We have received a grant from the Big Lottery Fund for equipment for our organisation. |
Wine Tasting
Immediately below is information about the group. Following that is the Programme for 2012. About the GroupWhat we doWe meet fortnightly in the Centenary Lounge of the Village Hall on Wednesday afternoons at 2 p.m. to taste and discuss wine.Typically, we taste six or seven wines that are closely related. For example, they may be made from the same variety of grape(s), come from the same region or have been made in different years. By comparing their appearance, bouquet and taste, we learn about the characteristics of different wines and how they change with time. Background information on the wines, producers and the classification systems used in different regions is provided. In addition to straightforward wine tastings, we have had some very enjoyable afternoons trying a range of wines with desserts and savoury foods brought by members. There is no separate membership fee for the group. Meetings are self-financing with the cost of the wines, room hire and any food shared equally amongst those attending, with the aim of breaking even over a number of meetings. Costs of meetings typically range between £3 and £7 per head. A great strength of any wine appreciation group is that it enables members to taste wines that few of us would choose to drink regularly because of their cost. Thus we have tasted wines ranging in price from £4 to £60 a bottle. Aims and objectivesWine tasting is a highly individual and subjective activity and one of the functions of the group is to enable members to discuss their personal perceptions of a wine, which can often be at odds with the maker’s description on a back label or a wine journalist’s view. Nevertheless, broad consensus often emerges about the merits or faults of individual wines.While not a major wine producing country itself, the UK has been a major hub of the world’s wine trade for centuries. In recent decades, foreign holidays coupled with the recognition by supermarkets of a lucrative expanding market have exposed a much broader UK consumer base to a vast array of wines. To meet a growing world demand for wine since the Second World War, production has increased enormously in countries such as Australia, New Zealand, Chile and Argentina.  But this huge expansion of the range of wines available to a growing UK market has spawned its own problems. Consumers can be understandably baffled by the enormous choice that confronts them on supermarket shelves, in wine shops and on the Internet. Lacking an indigenous wine industry and an historic wine drinking culture, the UK was ripe for marketing copywriters and self-styled wine gurus to capitalise on the perceived mystique surrounding the production and consumption of wine. The problem – what to buy?  Against this background of bewildering choice and a blizzard of information, the key aims of the group are to learn together the basic principles of wine production and assessment. We look at the wines from different regions and their classification systems and discuss grape varieties, methods of vinification, and the influence of weather and time on maturation. The objective is to equip members with sufficient knowledge and confidence in their own judgement to navigate successfully through the wonderful world of wine.
The solution – learning together
What you need to bring To enable you to compare the colour, aroma and taste of wines side by side, please bring a minimum of two and up to six wine glasses. Ideally these should be ISO tasting glasses (see photo), which are tall so that you can swirl the wine to release and capture the aroma, but any plain goblet-shaped glasses will be fine. They do not need to be particularly large because tasting quantities are typically less than 30 ml. Programme 2012Added January 2012 - for a printed copy click here Programme 2011Updated April 2011 - for a printed copy click here Programme 2010Updated August 2010 - for a printed copy of the programme click here |
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