Wine Appreciation Group

Meeting December 2025

Meeting hosted by Debbie.

December Wines

WHITE WINES

First cape special culver Sauvignon

Wairau cove Sauvignon blanc

Yellow tail Sauvignon blanc.

Casillero del Diablo Sauvignon blanc

RED WINES

Kumala reserve Malbec

Yellow tail Malbec.

Casillero del Diablo Malbec.

Trivento reserve Malbec

DESSERT WINES

MAVRODAPHNI OF PATRA.

Full bodied wine from the mavrodaphni grape Grown in the golf of Petra

CASA MANA Moscatel de Valencia

Fresh grapes and floral flavors with a lemon curd finish

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Wine Appreciation Group

Meeting November 2025

Meeting hosted by Glenda & Colin

🍷 Cheers to Great Wines and Good Friends! 🥳

Colin and Glenda recently hosted their first wine appreciation group meeting in their beautifully renovated house, a fantastic event two years in the making! The evening was extra special as it coincided with Colin's birthday.

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Sparkling Start and Sauvignon Surprises ✨

The celebration began with a toast using a bottle of Bailey Hills Estates Classic Cuvee 2022 English sparkling wine from Bishops Stortford. Produced by a small local company that only planted its first vines in 2018, the group agreed this "Champagne" alternative was every bit as good as the traditional French variety.

The main event was a series of blind tastings, starting with two white wines: Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc NZ 13.5% (£26.50) and Stoneleigh Sauvignon Blanc NZ 12.5% (£10.25). Interestingly, both hail from vineyards right next to one another in Marlborough, New Zealand. The discussion naturally revolved around whether the significant price difference was justified, given their shared terroir. The group's verdict? They generally preferred the Stoneleigh!

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Rosé Revelation: Angel vs. Devil 😇😈

The theme of pitting established, high-profile wines against 'lesser' ones continued with two rosé wines:

• Whispering Angel – Cotes de Provence France 13% (£22.25)
• Screaming Devil – Cotes de Provence France 12.5% (£12.97)

The amusingly named Screaming Devil is a "total dupe" of the famous Whispering Angel. Despite the Whispering Angel's reputation, about 80% of the group surprisingly preferred the Screaming Devil! This led to the conclusion that clever marketing sometimes creates a higher image of desirability than the wine-drinking experience itself.

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A Taste of Italian Reds 🍷

The tasting finished with two Italian reds from the Valpolicella region:

• Valpolicella Ripasso Italy 13.5% (£12.50)
• Amarone Della Valpolicella Italy 14.5% (£22.50)

These wines were chosen for their unique production. The powerful, high-alcohol Amarone is made from dried grapes. The grape skins remaining after the Amarone pressing are then used to produce the Ripasso wine. The group was split almost 50/50 on which they preferred.

The lovely evening concluded with a glass of Sauternes (paired with individual 'Colin the caterpillar' cakes).

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Wine Appreciation Group

Meeting October 2025

Meeting hosted by Toni & Mick

🍷 Wine Tasting Notes – October 2025

This month Toni and Mick took us on a tour of the world!
We enjoyed wines from six different continents – and every one was a treat. Much thought had gone into the evening, with each wine carefully chosen and paired with a snack from its home region – plus the local hat and music to match. A wonderful evening that will be remembered for a long time to come.

We were also delighted to welcome Laney, who joined us for a “taster” meeting – no surprise she’s now joined the group!

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Asia

Pagoda Touhai ShaoXing 5 Year Rice Wine, 14% – £14.45
Paired with Sushi

Made from fermented glutinous rice, wheat, and other grains, this wine has a distinctive flavour and aroma. A good Shaoxing wine should have a clear amber colour, a rich, complex aroma that’s both sweet and savoury, and a balanced flavour with gentle sweetness and umami depth. Its unique character makes it perfect with strong-flavoured dishes such as Szechuan cuisine or Korean barbecue – or with seafood like steamed fish or stir-fried prawns.

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South Africa

Waitrose Blueprint W.O. Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc 2025, 12.5% – £8.50
Paired with Biltong

Zesty and refreshing, with flavours of green apple, peach and bright citrus, underpinned by a stony minerality.
Ideal with seafood, salads, or aromatic Asian dishes.
Favourite White of the evening.

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Oceania

Jip Jip Rocks Shiraz, Australia 2023, 14.5% – £13.50
Paired with Barbie Sausage

Vibrant raspberry and mulberry aromas with hints of liquorice, spice, and mocha chocolate. The palate is full and textured, with lingering berry richness.
Perfect with rare roast beef, lamb, pizza, or barbecued ribs.

