Wine Tasting: Styles and the Effect of Terroir

  
The WCoMC Wine Course: Advanced Tasting

“Age is just a number. It’s totally irrelevant unless, of
course, you happen to be a bottle of wine” – Joan Collins

If you search online for "Wine Styles", you are likely to find at least nine different ways that wines can be described. However, this is not what we believe to be the true meaning of "style". Instead, we believe that each winemaker has particular goals in mind - styling his or her wines from grapes grown in particular locations. In this second tasting we are exploring winemakers' styles and the impact of terroir, ie the (micro) climate and topography of the vineyard. As in the first tasting, our goal isn't to make you an expert, but to show you that you don't need to be one to enjoy wine and, in this case, appreciate how different wine styles appeal to you, or not...

We will taste eight wines in four groups, focusing on eight classic wine regions to explore different winemaking philosophies. Each pair of wines will feature a single grape variety, but will show how the wine style can vary quite significantly in response to different winemakers' goals and the way the wine is made:

• Sémillon
  We will compare the crisp, lemony white oak-aged wine from the mineral-rich areas of Entre-Deux-Mers, Graves and Pessac-Léognan, with wine from the Margaret River region in Western Australia, with its citrusy flavours that develop complexity with age.
   
• Gamay
  In this case we will compare two examples of Beaujolais red wine, the fruit-driven light-bodied Beaujolais-Villages with wine from the terroir-driven Morgon appellation, known for its vibrant fruit flavours and great aging potential.
   
• Pinot Noir
  We will experience the sublime, complex red wine of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or and compare it with high-quality wine from New Zealand’s Central Otago region, known for the area's rich history and exceptional quality.
   
• Syrah (aka Shiraz)
  We will discover the varied light but intense style of wine from Crozes-Hermitage in the Northern Rhône and compare it with Australia’s bold peppery wine, which gains smoothness and depth with age.

After the tasting you will also be able to enjoy wine from our Company Cellar and mingle with the other participants. As before, we will not be making any speeches but giving you an opportunity to engage within the very special fellowship of our Livery Company.

This will be another practical interactive evening, guided by members of our Wine Club, using real wines to answer real questions that we all ask when comparing wines. We will supply biscuits and water to help cleanse the palette between tasting different wines. We also recommend that participants bring their own suitable savoury snacks, for example gougères (a recipe has been included in our wine course briefing pack). We are unable to supply food for the tasting, so participants should plan to eat elsewhere after the close.

Members and registered Event Account Holders can click on this Participant Listing link to see who has booked.

Please note that payment for this event will be processed by Stripe (debit/credit card).

Dress code is "Business Casual"