January seems to have flown by as here at Wine Wise we have hurtled into a very busy start to the year. On January 19th I attended the WSET graduation ceremony which is an annual event where outstanding candidates are awarded scholarships and Diploma students graduate. One of the awards is for WSET Educator of the Year and as reported in last months Quaff Drops we reached the finals. Out of 363 APP's (worldwide) The Wine Wise Company was one of only eight (and one of only three UK) to successfully be short listed for 'The Riedel Trophy for the WSET Educator of the Year' Although we did not win the trophy I was very proud to be short listed and be present at the ceremony when the award was presented to a well deserving company who are based in Greece. This month we have began our series of courses in Leicester and Warwick. Birmingham courses are soon to commence with a WSET Advanced course on February 7th and a Rhone course on February 12th. Many of our Advanced students are eager to continue onto the Diploma and Quaff Drops has news of a course beginning in Birmingham this year and a support group that I am putting together for candidates. I have also been busy organising an exciting wine making course which I will be running in the south of France in May and September. As usual Quaff Drops brings you a schedule of all the courses and events we are running over the next couple of months including‘An Evening with The Wine Wise Company’. I hope many of you will be able to come along to some of these events and meet me and my excellent team. Wendy Gedney AIWS
An Evening with The Wine Wise Company
Would you like to get to know us a little better? We would like to invite you to spend an evening with us where you can meet the Wine Wise team and learn more about what we do whilst tasting some wonderful wines. We are running 2 events, one in Warwick on Thursday March 5th commencing at 6.30 p.m. The other event is taking place at The Crescent Theatre in Birmingham on Thursday March 19th. The Warwick event is taking place at Underwoods Wine Warehouse which is a superb place to find some wine gems and also take a look at the collection of classic cars housed there. The Crescent Theatre is a centrally located venue in Birmingham next door to Brindley Place where there is easy parking and it is also easily reached on foot.The evening presents you with a great opportunity to find out more about the courses, the wine tasting events and Wine-Aware parties and vineyard tours we run. Towards the end of the evening you will have the opportunity to take part in Quaff My Bluff, our fun wine tasting quiz where you can enjoy the game and possibly win one of the fabulous prizes on offer which include a free Vineyard tour in the Languedoc. The cost for this entertaining evening is £15 which is refundable by booking a Wine-Aware party on the night. We hope you will be able to join us at one of the locations and as numbers are limited we recommend you book as soon as possible either on-line or by calling Wendy on 07880 796786.
On Thursday February 12th in Birmingham and Saturday afternoon February 21st in Leicester we are running a Rhône Wines course. This promises to be a great course and one not to be missed. I have chosen some stunning wines some of which I bought when I was in the region last August. Don’t miss your chance to taste gems such as Cornas and Condrieu from the Northern Rhone and Gigondas and Cairanne from the Southern Rhone. Places cost £40 and we will be tasting at least 8 wines and enjoy some tasty nibbles too. You can book on-line or call Wendy on 07880 796786.
The WSET are planning to run a Diploma course in Birmingham this year providing there are sufficient numbers. This is a fantastic course and one which will help you become an expert in this wonderful subject. It is a highly regarded qualification in the wine industry leading to some of the most highly regarded jobs in the sector. If you are interested you must enrol before the end of March and earlier if possible. Follow this link to the WSET web site for full details
If this course goes ahead we will be running a WSET Diploma Support Group. This will be free to ex students of The Wine Wise Company and for others who are invited to join and will include mentoring sessions and tastings where you will be invited to bring wines to taste and discuss with the group. If you are interested please give Wendy a call on 07880 796786.
Wine Growing and Making Course – Languedoc, Southern France
In May and September this year we have organised 2 wonderful courses covering wine growing and making. The 3 day course is taking place in the Languedoc in southern France and is available on either 22nd May or September 4th 2009. Over the 3 days what we learn in the lecture room will be reinforced by visiting various vineyards each day including Clos du Gravillas in St Jean du Minervois, Domaine Olleiux-Romanis in the Corbières and Domaine Gayda in the Malepère. You will learn about vine growing, training and pruning, soil types, climate and weather, pests and diseases, wine making and maturation including organic and biodynamic processes. You will also enjoy a 2 hour tutored tasting with Matthew Stubbs MW and each day Wendy Gedney AIWS will lead you through various Languedoc-Roussillon appellations and over the 3 days you will have tasted at least one wine from all of the regions. This is an excellent course for anyone interested in Viticulture and Vinification and would be wonderful preparation for parts of the Diploma syllabus. Book on-line or to discuss the course please call Wendy on 07880 796786. Places are limited so please book as soon as you can.
