WINE TASTING IN WIRRAL
BY THE CQ
Many of us, I suspect, like the odd glass of wine! The world
of wine today is a wonderful, fascinating and fulfilling one.
It is hardly surprising, therefore, that there is a growing
demand for wine education around the country.
I am sure that there will be many of those who will read this
article who enjoy a glass of wine or two each week, or possibly
even each day. If the latter – don’t overdo it!
But do those of you who enjoy the odd glass of wine want to
know more about what you are drinking? As importantly, do
you want to know more about what is on offer? What are you
missing in the world of wine?
It is often, and rightly, said about wine: (i) that the best way
to learn about it is to drink it and; (ii) it is only as good as the
people with whom it is being shared.
Where to go wine tasting on the Wirral?
So where can you go to taste and learn about wine on the
Wirral? Where can you share that experience with others who
also want to explore the world of wine? Research will almost
inevitably reveal that there are a number of places that will
offer up a solution for such needs. But unbeknown to most, I
suspect, is the fact that there have been some fantastic bespoke,
and fun, wine tasting courses on the Wirral for many years.
Three such courses take place on a weekly basis (school
holidays apart) in Oxton, Hoylake and Frankby. They have
been running for many years and are run by the same wine
guru! Lets just call him the ‘teacher’!
So are there any rules of engagement? Is there anything you
should know about these courses? The following may assist:
• You need not know anything about wine to participate
(i.e. there is no minimum entry or threshold level!!) You
can know as much or as little about wine as you wish.
Nobody will be out of place. Wherever you are on the
wine spectrum – you will not be alone!
• The courses are not serious, nor are they in any way
pretentious! In fact the ‘teacher’ sometimes struggles to
get the conversation on to the subject of wine at all!
• Despite this, and much informal nonsense, you will learn
a huge amount about the world of wine in a relaxed,
friendly and fun environment.
• Despite the fact there is a ‘teacher’, you are not at school!
There are no exams or tests apart from, on a weekly basis,
trying to second-guess five or six different wines that are
always tasted blind. Whatever your guess, accurate or
inaccurate, you will be in good company!
• The wine tasted is genuinely in the category of ‘fine’ wine.
Whilst some bottles are moderately priced, sometimes
in the £10 - £20 price range, they are all properly to be
defined as ‘fine’. Many are, in fact, priced at more than
28 wirrallife.com
•
£20, £30 or even £40 a bottle. There is no ‘plonk’ (if one can
use the phrase) on offer and you can expect to taste genuinely
fine examples of the wines that are relevant to any specific
course.
Periodically there are also ventures further afield (day trips
away if you like). These involve not only wine tasting but also
dining with wine and even trips to purchase wine. One off,
more local events, also take place.
How does it work?
Each course, at each of the three locations referred to, normally
runs for an eight week period. Each course will have a theme. The
theme is chosen by the members of the tasting group; if you like
by the ‘pupils’. So it is those that attend the courses that decide
what they would like to do next and what they would like to learn
about most. This gives them a unique opportunity to dictate both
the scope and the direction of their learning experience. Once the
theme is chosen, the ‘teacher’ sources the wines for the course.
Historically courses have covered a huge variety of different
themes ranging from simply tasting and learning about different
grape varieties, tasting and learning about a range of wines from
a specific producer, tasting and learning about wines from a
specific country or from a wine region within a country, all the