Summer entertaining with ThirtyFiftyIf you're throwing a summer party how about a wine tasting to entertain guests at the start of the evening? ThirtyFifty has a team of wine experts across the UK providing fun and informal wine tastings priced from as little as £20 per person.
For more info on different themes for your wine tasting click here or give us a call on 0208 288 0314 to discuss your own particular requirements. Corporate Away Days Our team building wine tasting makes an ideal activity for company away days and team meetings, to provide some well-earned relaxation and fun after a hard days work. In teams, participants carry out a series of wine-related marketing tasks, with break out sessions and presentations to a panel of judges. The event is priced from £45 per person. For more info click here.
Results from last month's poll Which glass size would you prefer to be served in a pub?
Poll ran May 2010
| Answer |
Jun 2010 |
Sept 2008 |
| Large 250ml glass |
34% |
28% |
| Medium 175ml glass |
58% |
57% |
| Small 125ml glass |
8% |
15% |
The 175ml is still the most strongly preferred glass size at a pub with 58%, 34% want a 250ml glass, and only 8% prefer a small glass. The 175ml is a great size, whites don’t get too warm while you're enjoying them. On a really hot day a smaller glass may be just the ticket, but then I tend to drink faster on really hot days, so perhaps a bottle and a big glass to take small, but regular samples of chilled wine is the best option!
When drinking reds I prefer a bit of room to let the wine swirl around in, so a 175ml measure in a 250ml glass is almost right. Perhaps a 125ml in a 250ml glass may be even better?. Certainly much better than what many bars do by filling the glass to the brim, and removing your ability to swirl and sniff.
This Poll had 170 ratings This Month's PollDo you recycle your wine bottles? Follow the link to have your say!
Wine Tasting Evening Courses for London & BristolThirtyFifty evening sessions are fun and interactive and can be attended as single evening classes or as a 2 week course (Introduction & Intermediate). The object is to pass on our knowledge and give you essential tips and tricks for getting the most out of wine. You'll also meet like-minded wine drinkers and learn in a small group of 16 in an informal setting. Tickets are £25 per session. If you are buying as a gift and you can purchase an open-dated voucher rather than specifying a date. To book a tasting simply click on the date you want to attend below to add the tasting to your shopping basket. Please select 'No Delivery Charge for wine tasting vouchers' and we will email you the voucher together with your booking confirmation. London
Bristol
One Day Wine Course - LondonOur One Day Course in London, led by Chris Scott or Jane Scott, is a great introduction to wine and wine tasting with still and sparkling wines from around the world and a delicious 3 course lunch. The day is £75 per person and will make the perfect birthday or anniversary gift for budding wine enthusiasts!
Weekend Wine Tasting BreaksWe are delighted to be able to offer our One Day Wine Course combined with a weekend break, available in a number of hotels in the UK. The weekend break includes accommmodation and all meals and needs to be booked directly with the hotel. Usually the weekend is for a two night stay, although some weekends are for the Saturday night only. Please check with each venue for full details. Bosworth Hall, Warwickshire CV13 0LPThe final dates for 2010 have been selling well with only a few places left for 2010 wekends at Bosworth Hall. New dates for 2011 will be released at the end of October. The price is £130 per person based on a twin share and includes 2 nights accommodation, one day wine course and all meals. Tickets can be booked directly from Britannia Hotels please call 0871 222 0089. Please click here for booking details.
Top
30 Wines
Chris's
picks are in teal. We have recently added a number of new wines, both from Spain and England. While it will take a while for enough ratings to be built up before they appear on the list, Chapel Down's English Rose has stormed up the charts. It is defiantly worth a look if you want to try a great Rose
The
ThirtyFifty Top30 is based on all ratings for the vintage. Wine must have
at least 30 ratings before they appear in the list. Wines under £10
are highlighted in bold. While an average ranking system is good,
some wines can be great but only a few people enjoy them. If you would
like us to help you select any wines specific to your tastes please give
your Wine Consultant a call or call Chris direct. |
Wine NewsCampo off Interpol list but his conviction for fraud stands
Pancho Campo MW has been removed from Interpol's 'wanted' list. Judgment of Paris Chardonnay sells for US$11,325
A relative newcomer to wine has completed his collection of the 20 'Judgment of Paris' wines with his purchase of the 1973 Chateau Montelena Chardonnay for US$11,325. Ice wine from sunny Spain?