We are always looking out for interesting hotels and guest houses in the Languedoc so that we can offer our customers a lovely choice of accommadation when you visit us or go to the region independantly. On one of my trips I was introduced to David and Graeme who run an adorable small hotel in the heart of the Minervois wine region - Le Domaine aux Quat’Saisons. The hotel offers impeccable accommodation in a fully restored 19th century country mansion, in true Languedoc style. The house was built in 1882 and retains its original features: flamboyant marble fireplaces, encaustic tiled floors, and wood panelling. The house has its own 2 acre private landscaped garden, swimming pool and vineyard and the rooms have been designed with true style and comfort in mind. Guests can stay in self catering or bed and breakfast accommodation and dinner with regional wines is offered 3 times a week.
The hotel is superbly placed for our Minerve & Corbieres Vineyard Tourso if you are considering this exciting long weekend why not ask us to arrange accommadation with David and Graeme or visit them independantly at Le Domaine aux Quat’Saisons.
Just a Sip
You’ve heard of Tuppaware parties and other parties which take place in your home. I have held a few myself and they are always good fun but of course you always feel pressurised to buy something and its usually expensive and did you really want it? When I joined the Wine Wise Company I was attracted by one of the services on offer – wine tasting parties. Wendy and Sarah have been running the parties for the last few years and so I decided to ask them to host one for me. I had no idea just how much fun it would be. I chose Sweet wines as a subject - you may have read in previous articles I like this style of wine the most. I wanted to learn more about them so Wendy arrived with 6 bottles of different sweet wines and we had a wonderful evening tasting and learning. At the end of the evening my friends all felt they had learnt a lot and also that they would be able to appreciate these wines much more now. I was so thrilled with the party and this service that we offer that I have decided to champion it and have began by renaming the service. So instead of Tupperware why not book a Wineaware party? You can choose any wine subject you like and we will arrive at your home, office or club with a great selection of wines and provide you and your friends with a really entertaining evening with no pressure to buy anything. For more details please follow this link to our web site or call Wendy on 07880 7965786 Article by Lena Reynolds
Languedoc Masterclass – St Jean-du-Minervois
St Jean-du-Minervois is a small mountain village is in the far northeast of the Minervois region where the appellation is for wines known as vin doux naturels. The vineyards are at 200m above sea level and have been hacked out of the garrigue and the vines are planted on limestone soils so white that it looks like it has been snowing even in the middle of summer. The appellation is for Vin doux Naturels wines called Muscat de St-Jean-du-Minervois which are sweet wines made by interrupting the fermentation by adding spirit, this technique is known as mutage. There are many types of Muscat grape and the one used to make this wine is the best of the bunch and is called Muscat Blanc A Petits Grains. The altitude here lengthens the growing season and produces wines with delicate orange-flower flavours. The production of vins doux naturels was perfected by Arnaud de Villeneuve at the University of Montpellier in the 13th century. In those days it was difficult to transport wine or to keep them for any length of time as they become unstable. The addition of grape spirit to the wine kills the yeast and also makes the wines less likely to oxidize thus stabalizing them and this proved to be a boon in hot parts of the wine producing areas of France. There are other Muscat based Vin Doux Naturels produced in the Languedoc such as Muscat-de-Frontignan, Muscat-de-Lunel and Muscat-de-Moireval all of which are closer to the Mediterranean coast.
There are many producers of these lovely wines and one of our favourites is Clos du Gravillas owned by John and Nicole Bojanowski. Nicole is the wine maker and is clearly gifted as all her wines are stunning. Their artisnale winery is a wonder to visit which is why it features so often in our vineyard tours to this area. Every thing is made by hand including crushing the fruit by foot! Here is a picture of John sitting on one of the stone seats igeniouslybuilt into the one of the walls in his vineyard. The vineyards arecovered in stones which over the centuries have been used to buildwalls (with seats!) and small buildings to keep the vigneron dry duringa rain shower and to store tools in. In parts of France these arecalled Bories but here they are known as savage. John and Nicole choose lovely names for their wine and their AOC Muscat de St. Jean de Minervois is called Doux Providence - Sweet Providence in English and is easily recognised by the pink half moon label. The wine has flavours of pineapple with a floral nose and a mineral freshness that St. Jean Muscats are known for— delicious aperitif or served with roquefort cheese. If you are tempted to try John and Nicole's Doux Providence you can now buy their wines from us by the case (6 x 50cl bottles) which will be delivered to your door. The price for the case is £72 plus delivery. To order please call Wendy on 07880 796786.
