We’ve kicked off the festive season with three tastings at Richmond and our customary Friday night at Teddington. We kept the lineup of wines for tasting small, for good reason – they were pricey. And all suited to Christmas day, although this required me to describe consumption somewhat in excess of what most people might…(Read More)
Over three tastings at Richmond and Teddington Wine Societies we explored neighbouring countries, whose wine cultures have taken somewhat different directions. Hungary, with a long winemaking tradition, particularly around the Tokaj region, has struggled in recent years to establish a position for itself in the modern pantheon of wines. While sweet Tokaji wines have a…(Read More)
Richmond Wine Society met on Monday and Tuesday, and Teddington on Thursday and Friday last week, and over 100 of us sampled some of the best wine from this year’s wine awards. The Decanter World Wine Awards, International Wine Challenge, Sommeliers Wine Awards and Independent Wine Merchant Top 100 are made each year, judged…(Read More)
Last week at Richmond and Teddington Wine Societies we took ourselves on a journey up the Loire Valley and back again. Loire wines tend to suffer from being from a region that everyone thinks they know well (think Sleeping Beauty chateaux), with some wine list regulars (think Muscadet, Sancerre and Anjou Rosé), but lacking a…(Read More)
No, not a football match, but the last topics for our monthly tastings at Richmond and Teddington Wine Societies. At our Modern Germany tastings in April we covered, as would be expected, some superb whites, but not all were Riesling! We tasted a lovely Pinot Blanc (Weissburgunder in German) from the Mosel and a Gew…(Read More)
The famous regions of Rioja and Ribera del Duero were the focus of the Richmond and Teddington Wine Societies’ March/early April tastings and we enjoyed three very buoyant nights. Of course, it is impossible to do justice to these wines in just one tasting, but what showed through was some stunning fruit filled quality…(Read More)
Richmond and Teddington Wine Societies welcomed Robbie Rugman – the Fine Wine ambassador for Gallo Family Winery this week with the clear aim of broadening our taste horizons and showing a very different, high quality side to the extraordinary and famous wine company. While many people are familiar with Barefoot, Turning Leaf and Gallo Family…(Read More)
Thank you to everyone who braved the cold this week to kick off the Richmond and Teddington Wine Societies 2019 tastings. We had a fantastic turnout over the three nights. Tuscany with a Twist was our theme, as we endeavoured to explore some of the lesser known facets of the region as well as celebrate…(Read More)
Welcome to 2019, which will be a great year for wine lovers in Richmond, Twickenham and Teddington! The tastings for Richmond and Teddington Wine Societies have been scheduled on the website, do take a look, and save the dates, and you can book your place now for our January tastings, where we focus on Tuscany…(Read More)
At our tasting at the Britannia last night, over 40 Richmond Wine Society members discovered that there is a lot more to Provence wines than rosé. Yes, the region is enormous, yes it produces a lot of wine, but if you are prepared to look beyond the pink haze, you will find some very special…(Read More)
The Richmond Wine Society reached a very exciting new wine frontier last week as we explored the wines of China. We had a huge turnout over the two nights which reflects well on the insatiable wine curiosity (or is it thirst) that our membership has. The development and growth of China’s wine industry has…(Read More)
The March tasting at the Richmond and Teddington Wine Societies celebrated the wines of New Zealand. Specifically, we focussed on the Family of XII – a fraternity of twelve of New Zealand’s most prestigious and enduring artisanal wineries. We tasted twelve wines – a top class example from each estate – incorporating Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay,…(Read More)
Teddington Wine Society meets on 31st March. Not long now till we taste twelve wines from New Zealand’s Family of Twelve, and I’m completing the round up of the wineries we will be exploring. Villa Maria is so well known it is hard to imagine it is a family owned winery – but it…(Read More)
Continuing my preview of our exciting lineup of wineries represented at our New Zealand tasting this month. James and Annie Millton established Millton Vineyards and Winery in 1984. Their four individual dry farmed vineyards are situated on the East Coast of New Zealand in the wine appellation of Gisborne. Located just a few kilometres from…(Read More)
Our celebration of New Zealand’s Family of Twelve approaches, and I’ve been reminding myself about the wineries whose wines we will be tasting. Twelve independent wine producers from across the two islands, who share best practice but retain very distinct personalities, including: Kumeu River, the most northern of the family, whose vineyards are…(Read More)
