Taste Great Wines & Spirits From Around The World

Our 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, John Ducker, 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.

Book Places

Here are details of the tastings we are organising in London over the next few months.  To book places at any of these, select the number you want from 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.

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  • Jun 2019

    £35.00Spain – The Mediterranean North-East • Monday, 3rd June, 19:30-21:30 in London – Holborn

    A selection of wines from the sun-baked vineyards of Penèdes, Montsant, Priorat and Terra Alta.

    Tutor – Pippa Hayward with Sandy Leckie.

    £35.00Natural Wines • Thursday, 13th June, 19:30-21:30 in London – Holborn

    So, what’s ‘natural wine’? The Wikipedia definition is ‘wine made with minimal chemical and technological intervention, both in growing grapes and making them into wine’.

    Some typical traits of natural wine are:-

    Made from organically or biodynamically grown grapes (with or without certification)
    Dry Farmed and Hand Picked
    No Added Sugars
    No Foreign Yeasts or Bacteria
    No Adjustments for Acidity
    No Additives for Colour, Minerality or Texture
    No External Flavours
    Minimal Fining and Filtration

    Some Natural wines have no added sulphites, which makes them perfect for those who want to enjoy wine but may suffer from sulphite intolerance. Those that do add sulphites tend to use very low amounts.

    With more and more natural wine coming on to the market in the UK, we thought it was time we organised a tasting of this new genre for you.

    £35.00Italy – The South • Monday, 17th June, 19:30-21:30 in London – Holborn

    Over the past twenty-five years, dramatic improvements have been made in the quality of wines from the deep south of Italy – the “mezzogiorno” as they call it. Our selection will include wines from the five provinces of Molise, Campania, Basilicata, Calabria and Puglia. Tutor; Pippa Hayward with Sandy Leckie.

    £45.00California – The Napa Valley • Thursday, 27th June, 19:30-21:30 in London – Holborn

    A selection of fine wines from some of the Napa Valley’s top producers:-

    Chardonnay – Hagafen Cellars
    Viognier – McManis Family
    Pinot Noir – Saintsbury Lee Vineyard
    Merlot – Long Meadow Ranch Winery
    Petite Syrah – Three Clicks Wines
    Cabernet Franc – Viader Vineyards
    Cabernet Sauvignon – Silverado Vineyards
    Zinfandel – Rombauer Vineyards

    Tutor: Vivienne Franks with Malcolm Franks














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Jun 2019

  • Essential Wine Tasting in London – Holborn

    Monday, 3rd June – Monday, 1st July

    £150.00

    Five-week Introductory Course on Monday evenings

    Full details and booking >

  • Spain – The Mediterranean North-East in London – Holborn

    Monday, 3rd June

    £35.00

    A selection of wines from the sun-baked vineyards of Penèdes, Montsant, Priorat and Terra Alta.

    Tutor – Pippa Hayward with Sandy Leckie.

    Full details and booking >

  • The Wines of Spain in London – Holborn

    Wednesday, 5th June – Wednesday, 3rd July

    £165.00

    Five-session Intermediate Course on Wednesday evenings.

    Full details and booking >

  • Natural Wines in London – Holborn

    Thursday, 13th June

    £35.00

    So, what’s ‘natural wine’? The Wikipedia definition is ‘wine made with minimal chemical and technological intervention, both in growing grapes and making them into wine’.

    Some typical traits of natural wine are:-

    Made from organically or biodynamically grown grapes (with or without certification)
    Dry Farmed and Hand Picked
    No Added Sugars
    No Foreign Yeasts or Bacteria
    No Adjustments for Acidity
    No Additives for Colour, Minerality or Texture
    No External Flavours
    Minimal Fining and Filtration

    Some Natural wines have no added sulphites, which makes them perfect for those who want to enjoy wine but may suffer from sulphite intolerance. Those that do add sulphites tend to use very low amounts.

    With more and more natural wine coming on to the market in the UK, we thought it was time we organised a tasting of this new genre for you.

    Full details and booking >

  • From Grape to Glass in London

    Saturday, 15th June

    £95.00

    One-day Introductory Wine Tasting Course with lunch included.

    Full details and booking >

  • Italy – The South in London – Holborn

    Monday, 17th June

    £35.00

    Over the past twenty-five years, dramatic improvements have been made in the quality of wines from the deep south of Italy – the “mezzogiorno” as they call it. Our selection will include wines from the five provinces of Molise, Campania, Basilicata, Calabria and Puglia. Tutor; Pippa Hayward with Sandy Leckie.

    Full details and booking >

  • California – The Napa Valley in London – Holborn

    Thursday, 27th June

    £45.00

    A selection of fine wines from some of the Napa Valley’s top producers:-

    Chardonnay – Hagafen Cellars
    Viognier – McManis Family
    Pinot Noir – Saintsbury Lee Vineyard
    Merlot – Long Meadow Ranch Winery
    Petite Syrah – Three Clicks Wines
    Cabernet Franc – Viader Vineyards
    Cabernet Sauvignon – Silverado Vineyards
    Zinfandel – Rombauer Vineyards

    Tutor: Vivienne Franks with Malcolm Franks

    Full details and booking >