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South America

Tilimuqui Fairtrade Organic Malbec, Argentina 2023, 13% – £13.00
Paired with Empanadas

An elegant and deeply flavoured Malbec, silky smooth with black fruit, supple tannins and a spicy, complex finish.
Excellent with steak or any grilled red meat.
Favourite Red of the evening.

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North America

Waitrose Blueprint Californian Chardonnay 2023, 13% – £8.00
Paired with Apple Pie

Soft, juicy and full of tropical fruit – peaches and nectarines to the fore.
Deliciously refreshing and a lovely match for chicken or creamy fish dishes.

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Europe

Mme. Claude Parmentier Fitou, France 2022, 13% – £7.00
Paired with Cheese

Full of Mediterranean herbs, red berries, ripe plum and peppery spice. A fruity, well-balanced wine with soft tannins and satisfying length.
Serve with wild boar casserole, grilled sausage, ripe cheeses or lasagne.

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Wine Appreciation Group

Meeting September 2025

Meeting hosted by Hazel.

Wine Appreciation Group – August Meeting

Our September get-together was hosted by Hazel – our first evening meeting since July. (In August we also enjoyed a delightful afternoon picnic by Horse Lake at Little Easton – in full sunshine, we shared between friends much good food, and a little wine just to taste.

This month’s theme was American wines – six in total, three white and three red. What united them all? They were perfect examples of how the U.S. takes Old World grape varieties and gives them a fresh, approachable, fruit-forward spin. In short: bold flavours, generous styles, and plenty of character.

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Here’s what we tasted:

1. Chateau Ste. Michelle Chardonnay (Washington State)
Chateau Ste. Michelle is a pioneer – the first big winery in Washington State back in 1967, and still the most celebrated. This Chardonnay showed just why. With bright citrus and apple flavours, a touch of oak, and a creamy texture, it was elegant yet generous. A great partner for fish like halibut.

2. Flora Abeille Albariño (California)
From one of California’s oldest winery sites (dating back to 1934), this was a wonderfully fresh, floral Albariño. Harvested at night to keep its zing, it tasted of nectarine and cherry blossom, with a hint of minerality. Perfect with prawns or a crisp summer salad.

3. Nettie Viognier (California)
Rich, floral and full of apricot and peach, this was Viognier at its best. Big, bold and lush, yet still elegant – a real treat. The vineyard even has a story: it’s named after Miss Nettie Valear, who planted an acorn on the site over a century ago in memory of Abraham Lincoln. Now a mighty oak stands there, watching over the vines.

4. Chateau Ste. Michelle Cabernet Sauvignon (Washington State)
The red counterpart to the earlier Chardonnay, this Cab showed why Washington rivals Napa for quality. Complex, with notes of blackcurrant and plum, and excellent with steak.

5. Ravenswood Lodi Zinfandel (California)
From some of the oldest Zinfandel vines in America, this was everything you expect from “old vine Zin” – juicy, packed with ripe black fruit, and brimming with flavour. A real crowd-pleaser.

6. Toast & Honey Cabernet Sauvignon (California)
Sustainably made in Lodi, this Cab had smooth tannins and flavours of blackberry, cherry, vanilla and chocolate. Not only delicious, but also produced with biodiversity and the environment in mind – a nice bonus!

And as if that wasn’t enough, Hazel treated us to two gorgeous dessert wines to finish:

• Elysium Black Muscat – dark, velvety, and bursting with rose and rich fruit flavours. Wonderful with chocolate pudding or even drizzled over ice cream.
• Essencia Orange Muscat – sweet, fragrant, and full of orange, apricot and pear. Rich but beautifully balanced, and another perfect match for chocolate.

Both of these came from Quady Winery in California and both have won international awards.

All in all, it was a delicious evening full of sunshine in our glasses and lively discussion around the table. A real reminder of how much fun exploring wine can be – and how American wines, often overlooked, really do deserve their moment in the spotlight.

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Wine Appreciation Group

Meeting July 2025

Meeting hosted by Sandy and Peter

The July meeting of the Wine Appreciation Group was hosted by Sandy and Peter, taking advantage of the hot weather by sitting out in their garden.

Six wines were presented, 3 white and 3 red, under the heading of Eastern European wines with one being the 'odd man out', which was from Israel. The group were therefore challenged to guess each wines country of origin and which  was the odd man out.

From the White wines the Patricius Furmint from Hungary was chosen as the most liked, and from the Reds, the Mavrodaphine Red from Greece.

