London Branch’s first live tasting since lockdowns was held in the garden of Christopher Davenport Jones who led it – and to whom many thanks. We were warned to wear appropriate clothing lest the weather proved inclement. In the event, the forecast rain held off, and it was a fine evening for us to compare English sparkling rosés (and one …
An Italian Trio – A ZOOM WINE TASTING WITH IWFS LONDON
Our foray by Zoom into Italian wines concluded (for now) with three quite different wines: A white from a native grape grown in North West Italy Wine from a native red grape grown in Sicily A red wine from North East Italy, made by the ‘ripasso’ technique. Each of us had a selection of the wines described below, bought from …
ITALIAN REDS – SANGIOVESE FROM TUSCANY
ITALIAN REDS – SANGIOVESE FROM TUSCANY Members of London Branch and friends from other Branches zoomed to Tuscany to taste three types of red wines made from Sangiovese, the most planted grape in Italy. Ambitious and dedicated wine producers are drawn to Tuscany. Once the aristocratic Florentine wine merchant houses such as Antinori and Frescobaldi held sway. Now there are …
FINE CHOCOLATE AND ALCOHOL TASTING – A Zoom Tasting with IWFS London
Never economise on the small luxuries of life. Drinking fine wine and eating chocolate won’t solve your problems – but they won’t hurt either,” said Ernie J Zelinski. Taking this quotation to heart, London Branch held a wine and chocolate pairing event by Zoom. None better to lead the tasting than Chantal Coady OBE, an internationally renowned chocolate expert and business …
EVERYDAY CLARETS – a Zoom Wine Tasting with IWFS London
We tasted wines to illustrate “lunchtime clarets” – affordable workaday red Bordeaux – from three excellent vintages. I wanted to show that we don’t have to drink famous wines at high prices to enjoy a glass of claret. Vintage is important for Bordeaux wines. The weather can vary from year to year, and throughout the growing season and harvest. The …
English Cheese and Wine – Virtually Meeting, Actually Tasting
Packs of artisan cheeses and crispbread, together with English wine, porter and cider, were delivered to participants’ homes for London Branch’s delightful December Zoom cheese and wine tasting – and with cider and porter too. Greg Parsons, the owner of Sharpham’s Dairy in Totnes, one of the finest cheese makers in Devon, led us through the following pairings, aided by Tom …
Wine & Food Matching with Game by Zoom
October 2020 For this Zoom tasting, we focused on wines that would go with game. Some of us had prepared small pieces of game, such as roast partridge, venison, or game-flavoured sausages, to try out for ourselves with the three wines selected. Many wines are suitable for game, depending on both the particular game and its cuisine. Moreover, for every …
LONDON WINE TASTING – Rioja by Zoom
September 2020 – Red Rioja Our latest tasting by Zoom was to compare and discuss traditional red Riojas. We were delighted to welcome some IWFS members from the north west, an advantage of getting together technologically, without travelling! The three wines suggested, easily obtainable from Majestic, were all from the Rioja Alta region, in traditional/classical style, with extended ageing in …
LONDON WINE TASTING – Chardonnay by Zoom
August 2020 – New World “Rich and Oaky” Chardonnays We tasted and compared three New World Chardonnays at different levels of complexity, all described as “rich and oaky” by Zoom. Participants had been advised in advance of the wines, all available from Majestic, so that they could have them delivered from their local branch. In the early 1970s Chardonnay accounted …
LONDON WINE TASTING – Pinot Noir by Zoom
July 2020 – Pinot Noir – or, your choice! Our first tasting by Zoom was a very informal social event, with Pinot Noir as the optional feature, for us to drink and chat about what we were enjoying drinking during lockdown. Alan led our discussion, while we drank at our own pace! He had brought along four bottles that he …