Events
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Tastings & Courses in Collaboration with
South London Wine School
3 Week - Introduction to Wine Course
Run over 3 consecutive Tuesdays, this is designed for people who enjoy wine and want to learn more about it, in a fun, friendly and relaxed setting with no previous wine tasting experience necessary!
Course Breakdown:
Week 1 – Introduction to Wine Tasting
This first session will cover the basics: how wine is made and where in the world it comes from, how to taste wine and assess it like a true professional, tasting 6 of the most important wines in the world and improving your senses with our ‘Nez du Vin’ aroma kit.
Week 2 – Weird and Wonderful White wines of the world
This evening we’ll move on to talk about white wines and taste at least 6 delicious examples along the way - but with examples you may not have come across before! We’ll talk a bit about the grape varieties and what they taste like as well as the wine regions that they come from, consider their potential for food and wine matching and further hone your wine tasting skills. We'll also cover things like use of oak, find out which is better - cork or screw cap, and bust a few wine myths too.
Week 3 – Red wines of the world
Here we’ll explore the huge variety of red wine styles to be found. From light and fruity Pinot Noir to the smoky, spicy Rioja; the elegant Cabernet Sauvignon to the behemoth that is Australian Shiraz! As well as trying at least 5 more fantastic wines, we’ll also talk about tannin and why some wines get better with age, as well as some other useful tips like why/when you should decant wine and what temperature to serve it at.
World of Wine - Burgundy & Loire
Welcome to the World of Wine tasting on Burgundy and the Loire Valley. A truly great place to start a season of tastings with the South London Wine School!
Part 1 - The Loire Valley
In the wettest part of France, the North West, they call it 'The Garden of France' as it is the most green and lush. Here lies the Loire Valley, a grapegrowing area famous as the home of Sauvignon Blanc, a trendy grape variety currently receiving ample air-time in the world of wine. We'll look at Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé and talk about why so many people love this classic French grape, then head to Tours for the birthplace of the versatile Chenin Blanc in Vouvray. On the estuary of the Loire lies Nantes, famous for the seafood-matching classic, Muscadet.
Part 2 - Burgundy
Nestling in the centre of France, Burgundy is a wine region locked in any wine aficionado's heart. It is steeped in tradition and home to classic grape varieties such as Chardonnay, Gamay and the expressive and elegant Pinot Noir. It's also where you'll find some of the most prestigious wines on the planet, from areas such as Puligny-Montrachet, Chablis and Nuits-St-Georges. We shall explore the up-and-coming Côte Chalonnaise, the delicate wines from the Maconnais and the fruit-driven and simple wines from Beaujolais. A delightful region to taste your way through.
All tastings include; minimum of 6 wines, tasting sheet, use of professional tastings glasses and nibbles.
World of Wine - Bordeaux & Rhone
Welcome to the World of Wine tasting on Bordeaux and the Rhône valley. Time for some blockbuster reds and aromatic whites!
Part 1 – Bordeaux
Bordeaux is probably the World's most famous wine region - renowned for cult wines such as Chateau Margaux and Mouton-Rothschild which can retail for £1000s a bottle. But there is much more to this warm, south-westerly part of France. It is here that the climate and soils are perfectly suited to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, and deliciously vibrant & complex whites from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon. If you thought that Bordeaux was just expensive red wines, this tasting will reveal how much variety is really available - delicious food-friendly reds & whites to suit every budget.
Part 2– the Rhône valley
In the South East of France lies the Rhône valley, where wine making predates even the Romans - the Gauls made good wine in the northern Rhone, perhaps even from the same wonderful grape, Syrah (Shiraz), which produces iconic wines such as Hermitage today. We explore this region and its warmer counterpart to the south where the spicy Grenache grape thrives in stony soils. Find out what defines classics such as Côtes du Rhône and Chateauneuf-du-Pape and compare them to their counterparts in the northern Rhône.
All tastings include: minimum of 6 wines, tasting sheet, use of professional tastings glasses and nibbles.
World of Wine -
Alsace, Germany & England
World of Wine: Alsace, Austria and England
Welcome to the South London World of Wines tasting on Alsace, Austria and England. Time to discover some of the most aromatic and interesting white wines of Europe! If you have an interest in diverse styles of wine or have ever wondered what wine to match with more spicy foods, then look no further.
Part 1 – Alsace
Riesling and Gewurztraminer are found here side-by-side with Pinot Blanc and Gris, all adding to a small-but-complex wine-producing region offering the most aromatic and different styles in comparison to the rest of France. These wines can vary from dry to sweet, but all have a fantastically complex quality, and are great wines to match to intense and spicy foods!
