The Three Wine Men

Back in November Hubby and I had a day trip to London for the Three Wine Men's The Big Christmas Wine Fest held at Lindley Hall a location we used to visit for the Tesco Wine Fairs many years ago.

There were wines from around the world with Oz Clarke, Olly Smith and Tim Atkin chatting to everyone around the room and hosting some Master Classes, we didn't book any as there is never enough time to visit all the stands so adding an extra class in would make it a rushed time ... and we like to sip and chat. 

It was lovely to again meet Heather Dougherty who was hosting C.V.N.E wines, we began our day with a super glass of sparkling Cune Cava. We did return to Heather's stand later in the day to try some of the other wines from Spain. 

Staying with sparkling wine to begin our afternoon we stopped by Cap Classique with their extremely good Graham Beck; they had Pinot Noir Rose and Cuvee Clive along with my preference Blanc de Blancs. There were plenty of other South African sparkling wines to taste, I really liked Haut Cabriere Pierre Jourdan Belle Rose.

And staying in South Africa one of my favourite sparkling wines was being showcased at KWV; Laborie Methode Cap Classique Rose Brut, I really like this dry rose. We have enjoyed many bottles of KWV wine including their Mentors range, especially the Petit Verdot which is a wine you don't see so much of in the UK. The very complex Roodeberg 1949 was a delicious blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Tempranillo, Carignan, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc, this would be a great Sunday dinner wine. 

Whilst waiting for \hubby to go tot he cloakroom with our coats I was chatting to Oz Clarke who directed me to his favourite English wine from South Devon. It wasn't on the show listing, I was honoured to be able to try this newly released Sharpham 2024

 

My favourite new discovery wine was Ernie Els Big Easy Chenin Blanc 2023, it was so crisp and full of apply flavours. Hubby tried the reds in the range, Cabernet Sauvignon from South Africa is not a wine we've had before. The highest priced wine was the Ernie Els Signature 2017 but Hubby's preference was the 2022 Cabernet Sauvignon. It was nice to have time to chat to the actual winemaker who was there, often at wine events it is wine servers behind the stands who know very little. This event had every stand hosted by the wine people involved, it was great to have a chat with Joe Wadsack at one of the other stands. 

Of course we made sure we visited the Sud de France Top 100 and to our delight a few of our favourites were there, namely from Domaine Paul Mas. And even more to our delight Les Domaines Paul Mas had their own stand with so many of their superb wines. I love all the Paul Mas wines, it's amazing how many vinyards and different labels there are, sadly not all available to the UK. 

There were so many wine stands, far too many to mention, as well as gin and whisky. I don't think we missed any out and enjoyed discovering new wines as well as visiting old friends. I couldn't possibly write about all the wines so have picked my highlights and will finish on a must .... Louis Jadot wines from France. A delicious selection of white and red wines from Burgundy with my favourite being Pouilly- Fuisse, although not a chardonnay drinker this chardonnay is one I very much enjoy. 

Thank you Oz (not inthe photo as he was doing a Masterclass), Olly and Tim, we had a great time chatting and sipping. You can never know enough about wine and we certainly discovered new tastings ... Merry Christmas 

London Wine Fair 2023

It was so good to be back at The London Wine Fair, I have certainly missed this huge celebration of wine.

I am not a wine maker, an importer, a stockist or a wine expert; I just love learning more and more about this amazing drink in it's abundance of variety and style. I also enjoy the social side of wine, sharing my discoveries with others online but most enjoyably at get togethers with friends.

The London Wine Fair is huge with wines from around the world. There are major suppliers and big brand names as well as smaller producers and those seeking support. We met so many lovely people, discovered new grape varieties and now have many more locations added to our holiday wish list.

Our next holiday is actually quite close to one of the English vineyards we discovered. Shotley Vineyard is located in the east of England on a headland between the River Orwell and the River Sour. It's a relatively new vineyard with the original 4 acres planted in 2017 producing the first vintage in 2020. The Shotley Vineyard Pinot Noir we tasted was lovely, hopefully we'll visit them soon.

We are always drawn to French wines and to my delight Joseph Mellot had their range of wines at the Fair. Tasting their delicious Pouilly-Fumé and my favourite Sancerre I was transported back to our holiday a few years ago in this very special part of France.