Article by Wendy Gedney AIWS
Sarah’s Wine of the Month
Well firstly, a Happy New Year to you all and, after nine months of (almost) abstaining, it is good to be back to tasting properly! This month, although I have tasted some delicious Champagne to celebrate the arrival of George, I have decided to recommend the Cave Saint Desirat, Lirac 2007. This wine is a very warming and suitably seasonal red from the Rhône which should suit both the cold snap of weather we are expecting and as it is fantastic value, it is a bit more of a ‘credit crunch’ wine than a bottle of fizz!
Lirac is one of the 13 Appellation Controlées in the Southern Rhône and is situated on low hills on the right bank of the river Rhône, directly opposite the more famous AC of Châteaunuef du Pape. Wines have been produced in this area since before the Romans and it is said that they were once the favourite wines of the popes when they resided in nearby Avignon.
AC Lirac allows for the production of red, white and rosés but most of the wines produced are full-bodied reds. As with most of the Southern Rhône, the grape varieties permitted are Grenache, Syrah and Mouvedre. In Lirac, a red blend must contain no more than 40% Grenache. In addition to this, the grapes for this particular wine are selected from old vines with an average age of 45 years.
Cave Saint Desirat Lirac is an intense ruby in colour and on the nose there are plenty of ripe red and black fruits, particularly blackberries, with some spicy notes. On the palate, this wine is well balanced and deliciously velvety and, again, there are plenty of ripe black fruits as well as hints of liquorice, spice and a richness which gives the wine great complexity and excellent length.
I would pair this wine with a warming winter casserole or alternatively, given the intensity of the red and black fruits in the wine, it would also be a delicious match to roasted duck.
Cave Saint Desirat, Lirac 2007 is available from Majestic Wine at £7.99 per bottle.
January seems to have flown by as here at Wine Wise we have hurtled into a very busy start to the year. On January 19th I attended the WSET graduation ceremony which is an annual event where outstanding candidates are awarded scholarships and Diploma students graduate. One of the awards is for WSET Educator of the Year and as reported in last months Quaff Drops we reached the finals. Out of 363 APP's (worldwide) The Wine Wise Company was one of only eight (and one of only three UK) to successfully be short listed for 'The Riedel Trophy for the WSET Educator of the Year' Although we did not win the trophy I was very proud to be short listed and be present at the ceremony when the award was presented to a well deserving company who are based in Greece. This month we have began our series of courses in Leicester and Warwick. Birmingham courses are soon to commence with a WSET Advanced course on February 7th and a Rhone course on February 12th. Many of our Advanced students are eager to continue onto the Diploma and Quaff Drops has news of a course beginning in Birmingham this year and a support group that I am putting together for candidates. I have also been busy organising an exciting wine making course which I will be running in the south of France in May and September. As usual Quaff Drops brings you a schedule of all the courses and events we are running over the next couple of months including‘An Evening with The Wine Wise Company’. I hope many of you will be able to come along to some of these events and meet me and my excellent team.
where you can meet the Wine Wise team and learn more about what we do whilst tasting some wonderful wines. We are running 2 events, one in Warwick on Thursday March 5th commencing at 6.30 p.m. The other event is taking place at The Crescent Theatre in Birmingham on Thursday March 19th. The Warwick event is taking place at Underwoods Wine Warehouse which is a superb place to find some wine gems and also take a look at the collection of classic cars housed there. The Crescent Theatre is a centrally located venue in Birmingham next door to Brindley Place where there is easy parking and it is also easily reached on foot.The evening presents you with a great opportunity to find out more about the courses, the wine tasting events and Wine-Aware parties and vineyard tours we run. Towards the end of the evening you will have the opportunity to take part in Quaff My Bluff, our fun wine tasting quiz where you can enjoy the game and possibly win one of the fabulous prizes on offer which include a free Vineyard tour in the Languedoc. The cost for this entertaining evening is £15 which is refundable by booking a Wine-Aware party on the night. We hope you will be able to join us at one of the locations and as numbers are limited we recommend you book as soon as possible either on-line or by calling Wendy on 07880 796786.
On Thursday February 12th in Birmingham and Saturday afternoon February 21st in Leicester we are running a Rhône Wines course. This promises to be a great course and one not to be missed. I have chosen some stunning wines some of which I bought when I was in the region last August. Don’t miss your chance to taste gems such as Cornas and Condrieu from the Northern Rhone and Gigondas and Cairanne from the Southern Rhone. Places cost £40 and we will be tasting at least 8 wines and enjoy some tasty nibbles too. You can book on-line or call Wendy on 07880 796786.
The WSET are planning to run a Diploma course in Birmingham this year providing there are sufficient numbers. This is a fantastic course and one which will help you become an expert in this wonderful subject. It is a highly regarded qualification in the wine industry leading to some of the most highly regarded jobs in the sector. If you are interested you must enrol before the end of March and earlier if possible. 
