Category — Tastings and Events

The Birmingham Wine School will be at the Taste of Birmingham 2009 event from 9-12 July 2009.

Imagine a summer’s day picnic in a beautiful city park. Now multiply it by lots of friends. Invite the best restaurants in the West Midlands to contribute the food, and discerning wine merchants to bring the wine… Welcome to Taste of Birmingham 2009.

Birmingham Wine School will be on Stand 4 in the small producers market where you can enter a free competition to win a bottle of vintage Veuve Clicquot Champagne – plus learn more about BWS and the extensive range of courses it offers this summer and autumn.

The Taste of Birmingham is predominantly a celebration of food, although there are a number of smaller and large wine, beer and spirit purveyors attending.

More info on Taste of Birmingham

More info on Birmigham Wine School

The Butlers Wine Cellar is hosting a tasting of Portuguese and Spanish Wines in Brighton on 24 July 2009, including some more unusual grape varieties.

Portugal is…..One of my (Henry) favourite wine making countries at the moment. It doesn’t always get it right or produce wine of excellence, but I think there is a lot of honesty here and wines that are very representative of the area they priginate from. We feel we have been very selective with our range, honing it down to some very good examples.. PRICE: £17.50

As for Spain, the list is also expanding with some of the more unfashionable areas such as Utiel Requiel and Jumilla!

The Butlers Wine Cellar, 247 Queen’s Park Road, Brighton, BN2 9XJ

T: 01273 698724  E:henry@butlers-winecellar.co.uk

Despite its title, Harrogate Medical Wine Society is not just for doctors, which is welcome news if you are interested in tasting some of the top New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc on 16 July 2009.

The Society was founded and run by Dr Bernard Dias

The aim of the society is to further the understanding and appreciation of fine wine through regular tutored wine tastings and visits to vineyards in many parts of the winegrowing world.Membership of the Harrogate Medical Wine Society is not restricted to members of the medical profession and the Society welcomes wine lovers from all walks of life.

Dr Dias is an extraordinarily knowledgeable and enthusiastic wine lover, who was the guiding light behind the annual Harrogate Wine Fair (sadly no longer running) and organises and guides some excellent wine tours to all parts of the wine world through Serendib Promotions.

Harrogate Medical Wine Society

21, St. Leonards Road, Harrogate, N Yorks HG2 8NX

T: 01423 884426  E :info @ harrogatemedicalwinesociety.co.uk

ough Serendib Promotions.

Exhibiting at Bristol’s Wine Festival (10-12 July 2009) will be Domaine Treloar, a small vineyard in the Roussillon region of southern France.

We are a small, high-quality vineyard and winery in the Roussillon, France’s most exciting wine region.Owned and operated by Jonathan Hesford and Rachel Treloar.
As Vignerons Indépendants, we grow all the grapes, make the wine and bottle it at the domaine. We do not buy in fruit or wine from other sources.
We also do all the work in the vineyards and winery ourselves and only employ outside help for pruning and picking.

There are a significant number of British winemakers in France and this domaine is run by ” a bloke from Yorkshire and a girl from New Zealand” , producing Cotes de Roussillon AC, Muscat de Rivesaltes and Vins de Pays d’Oc wines at Trouillas (66 Pyrenees Orientales) south of Perpignan. Open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays for informal visitors, they also offer a “How wine is made” tour. A friendly, informative and thoroughly enjoyable guided tour of the vineyards and winery followed by a tutored tasting of our wines. .

If you cannot get to southern France you can visit their stand at the Bristol Wine Festival (10-12 July 2009) or purchase in the UK from Leon Stolarski Fine Wines or HC Wines.

For more info on the Britsol Wine & Food Festival see www.bristolwineandfoodfair.co.uk – worth a visit to see a number of French and UK Vineyards, major importers and wine merchants plus a wealth of food products.