A French wine I also love (and with a long story behind it) is Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc.  What a delight to discover it again, although occassionally I do find it available here in the UK. Famille Ravoire have an extensive range of Cotes du Rhone wine, it was hard to choose a favourite but I really enjoyed Saint-Joseph.

Bordeaux is one area of France we have yet to visit which I think is why we still have not found a Bordeaux wine that is just right; a wine certainly speaks more when tasted in the right location. Hubby did however enjoy tasting this superb selection of Bordeaux wine and was quite taken with the Lalande de Pomerol.

I think we underestimate our wine knowledge at times, we have over the last decade or so expanded our wine knowledge. As well as discovering new wines it was a surprise, and a bit of a comfort, to recognise many of the wines presented. In particular the Rustenburg range from South Africa; Bread and Butter wines from North America and Marques de Riscal from Spain.

A relatively new concept in the wine industry is wine in cans not bottles. This is something of great interest to me as when putting my bartender hat on for our Scout Group fundraising events we are often left with half bottles of wine. Serving wine in cans would be a super way of only serving the amount required, although it is at a higher cost per serving. 

There were quite a few wines in cans at the London Wine Fair; The Uncommon and Canvino caught my eye, initially due to the superb designs and presentations but on tasting definitely from the delicious wines. 

The Uncommon is a range of English wine, all produced in the south east, and were the first English wines produced in a can. The wines all have named characters: Gerald (Bacchus) and Eleanor (Pinot Noir rosé) are wines whereas Alfie (Bacchus, Chardonnay) and Peggy (Pinot Noir rosé) are lighter spritzer.

Canvino is sparkling Bianco and Rosé wine from Italy with the carbonation by traditional methods so no added carbon dioxide. Canvino is made with only natural ingredients with their cans being fully recyclable.

Discovering new wines is always exciting, no more so than when they are from new countries. Serbian wine was one such discovery; Aleksić wine produced by female wine makers was superb. Amanet, made from Vranac grapes, was a bold strong red full of dark fruit with a delicious long finish was my overall favourite red. 

Hubby really enjoyed Anima wine from Romania in particular their 3 Fete Negro, a blend of Feteasca Neagra from three different vintages, 2015, 2016 and 2017. It was full of dark fruit and chocolate with vanilla highlights. 

We were both very surprised and impressed the wines from Tura Winery in Israel, not a country we associate at all with wine. Their range of white wines made from Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier were all superb, as were their reds produced from Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. It was a pleasure to discover these wines and learn so much more about the Israeli climate.

The London Wine Fair is huge and as you can see from my lengthy post full of exciting discoveries and tastings. A one day visit is not quite long enough but we had an amazing time. One area of the Fair we particularly enjoyed was Wines Unearthed, an area for wine producers looking for UK buyers. Although we could not support in a direct way I hope our visit has helped if only in appreciation. 

There are two producers in particular that we really hope will be supported in the UK: Quinta de Ventozelo from the Douro region of Portugal and Cape Dreams from Cape Town, South Africa. 

Quinta de Ventozelo has an extensive range of grape varieties. We are already familiar with some Portuguese grapes but discovered so many more. The Douro is a location that has been on our river cruise list for a long time, hopefully one day.

My overall highlight was an absolutely delicious Chenin Blanc from Cape Dreams, South Africa. They are a family run vineyard with quite a range of wines and I for one would be delighted if their wine was available in the UK. I have tried many Chenin Blanc wines from this region but Cape Dreams'wine was so crisp, so clean, full of apples and citrus with a hint of sweet pineapple, it really was superb.

Such an amazing day, thank you London Wine Fair ... we're eagerly awaiting 2024!

Waitrose Drinks Festival

If you're looking for everything in one place then the Waitrose Drinks Festival is the one for you. The County Hall in central London on the banks of the River Thames perfectly matched the size of this tasting; huge building, huge event.

On arrival we each received a wristband with an electronic disc linked to our email. This enabled us throughout the show to tap exhibitors' tablets and after the event emails containing the details of the wines and spirits we tasted would be sent to our inbox.

I initially thought this was a great idea if a little cumbersome at times, especially for the exhibitors who were also pouring drinks and answering visitor questions.

Before the show itself began we visited the Taylors coffee and tea lounge which offered a variety of cookies chocolates and hot drinks. It was lovely to sit in the relaxing surroundings and browse through the brochure to look at which exhibitors to visit.

