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Whether you prefer yours full-bodied and fruity or lean and oily, salaciously spicy or rich and jammy, there’s a wine out there for every taste, occasion and budget – and there’s an expert on hand to tell you exactly how to find it. Melissa Blease pulls the cork.
Back to school!
New to the scene this November, the Bristol Wine School aims to demystify wine through a series of practical, relaxed, interactive classes and courses offering broad appeal to beginners and experienced connoisseurs alike. Their first six-week Introduction to Wine course starts on 3 Nov, to be followed in the new year with an intermediate course exploring the main wine producing regions in more detail. One-day Introduction to Wine courses suit those who want to take a sip without diving in, and pipeline masterclasses include food and wine matching, champagne tastings and more.
Meanwhile, the Goldbrick House Wine Club has earned itself a terrific reputation for its schedule of lively, informal, informative tastings. There’ll be a Mediterranean wine masterclass (with appropriate nibbles) on 20 Oct and, just a few short weeks later (3 Nov), it’s all about fizz, with fine food to match: now that’s what we call chic hic. Similarly, Papadeli – known round these parts as way more than ‘just’ a deli – regularly hosts wine and food tasting events in suitably convivial surroundings. If you miss the Tuscan Wine and Food Evening on 21 Sept, there are plenty more where that came from in the pipeline.
In Bath, the Tasting Room offer an impressive schedule of regular tastings and even a bespoke option (you tell them what you want to try, they’ll encourage you to go right ahead), while Great Western Wine offer a myriad of event, including a Sake Tasting on 7 Oct, a Joseph Perrier Champagne Tasting on 16 Oct and the company’s grand Portfolio Tasting at the Assembly Rooms on 11 Nov.
GOLDBRICK HOUSE 69 PARK ST, BRISTOL, BS1 5PB TEL: 0117 945 1950, WEB: WWW.GOLDBRICKHOUSE.CO.UK
GREAT WESTERN WINE WELLS RD, BATH, BA2 3AP TEL: 01225 322810, WEB: WWW.GREATWESTERNWINE.CO.UK
PAPADELI 84 ALMA RD, BRISTOL, BS8 2DJ. TEL: 0117 973 6569, WEB: WWW.NEWS.PAPADELI.CO.UK
TASTING ROOM 4 ST SAVIOURS RD, LARKHALL, BATH, BA1 6RT. TEL: 01225 463392, WEB: WWW.TASTINGROOM.CO.UK
THE BRISTOL WINE SCHOOL WEB: WWW.BRISTOLWINESCHOOL.CO.UK
Great Western grapes
Don’t overlook English wines in your search for a terrific tipple. Over the past few years, there’s been a notable revival of British vineyards, largely due to a combination of new varieties, innovative growing techniques and the increased interest in local produce and food mile reduction. The UK now produces a selection of internationally acclaimed wines (particularly sparkling varieties) – and many of them are produced right on our doorstep.
The four-acre Mumfords Vineyard (just a couple of miles east of Bath) is home to a thriving family of over 5,500 vines that yield four types of grape, including Madeleine Angevine (the English strain of an old French white grape) and Triomphe, an Alsace grape that produces excellent red wine. Mumfords proprietors Tony and Margaret Cox use the grapes to produce three white, one rosé and one red variety, each of which have enjoyed a spotlight medal moment in various regional and national competitions.
Meanwhile, the Oatley Vineyard (Cannington, Somerset) has earned multiple awards in the International Wine Challenge (the industry’s most competitive benchmark organisation), and three from the newer Decanter World Wine Awards too. Three Choirs Winery (Newent, Gloucestershire) nurtures a carefully selected range of modern varietals alongside world-renowned grapes such as Pinot Noir, while the Strawberry Hill Vineyard (also in Newent) produces one of the liveliest sparkling wines you’re likely to find outside of Champagne, alongside a small but perfectly formed selection, including chardonnay, merlot and pinot rose.
Want to try a taste of West Country wines for yourself? The vineyards all hold regular tastings and tours, and all their wines are available to buy online.
MUMFORDS VINEYARD WEB: WWW.MUMFORDSVINEYARD.CO.UK
OATLEY VINEYARD WEB: WWW.OATLEYVINEYARD.CO.UK
THREE CHOIRS WEB: WWW.THREE-CHOIRS-VINEYARDS.CO.UK
STRAWBERRY HILL VINEYARD WEB: WWW.STRAWBERRYHILLVINEYARD.CO.UK
What does it all mean?
Wine lingo explained
Age/vintage Some wines get better with age, some are best enjoyed young – it all depends, you see, on grapes, climate and production/bottling methods.
Aroma/bouquet This is where all those seemingly silly similes and melodramatic metaphors come into play, ranging form the obvious (citrusy, fruity, floral) to the downright weird: cigars, tar... nappies? But while the initial aroma may not necessarily impact directly on the tastebuds, the olfactory experience forms an intrinsic part of the overall taste. So there.
Legs Term used to refer to the liquid rivulets that form on the inside of the glass after the wine has been swirled or sipped. The higher the alcohol content of the wine, the more clingy the legs (adapt this metaphor to suit your own dirty mind as you see fit).
Length/Aftertaste/Finish How long the flavour lasts in the back of the throat after swallowing (NB A long finish – i.e. 20 seconds – is generally a happy one).
Full-bodied Refers to a harmony of dominant, characterful flavours, quite often with a high alcohol content.
Oaky The flavour introduced from contact with oak storage barrels, offering toasty, roasted, or vanilla-ish elements to the finish.
Tannins Naturally occurring substance in grapeskins, seeds and stems, primarily responsible for a bitter (although not necessarily unpalatable) element.
Varietal A description of the grape used to produce the wine (often region-specific), i.e: chardonnay, riesling, cabernet sauvignon, merlot, burgundy, zinfandel, syrah etc.
Copyright Melissa Blease 2010
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Food & Drink 
