“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, …
A Tasting of Portuguese Wines
At London Branch we arrange a wide variety of wine tastings of different kinds. The aim of this tasting, led by Keith Ellis, was to show good value Portuguese wines for current drinking, that were not expensive and which were readily available if we wanted to buy any that we had particularly liked. In the twenty or so years since …
Red Bordeaux from the 1970s
IWFS London Branch enjoyed a wine tasting of a wide selection of Red Bordeaux from the 1970s. The idea was to see whether wines from a decade long ago had lasted longer than had been anticipated. We do this from time to time with Bordeaux and Burgundy fine wines. We are optimistic, but do not know what to expect. Happily we …
A Tasting of Fine Chateauneuf-du-Pape
At this London Branch meeting we tasted a special selection of Châteauneuf-du-Pape from different years and top estates, led by Jeffrey Benson. ‘Old Châteauneuf can be sumptuous – complex, spicy and distinctly gamey, retaining much of its original warmth and ampleur’ – Remington Norman. We started with the earliest and worked forward. 1955 – Domaine J. Vidal-Fleury This is the …
A Japanese Wine Tasting
“The new wave Japanese wines are very much in the same idiom as natural wines, being light-bodied and often relatively crisp’ – quoted in the Financial Times by JancisRobinson. Japanese wine makers are becoming very successful. Wines are now being produced on a par with some of the finest wines world-wide. Many thanks to Christopher Davenport-Jones for organising this London …
FINE MATURE BEERENAUSLESE AND EISWEIN
Jeffrey Benson led the London Branch tasting Fine Mature Beerenauslese and Eiswein at the Naval Club, Mayfair, of these luscious sweet white wines from his cellar. Six wines in the tasting were Beerenauslese from Germany, one was from Austria, and the Eiswein was from Austria. The best sweet wines are made from grapes that are very rich in sugar. One …
RED BURGUNDIES FROM THE 1980s
This tasting for IWFS London Branch of Red Burgundies from the 1980s at the Naval Club, Mayfair, was led by Jeffrey Benson, of wines from his cellar, to see how well they had lasted. We tasted the following: A 1988 Volnay from Joseph Drouhin, a consistently highly regarded producer. The good 1988 red burgundies are classic in style, long-lived and …
Revisiting The Bordeaux 2005 Vintage
The second part of our revisiting of mature Bordeaux wines, all from the great 2005 vintage, was generously provided from the cellar of Richard Jackson. What a treat for those fortunate members of IWFS London Branch who attended! Regrettably, Richard was not even able to be there himself this evening, although his two sons were with us on his behalf. …