It soon became apparent that although we would have four hours it would be impossible to cover all the rooms and see all the exhibitors.

As I browsed the Waitrose brochure I was a little dismayed that it only gave a small description of each exhibitor rather than listing the wines and prices for each stand. We did find that there was a price list at each stand but it was hard to read especially when a few people were at the same stand.

For me a wine event is all about learning more of the history, the country, the grape and the producer of a wine. It was great to chat to each exhibitor to learn more about the wines they were highlighting. Unfortunately as the event had so many exhibitors: 53 wine; 24 spirits; 11 gin; 34 beer, cider & food; and 14 fizz; it was impossible to visit all.

We had superb chats with all the wine exhibits we did visit - old friends, other recognised brands and some new discoveries.  It was superb to chat to our much enjoyed wine makers Les Dauphins who exhibited their range of Cotes du Rhone wine including a full and well rounded Chateauneuf du Papes. We are huge fans of  Les Dauphins enjoying their wine both here in the UK and whilst on our holidays in France.

It was also great to chat with Domaines Paul Mas and Rustenberg Wines both producers popular with us. Viognier is one of my favourite grapes and I'm always interested when a wine is a Viognier blend. Paul Mas Viognier Sauvignon Blanc was superb and transported me back to our Languedoc holidays.

I really liked the apricot notes in the slightly oaked Rustenberg Chardonnay and Hubby really liked the John X Merrimen Cabernet Sauvignon. A range of South African wines we both enjoy.

There were so many wine exhibitors I would have liked to stand and chat with. We did manage some time with PLB where I discovered their Craggy Range Sauvignon Blanc and the delicious Royal Tokaji. It was great to find When in Rome exhibiting their wine boxes; we had met them before at Love Wine.

From the wines we did taste the one that stood out for me was a superb white from Sicily. Grillo is a grape used to make Marsala wine but this Rapitala wine wasn't a sweet wine. Nutty, crisp, full of lemon and apple Grillo was such a refined wine and without doubt my best in show.

Very conscious of time running out we decided to move into the Spirits and Gin rooms, both of which were huge with such a variety of exhibitors. Southern Comfort is a favourite spirit of mine, especially at Christmas; it seems I am not alone in this as the stand was so crowded I did not get chance to discover their cocktail recipes.

I did however have a great chat with J and B Whisky, not being a whisky fan I was very surprised and impressed with their cocktail ideas. Maker's Mark was another whisky stand I visited, mainly as our son enjoys bourbon. Their cocktail of Maker's Mark bourbon with Merchant's Heart ginger was very nice and a cocktail I will be making at home.

It was good to see Dockyard Gin at the Local Gin Bar. We had visited this independent distillery when on holiday in Chatham; their gin using 9 ingredients is one of my favourite. A new gin we discovered was Adnams'. Hubby has always enjoyed their beer, although he has yet to try their new low alcohol Ghost Ship (it wasn't at this event), and we both enjoyed Copper House Dry Gin.

With just three quarters of an hour left hubby decided to make a trip into the beer and cider room and I decided to make my way downstairs to the Champagne and Fizz. After a long walk back to the lift I made it down to floor 3 to discover a room full of fizz. So many exhibitors including English sparkling wines, but too many to do justice to or to learn about. It was great to see Bolney Estate again and I did discover an new English Sparkling Wine; Chalfor from Buckinghamshire.

Throughout the event food was served by waitresses; a good idea but in practice it was very difficult to balance everything and hold little pots of hot food. I know Hubby enjoyed the hand-held burger which was easier to manage whilst holding a wine glass and event brochure.

As we left everyone was given a tote bag containing miniature gins, soft drinks, beers, spices, tea, coffee, snacks, biscuits and a large magazine - a great goody bag if a little weighty.

As I mentioned before it would have been impossible for anyone to taste every wine, spirit, gin, champagne, beer or cider on offer and for me this event was far too big. I'm sure though that everyone visiting had a good time, quite apparant with the buzz as we made our way to the exit at the end of the event. It did feel more like an event for those people wanting a social afternoon with the opportunity to consume plenty of alcohol beverages. I have seen many comments suggesting this on social media with phrases such as 'fill your boots'.

