To see a review of any individual tasting, where available, please click on the tasting title.

Tuesday 28 September 2004: Felton Road Vineyard, Bannockburn, Central Otago, New Zealand

The fastest-expanding vineyard region in New Zealand is Central Otago in the heart of the Southern Alps. These are the most southerly vineyards in the World. The large diurnal temperature variation is responsible for producing wines with great concentration of fruit flavours. There are many small vineyards that produce excellent wines from Riesling, Chardonnay and now, most famously, Pinot Noir. We are privileged to host Nigel Greening, the proprietor of Felton Road Vineyards, who will present his highly acclaimed wines. Nigel, who comes from the UK, was a huge fan of Felton Road wines and flew out to New Zealand in 2000 to purchase the vineyard and winery when it came up for sale! Nigel promises to touch on various topics in his presentation including the screw-cap debate (for which the Kiwis are great ambassadors) and the fascinating issue of bio-dynamics.

Presenter: Nigel Greening, the proprietor of Felton Road Vineyards in Central Otago, New Zealand.

This event was a hugely successful start to the season - please click here for a review.

Tuesday 2 November 2004: Walk-round tasting of Italian Wines

Last December the Club experimented for the first time with a format other than our normal tutored tastings. It proved so popular in style that we are hosting our second walk-round evening where there will again be much more opportunity to meet, and talk more informally, with fellow Club members. We are delighted that John Stimpfig will host the evening for us. He began writing about wine in 1994 and since then has written for a number of publications and web-sites about wine, spirits and beers. He currently writes articles for Harpers, Decanter and The Oxford Times. The subject of Italian wines is enormous but as a country that is unafraid of experimentation, it is a natural choice for exploring the range of good quality wines made with native creativity and individuality. 

Presenter: John Stimpfig, wine writer; holds the WSET Diploma and is a Club member.

Please click here for a review.

Tuesday 30 November 2004: Pre-Christmas Stickies

Andrew Chapman will present a selection of dessert wines from his interesting and often unusual range, chosen particularly to complement Christmas fare. This will be Andrew’s first presentation to the club – and an opportunity for members who are not already familiar with him to meet a local wine merchant. Andrew’s early career included a spell as Sommelier and Restaurant Manager at the Randolph Hotel and Senior Common Room Butler at Queen's College. The family wine business was started in 1989, initially supplying friends and family with interesting wines from smaller producers in France, but growing into a full-time commercial enterprise in 1996. All his producers make high quality wines with a sense of place, perfectly blending tradition with innovation. Definitely time to stock up with that illusive Christmas gift.

Presenter: Andrew Chapman, of Andrew Chapman Fine Wines, Drayton, Oxfordshire

Please click here for a review.

Thursday 27 January 2005: Wines of the Southern Rhone

This extensive region with its many different terroirs and microclimates has become firmly established as a distinctive entity producing wines of a classic French style. In the Southern Rhone the red wines are produced from Grenache, Mourvedre, Cinsault and Carignan in addition to Syrah (the grape of the Northern Rhone); with Grenache Blanc, Clairette and Bourboulens for the white wines. The Southern Rhone offers a diverse spectrum of wines, mostly red but some notable white and rose, at a variety of quality levels from the basic Côtes du Rhone, through the villages and the Crus such as Gigondas and Chateauneuf du Pape; as well as many interesting wines produced in the satellite areas such as the Luberon. Sarah McCleery will explore this fascinating area, which offers the warmth of Southern France, with some very elegant wines as well as some very good value examples.

Presenter: Sarah McCleery, of Vintage Roots, Newbury; holds the WSET Diploma and is a Club member.

Thursday 24 February 2005: Alsace (postponed to 7 July 2005 due to snow)

In the last 150 years Alsace has been both French and German and its culture draws on both yet remains unique. It is one of the most picturesque wine regions, especially in the area around the wine capital of Colmar, where the best known villages (so far as the UK is concerned) are centred in the Haut-Rhin on the lower slopes of the Vosges Mountains. The key to understanding Alsace is more the style of the wines produced – the intense varietal character of the Riesling, Gewurztraminer, and Pinot Gris. They have been described by Hugh Johnson as Germanic wines made in the French way – having the fruitiness of German wines and the dry finish of French wines. We shall investigate the essence of Alsace through a series of wines guaranteed to show the purity of the fruit which develops in this special corner of France.

Presenter: Rob Chase, Adnams

Thursday 17 March 2005: Vertical Bordeaux Tasting

Time for another of our biennial extravaganzas with Club President Michael Palij MW. Impossible to say at this stage exactly what the wines will be, suffice it to say that it will be a fabulous tasting and not to be missed. This can’t be anything other than an expensive tasting but those who have attended either or both of the other Top Bordeaux events will know that Michael’s passion for fine claret will result in a truly magical and informative evening. We will probably use the same format as in previous years to send out a reservation form in November, where part payment for the evening will be required with the balance being due in February. So keep watch as it really will be a wonderful opportunity to taste the kind of wines we can normally only dream about.

Presenter: Michael Palij MW, WineTraders (UK) Ltd, and Club President

Thursday 21 April 2005: Chile vs Argentina

The Club last visited both these countries together in 1998. Those of you who attended our immensely entertaining California versus Australia tasting in March will no doubt relish the thought of being able to compare and contrast the styles of these two exciting New World countries. Despite being the world’s fifth largest wine producing country Argentina’s reputation remains resolutely modest yet Argentinian wines offer flavours and styles as diverse as its geographic settings, at excellent value for the consumer. Chilean winemaker’s on the other hand improve with every harvest, and investments in wineries and vineyards are beginning to pay off, so younger vintages tend to show cleaner fruit and more concentration. Chile is definitely a country well on its way to making world-class wines. Don’t miss this opportunity discover who’s on the right side of the Andes?

Presenter: Wink Lorch MW, Wine Educator

Tuesday 17 May 2005: English Wines

2003 will surely go down in English winegrowing annals as the year that global warming made all the difference - some English winemakers have said that it was "the Vintage of their lifetimes". In most of the country, but especially in the Tuscany of English grape growing, the south-west, south and south-east, the weather was unusually kind to wine growers for a change. English viticulture and winemaking was finally given a fairer chance than usual to demonstrate just how good English wines can be - and not only the traditional still white wines, but also sparkling wines that can stand comparison with the best that Champagne can muster, and an increasing production of red wines too. So why is it that a surprisingly large proportion of English people have never even tasted English wine? Frazer Thompson will guide us through the hurdles that face producers making quality English wines.

Presenter: Frazer Thompson, Managing Director of New Wave Wines (Tenterden and Lamberhurst Vineyards).

Tuesday 14 June 2005: Annual General Meeting and informal tasting

As is now becoming customary, members attending the AGM will be rewarded with a reasonably light-hearted tasting.

All tastings will take place at 7.45 pm in the Buttery of Wolfson College, Linton Road, Oxford. Prices for tastings and other events will be confirmed in the booking forms, together with more complete details of each event. 

Guests are always very welcome within the limit of places available and subject to the demand for places from full and associate members of the Club by the normal closing date for booking for each event. Associate members and guests pay £2.00 more than full members for each tasting.

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