to distribute Benjamin Bridge’s traditional method sparkling wines throughout the UK.

The partnership follows the acquisition of French wine merchant Friarwood by Managing Director Benjamin Carfagnini in 2015.  He has worked hard to expand the company’s wine list to other regions, and has been especially keen to distribute wines from his native Canada, where the cool climate supports many up-and-coming sparkling wines.

Established in the Gaspereau Valley of Nova Scotia on Canada’s east coast in 1999, the Benjamin Bridge winery offers classic sparkling wine and produced its first cuvées in 2002. The unique growing climate in the heart of the Valley is moderated by the powerful Bay of Fundy, home to the world’s highest tides, while its maritime climate promotes natural acidities and long ‘hangtime’, which are critical to producing sparkling wines of complexity and finesse as well as aromatic wines. Leading wine writer Oz Clarke has declared ‘Benjamin Bridge to be the new Canadian sparkler star’, while Jamie Goode has written ‘Benjamin Bridge: remember that name … the wines are just brilliant … these are world-class sparkling wines.’

Friarwood’s Managing Director Benjamin Carfagnini describes his interest in Benjamin Bridge sparklings:
‘The buzz surrounding Benjamin Bridge caught my attention when I was finishing my  studies and I have followed its progression ever since. It’s a remarkable success story and  Friarwood is very proud to partner with it. Benjamin Bridge truly represents the strengths  of Canadian wines and fits our ethos of sourcing fine wines from around the world. Each of  our wines is tasted and selected by the entire team to ensure the highest quality, and  different members of our team favoured different Benjamin Bridge sparklings – so they are all gems worthy of discovery! We are very excited to be introducing these world-class  wines to the UK market and look forward to a lasting relationship with Benjamin Bridge.’

Benjamin Bridge winery owner, Gerry McConnell, describes the importance of its entry into the UK market:
‘Benjamin Bridge’s vision is to produce international calibre sparkling wines and to elevate Nova Scotia as a serious cool climate wine region. To do so, we always knew that we would have to bring our wine to other parts of the world. London is a critical step towards this vision. To enter a market with a great partner like Friarwood at a dynamic time in their development and our own is very fortunate timing. We know that it will take investment and, foremost, incredible quality in the bottle, but together we will grow a market for Nova Scotia sparkling. “