To end the evening there was short (wine related) trivia quiz, which was easily won by Glenda and Colin.

Eastern European Wines?

Why not try some this summer –we were very pleasantly surprised!

The Wines Tasted:-

Patricius Furmint a dry white wine produced by the Patricius Winery in the Tokaj region of Hungary. 12.5%

Puklavec & friends® - Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Grigio 2024. This is a winemaking family or group from Slovenia (specifically the Podravje region, which includes the Ljutomer-Ormož area) known for producing a range of wines. 12.5%

Sorcova Pinot Grigio wine from Romania, which is an emerging wine region that produces a variety of international and indigenous grape varieties. This particular wine is a dry, crisp white, characteristic of Pinot Grigio. 11.5%

Mavrodaphne Red – a classic, sweet, fortified Greek dessert wine. Full-bodied, with firm tannins and notes of dark fruit, herbs, and spices. A very different experience from the sweet fortified version. 15%

Primitivo is a powerful, fruit-driven red wine from Southern Italy, offering a warm, rich, and often spicy experience that's perfect for robust dishes. 13%

Barkan Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the largest and most well-known wineries in Israel, producing a wide range of wines. Their "Classic" series typically represents approachable.  A fruit-driven wines designed for earlier consumption characteristic tannins and possibly hints of cedar or spice if it saw some oak. 12%

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Wine Appreciation Group

Meeting June 2025

Meeting hosted by Jane and Peter

Attendance - 12

The theme for our meeting in June was ‘Greece” hosted by Jane & Peter Tadman.

The Greek word for wine-oenos- gives us ‘oenophile’ and oenology’ so it has been drunk in Greece for a long time!

Greek wine can be quite underrated maybe because grapes like Agiorgitiko – ay-your-yitiko are hard to pronounce and people shy away from it towards more pronounceable names. We sampled 6 wines and were generally pleasantly surprised – even by the Retsina which is the traditional Greek wine owing its taste to the Aleppo pine that is added to the must during fermentation. It can be an acquired taste!

Did you know that in ancient Greece they played a drinking game called Kottobus? The guests would lie on couches and discuss the issues of the day. The host would set up a tall pole in the middle of the room with a shallow dish perched on the top. Everyone would fling their dregs of wine in their cups at the dish and the one who knocked off the dish was the winner! We didn’t try it – it might have ruined the carpet!

We chose a different format from usual and offered a Greek appetiser with each wine, finishing off the evening with a small glass of Ouzo, Greece’s national anise flavoured spirit which with the addition of a little cold water or ice, turns it milky white as essential oils precipitate.

Wines tasted were:-

1. Retsina £7.00 from Sainsbury’s – better than we expected!
2. Assyritiko £9.00 from the Co-Op
3. Lyrarakis Assyrtiko £10 from Majestic
4. Atma Xinomavro £13 from Waitrose
5. Lyararakis Liatiko £12.50 from Majestic
6. Greek Red £10 from Majestic and chosen by their buyers this was our winner. It is a blend of Agioritiko and Syrah

We also had a short quiz and Peter Lake won a Greek flag key ring.

Why not try some Greek wines this summer – you may be pleasantly surprised!

Jane Tadman

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Wine Appreciation Group

Meeting May 2025

Meeting hosted by John and Sheila

Attendance - 14

Our May gathering was themed around “Fresh Flavours for Spring”, featuring a hand-picked selection from the Wine Society. We tasted six wines — three whites and three reds — all chosen from their spring case.

The whites, full of zip and brightness, came from Portugal, France, and Austria, while the reds offered variety and intrigue from Uruguay, Australia, and southern Italy. For those still curious at the end, there was also an optional dessert wine to round things off.

Members were scored on how accurately they could identify the wines during the blind tasting, working in rotating pairs to compare notes and share ideas. Congratulations to Toni, whose wine identification skills stood out from the crowd!

We also enjoyed a short quiz to test our knowledge of the wines — Vicky and Debbie, in partnership, took home the quiz prize.

It was a relaxed, sociable evening, and a fine way to welcome in the warmer months with good wine and better company.