Part 2 – England & Austria
Both regions not so well known for their wines as some other countries in Europe, but both worth investigating further! Many of you may know that English wines have improved phenomenally in recent years, but few have probably had the chance to taste, until now! Cool climate varieties such as Bacchus and Auxerrios thrive here, as well as the odd bit of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. And then Austria – a long history of winemaking here, but very little of it actually gets seen in this country, although this doesn’t mean it should get overlooked. We will have Gruner Veltliner to taste (perhaps the most famous wine to be exported from Austria) as well as something less well known.
All tastings include; minimum of 6 wines, tasting sheet, use of professional tastings glasses and delicious nibbles to go with.
World of Wine -
Italy, Spain and Portugal
World of Wine: Italy, Spain and Portugal
Welcome to an evening of Southern European delights! Both Spain and Italy have long produced outstanding wines with classics such as Rioja, Cava, Chianti and Barolo gracing our tables for many years. This evening our tasting will touch on these favourites and explore their enduring popularity, but we shall also be buckling up for a thrilling taste of the new pretenders from up and coming areas such as Priorat, Galicia and parts of southern Italy. For many centuries Portugal has been synonymous with its famous fortified tipple of Port; but tonight we shall be exploring how wine makers in the Douro Valley have been exploiting the same grape varieties to make robust, ripe, chocolatey table wines, often some of Europe's best value reds!
Part 1 Spain & Portugal
It's time to take a closer look at Iberian wine-making! The famous Tempranillo from Rioja, old-vine Garnacha from Priorat, a wine with leathery, spicy, dark fruity depths to rival anything made over the border in Chateauneuf du Pape (where the French harvest the same grape, which they call Grenache). Fragrant Albarino from Galicia, with a peachy soft juiciness reminiscent of Chardonnay, balanced by the crisp finish of a Sauvignon Blanc. Over the border in Portugal we will taste Touriga Nacional, the finest of the grape varieties used for Port, as a regular table wine. With its warming spice and velvety and rich texture, this is a grape variety you will want to return to again and again!
Part 2 Italy
With its myriad regional specialities and indigenous grape varieties, Italy can be at once fascinating, daunting and confusing to the wine drinker. Too many people take sanctuary in the reassuring words 'Pinot Grigio' on the label - but Italy has so much more to offer! We will taste the fragrantly spicy whites from the volcanic soils of Campania, made from ancient varieties such as Greco di Tufo. We will discover the majestic Nebbiolo grape, responsible for powerhouse wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco. Finally, we untangle the meanings of the label terminology - Riserva, Classico and DOC, what do these words or letters actually tell you about the juice in the bottle? Tonight, we find out!
All tastings include: minimum of 6 wines, tasting sheet, use of professional tastings glasses, and nibbles.
World of Wine -
Australia & NZ
Tuesday 5th November 2024 - 7pm
World of Wine: Australia and New Zealand
A great night of wine tasting from Down Under: if you thought Australian viticulture was all about big brands and jammy, over-alcoholic wines, then come along and find out how it is all changing! Peppery Coonawarra Cabernets and sleek, elegant Clare Valley Rieslings are the new face of Australian wine. Meanwhile, New Zealand's Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc has come from nowhere to suddenly become a staple choice in British supermarkets. Its vibrancy, gooseberry aromatics and tropical flavours have made it a firm favourite. So buckle up and get ready for an evening of blockbuster wines!
Part 1: New Zealand
The growth of New Zealand wine in recent times has been enormous, especially in comparison to its diminutive size. That success has been spearheaded by some beautiful Marlborough Sauvignon Blancs, but is there more to this story? Other fragrant whites from Pinot Gris to Riesling have started to appear with increasing promise. Pinot Noir has caused a buzz in recent times, especially from Martinborough, but is it good enough to challenge Burgundy and perhaps cement New Zealand's place as a producer of wines worthy of comparison to the very finest? Tonight, you decide....
Part 2: Australia
Plentiful sunshine and a comparative lack of red tape have allowed the Australians to develop a signature of accessible, fruit-driven, competitively priced wines. But a new wave of independent winemakers who are preaching the values of balanced acidity and alcohol, along with a toning down of the use of oak, are making their presence felt. We will be tasting Barossa's intensely rich Shiraz and the Hunter Valley's uniquely long-lived Semillon. Along the way we will discuss the more food friendly aspects to these wines. It promises to be a lively and interesting evening.
All tastings include: minimum of 6 wines, tasting sheet, use of professional tastings glasses and nibbles.