It is always a delight to be enchanted by someone who is passionate about their subject and who is, in addition, an expert with unparalleled knowledge. We were given hidden insights and a thorough appreciation of the changing styles of wine called Champagne, since its origins in the seventeenth century. So it was at the first tasting of the year on 29^thJanuary 2019 when our own Graham Harding demonstrated the irresistible allure of the golden elixir.

We were delighted to welcome Steve Brown, winemaker at Bellwether winery, to open our 2018/19 season. Together with winemaking partner Sue Bell (Australian Winemaker of the Year, 2014), Steve has created a remarkable négociant-style micro-winery in a historic sheep shearing shed in Coonawarra (a winery accidentally stumbled on by our Chair whilst using Trip Advisor!!).

Thanks to the generosity of Roger and Sue Jones at the Harrow, the Club had a most memorable evening for its first Summer Meeting.

Whisked by coach from Oxford or making their own way by car to the Kennet valley through the late afternoon sun, forty or so members and their guests made the most of a fabulous three-part evening of tasting, enhanced by Roger’s culinary genius.

Close on the heels of every MW’s ultimate boondoggle, the International Symposium (hosted in Logroño, Rioja), comes a tasting to explore all that is new in Spanish wine. Is there a new Revolution? Let’s see.

The evening started rather later than planned due to an unthoughtful lorry overturning and massively delaying the arrival of our speaker for the evening. Perhaps more importantly he had the wines…

Anne Krebiehl MW gave the Club a night to remember on 25^thApril at the Maison Française. This was a night when young winemakers strutted their stuff, when revolution was in the air and when our old notions of German wine were turned upside down – and given a damn good shake.  

With remarkable knowledge of soil, geology, chemistry, winemaking practice and the long – if not always glorious – history of German winemaking, Anne led us on a dramatic trail through new areas and new approaches to German wine. 

Mark Savage returned to the Club in March 2018 to present a tasting of the wines of the pioneer Oregon viticulturalist, David Lett. Lett founded the Eyrie Vineyard in 1965, which is now run by his son Jason. Mark has been closely involved with the vineyard and the Lett family for forty years, and indeed on David’s death persuaded Jason to ‘keep the faith’ and to ensure he embraced his father’s traditional methods, which indeed he has.

Nik Darlington made a welcome repeat visit to the Club on 27 February, bringing with him his personal selection from the Red Squirrel list. Nik has had a varied career, a political reporter, business consultant, scuba diving instructor and now wine merchant. He is driven by the determination not to allow the invading ‘grey squirrels’ (the standard ‘international’ grapes) to spread their tentacles and drive out the regional grapes that still cling to a spot in the world’s vineyard areas.

Ali Cooper’s love affair with Chile (though not necessarily Chilean wines) can be dated back to his fascination with TinTin books as a child but he first went there after graduating with a degree in Modern Languages. Go for a ‘few weeks’ was the plan and he had the aim of getting a job in a vineyard. However, Chilean wine producers looked somewhat askance at a Brit speaking good Spanish who wanted work as a day labourer. Eventually after knocking on sixty or so cellar doors he was offered a job as Export Manager. So he stayed. Three weeks became three years and he came back with a Chilean wife, even better Spanish and a complete fascination with the wine.

Fast forward a few years to the Summertown Wine Café, where many members first met Ali, and then again to his current status as an MW with huge enthusiasm for, and an encyclopaedic knowledge of, Chile and its wines.

‘Mountain Wines’ was the title and mountain wines we got. Eight fascinating wines from the Alto Adige, Val d’Aosta, Switzerland, the Savoy and Jura. Collectively and individually they were a perfect expression of the Club’s mission: wines you couldn’t or wouldn’t taste on your own account. Our thanks are due not just to our presenter but to the Alto Adige Consorzio which provided many of the wines for free.And we had a perfect guide to these wines. Nancy Gilchrist MW knows the area and knows the wines and presented a compelling case for the importance of the mountain vineyards of the world as climate change takes effect.

On 19 October 2017, Michael Palij MW hosted a remarkable (and possibly unrepeatable) tasting even by his own spectacular standards at the Cherwell Boathouse. ‘Bulles de Luxe’ was a blind tasting of 24 champagnes and sparkling wines, ranging from a £5 Aldi Prosecco to £150 wines from the very top producers. Think Cristal from Louis Roederer, Dom Pérignon from Moët and Chandon, La Grande Dame from Veuve Clicquot.