Here’s what we tasted:-

Wine	Country	Grape	Style	Tasting Note	Price
Natural Mystic Vinho Verde	Portugal	Loureiro	Bone dry white	Light, zesty, and low in alcohol — a classic coastal white. Perfect for sunny sipping.	£9.95
Sauvignon Blanc 'Pure Vallée'	France	Sauvignon Blanc	Dry white	Crisp and grassy, with that signature Loire freshness. Great with goat’s cheese or spring salads.	£7.95
Familie Mantler Gemischter Satz	Austria	Field blend incl. Grüner Veltliner	Dry white	A lively and slightly unusual Austrian white. Zingy, fresh, and full of character.	£8.75
Juanicó Teru Teru Cabernet Franc	Uruguay	Cabernet Franc	Medium-bodied red	Elegant and herbal, with red berry fruit, fresh acidity, and a soft spicy finish.	£9.50
Tyrrell's Old Winery Pinot Noir	Australia	Pinot Noir	Medium red	Light and juicy — chillable and cheerful. A great picnic companion.	£9.95
Susumaniello Salento Rosso	Italy	Susumaniello	Medium red	Deep in colour with earthy notes and dark cherry fruit. A rediscovered southern Italian gem.	£9.95

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Wine Appreciation Group

Meeting April 2025

Meeting hosted by Vicky & Ian

An Evening with Vicky and Ian

Our April meeting was generously hosted by Vicky and Ian, who shared a handpicked selection of their favourite wines—ones they’ve particularly enjoyed when out for an evening. Although the event was slightly delayed due to illness, it had been carefully planned in advance, with wines sourced when they were on special offer (some of which, sadly, are no longer available!). That said, it was still a wonderfully enjoyable evening and great value all round.

We began with a trio of white wines, followed—after a sociable break—by three reds. Among the whites, the group’s favourite was a classic Sauvignon Blanc. All three red wines were well received, with lively discussion around each.

Here’s a little more about the wines we tasted:

• The Surprise Starter – An unclassified sparkling wine, first served to some of us during a wine tasting at Lukins last August. A light and cheerful fizz—and at just £9, a lovely way to begin the evening.
• Wairau Cove Sauvignon Blanc – Served at the Bowls Club and a favourite of many. From the Marlborough region of New Zealand’s South Island, this wine enjoys perfect growing conditions, resulting in a crisp, refreshing flavour with zesty gooseberry and passionfruit notes. 12% ABV, £7.00 (usually £8.50).
• Picpoul de Pinet – A bright, citrusy wine from vineyards near the Étang de Thau in southern France. The locals say the vines thrive with their “heads in the wind and feet in the sea.” A refreshing lunchtime or evening choice. 13% ABV, £8.50 (usually £10.00).
• Finca Las Moras Malbec – From Argentina, made from young, fresh vines. A soft, medium-bodied red with ripe red fruit, a hint of smoke, and a touch of vanilla. 12.5% ABV, £7.00.
• Fleurie – A favourite at any time. Made from the Gamay grape in the Fleurie area of Beaujolais, Burgundy, it offers juicy ripe berry aromas and subtle spice. 13% ABV, £10.00 (usually £11.50).
• Châteauneuf-du-Pape – A real treat to end the evening. From the Southern Rhône Valley, this full-bodied wine blends Grenache and Shiraz, delivering rich forest fruit, spice, and a peppery finish. 15% ABV, £18.00 (usually £21.00).

A big thank you to Vicky and Ian for a lovely evening, full of good conversation, great wines, and plenty of laughter!

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Wine Appreciation Group

Meeting March 2025

Meeting hosted by Peter & Glenda.

U3A Wine Appreciation Group – March Tasting

Our first meeting of 2024 took place on 4th March, and we made up for lost time with a bumper tasting of eight wines. The evening’s theme, devised by Peter and Glenda, came with an added twist—members received visual clues in advance to help them tackle the challenge: Château vs Shed.

The tasting featured four pairs of wines, each comprising a budget-friendly option and another costing at least twice as much. The task? To correctly identify the more prestigious château wines. Safe to say, most of us failed spectacularly—but with plenty of laughter along the way! A mid-evening break, complete with excellent nibbles, kept us well-fuelled for the second round.

A thoroughly enjoyable evening—whether we passed the challenge or not!

For Reference - Wines Tasted:-

White

• Black Tower Fruity White (9%) – £5.25, Asda
• Château Marque de Pennantier (13%) – £12.99, Majestic
  • Grape: Chardonnay, Viognier

Red

• Pinot Noir (12.5%) – £5.49, Lidl
• Château de Pizay Brouilly (13%) – £15.99, Majestic
  • Grape: Gamay

Rosé

• Black Tower Rosé (9.5%) – £5.25, Sainsbury’s
• Château Pigoudet (13%) – £13.99, Majestic
  • Grape: Cinsault, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache

Dessert

• Moscatel de Valencia (15%) – £6.50, Tesco
• Château La Bame Saint Croix du Mont (13%) – £13.99, Majestic
  • Grape: Sémillon