Primary, Secondary and Tertiary

Wholefoods and Reidel put on a brilliant tasting last Wednesday night. Very informative, worthwhile and value for money. Get along to one and keep an eye out for the glassware - Reidel know what they're doing. Fascinating to sample the wines out of the different glasses and compare the taste of a certain wine in the different styles of stemware. Who would have thought the nuances of glassware had such a role or affect on the taste of wine. In any case we've now got a better idea as to which wines work better in which styles of glasses and conveniently Reidel tend to name their glasses after the particular wines they suit.

Cheers

Aus Clarke and Grape Expectations

I thought before the wine tasting tomorrow night I'd share what Australia's expert on wine, Oz Clarke, has to say about the matter, including his tips.

"Wine's about pleasure. If it doesn't give you a buzz, there's no point to it.... The thrill about wine is that every bottle tastes different. That's why you like some wines, and don't like others. It's taste. Some people like broccoli. Some don't. It's the same with wine. Follow the flavour, and you'll soon be making sense of why different wines taste like they do: grape varieties, regions of the world, they're all different. Tasting wine means understanding what you are drinking - and enjoying it more..... to help you find the stuff you like and the stuff you don't. Now, how to taste wine?

1. Read the label
2. Look at the wine
3. Smell the wine
4. Take a sip
5. Spit or swallow?
6. Jot down your impressions."

Looking forward to it. See you tomorrow.

Tutored Tasting

What better place to start for the first WoW of 2010 than a Beginner's Guide to Wine. I got a tip off that Wholefoods run wine nights every other Wednesday evening. So, on 20 January I thought WoW could head to Wholefoods on High Street Kensington for a wine or two and learn a thing or two at the same time. It's only £10 and will take us on a tour comparing 5 wines. The night is taking a special look at a particular brand of glassware. I would guess it's the most widely used and well-regarded wine glassware and one that I'm sure you would have previously seen/heard of - the Austrian company, Reidel. It's always struck me as impressive... and reading in to it, given it's been 11 generations under the ownership of the same family, it's no wonder "Reidel Glass has stood for the high art of glassmaking".

So, if you're keen, please let me know as at this stage, I've only reserved 6 places and I'd hate for anyone to miss out.

Summertown - Winter Wines in Oxford

Happy new year to all. I wish everyone the best in 2010 and hope it includes some tasty wines at some point. I hope everyone had a lovely and restful Christmas break. It seemed much needed after 2009... at least I thought so.

I was fortunate enough to spend a few relaxing days in Oxford just after Christmas, which included a visit to the Summertown Wine Cafe. This place in the North Oxford suburb is brilliant. Resident Oxfordian ‘Dr Burns’ first introduced me to it earlier in the year, but cheers to Nick and Georgie for taking Rach and I back there for wine tasting.

For a modest £8 you can sample 12 wines. The staff are excellent and spent an hour at least running us through 6 whites and 6 reds from around the world, including a Spanish Cava to start and a LBV (Late Bottled Vintage) Port to end. Some v tasty and interesting wines indeed and at very good prices too. It’s certainly worth a stop if you find yourself up that way.

http://www.summertownwinecafe.co.uk/

Please note the first WoW is now on 20 January 2010. Keep an eye on the other dates for your diary. Look forward to seeing you this year. More on what's in store for WoW in 2010 soon, so until then, cheers.