We’re delighted to report that Château Bauduc has been chosen as the Official Wine of the Tour for ‘An Evening with Rick Stein’ at 15 venues across the UK in the second half of March.

The theatres each have a capacity of 1,200 to 1,500 guests and tickets are selling well, with quite a few set to sell out. Do try and book as it should be fun.

Rick will have a glass of Bauduc and the bottle with him on stage – either the Sauvignon Blanc 2022 or our Rosé 2022 with his signature labels – and at some point in proceedings he’ll talk about his long-term friendship with us.

We haven’t had to cough up for this or for Rick to say nice things about us – it’s just that we’ve been working together for years. More on all that, and the wines, below.

All the best

Gavin & Angela Quinney

Truro has now been added to the list above (perhaps the locals kicked up a fuss) and here's the link to rickstein.com. To see all venues and availability on one page, this is the tour page on ticketmaster.co.uk.

You may have seen that Rick has been on the telly a lot of late, and we’ve enjoyed his Food Stories each weeknight on BBC2 this month – the last in the series of 15, no less, is tomorrow.

His finest hour though came when he kicked off his Long Weekend series in Bordeaux many moons ago. And this Saturday there’s another chance to see that thrilling episode and Rick’s visit to Bauduc on the last day of the harvest.

Rick Stein’s Long Weekend in Bordeaux is on Saturday at 7pm on BBC4, to coincide with Saturday Kitchen on BBC1 that morning being completely transformed into a Stein-fest. If you’ve not seen his trip to Bordeaux it’s certainly worth a watch, and even if you have, it might be worth another go.

Of course, his Long Weekends have been repeated ad infinitum on the BBC and other channels, and my overcooked lamb has obviously been a crowd pleaser over the years.

Rick talking at the wine tasting which I took him and his son Charlie to is actually quite amusing though. “Honestly we’ve had so many wines now my mouth is like the outside of a prune…”

You can see Rick’s visit to Bauduc and that tasting in a video on the home page of our website – we’ve dug it out in honour of the Stein Tour being on, naturally enough. Click the link to the video below:

It also happens to be exactly five years since I put together a piece, along with numerous photos, about how that programme came about. It’s called A Long Weekend with David Pritchard and worth linking to as well. It was really a tribute to the late, great director and producer who had worked with Rick for many years. David came out and stayed with us on a recce trip:

"The following day we went to Pomerol and St-Emilion and had a lovely time, watching the harvest come in at Château Clinet, and then off to Saint-Emilion. I’d always assumed that a visit to this archetypal medieval wine village was a must. But David had what might be described as an allergic reaction to the number of tourists there, shipped in by coach and following tour guides holding ID paddles aloft. So my plan had a large hole in it."

“You say on the schedule that you’re not available for that afternoon when we were supposed to be filming in Saint Emilion,” said David. “What are you up to?”

“I’ve committed to being a judge in a wine competition in the Graves” I replied. “That would be perfect,” he said. “Can Rick and his son Charlie (who’s in the wine trade) come too?” So that’s what happened.’

I should point out that the perfectly cooked lamb in the picture above is the one from the recce trip, not the version that we actually filmed on the last day of our harvest.

Rick’s listed our wines as a ‘special selection’ for over twenty years now, and of late the Steins – it’s very much a family affair – have been buying a lot from us. The wines are shown in a little more detail below.

As well as piling through plenty of white and rosé, and a smattering of Les Trois Hectares red – we regularly ship complete pallets down to Cornwall from our bonded warehouse outside London – Bauduc also features in their social media from time to time.

We especially liked this shot of sons Charlie, the wine man, and Jack the chef from the summer of 2022.

That pic can be seen as a pinned post (as in, near the top) of the @ricksteinrestaurants Instagram feed. In a video post from last summer, Jack and Charlie discuss what wine works best with scallops.

The wines

Use the temporary loyalty code SteinOnTour (not case sensitive) for 10% off on any online orders. Delivery is free in England and Wales for 12 or 24+ bottles. A 6-bottle delivery costs £11, and 18 bottles £8 (free in Greater London).

Château Bauduc Rick Stein Sauvignon Blanc 2022

The most recent vintage (the 2023 will be bottled at the château very shortly) of our popular white with the Rick Stein signature label. Unctuous yet refreshing Sauvignon Blanc.

'This exceptionally zingy Sauvignon Blanc wine from Bordeaux is one of our special selections,' writes Rick Stein for the wine list at The Seafood Restaurant in Padstow.

The back label: “Our Sauvignon Blanc comes from dry-grown vines on the slopes surrounding the château, and harvested in September. A versatile dry white, it has been the house wine at Restaurant Gordon Ramsay and a special selection for Rick Stein for over two decades.” 12% vol.

We had a hot and dry summer in 2022, and the vines coped remarkably well despite the lack of rain. We harvested the white grapes earlier than usual, like in 2020, and this Sauvignon Blanc is full, unctuous and one of the more powerful whites that we’ve made.

£12.75 a bottle in cases of 6.

Rick Stein Blanc

Château Bauduc Rick Stein Rosé 2022

Our fruity, refreshing 2022 rosé with the Stein signature label. The house rosé at Rick Stein’s establishments for over a decade.

Juicy and really tasty on the palate, this is fuller and lusher in style than the more linear, mineral 2021.

The back label: ‘This pale, dry rosé was made from 40% Cabernet Franc, 40% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Sauvignon. We harvested the grapes earlier than for making red and pressed the light juice off the dark skins for a refreshing, crisp wine. The house rosé for Rick Stein for many years.’ 12% vol.

£12.50 a bottle in cases of 6.

Rick Stein Rosé

Enjoy the show.