We are always looking out for interesting hotels and guest houses in the Languedoc so that we can offer our customers a lovely choice of accommadation when you visit us or go to the region independantly. On one of my trips I was introduced to David and Graeme who run an adorable small hotel in the heart of the Minervois wine region - Le Domaine aux Quat’Saisons. The hotel offers impeccable accommodation in a fu
lly restored 19th century country mansion, in true Languedoc style. The house was built in 1882 and retains its original features: flamboyant marble fireplaces, encaustic tiled floors, and wood panelling. The house has its own 2 acre private landscaped garden, swimming pool and vineyard and the rooms have been designed with true style and comfort in mind. Guests can stay in self catering or bed and breakfast accommodation and dinner with regional wines is offered 3 times a week. 
You’ve heard of Tuppaware parties and other parties which take place in your home. I have held a few myself and they are always good fun but of course you always feel pressurised to buy something and its usually expensive and did you really want it? When I joined the Wine Wise Company I was attracted by one of the services on offer – wine tasting parties. Wendy and Sarah have been running the parties for the last few years and so I decided to ask them to host one for me. I had no idea just how much fun it would be. I chose Sweet wines as a subject - you may have read in previous articles I like this style of wine the most. I wanted to learn more about them so Wendy arrived with 6 bottles of different sweet wines and we had a wonderful evening tasting and learning. At the end of the evening my friends all felt they had learnt a lot and also that they would be able to appreciate these wines much more now. I was so thrilled with the party and this service that we offer that I have decided to champion it and have began by renaming the service. So instead of Tupperware why not book a Wineaware party? You can choose any wine subject you like and we will arrive at your home, office or club with a great selection of wines and provide you and your friends with a really entertaining evening with no pressure to buy anything. For more details please 
above sea level and have been hacked out of the garrigue and the vines are planted on limestone soils so white that it looks like it has been snowing even in the middle of summer. The appellation is for Vin doux Naturels wines called Muscat de St-Jean-du-Minervois which are sweet wines made by interrupting the fermentation by adding spirit, this technique is known as mutage. There are many types of Muscat grape and the one used to make this wine is the best of the bunch and is called Muscat Blanc A Petits Grains. The altitude here lengthens the growing season and produces wines with delicate orange-flower flavours. The production of vins doux naturels was perfected by Arnaud de Villeneuve at the University of Montpellier in the 13th century. In those days it was difficult to transport wine or to keep them for any length of time as they become unstable. The addition of grape spirit to the wine kills the yeast and also makes the wines less likely to oxidize thus stabalizing them and this proved to be a boon in hot parts of the wine producing areas of France. There are other Muscat based Vin Doux Naturels produced in the Languedoc such as Muscat-de-Frontignan, Muscat-de-Lunel and Muscat-de-Moireval all of which are closer to the Mediterranean coast.
There are many producers of these lovely wines and one of our favourites is Clos du Gravillas owned by John and Nicole Bojanowski. Nicole is the wine maker and is clearly gifted as all her wines are stunning. Their artisnale winery is a wonder to visit which is why it features so often in our vineyard tours to this area. Every thing is made by hand including crushing the fruit by foot! Here is a picture of John sitting on one of the stone seats igeniouslybuilt into the one of the walls in his vineyard. The vineyards arecovered in stones which over the centuries have been used to buildwalls (with seats!) and small buildings to keep the vigneron dry duringa rain shower and to store tools in. In parts of France these arecalled Bories but here they are known as savage. John and Nicole choose lovely names for their wine and their AOC Muscat de St. Jean de Minervois is called Doux Providence - Sweet Providence in English and is easily
recognised by the pink half moon label. The wine has flavours of pineapple with a floral nose and a mineral freshness that St. Jean Muscats are known for— delicious aperitif or served with roquefort cheese. If you are tempted to try John and Nicole's Doux Providence you can now buy their wines from us by the case (6 x 50cl bottles) which will be delivered to your door. The price for the case is £72 plus delivery. To order please call Wendy on 07880 796786.
Well firstly, a Happy New Year to you all and, after nine months of (almost) abstaining, it is good to be back to tasting properly! This month, although I have tasted some delicious Champagne to celebrate the arrival of George, I have decided to recommend the Cave Saint Desirat, Lirac 2007. This wine is a very warming and suitably seasonal red from the Rhône which should suit both the cold snap of weather we are expecting and as it is fantastic value, it is a bit more of a ‘credit crunch’ wine than a bottle of fizz!
âteaunuef du Pape. Wines have been produced in this area since before the Romans and it is said that they were once the favourite wines of the popes when they resided in nearby Avignon.