Victoria, in the south east corner of Australia, was the focus of our tastings at the Richmond and Teddington Wine Societies last week. Thirty people at Teddington enjoyed a superb lineup of wines with an Australian-themed meal on Friday, while on Tuesday and Wednesday Richmond Wine Society experienced a similarly great wine selection, with…(Read More)
Richmond and Teddington Wine Societies visited Spain last week in what was deliberately a Rioja Free occasion. The theme was Spanish innovation and we took a good look at a number of lesser known regions and some wonderful local grapes. No one can dispute the success of Rioja and their importance to the Spanish wine…(Read More)
We are updating the website and Facebook page with all of the events we are running at Richmond, Teddington and St Margarets this year and it is a fabulous line up of topics. We will celebrate the Old World, the New World and the Newest of the New World – our Richmond tasting in April…(Read More)
Portuguese wines were the focus for the RWS tasting last night at the Britannia in a wide ranging and boisterous evening! Easter holiday mood was clearly in the air or was it the influence of fortified wine? It is impossible to do justice to such an important wine producing nation in one event but we…(Read More)
At Richmond Wine Society on Wednesday and Thursday and at Teddington tonight we explore the wines of Valduero. Probably the most memorable visit of the tour I ran in 2012 based in Valladolid was to Valduero. One of the longest established wineries in Ribera del Duero, on our visit we enjoyed an amazing tour of…(Read More)
The wine trade is buzzing with all the latest developments in Chile at the moment. Numerous journalists and correspondents are sallying back and forth to review the latest vineyards and grape developments. Indeed, I shall be sallying forth in a couple of weeks to do just that, perhaps in a more leisurely way – on…(Read More)
At Richmond Wine Society on Tuesday and Wednesday nights we tasted our way through some wines that for me, defined what the annual wine awards are about. It’s easy to see these awards as the industry trying to drum up some hype, but my experience over the last few years has…(Read More)
English sparkling wine was our theme for the early July tasting and as the temperature gauge hit 35 degrees we sweltered through a fabulous selection of top class fizz from Hampshire, West Sussex and Dorset, assisted by some examples from Champagne, Franciacorta and Argentina. English fizz is on the ascendant and the wines are regularly…(Read More)
Now completed two Loire tastings at Richmond Wine Society, and I think everyone was impressed by the diversity and quality of the wines we tasted. If you missed the tasting, and want to try some of the highlights, they are available in the Shop. We started in the West with a crisp and minerally Muscadet…(Read More)
Top night at Richmond Wine Society as we focused on the depth and breadth of the Loire Valley. For many this region has become synonymous with everyday quaffing wines and a few expensive Sancerres. But we discovered a whole new world of top class Muscadet, the diversity of Chenin Blanc and just how good Cabernet…(Read More)
At Richmond Wine Society on Monday and Wednesday this week we explored cool climate South Africa, tasting a magnificent range from Constantia, Stellenbosch and Walker Bay. We kicked off with a trio from the famous Klein Constantia estate, comprising a delightfully mature 2011 Cap Classique: 100% Chardonnay, made in the Methode Traditionelle with a pleasant…(Read More)
Rhone varietals were the theme of two great evenings at Richmond Wine Society this week. We explored the diversity of well-known grapes such as Syrah, Grenache and Viognier as well as the unsung heroes of Marsanne, Roussanne and Mourvedre. The term Rhone Rangers is coined from a movement that started in California in the…(Read More)
A second good night, the whites showed as well as the first night, but our first red displayed a low level cork taint which I hadn’t picked up when decanting earlier in the day. The disappointment was converted into a positive learning experience by understanding the damp cardboard/rotting vegetation characteristics on the nose…(Read More)
Fascinating tasting last night at the Richmond Wine Society as we explored the intricacies of Saint-Emilion as well as venturing into some lesser-known white Bordeaux. Places available tonight – contact me asap if you would like to come! We kicked off with an utterly delicious Entre deux Mers Chateaux Fontenille 2013, which oozed crisp…(Read More)
Tuscany and Central Italy is the theme for the first tastings in the Richmond and Teddington Wine Society calendars. The top class wines of Tuscany are well known and loved but there are many, superb gems to be found in Umbria, Marche, Abruzzo and Lazio. Italy is a constant joy and delight and this tasting…(Read More)
