Welcome to the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ page). Below, we have tried to answer the most common questions regarding the programme arrangements for 2004-2005. If you find that your question is not answered on this page, please email us on oxfordwine.club@virgin.net .

Mailings

Mailings to members are whenever possible done by email. For members not on email, or who cannot open Club documents sent by email, mailings will be by post. 

E-mailings will normally be sent in the twenty-four hours leading up to each tasting and mailings by post should leave no later than the day of the tasting. If a member who receives mailings by post has booked for a tasting, the envelope containing the mailing then due to go out will be available for collection at the tasting.

Venue and time of events

All tastings will be in The Buttery at Wolfson College, starting at 7.45 pm, unless different arrangements are notified in the booking form.

Tastings

We are essentially a Club which holds tastings – wine samples are therefore of a size appropriate to a tasting. If you are bringing guests, it will be helpful to make them aware of this so that the amount of wine given is not considered to be inadequate! It is also useful if everyone remembers that the pourers are fellow members of the Club!

A basic courtesy is not to wear perfumes, deodorants, etc which will interfere with other people’s enjoyment of, or the ability to smell, the wines. This may seem a very basic point but it can cause problems – again, we would appreciate it if guests are made aware of this.

Booking forms

Forms for tastings will be available at the time of the previous tasting, e.g. the form for the October tasting will be issued as part of the mailing going out at the time of the September tasting.

Allocation of places at tastings

Once the closing date for bookings is reached, places will be allocated first to full members, then to associate members and finally to guests. We normally have 71 places available at a tasting, based on 4 bottles of each wine x 18 tasting samples and allowing for the presenter. If we are operating on a different number of places, this will be mentioned in the booking form. With full membership of 110, this allows for a 65% attendance by full members, something we have only reached once.

Places not taken up by the closing date by full members will be allocated to associate members, if necessary in the order in which applications are received. Finally, any remaining places will be allocated to guests, again in the order in which applications are received. Early booking is therefore advised for associate members and particularly for guest places, particularly where an event is likely to be popular.

Once the closing date is reached the bookings organiser for that tasting will email or telephone associate members to let them know if places are available and will email or telephone members wishing to bring guests similarly to let them know about availability.

Any places not taken up by the closing dates will then be available to anybody on a first come basis.

Guest places

We are continuing the arrangements whereby if you wish to bring a guest you are asked to send a separate cheque at the outset for any guest places. These will not be banked until after the notified closing date (assuming of course that places are available).

Late bookings

We will obviously do what we can to meet late requests for bookings but there can be no guarantee that places will be available once the initial allocation has been made after the closing date. A tasting may be fully booked or, if numbers are relatively low, we may decide to set a lower number of places based on 3 bottles of each wine. Please email or ring the bookings organiser for the tasting in the first instance to check on availability after the closing date has passed.

Refunds

Cheques for places for members will be banked on receipt, as will cheques from associate members (unless it is becoming clear that we have to refuse a number of requests from them for places).

Refunds will only be given to members in exceptional circumstances, at the discretion of the Club Secretary, once the closing date for a tasting has been reached, or if it possible to resell the place. Refunds will of course be given to associate members if their requests for places cannot be met; once a place has been allocated, the arrangements will be the same as for full members. For guests, once a place has been confirmed by the bookings organiser, refunds will again only be given in exceptional circumstances or if the place can be resold.

The onus has to be on you to keep the bookings organiser informed of any changes in your circumstances or those of your planned guest(s). We know these can happen, whether through illness, work commitments or for other reasons. If you can let us know that you or your guest will not be attending, that gives us the chance to resell the ticket for you if there is a waiting list. Even if it has to be a very last minute withdrawal, it is helpful to know - we can avoid waiting for people to arrive and we can adjust the pouring arrangements. So please do your best to keep us informed of any changes - preferably the bookings organiser but if necessary the Club Secretary.

Tasting glasses

Our tastings are organised on the basis that those attending will come with a set of 6 standard ISO tasting glasses - this makes it much easier for the pourers and gives the presenter the flexibility to take a range of wines in combination. If you expect to bring guests whenever you can, please think of getting a second set of glasses (the Club Secretary can help with this); otherwise the Club does have some glasses which guests can use.

Help with tastings

The Club only works because of your commitment to it! We are grateful to those of you who have volunteered to handle bookings for tastings. We also need up to eight pourers at each tasting and so we will assume that experienced members (whether full or associate) will all be willing to help with this, on one or two occasions in the year's programme. We will obviously try to avoid asking you if you are bringing a guest. The bookings organiser will contact you in the days leading up to a tasting if we would like you to act as a pourer - please say yes when contacted! All members also have a responsibility to help the front of house organiser clear up after the tasting.

Buying wine through the Club

Whenever possible, we arrange for the wines at a tasting to be available for you and your guests to buy, as far as possible in whatever quantity you choose from one bottle upwards and usually with a helpful discount! We can only do this if you are attending the tasting - it helps us if you can have your cheque book with you and pay on the night.

Occasionally we may make an offer unconnected with a Club tasting.

Our arrangements with suppliers normally involve a single delivery point. Some of our past orders have been large - 12 dozen or more - and it is impossible for us to commit to undertake deliveries.

The arrangements are that if you order wine, you must be willing to collect it from the delivery point. With small orders we will do our best to get this to you at the next tasting or in other ways, but we cannot guarantee this. Beware leaving wine too long uncollected – uncollected stock gets sold off to the benefit of Club funds!

A reminder

Full membership carries with it a guarantee of priority when booking and it is reasonable to expect that in return full members will support the Club by attending its events. Full members should note that the Club membership rules allow the Committee, when it comes to membership renewal, to give priority to associate members over existing full members who have not booked for at least two Club events in the previous season. The fact that for this year the Committee decided to set the qualifying level at just one event is no guarantee that the higher figure will not be used next time round!

Feedback

Please use the Club email account for any comments on arrangements, the tastings - topics / presenters / styles etc. or for any other general queries: oxford.wineclub@virgin.net.

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