Events

Wines of Greece – September 2023

Recently I have become something of a fan of Greek wines, particularly the whites. The flagship Santorini Assyrtiko is generally excellent; however its reputation has meant that prices are now getting rather high for regular drinking. It is worth trying some of the many lesser known grape varieties as there are a few gems that…

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Canned Wines

I met up with the Canned Wine Company at the London Wine Fair and introduced a few of their wines to a tasting group. I have to confess to being cynical as my previous experience with canned wine has not been great; however I enjoyed several of these, as did the group. The 250ml size…

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Encounter South Africa – July 2023

This was an excellent event organised by WoSA on London’s South Bank. It was a great opportunity to meet so many winemakers and importers. There were so many wines to try but among my personal favourites were: Jordan Inspector Peringuey Chenin Blanc 2022 Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Chenin Blanc 2020 and Vineyard Selection Chenin Blanc…

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The Big Fortified Tasting 2023

I have to say this is one of my favourite tastings of the year.  It is very well organised and covers Sherry, Port, Madeira and Moscatel.  The overall quality was extremely high; however among my personal highlights were: I’m running a fortified tasting next month which is already fully booked so it looks hopeful that…

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Wines of New Zealand tasting – April 2023

New Zealand is only the 15th highest wine producing country in the world; however they do put an emphasis on quality.  In the UK on average we spend more per bottle on New Zealand wine than any other country. In this tasting my aim was to go beyond Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc to try wines from…

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Wines of North America Tasting – March 2023

Thank you to everybody who came along to the tasting of Wines of North America – the wines we tasted were as follows: Peller Estates, Signature Series Ice Cuvée Classic NV (Courtesy of Barry Gibbon) Region: Niagara Peninsula, Ontario, CanadaGrapes: 70% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir12% ABVThis wine is made in the Traditional Method from hand-picked Chardonnay…

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Next Treasure Hunt – 1st October 2022

THE KEMP TOWN BEER MILE TREASURE HUNT ________________________________________________________ SEEK OUT THE CLUES AS YOU CROSS BRIGHTON KEMP TOWN AT YOUR OWN PACE AND ENJOY A FEW DRINKS ON THE WAY – FREE TO ENTER ________________________________________________________ SATURDAY 1ST OCTOBER 2022 START  Brighton Bierhaus, 161 Edward Street, Brighton BN2 0JB  BETWEEN 1 PM AND 2.30 PM ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­________________________________________________________…

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Is it worth paying more? Tasting September 2022

We served two wines each of four different styles, one at around £10-12 and one at over £30. The wines were served blind and attendees asked which they preferred. Group A – Chenin Blanc Ken Forrester Reserve Collection Chenin Blanc 2020 An elegant, zesty, oaked white wine with flavours of tropical fruit, caramel and honeycomb.Ken…

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Wines of the Eastern Mediterranean

We organised this tasting recently and it proved very popular. The wines provided were Chateau Musar Jeune White – Lebanon Musar Jeune White is an unoaked blend of Viognier, Vermentino, Chardonnay from youthful Bekaa Valley vines. Crisp and aromatic, this eclectic blend of French and Italian varieties has its own distinct personality – passionfruit, apples,…

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London Wine Fair 2022

I was fortunate enough to attend LWF in June this year – it was great to see it back as a live event. Unfortunately there seemed to be fewer country stands than in previous years; however there were plenty of interesting people to speak to, and a lot of great presentations including Valpolicella, vermouth, Central…

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