Welcome to the January 2009 edition of
Quaff Drops
2008 was a fantastic year for my company and of course it is all down to you my loyal customers who have supported me in so many ways. 2009 promises to be just as exciting and I hope you will enjoy the programme of events we have planned for you this year. Indeed this year is set to bring a lot of exciting things our way. Later this month I will be attending the WSET awards ceremony at the Guild Hall in London to find out who is the winner of the WSET Educator of the Year for which we have been shortlisted, I will be thrilled if we win!! As many of you know in April I will be heading for France where I will be based for 6 months. I will be living near to Carcassonne where I will be running vineyard tours for customers flying in from the UK for a long weekend and for locals and tourists in the area. Before I go the next 3 months are packed full of events and we are also planning 'An Evening with The Wine Wise Company' and I will bring you details of this in next months news letter. This months edition contains news about all our events plus my usual Languedoc region Master Class and Lena's wine enthusiasts column Just a Sip where she will be reporting on the Christmas Wine & Dine Event we held in December. You will notice that Sarah's Wine of The Month is missing and this is due to the arrival of George born on January 2nd so we will forgive her for not finding the time to taste and write for us this month. I expect she will review Champagne next month in celebration! I hope you will enjoy reading this months edition of Quaff Drops and I hope to see you at one of our events this year.
Wendy Gedney AIWS
Forth Coming Courses
Take a look at the courses available in Birmingham, Leicester and Warwick. These courses are great fun and will give you a greater insight into the wines from various countries and regions. Yo
u can book on-line or call Wendy on 07880 796786.
Birmingham
Rhône Wines - February 12nd
Languedoc-Roussillon - 12th March
Spanish Wines - 9th April
South American Wines - 14th May
Leicester
8 Week Wine Appreciation Course - January 26th
Languedoc-Roussillon - January 31st
The Rhône - February 21st
Burgundy Wines - 21st March
Warwick
6 week wine appreciation course - January 15th
WSET Cours
es
In September last year we were very proud to be nominated for the award WSET Educator of the Year 2009. The thrilling news is that we have made it to the final 8 and the winner will be announced later this month. The WSET is a world wide organisation and the competition for this award is tough. The criteria includes significant contribution to WSET courses and qualifications, superlative results from candidates and committment and innovation in education. All of these points are deeply important to us which is demonstrated by our results (100% pass rate at Intermediate level) and the innovative web based study support given to each of our students. We have teamed up with Shaker Bar Schools and now our courses are available in London as well as Birmingham and Leicester. We are currently enrolling for the following courses:
Birmingham
WSET Level 2 Intermediate 3 day Intensive Course Commencing March 21st
WSET Level 3 Advanced Course 5 day Intensive course Commencing February 7th
Leicester
WSET Level 2 Intermediate 8 Week Course Commencing January 26th
London
WSET Level 2 Intermediate 3 day Intensive Course Commencing February 16th
WSET Level 3 Advanced 5 day Intensive Course Commencing April 27th
Please follow this link for details about all our WSET courses and future dates
Vineyard Tours to the Languedoc
Now that Christmas and New Year are out of the way many of us are starting to think about the summer and planning a holiday. With the financial climate the way it is you may have thought about take a long weekend break rather than an expensive 2 week holiday. So why not consider combining your love of wine with a weekend in the Mediterranean - the Languedoc to be precise!! We have a range of weekend breaks to choose from including the 3 day Minervois and Corbières tour which takes in wi
nes from both these areas and visits to Minerve, Lagrasse and Domaine Gayda. Or you could choose our Bienvenue à Languedoc! which is a tour that not only includes vineyards and Cathar castles but also a day in a French kitchen learning how to prepare a superb Languedoc dish. The tours are running throughout the spring and summer months commencing in April this year. If you are seriously considering a tour and would like to know more why not book a free presentation and tasting in your home? We will arrive with glasses and a selection of wines from the vineyards we visit and provide you with an entertaining evening and an insight into these fabulous tours. To arrange your free tasting and discuss your vineyard tour please call Wendy on 07880 796786.
Just a Sip
On the 12th December we held our Christmas Wine and Dine Event in the
contemporary restaurant in Aston Business School Conference Centre in Birmingham. The theme for this years dinner was the cuisine of Southern France and each course was to be accompanied by a selection of Languedoc wines. A multicultural crowd of British, Russians and Latvians started the evening with Blanquette du Limoux, a lovely sparkling wine, which proved to be so popular that we ran out of it pretty quickly and had to supplement it with Champagne later! Our lovely Wendy was busy dividing herself between the groups, sharing the vino knowledge and answering loads of wine wise questions. Once all the guests had appeared, we moved through to the restaurant to find our tables. The entrée of white fish and large prawns in a broth was complemented by Picpoul de Pinet, Domain Nordoc Chardonnay and Domaine Olleux Romanie Corbieres blanc. The Picpoul was favoured by many, but in the end most agreed that Corbieres blanc was the best pairing with the food. After this Wendy fired up her projector and gave a presentation which took us on a fascinating winemaking history tour of Languedoc region starting from Romans, going through the 
turbulent times of 1870's Phylloxera plague and then at last the rebirth of this area in 1970's. By the end we were ready to face the main dish but the staff was so mesmerised by Wendy's knowledge and delivery that it took them a bit of time to spring into action! The arrival of Wild Boar stewed in red wine was greeted with cheers and glasses clinking with Olleux Romanis Atal Sia, Leon Barral's Faugeres and Clos du Gravillas Le Rendez-Vous du Soleil from Nicole and John Bojanowski's vineyards in the Minervois. Tasted before the food we all thought the Atal Sia was the winner but with the food it was Rendez-Vous du Soleil that came out on top. At last, the sweet wine moment i'd been waiting for arrived, together with absolutely delicious Crème Brûlée à la Citron et Miel & Tarte au Chocolat avec Coulis de Framboise - has to be pronounced in French! But back to the wines! Clos Du Gravillas Douce Providence from Nicole and John Bojanowski was exquisite on the palate and the gorgeous aroma of almond blossom and honeysuckle made my head spin! But now Ladies and Gentlemen, let me present you with the unforgettable, irresistable and truly and deeply lovely 2006 Banyuls Rimage Les Clos De Paullilles!
