Events

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Tastings & Courses in Collaboration with

South London Wine School

South London Wine School is here to help you learn more about wine in a relaxed and friendly environment.  No jargon or pretentiousness – just a passion for wine, some friends, and a great time ahead.  Come for the evening, or sign up to one of their three or eight week courses (or even a WSET course!) and start your journey to become a real wine expert!

Upcoming Tastings and Courses Below!

WSET Level 1 Course

Saturday 10th May at 10am

Fifty Shades of Rosé

Wednesday 11th June at 7pm

France vs Rest of World

Wednesday 18th June at 7pm

English Cheese & Wine Pairing

Wednesday 25th June at 7pm

Best BBQ Wines of the Summer

Wednesday 2nd July at 7pm

3 Week - Introduction to Wine Course

Run over 3 consecutive weeks (one evening per week), 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.

8 Week - World of Wine Course

Have you been thinking about learning more about wine but didn't know where to start? Well, our 8 Week World of Wine course will give you the best introduction to wine tasting you could ever want!

Course programme:

Each week we will focus on a different region, tasting at least six wines, discovering what makes each region unique and matching the wines with different foods. You will find out how to pick out the best wines in supermarkets, decipher wine lists in restaurants, and understand the different terms used on wine labels. All the while tasting some fantastic wines and building up your tasting skills!

  • France I - Burgundy & Loire; plus tasting skills, aroma tests, understanding wine labels

  • France II - Bordeaux, Rhone, South France; plus how wine is made & the use of oak

  • Europe I - Alsace, Germany, Austria & UK; plus how to serve wine - temperature & decanting, and the importance of soil

  • Europe II - Italy, Spain & Portugal; plus new regions & wines, supermarket v independents, food & wine matching

  • New World I - Australia & New Zealand - the different regions; plus the use of oak, other wine treatments

  • New World II - Chile & Argentina; plus the importance of climate & weather

  • New World III - North America & South Africa; plus how to store wine & why, common wine faults

  • Sparkling and Dessert Wines from around the World plus Champagne - how it's made, difference between Vintage/Non Vintage. Where to buy the best Champagne & lots of food matching

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.

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.

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!

World of Wine - Australia & New Zealand

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!

World of Wine - Chile & Argentina

World of Wine: Chile and Argentina

Welcome to the exciting World of Wine tasting on Chile & Argentina! It may be only relatively recently that these countries have started building their reputation in the wine world, but there are some great wines coming from these countries in a variety of styles, with new wines always emerging!

Part 1: Chile

What makes Chile such an attractive ‘safe bet’ for a consumer? We’ll look at the facts, looking at the climate through to the diverse country that is Chile. White grape varieties such as the crisp Sauvignon Blanc, balanced Chardonnay and soft and smooth reds such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot rule the roost and not forgetting the highly-acclaimed Carmenere, resurrected in Chilean vinyards after its destruction in Bordeaux over 160 years ago. And new, cooler sub-regions such as Bio Bio and Limari are making waves, where aromatic varieties such as Riesling and Gewurztraminer are thriving: Chile really can do it all!

Part 2: Argentina

Although production (5th in the world) has been dropping, quality is rising. With a focus on the famed wine region Mendoza, Malbec has carved a reputation of high quality often notably higher than its French origins; when grown up in the foothills of the Andes, it's capable of producing inky black wine with sweet damson fruit and spicy mocha notes. It is currently one of the buzz grapes in the UK market. But it doesn’t stop there; there’s plenty of Viognier, Torrontes and Shiraz to discover too, all the more for us to taste our way through.

World of Wine - North & South America

World of Wine: North America and South America

Join us for an evening of spectacular New World showstoppers!

Part 1: South Africa
With a long and distinguished history of wine production going back over 350 years, it is potentially the oldest 'New World' wine producing country! Famous as a holiday destination for its beautiful wine regions, we will discover the wines that make this region famous and consistenly entice people back. Chunky, chocolatey reds, both made as Bordeaux-style blends and using their very own grape, Pinotage, and elegant European-style whites from Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc are now catching the world’s attention.

Part 2: USA
This is a country which is now demanding we take another look. From its viticultural engine room, California, two seemingly contradictory wine images emerge. Firstly there’s the cheap, sweet, soft, pink wines, served by the container-load in the supermarket. Then there’s the super-premium, super-expensive world of boutique Napa Valley wineries, as shown on the film Sideways. So what is the 'real' Californian wine? Tonight we will dodge the stereotypes and discover rich, strawberry-scented Zinfandel (the red wine, not the pink stuff!), earthy Pinot Noir and creamy soft Chardonnay. Californian wines are elusive and often expensive, but they are able to compete with some of the best in the world - come along and taste for yourself.

World of Wine - Sparkling & Fortified Wine

World of Wine: Sparkling & Fortified Wine

Come along and enjoy a decadent evening of fine sparkling and dessert wines!

For many people, the fizz at the start of the meal and the dessert wine at the end are the most enjoyable drinks of the evening, so we thought - let’s have a whole tasting devoted to them!

Part 1: Sparkling wines
Champagne is one of the most iconic wines in the world - tonight we will learn about the historical method which gives us this beautiful bubbly. We will touch on the input of figures such as Dom Perignon and Veuve Clicquot, whose Champagnes are now so familiar to us. We will also discuss the technical terms behind the labels such as 'NV', 'Brut' and 'Blanc de Blanc': what do these actually tell us about the drink inside the bottle? But the world of sparkling wine is far more diverse than Champagne alone; we will examine other wines, made in the image of Champagne, and ask 'are they as good?' and 'are the really so different from the real thing?'. We will also talk about the rise of Prosecco; this sparkling Italian wine is made in a very different way to Champagne but its popularity has exploded in recent years - why is it so popular? Plenty to learn about, taste and discuss in this line-up!

Part 2: Sweet and fortified wines
The British have a proud history of enjoying a glass of Port or Sauternes after a good meal, but this is a category of wine which has been increasingly overlooked in recent times. Sweet wines can be seen as out of touch or old fashioned, not helped by labels which are hard to read for today's consumers. We’ll re-introduce you to sweet wines in a big way! From Rutherglen Muscat to Beerenauslese Riesling to Tokaji, this is a varied and exciting new world of wine! We will show you the key methods for producing dessert wines, allow you to taste examples of each including a full-bodied Port and cap it all off with the ultra-sweet Sherry, Pedro Ximenez, tasted then poured over vanilla ice-cream…delicious!