FOOD&DRINK

Wine tasting isn’t just for pretentious toffs, you know. Tony Benjamin puts on his nose-coloured glasses.

To judge by the latest statistics from the IWSR (International Wine & Spirits Research), the British people are getting increasingly fond of wine. By 2010 we’d cemented our position as the world’s biggest wine-importing nation, with a staggering (in every sense of the word) 1.765 BILLION bottles consumed that year. That’s a whole lotta drinking going on, but do we really know much about what we’re chucking down our necks?

Tristan Darby of the Bristol Wine School thinks it’s getting increasingly difficult. “There are so many kinds of wine out there now that it’s hard for people to get a grasp. I want to help people get an idea of the basics, to understand what lies behind a bottle of wine so they can read a wine review or talk to a wine merchant and get what they want.”

After a 15-year career in catering Darby began giving wine tastings and wine courses for the appropriately named Tasting Rooms wine merchants in Bath. His mission was to demystify the whole subject for enthusiasts of all levels of experience. “I’m passionate about wine but I’m really not up for wine pretension. I want to explain but not make a mystery out of it. Our courses cover 36 wines in six weeks and people should learn about where they come from and why they taste the way they do. I try to keep the wines affordable for most budgets – about £6-£8 a bottle from a good wine merchant – but I’ll throw in something more expensive so that people know the difference.”

Having established the courses in Bath, Darby found partners in Bristol and established the Bristol Wine School last autumn, running courses and tastings in the historic cellars of Averys wine merchants and Bordeaux Quay restaurant, with plans to include Southville’s Hen & Chicken pub as a south Bristol venue. He’s been impressed by the range of people who’ve come along to date. “There are people who know wine – at least what they like – and others who are enthusiastic beginners. One woman didn’t like wine at all but worked in catering and felt she needed to learn. Another’s boyfriend was a wine buff and she wanted to find out for herself.”

So what do people get out of the experience? Do they all come out spouting about ‘bonfires and damsons with a hint of granite’? “Well we hope they do understand the terminology and why descriptions are useful. Generally the feedback is that pretty much everyone finds their buying habits change because they have the confidence to try something new and have an appreciation of what makes quality. How much people learn depends on how much they’re listening – and whether they use the spittoons or not!”

Corks of Cotham have been running wine tastings for over a decade and joint owner Dominic Harman sees it as a natural extension of their customer service. “If people come in to choose a wine, we always ask what they’re planning to eat with it. It’s important because, while some wines are amazing on their own, others really come on with the right food match.”

The association with food is easy to see just down the road at their sister restaurant business Flinty Red, often the venue for their wine- and food-tasting evenings. “The chef, Matthew, is fantastic – he can make food to match almost anything. We did a champagne evening with really decadent food, a Portuguese suckling pig night. There are always historical links to explore between a region, its wine and the local food.” Like Tristan Darby, Harman also sees Corks’ role as that of changing the elitist perception of knowledge about wine. “We really try to cover all budgets and undermine all that preciousness. It’s what we try to do in the shop, too – help people realise that you don’t always have to spend more to get a great wine experience.”

If you fancy the idea of broadening your palate or just understanding what they’re on about on Saturday Kitchen, there are wine tastings, tasting meals and courses going on all year across Bristol and Bath. See below to find out what’s going on near you.

BATH

Bath Wine Tasting Company www.bathwinetastingcompany.com • Wine consultant Jonathan Kemp offers some open themed tasting sessions.

Great Western Wine Company www.greatwesternwine.co.uk • Visiting wine-makers and experts give evening presentations and tastings.

Tasting Room www.tastingroom.co.uk • Regular wine courses and tastings at their new shop in Green St.

BRISTOL

Corks of Cotham www.corksof.com • A variety of tastings and wine-matched meals roughly every month.

Glassboat Wine Club www.glassboat.co.uk • Well-established monthly early-evening gatherings (Thur, 6.30-8.30pm) on the restaurant boat, with events varying from straightforward tastings (£10) to elaborate themed evenings complete with entertainment and special three-course meals.

Goldbrick House www.goldbrickhouse.co.uk • Monthly all-day (10.30am-5.30pm) sessions on Saturdays, courtesy of Wine Unearthed, with three-course wine- and food-matching meal inc for £85.

Grapevine Social Wine Tasting & Dating http://www.grapevinesocial.com/ • Monthly evening at Po Na Na for professional singletons to combine grape awareness with social opportunities and speed-dating (Fri, 7.30pm, £25).

Papadeli http://news.papadeli.co.uk • Popular deli/cafe running monthly themed tasting evenings (Fri, 7.30pm, £30-£45) with wine and food reflecting regional traditions.

Pop-up Wine Tastings http://www.number1wino.co.uk/ • Self-proclaimed ‘No 1 Wino’ Ben Austin has begun occasional ‘pop-up’ tasting evenings aiming to ‘bring wine to the masses’. Check his website or Twitter thread for details of further events.

Q Wines www.qwines.co.uk • Fortnightly early-evening tutored tastings (Sat, 5pm, £20) at their shop in The Mall, Clifton.

Copyright Tony Benjamin 2011