For more info on Domaine Treloar see www.domainetreloar.com

Constantine Stores in Falmouth, Cornwall is hosted a tasting of wines for summer together with an opportunity to view some works from a local artist on 23 June 2009 at the the Great Atlantic Gallery in Arwennack Street, Falmouth.

A tasting of wines suitable for summer drinking. Fresh zingy whites, seriously good roses and delicious summer reds.
Guests at the wine tasting will get a special pre-view of an exhibition of new work by Neil Davies, a leading landscape painter based in St Ives. Davies’ 2009 collection, which doesn’t formally open to the public until 4 days after the tasting, features 40 paintings and drawings from a small area of West Penwith. Entitled “Bosporthenis – an enduring presence”, the collection focuses on a small, inaccessible valley north of Penzance, just off the coast road between St Ives and St Just.

There will be 10 wines on taste, served with canapés – advanced booking required.

Constantine Stores Ltd, 30 Fore Street, Constantine, Falmouth, Cornwall, TR11 5AB

T:01326 250259  E: andrew@constantinestores.fsnet.co.uk

Kent independent wine merchant secret cellar is holding a FREE SUMMER GRAND TASTING on 27 June 2009:

the first of our huge free Grand Tastings with 25+ wines on show at all price points. No need to book a ticket just turn up, grab a glass and enjoy. We may even try to cook a few sausages if we can find someone to man the barbie.

There is also an interesting and well-written ocassional magazine available online – see www.thesecretcellar.co.uk

The Secret Cellar 43-45 Church Road, Tunbridge Wells,Kent TN1 1JT.
T: 01892 537981   E:sales@thesecretcellar.co.uk

Fareham Wine Cellar is hosting a tasting of the 2007 Vintage Port on Saturday 4 July 2009 from 11am to 2pm

As we only have small quantites of each port, numbers are very limited. I will therefore need a RSVP if you wish to attend the tasting. This is on a strictly first come, first served basis.
The 2007 Vintage Ports are a result of unusual vintage conditions – despite a challenging growing season with a drier than average winter, and cool, damp late spring, the vintage was saved by a dry August, which although also cool, allowed the fruit to mature properly.

The great attraction of the 2007 vintage ports is their exquisite freshness and purity. The wines exude lifted, floral characters, backed by crunchy black berry fruit. The classic spicy notes that one expects in vintage port are in evidence, but the wines seem measured and even approachable. Despite this apparent approachability, they will without a doubt last for many years in the cellar.

All the big names will be on taste – a rare opportunity to taste, contrast and compare!

Email dominic@farehamwinecellar.co.uk or telephone 01329 822733 to reserve a place.

Fareham Wine Cellar, 55 High Street, Fareham, Hampshire, PO16 7BG

T: 01329 822733 E:Dominic@FarehamWineCellar.co.uk

The Wine & Spirit Education Trust holds a Pinot Noir tasting evening in London on 18 June 2009
Pinot Noir can be quite an elusive grape to understand. A predominantly cooler-climate grape it can be notoriously difficult to grow whilst many examples of the best pinots are inordinately expensive burgundies. New Zealand in particular can certainly produces some excellent examples of fruity and complex Pinot Noir as so other parts of the New World. Hence any opportunity to get to grips with the nuances and strengths of this grape should be welcomed!

This has now become an annual event with a loyal following and long may that continue – but please, newcomers always welcome to the initiation ceremony of this most stand alone, fickle, versatile, sensitive, charismatic and enticing of grape varieties.
Once again, Michael Buriak of WSET will tantalize and titillate the taste buds of all present to the various styles and flavours that Pinot Noir offers. Twelve wines tasted blind – do they represent Old World or New World? – can you taste price, quality and money on the palate? Bring to mind the famous Michael Broadbent MW saying that “The sight of a label is worth fifty years experience”. As always, one or two surprises might materialise from this most famous of Pinot Noir magical hats. Only reverential fear and admiration is required on the night.

For more info see www.wset.co.uk