This was our first Love Wine Festival but it will not be our last - a fantastic day, great value too with tickets at £20. The venue was a large room in the hotel, great facilities, plenty of space and not over ticketed so many opportunities to stand and chat to the wine experts.
Unfortunately my balancing skills are limited, one crutch and a wine glass was my limit, so no tasting notes or photos. Love Wine Festival have kindly allowed me to use their images and I'm hoping my memory will stand up to recalling a few of the many wines we tasted.
I did however pick up quite a few really good leaflets and since the weekend I have enjoyed sitting on the sofa having a good read - with a cup of coffee but dreaming of wine.
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| Great collection of leaflets - lots of interesting facts and details |
Before the specific details here are all the exhibitors details (hyperlinked for you to discover more)
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| Pol Roger |
I was very impressed with another blanc de blanc I tasted, at The Champagne Collection. This was a beautiful crisp clear champagne - Cuchet Caz Blanc de Blancs.
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| Joie de Vin |
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| The Wine Society |
It was lovely to meet and chat with their team and of course taste some superb wines. I was very taken with their wine from Greece, my only previous Greek wine being on honeymoon over 28 years ago and a very cheap bottle of Retsina bought here in the UK. Thymiopoulos Naoussa Jeunes Vignes was a medium bodied red wine with slight tannins - a lovely surprise.
I also enjoyed Chateau Vartely Feteasca Regala, a refreshing white from Moldova, and Faleos Nevados Torrontes from Argentina.
There were so many new wines at this tasting, new both in their country of origin and/or the grape variety. It again highlights that our experience of wine is controlled by the wine available to purchase here in the UK or our adventures when holidaying abroad. I really appreciated the opportunity to try so many new wines and was particularly enjoyed with a wine from Georgia.
The Georgian Wine Club had six wines, three reds and three whites. I was quite taken with Badagon Kakhetian Noble, a white wine made from Rkatsiteli the leading white grape variety grown in Georgia. I cannot tell you what the nose was like or the taste, not because I cannot remember but because it was like no other wine I have tried - really really good.
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| Halewood Wines |
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| Loki |
You can see in the above photo the great 'Love Wine' tote bag we were all given as we entered the tasting room. Perfect for collecting all my brochures it also contained a very neat waiter's friend, and a bubble wrap pouch to put our Riedel wine glass in for taking home - thank you Love Wine, it's those little thoughtful extras that made the day extra special.
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| Go Brazil |
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| ODC Drinks |
Wine and food go so well together but which wine with which food. With so many new wines on show it came as no surprise to find new foods too - Eat Spain Drink Spain had some very tasty snacks including dried, roasted broad beans!
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| Delicatessen |
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| Charcuterie |
Anderson and Hill are a delicatessen in the centre of Birmingham; they had a variety of cheeses. to taste.
I love blue cheese and noticed a new name - Perl Las.
It's a Welsh blue cheese and so delicious we bought some home with us .......
.... along with a Red Wine and Draycott Blue Salami from Somerset Charcuterie.
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| Our delicious cheese and salami |
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| The Real Wine Gem |
Vidal Canadian Icewine - Lidl
Domaine Vinsmoselle Auxerrois (Luxembourg) - Hard to Find Wines
Ferrari-Carano Tre Terre Chardonnay - California Wines
Pouilly Fuisse 'Tradition' (France) - Nickolls and Perks
So many superb wines, so tempting but impossible to buy all, however we did treat ourselves to a bottle of KWV Wine's Classic Collection Tawny from South Africa. I am looking forward to enjoying this as the winter night's get longer.
What a super day at The Burlington Hotel - Love Wine's next tasting is in
Guildford on 24th March 2018 - we'll be there !!
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