A new Denominacione de Origen (DO) has been created in Spain to produce Spanish icewine. Fizz at bottom of ocean Dragon paid in grapes The Home Office now in charge of drinks UK Wine ShowUK Wine Show 217 Simon Tam on Asian food and wine matching
Simon Tam is a Hong Kong based wine educator. We talk to Simon about Asian food and wine matching. UK Wine Show 216 Simon Tam on Chinese wine UK Wine Show 215 Paul Fenner of Waiters Friend UK Wine Show 214 Ivan Donaldson of Pegasus Bay on Waipara UK Wine Show 213 Andraia Gimtilinimilan on Brazil Spotlight on Wine ColourIn this month's spotlight we look at how wine gets its colour. Wine Colour Wine TipTo widen the repertoire of wines you like to drink, explore the wine world by sticking to just one country's wines per month. Try the different regions of that country and the different grape varieties to discover which styles you like best. Then move onto another part of the world the next month - within 12 months you'll cover the 12 biggest wine importers to the UK which are Australia, California, Italy, France, South Africa, Chile, Spain, Germany, New Zealand, Argentina, Portugal and Hungary. So get stuck in! Book ReviewsBiodynamic wine Demystified by Nicolas Joly
86 out of 100
 Whether you agree or not with Biodynamics, it is certainly true that the book gives a solid start to understanding the topic, without going into too much depth.
Read More >> Spotlight OnProducer - Delicato
Delicato is a brand named after the Indelicato Family who make the wines. Delicato produces Californian wines with an Italian influence and consists of just six varietals – White Zinfandel, Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Merlot, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.
The Family started in California in 1924 by Gaspare Indelicato, the company’s early success diminished during America’s Great Depression and it wasn’t until 1935, with Prohibition repealed, that Gaspare produced a first vintage in the old hay barn by the vineyard with the help of his brother-in-law and their twin wives, who took turns with a hand-driven press to produce enough wine for 1,500 cases. Their reputation for making great wines grew from there, with the result that they acquired more vineyards - to cope with the demand from other producers in California who wanted custom-made wines - and Gaspare’s three sons joined the winery. Region - Dry Creek Valley
Dry Creek Valley is an AVA (American Viticultural Area) in Sonoma, California. It stretches northwest for about 13½ miles from southern Healdsburg to Warm Springs Dam and at
its widest is just three miles across. In fact, the island of Manhattan would fit snugly into this warm inland valley, with its hot summer days and marine influences that keep the nights cool.
Winemaking began in Dry Creek in 1870. The first settlers were farmers not winemakers - many of them Italian - who started by just making wine for their table. However, they soon found that the valley’s rocky hillsides were ideal for grape growing and they planted Zinfandel, which has proved to be a real success here, producing wines with marked ripe raspberry flavours and satiny textures.
More than 36 wineries now exist in this rural valley and close to 300 vineyards. Today as much Chardonnay and Cabernet as Zinfandel is grown and there are also substantial plantings of Rhone varietals, such as Mourvedre, Syrah and Carignan.
The AVA tag on a bottle means that 85 per cent of the grapes must come from Dry Creek Valley or a minimum of 75 per cent if the varietal is named on the label.
Grape - Mission
Mission is a black grape variety with huge historical significance. Believed to have been taken to America by the Spanish conquistadors, it was originally planted for sacramental uses by the Franciscan missionaries (hence the name) in Mexico, America’s southwest and California during the 17th and 18th centuries. It’s importance stems from it being a survivor from the earliest vinifera vine varieties cultivated on that continent.
This productive grape, which likes warm climates, has high sugar levels, very little acidity and produces pale-coloured and somewhat bland table wine. However, its loose grape clusters help it to resist mildew and mould.
Today there’s still some Mission in California, mainly in the south, where it’s often harvested late for sweet wines. A small amount of a fortified wine called Angelica is also made with it. Mission is also identical to the Pais grape of Chile and the Criolla Chica of Argentina. |