"Rimage" means vintage in Catalan and therefore Rimage Banyuls is a fortified wine in which all the grapes come from a certain vintage. Made of 100% grenache, this extraordinary Banuyls has velvety black-purple colour, with an explosion of ripe cherry, blackcurrant and strawberry aromas! An absolute must with the chocolate as well as with cheese! And finally les Fromages! The 3 cheeses especially flown in from Languedoc were Pélardon de Cévennes, Roquefort and Ossau Iraty. They were thoughtfully paired up with a Pic Saint Loup Blanc, Minerve Blanc and Passerille Maccabeu. But strangely the plates presented to us did not have all the expected cheeses! As it was explained to us later, apparently one of the cheeses was locked in the fridge by the chef before he went home, and nobody had a key!! The staff decided to substitute our gourmet product with something terribly pink and green from Tesco. But looking on the bright side - the wine was divine, the company was splendid and we had a fabulous response from the guests!!! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and hope to see you all in 2009!
Article by Lena Reynolds
Languedoc Masterclass - Minervois
This appellation stretches from Carcassonne to Narbonne and northwards from the Canal du Midi towards the Montagne Noire. It is a place of fantastic beauty with an incredible history. At its heart is the village of Minerve which 800 years ago sheltered a small group of Cathars from the Popes mercenary Simon du Montfort. The siege ended in a bloody massacre and the lives of the people are remembered with a
stone-carved dove outside the little church in the town of Minerve. Minervois contains a number of different terroir each with its differing soil types and climatic influences. Les Côtes Noires is in the North West and is influenced by the Atlantic weather and is therefore wetter during the summer than other parts of the region. It benefits from dry autumn weather which provides favourable conditions for ripening and harvesting the fruit. The soil is shallow and relatively poor schist, ideal for wine growing. La Clamoux is in the south-west of the Minervois and this region is protected from the Mediterranean influences by a series of hills. The winters are mild and the growing season is longer than Les Côtes Noires which gives the fruit time to build up flavours. The final area is known as the Central Zone and is in the heart of the Minervois. The area is sheltered from any Atlantic influences and the Mediterranean influences the low rainfall. The area is covered in the 'garrigues' which is low, soft-leaved scrubland made up of juniper and stunted oaks as well as lavender, sage, rosemary, wild thyme. 
Contained within the Central Zone is an area called Le Petit Causse which is the most northern area. The soils cover limestone and the area has southerly slopes and aspects. The climate here is hot and dry and vines that are generally drought resistant do well here such as Syrah, Mourvèdre and Grenache. The wines from the Minervois will vary in quality however there are many top class producers worth seeking out. The reds are a blend of Syrah and Mourvèdre, which must make up at least 20% of the blend. Grenache, Lladoner Pelut, Carignan and Cinsault are allowed to be used also. The whites are often aromatic and fresh and made from various combinations of Bourboulenc, Rolle, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc, Maccabeu and Roussanne. The region was awarded AC status in 1985 and since then there has been a number of steps taken to improve quality. In 1998 the first cru, La Livinière which lies in the foothills of the Montagne Noire and within Le Petit Causse was created. For a wine to qualify for this cru status it must be grown within the delimited boundaries and the vines must be grown at lower yield than other Minervois wines. Syrah and Mourvèdre must account for 
at least 40% of the blend and Carignan and Cinsault no more than 40% with Grenache making up the balance. Ageing can be done in a barrel or vat and the wine must be bottled at source which is unlike other Minerve wines which can be bottled by négociants elsewhere in France. The wines display concentrated black fruits with pepper and spice, summoning up the warmth of the Mediterranean sunshine in every sip. Man has inhabited this region for several millennia. The Romans were here in force and many villas were built by retired centurions. There is archaeological evidence that wine was produced here in La Livinière by the Romans and the area is said to take its name from cella vinaria, Latin for 'wine cellar'. The village of La Livinière is very old and very pretty with its extremely narrow streets and stone built houses and is well worth a visit. The church is particularly lovely and has a tower that is said to be modeled on a tower in Bethlehem. I include a visit to this village and taste wines from producers here during the Minerve & Corbières Vineyard tour so if I have tempted you why not join me on a vineyard tour to this wonderful place this year.
Article by Wendy Gedney AIWS
Quote of the month
"I can certainly see you know your wine. Most of the guests who stay here wouldn't know the difference between Bordeaux and Claret."
Basil Fawlty (John Cleese) in Fawlty Towers
Happy Quaffing!
Wendy, Sarah and Lena