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 …
A Tasting of Fine Red Burgundy for London Branch
This terrific tasting was held by IWFS London Branch, thanks to the generous donation of wine from Richard Jackson’s cellar. Jeffrey Benson led the tasting to our great benefit. All the wines were from leading Burgundy producers, family-owned domaines with small production, the majority being either Pommard or Vosne Romaneé. They were all classic pure Burgundy style and could be …
An Introduction to Chinese wines for London Branch
“If you see in your wine the reflection of a person not in your range of vision, don’t drink it.” (Chinese proverb.) Some fortunate members of IWFS London Branch had an unusual opportunity to learn about a range of Chinese wines, from Christopher Davenport-Jones at his South London home. He had bought the wine at auction, and selected a cross-section …
Fine Dining at the Savile Club
Members of London Branch were delighted to return to the Savile Club in early January for a post-celebratory season’s formal dinner. We were pleased to be joined by some members of the Europe-Africa Committee. The premises of this exclusive private members’ Club consist of an elegant 18th-century house in Brook Street in the heart of Mayfair. Many celebrated writers, artists, …
A Tasting and Dinner at Corney and Barrow
London Branch held its AGM at Corney & Barrow’s premises near Tower Hill. We combined the short AGM with a wine tasting of Corney & Barrow wines, followed by dinner accompanied by fine wines, making a splendid evening. We tasted the following wines: Delamotte Blanc de Blancs Brut NV £49.95 ~Cellar-aged, this dry wine was light, refreshing, with good acidity, …