Taste Great Wines & Spirits From Around The World
Covid 19 Restrictions
Due to the restrictions in place to control the spread of the Covid 19 virus, we are only able to run wine webinars / on-line wine tastings at the present time. You will find full details of these and a booking form at the foot of this page. As you will see, we are having to make a modest charge for participation – £5.00 until the end of October and £10 thereafter – but this is per household and not per person.
We will re-introduce traditional, face to face tasting evenings just as soon as it safe to do so.
Until then, we hope you will enjoy tuning in to our on-line wine tastings from the comfort and safety of your home with a glass or two of good wine to hand.
Wine Tasting Webinars / On-line Wine Tastings
Scroll down to the bottom of this page and you will see details of the wine tasting webinars / on-line wine tastings we are organising over the next few months. Remember that tasting fees are per household and not per person and so, to book places at any of these, just select “1” in the little drop-down menu on the left, enter your personal details in the form at the foot of the page and click the submit button. A member of the Wine Education Service team will then send you confirmation and information about payment methods by email.
Traditional Face To Face Wine Tasting Evenings
Our wine tasting evenings are designed to appeal to people who appreciate fine wine and/or spirits.
They are relaxed and informal in style. The tutor will give some background information and then simply introduce each wine or spirit and encourage discussion. A tasting sheet and, where appropriate, maps will be provided but not detailed notes.
Unless otherwise indicated, tasting samples of 8 wines or 6 spirits will be tasted. There will be mineral water and water biscuits to refresh your palate between samples.
What else do I need?
You will need to bring 6 wine glasses to each session. If you really want to sharpen up your taste buds, a set of the International Standards Organisation (ISO) glasses used by the professionals is recommended (the tutor will have boxed sets of 6 crystal ISO tasting glasses for sale at £15).
Who are the principal course tutors?
The tastings will normally be introduced by Vivienne Franks, Pippa Hayward or Sandy Leckie. All have extensive lecturing experience, are members of The Association of Wine Educators and/or Circle of Wine Writers and travel widely to keep up-to-date.
Dec 2020
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Tuesday, 1st December
£10.00
It’s all happening in Alsace. A new generation of young, passionate and talented vignerons and vigneronnes is challenging tradition and pushing boundaries. Bland, off-dry whites are being replaced by pure, crisp, fruit and terroir-expressive wines, simple, deep-rosés by reds of almost Burgundian style and quality. Oak is being used increasingly for special cuvées. More and more domaines are being converted to organic and biodynamic production. And if all of that were not enough, the Appellation system is being modified to include a 1er cru level between ‘Alsace’ tout court and ‘Alsace Grand Cru’.
Tutor – Pippa Hayward with Sandy Leckie.
Availability: Good.
Wine suggestions:
From the Wine Society – Boeckel, Riesling ‘Brandluft’, 2018(£13.50) and Zind-Hmbrecht, Pinot Gris ‘Roche Roulée, 2017 (£20.00)
Or
From Majestic (Mix Six Prices) – Kuhlman-Platz, Riesling, 2018 (£10.99) and Schlumberger Grand Cru Spiegel, Pinot Gris, 2017 (£15.99)
Full details and booking >
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Thursday, 10th December
£10.00
If you love the white and red wines of Burgundy as much as we do, you will know that the prices you have to pay for decent bottles of the stuff can bring tears to your eyes. In this webinar, we will help you understand how the top domaines of the Côte d’Or – the golden slope that runs south from Dijon to Beaune and Beaune to Santenay – can command such high prices and still sell every bottle they make. We will also tell you how to find the occasional gem from an up-and-coming vigneron(ne) or a less fashionable appellation.
Tutor: Sandy Leckie.
Availability: Good.
Wine Sugestions:
From the Wine Society – Domaine Mallory et Benjamin Talmard, Macon Villages, 2019 (£10.95) and Tollot-Beaut, Chorey-lès-Beaune, 2017 (£27.00)
OR
From Waitrose – Gérard Thomas, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru, 2017 (£25.99) and Santenay 1er Cru Maladière, 2017 (21.49)
Full details and booking >
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Tuesday, 15th December
£10.00
Earlier this year, you may have heard Pippa Hayward, one of our senior tutors and an accredited Rioja wine educator, talk about a new generation of wine makers who are choosing to break away from the strict rules of the Rioja appellation and make wines with a greater emphasis on terroir and less on time in oak. In this webinar Pippa will redress the balance by talking about the appeal of Rioja made in compliance with the rules and the wonderful aromas of ripe, red berry fruit and smokey oak, soft tannins and flavours that seem to work so well with the extaordinary variety of tastes and textures to be found in a traditional, British, festive meal.
Tutor: Pippa Hayward (Accredited Rioja Wine Educator) with Sandy Leckie.
Availability: Good.
Wine suggestions:
From the Wine Society – Urbina Crianza 2011 (£10.95) and Viña Real Gran Reserva 2010 (£20.00)
Or
From Majestic (Mix Six Prices) – CVNE Reserva 2016 (£9.99) and Viña Ardanza Reserva 2010 (£20.99)
Or
From the Good Wine Shop – Urbina Crianza 2011 (£15.50) and Urbina Reserva Especial 2006 (£24.00)
Full details and booking >
