Fortifies Wines tasting event – November 2024
The wines we tasted were: Hidalgo Manzanilla Pasada Pastrana Sherry£18 Waitrose CellarVery fine Manzanilla Pasada. From a single vineyard, it has the typical and unique freshness and delicacy of Sanlúcar wines. Superb, mature, nutty manzanilla from the fine Pastrana vineyard in the Miraflores region, which has long produced the finest wines in the Hidalgo cellars.…
Hidden Spring Vineyard – Horam, Sussex
Having tried their wines at a WineGB event I was keen to visit the vineyard and winery. Owner Richard gave a highly informative tour of the vines and the winery, followed by a tasting of both still and sparkling wines. All the wines were of excellent quality so naturally I came away with a case…
Beer Tasting Panel / Kissingate Brewery Beer Festival
I had the pleasure of sitting on a CAMRA Beer Tasting Panel held at the Kissingate Brewery Beer Festival. The brewery has collected multiple awards including, on this occasion, “Beer of the Festival” for the South Downs Beer Festival. They laid on a very wide selection of beers, covering all styles; however the dark beers…
October 2024 – Wines of Central and Eastern Europe
1. Bohemia Sekt ‘Prestige’ Brut NVRegion/country: Moravia, Czech RepublicGrapes: Riesling, Pinot Blanc, WelschrieslingABV: 13%Bohemia Sekt Prestige Brut is a premium traditional-method sparkling wine, aged for 15–18 months on its lees. The cuvée is a unique combination of quality varietal wines from selected vineyards in southern Moravia. Rheinriesling (aka Riesling) gives the wine a rich aroma…
Wines for Summer Tasting – July 2024
1. Hidalgo ‘La Gitana’ ManzanillaRegion: Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Spain; Grape: 100% Palomino Fino; ABV: 15%The Palomino grapes for this wine are harvested in the Bodega’s own vineyard in the areas of Balbaina y Miraflores, two of the most respected zones around Sanlúcar. A lively, crisp, young Manzanilla with yellow apple aromas, lemon and floral notes…
Wine and cheese helps combat dementia
Eating cheese and drinking red wine could help to combat the symptoms of dementia, according to a study by Iowa State University of almost 1,800 Brits. The study in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease found that a daily glass of red everyday, as well as eating cheese and a weekly meal of lamb, helped to…
April 2024 – the Wines of Greece
It was great to have a full house at this popular tasting. The wines sampled were as follows: Mylonas PetNat Savatiano – Mylonas Winery, Keratea, AtticaMylonas Winery was started in 1917 in Keratea, eastern Attica, by Grandfather Antonis, whose main occupation was the vine and winemaking. As stainless-steel tanks were relatively unknown at the time,…
Italy North v South Tasting
Thanks to everybody who came along to the February tasting. The group’s favourite white was the Vernaccia di San Gimignano (south / central) and the preferred red was the Barbaresco (north). The wines tasted were as follows: 1. Ferghettina, Franciacorta Brut NV Region: Lombardy, ItalyGrapes: 85% Chardonnay, 15% Pinot NoirABV: 12.5%‘Lively exotic fruit and biscuity…
Wines of the Islands – January 2024
For this event we selected wines from eight different islands, accompanied by various snacks including cheeses, crackers, olives and assorted nuts. Customers voted as their wine of the evening the Finca Biniagual ‘Negre’, Binissalem DO, 2018 from Mallorca. 1. Mystery rosé! Adgestone Vineyards Blush, England 2022Island: Isle of Wight, EnglandGrapes: 80% Pinot Noir, 20% SchönburgerABV:…