Wine Tasting Evenings

One of the most widely planted red varieties in the world, Grenache Noir is a major contributor to red and rosé wines made across a swathe of southern Europe that stretches from Rioja and Navarra, through Cataluña, across the South of France and up into the southern part of the Rhône Valley. It’s also found in the USA, South Africa and Australia There are white, grey and ‘hairy’ clones too. We will have a selection of fine examples for you to taste.

Tutor: Pippa Hayward with Sandy Leckie.

A selection of dry white, rosé, red and sweet white Bordeaux wines served with a matching selection of classic French cheeses. Our selection of wines will include a Crémant, a tangy Sauvignon Blanc, A Sauvignon /Semillon blend from Pessac-Léognan, a deliciously fruity rosé, three classic reds with vintages back to 2005 and an exotic sweet white from Sainte-Croix-du-Mont. The cheeses will include Cantal, Chaource, Ossau-Iraty and Roquefort.

Tutor: Pippa Hayward with Sandy Leckie.

At number 24 in the world league, Switzerland produces more than twice as much wine as New Zealand, but exports little. However, what it does export is of high quality. At this tasting, we will show wines made from Chasselas (the most widely planted grape variety in Switzerland) and regional specialities Amigne and Petite Arvine as well as international varieties like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot.

Tutor: Vivienne Franks with Malcolm Franks.

The tastings we organised in 2016 and 2017 were so popular that whenever the opportunity arises to invest in more old vintages, we jump at it. Rieslings in a variety of styles from the Mosel and the Nahe Valleys and vintages back to 1986.

Tutor: Vivienne Franks with Malcolm Franks.

As this tasting will show, there is so much more to Tuscany than Chianti. We will start with 3 whites – a Vernaccia di San Gimignano, a Vermentino from the coastal Maremma region and a so-called “Super Tuscan” blend. We will then taste 4 reds – a juicy Sangiovese from the Maremma, a Brunello di Montalcino, a Vino Nobile di Montepulciano and the “Super Tuscan” Carburnio, before finishing with a Vin Santo, the region’s classic, amber-coloured dessert wine. Tutor: Vivienne Franks with Malcolm Franks.

Pinot Noir from around the world including two from Burgundy and leading examples from Australia, California, Germany, Chile, New Zealand, and S. Africa.

Tutor: Pippa Hayward with Sandy Leckie.

Not surprisingly, given the Catalan character, this region is one of the most adventurous and individualistic in Spain. We will taste a selection of wines from Costers del Segre, Montsant, Priorat, Terra Alta and Penedès.

Tutor: Pippa Hayward and Sandy Leckie.

It’s ‘Sherry Week’ in the UK and to mark this, we are organising a tasting of Sherry in all its styles – Manzanilla, Fino, Amontilado, Oloroso, Palo Cortado – with olives, nuts, cheese and chorizo.

Tutor: Pippa Hayward with Sandy Leckie.

As you probably know, the Chinese are developing quite a taste for wine, importing much of what they drink from Europe. What you may not know is that China is now the world’s leading producer of wine grapes and is starting to produce more and more of its own wine. You don’t yet see much of this here yet, but this is about to change. The UK now has its first specialist importer and distributor of Chinese wines. Called Panda Fine Wine, it’s run by a Chinese husband and wife team whose aim is to bring to the UK some of the most interesting and distinctive wines that are emerging from China’s burgeoning industry.

We have selected 8 wines from Panda’s list for this tasting – Rongzi Pinot Noir, Rongzi Cabernet Sauvignon, Martin Tempranillo, Bolongbao Blanc, Tiansai Chardonnay Reserve, Martin Dragon Eye Longyan, Cailonglin Silver Label and Jia Bei Lan.

Tutor: Vivienne Franks with Malcolm Franks

The tiny cluster of regions at the southern tip of Lake Garda is home to a delicious array of wines. Some, like Valpollicella, offer a variety of styles from the same grape varieties. Our tasting will include an upmarket Prosecco, still whites from Lugana and Soave, a Bardolino, followed by Valpolicella, Ripasso, Amarone and Recioto.

Tutor: Pippa Hayward with Sandy Leckie.

We are on the hunt for the eight wines you will be tasting at our traditional, end-of-year, mature, red Bordeaux event. More details soon.

Tutor: Vivienne Franks and Malcolm Franks.

The southern part of the Rhône valley produces some of the most accessible and best value wines of France. A representative selection of wines from top producers in Gigondas, Lirac, Tavel, Vacqueras, Châteauneuf du Pape, Muscat de Beaumes de Venise and, of course, Côtes du Rhône.

Tutor: Sue Eames with Sandy Leckie

The wines of New Zealand just get better and better. For purity of fruit and varietal expression they are hard to match. We will taste a selection of some of the country’s finest, including Ata Rangi, Cloudy Bay, Felton Road, Kumeu River, Pegasus Bay and Te Mata.

Tutor: Pippa Hayward with Sandy Leckie.

Another traditional end-of-year ‘special’, our Fine Burgundy event will, this time, feature four whites and four reds. The whites will include a top of the range Pouilly-Fuissé, a Grand Cru Chablis, a Meursault and a 1er Cru Puligny or Chassagne-Montrachet. The reds will include a Santenay, a 1er Cru Côte de Beaune, a 1er Cru Gevrey-Chambertin and a 1er Cru Nuits St-Georges. We expect to be able to publish the final line-up in late September.

Tutor: Pippa Hayward with Sandy Leckie.