Tastings & Dinners Spring 2010
Helen, third from the left, hard at work tasting French wines at London's National Theatre
We hope you'll be as excited by our programme of tastings, courses and wine dinners as we are. We have treats in store in the New Year! Our elegant and comfortable main venue at the Northern Counties Club is just a minute from Monument Metro and Paul Kirby's food is always excellent - our midweek tastings are superb value for money. 22 Cecil Street is also just a minute from the Metro (North Shields). Both North Shields courses have been designed as part of our 'introduction to wine tasting for grown ups' series.
To book any of our events please email Elizabeth Brown at Vine Visit Ltd: or phone her on 0191 259 1280. Places are limited!
Please also ask Elizabeth for details of our Vine Visit gift vouchers that can be exchanged for tastings, dinners and holidays.
Food and Wine Dinners
Vine Visit New Year's Wine Dinner
Friday January 15, 7.00 for 7.30pm at the Northern Counties Club, Hood Street.
After the success of our Summer Dinner, we're delighted to invite you to a gourmet treat, to sample more of Paul Kirby's superb cooking and to match it with a range of fine wines. After a champagne aperitif, the wines will include:
Christophe Cordier, Mâcon Milly Lamartine 2007,
Trimbach, Riesling Réserve, 2007,
Gilles Robin, Crozes Hermitage, 2006 and a rare solera 1928 Maury.
Helen will introduce the wines and talk about food and wine pairing.
£44.50
An Asian Adventure
Thursday 18 March, 7 for 7.30pm at the Golden Swallow
Matching Fine Chinese Cuisine with Wine
In association with The Golden Swallow, West Percy Street, North Shields
This dinner is now fully booked; but see below:
An Asian Adventure
Tuesday 27 April, 7 for 7.30pm at the Golden Swallow
Matching Fine Chinese Cuisine with Wine
In association with The Golden Swallow, West Percy Street, North Shields
Keith Keith Pun, the owner of the Golden Swallow is passionate about fine food. He sources the best, fresh ingredients, insists that his meats be marinated properly and won't allow monosodium glutamate anywhere near his kitchen.
This evening is an opportunity to enjoy a top quality Chinese banquet and to explore which wines best match fine Asian cuisine, based on the results of the first ever Hong Kong International Wine Challenge, as explained by Helen.
Get ready for some delicious surprises!
The Golden Swallow Restaurant is more like a private dining club and places are limited; Book early to avoid disappointment!
£39.50
Midweek tastings at Northern Counties Club
Our superb tastings series with dinner at the Northern Counties Club all include a delicious two-course dinner with coffee and at least eight fine wines to taste:
Corbières and Minervois
Thursday 28 January, 6.30pm at the Northern Counties Club, Hood Street.
The neighbouring hills of the Corbières and the Minervois are an exciting source of increasingly fine wines. Rich reds, perfect for a northern winter, are the best known, but there are good dry whites and superlative Muscat from St Jean de Minervois.
Helen, who visits the region regularly (she spent time there during the 2009 harvest), will present an up to date survey of some of the best wines.
£32.50
Tasmania
Tuesday 9 February, 6.30pm at the Northern Counties Club, Hood Street.
Tasmania is different: on the same latitude as the main wine regions of New Zealand's South Island, it has one of the southern hemisphere's genuinely cool grape-growing climates. Pinot Noir, Riesling and bottle-fermented sparkling wines are especially successful. Helen has interviewed many of the leading Tasmania winemakers and will present some of the island's most exciting wines.
£34.50
Down the Douro
Wednesday 24 February, 6.30pm at the Northern Counties Club, Hood Street.
Portugal's Douro Valley is one of the most spectacular landscapes in Iberia. Its wines are equally remarkable. Some of the best table wines and a selection of fine port (the same grape varieties are used for both) will feature in an unusual and deliciously different tasting, expertly guided by Helen.
£37.50
A Greek Odyssey
Tuesday 9 March, 6.30pm at the Northern Counties Club, Hood Street.
The Greeks may have a proud and ancient wine culture, but truly fine Greek wine is a relatively recent phenomenon. The best, as presented tonight, are wines made from the remarkable wealth of Greece's indigenous grape varieties. This promises to be to one of the year's most enjoyable, surprising and informative tastings, guided as ever by Helen, who has first hand knowledge of some of the leading Greek vineyards.
£32.50
Monday Mornings at 22 Cecil Street, North Shields
Terroir
(How site, climate and culture make wines different)
6 meetings: 1, 15, 22, February; 1, 8 and 15 March at 10.30 am
The French love to talk about 'terroir'. Don't be put off! The terroir of a vineyard is the sum of its soil, site, climate and even the way in which it has been tended over the years. These things make a huge difference to the taste of wine. In this introductory course, we'll discover how and why this is so. At the end, amongst many other things, you'll know why Chablis doesn't taste like Meursault and why neither taste like Chardonnay from the Adelaide Hills, Mendoza or Hawke's Bay. You'll also find out why a wine may cost a lot more than another made just down the road...
£20 per session including home-cooked lunch or
£110 for all six weeks
Thursday Evenings at 22 Cecil Street
Grape variety
An introduction to 6 key flavours:
Pinot Noir, Merlot, Chardonnay, Riesling, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah/Shiraz and Chenin Blanc
6 meetings: January 21, February 4, 11 and 25, March 4 and 11 at 7.15pm
Please note that there will be no class on January 28.
This introductory course will help you to get a fix on the flavour of six of the most important grape varieties planted around the world and enable you discover the real difference between Chilean Cabernet and Claret, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Sancerre, and Riesling from the Rheingau and the Clare Valley.
£17.50 per session or £99 for all six weeks
How to Book
By cheque, made payable to 'Vine Visit Ltd' and sent to;
Mrs Elizabeth Brown
Vine Visit Ltd.
PO Box 687
North Shields
NE29 1DG
To book by e-mail, and for further information: contact Elizabeth on 0191 259 1280 or email: .
For further information about Vine Visit's wonderful wine holidays, see the Vine Visit website or telephone Elizabeth on 0191 259 1280
Elizabeth will also be pleased to give detailed directions to all our venues.
Helen is also available to run corporate events.