Please don't misunderstand, we both had a lovely day meeting old friends and exhibitors we know as well as new exhibitors but we did come away a little disappointed. We felt rushed and had not been able to meet all the people we had hoped to.

Now at home I have received my email from all the exhibitors that had tapped my wristband. Hopefully in this post I have managed to highlight my favourites from the day. It has taken me a little while to work out which wine was on which stand as the links emailed directed me to Waitrose online shop instead of to each producer or supplier page as I had expected.

Personally I think the Waitrose Drinks Festival would have been better as separate events: a wine tasting event and a spirit/gin event. I did enjoy our day in County Hall but for me I prefer smaller and more personal events with more time and opportunity to discover more with each exhibitor - less is often more!

London Wine Fair - French wine, English beer, amazing art and much much more

There was just so much to see, and so many people to chat with at London Wine Fair; it really demands more than one day to appreciate all on offer.

My previous posts - Familiar Faces and West to Eastern Europe have covered many of our tastings however there were a few others beginning with Sud de France Top 100.

This stand could easily have taken a day in itself to discover all the wines on offer - I didn't have the chance really to appreciate it all. The stand had 31 white wines with Les Vignobles Montagnac being at number one; Cave de l'Ormarine Preambule placed first in the 10 rose wines; and Chateau les Bugadelles Bergerie top in the 58 red wines.

A panel of judges chaired by Tim Atkin MW reviewed and placed theses wines in this Landmark Competition focusing on wines from Occitanie. It was a delight to see some of our favourite Southern French wines in the lists, namely Paul Mas Estate Marsanne and Domaine les Yeuses Syrah les Epices.

Staying in France stand D22 was Castelnau Wine Agencies presenting some beautiful champagne from Reims. Centrally located in the capital city of Champagne Castelnau produces champagne from its 900 hectares across the region.

All of the champagnes were superb, fine bubbles, elegant flavours with fine finishes that lingered long, something I wish I could have done. Castelnau offered five bottles of fizz; Brut, Reserve, Rose, Blanc de Blanc and Millesime; could I choose a favourite? They were all so lovely but if I had to choose it would be the Reserve.

I am very much hoping Castelnau will be one of the houses we visit later this year as part of our Champagne holiday.

Our holiday is initially in Epernay where Champagne Esterlin is located on the famous Avenue de Champagne, the most expensive road in the world with its treasures in the caves beneath. Esterlin's Brut Eclat was a lovely glass of bubbles made from Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier; I would have loved to have tried their Blanc de Blanc Eclat but unfortunately social media held more attention for Monsieur, maybe we'll get chance this summer in Epernay.

Louis Jadot and Joseph Mellot also both had great wines on offer, I am particularly found of Joseph Mellot's Sancerre. With Sud de France Top 100, Castelnau, Esterlin, Louis Jadot and Joseph Mellot I could have happily spent all day in my favourite country - France.

However home calls - English beer from Robinson's Brewery who are based in Stockport. Nick and I both enjoy a glass of beer and have toured many of the UK's breweries, however we have not ventured north so Robinson's beer was a new discovery for us both.

Light Brigade is a golden hoppy beer, quite refreshing; 5p from each bottle is donated to Help the Heroes. This beer was crafted by Iron Maiden's vocalist and Robinson's head brewer.

The other three beers we tried were all 'Tom's' - Blonde Tom, a sweet and fruity blonde beer; Old Tom Ginger, a dark oak beer with ginger and peppery notes; and Old Tom full of rich dark chocolate. My favourite was definitely Old Tom, i really enjoy a dark beer and the more chocolate the better; Nick like a more hoppy beer so preferred Light Brigade from our tastings.

The whole day was pure enjoyment for us - a superb chance to meet old friends including two members of the Majestic Guildford team, and a great opportunity to meet new producers and make new discoveries. It was a day full to the brim with wine as these photos show.

One stand at London Wine Fair just took our breathe away, it was amazing. Not a wine, not a label, not location or producer but an artist; an artist who paints using wine!

Edgar Lizarazu Shiosaky was born in Bolivia but moved to Japan in 2001 to develop his painting. Painting with wine as a medium that needs extra care and the canvases have to be treated with a UV fixative.   Edgar's work is so intricate and once finished needs keeping away from sunlight which could bleach his work. It was amazing to watch him at work, a very different aspect of wine.