As I am sure you have read in previous posts I am in no way a wine expert. I drink champagne and that is about it. However at one of my recent visits to the delightful Vineyard I was persuaded by Saffron, and she is VERY persuasive, of the importance of food and wine pairing. She explained how each enhances the other which sounds excellent. How do I learn about this magic art? Well here is the answer.
For a measly price of £25 per person or £40 for two (or £45 with lunch) I can go to the Vineyard on Saturday 11am to 5 pm, with a chance to taste from a range of 150 wines from a variety of vineyards including, of course, the wonderful Peter Michael Winery, as well as offerings from suppliers such as Paritus, Georges Barbier, The Wine Treasury and much more.
Ah but how to choose which 20 minute Master Class, to be fair they are timed well from 12.45 so I could attend all of them. They have titles such as What’s so Special about Organic Wine, The Art of Wine Tasting, Call My Bluff, Can English Wines really compete and at 16.30 my favourite The Ultimate Dinner party. Each Master Class in only a fiver.
The night before Daniel Galmiche (swoon) has created a delicious menu with five courses, each course paired with two wines. If I could I would definitely take advantage of the offer to take up the offer of the Ultimate Festival Experience which is £450 which includes the dinner, two nights in a luxury room (do scroll down to previous posts to see how luxurious the Vineyard is including the rooms), breakfast both mornings (I have a separate post just on the breakfast which is really wonderful), Ultimate wine tickets for the Wine Festival on the Saturday and you can even use the very lush spa if you have time!
Failing that you can book one night for £245, both of these options save you having the ‘who is driving lively debate’ which happen so often.
What I love about the Vineyard is that although it is a high end luxurious hotel with beautiful artwork, food to die for and the biggest wine book I have ever seen it is still incredibly welcoming, no one is patronising, they are genuinely helpful and caring and passionate about what they do. The Wine Festival is perfect for people like me, telling me about different wines and what to serve with them, what to look for in what you are drinking, information about where the wine comes from and why.
Seriously if you can make it to this event I would prioritise it now and ring them to book. There is a link to the hotel on my blog. Go and hopefully I will see you there as I am hoping to do an interview for Kennet Radio about the whole event.