4 week online course - Meet the Winemaker

October 2020 sees us joining forces with some of our colleagues in the Local Wine School network for a series of online tastings looking at wines from four southern hemisphere countries, Argentina, Australia, South Africa and Chile. And we’re thrilled that for each session, we’ll be joined by a winery representative who’ll be able to talk us through the wines, tell us about their region and their history, and answer any questions you may have.  It’s the perfect opportunity to learn about wine from the people who make it in the safety and comfort of your own home, and we’ve put together a mouth-watering line-up Friday 9nd October: Argentina with Humberto Canale, Rio Negro, Argentina While most of Argentina’s wine industry is concentrated in the province of Mendoza, there’s no shortage of activity elsewhere in the country. Join us as we head south to Patagonia and in particular to the province of Rio Negro, where the Humberto Canale winery has been producing wines for over 100 years.  The Wines: 2019 Íntimo Blanco (Sauvignon/Semillon Blend) (RRP £11.50) 2018 Estate Malbec (RRP £12.95) 2015 Selección de Familia Cabernet Franc (RRP £21.50) Friday 16th October: Ken Forrester, Stellenbosch, South Africa Ken Forrester may not single-handedly have revived the fortunes of Chenin Blanc in South Africa, but it’s hard to think of anyone else who has done as much to raise the profile of the country’s most widely planted grape variety. For this tasting, we’ll try two examples of Chenin, then finish off with that Cape speciality Pinotage. The Wines: 2017 Sparklehorse, Tradional Style Fizz (RRP £22.50) 2019 Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc (RRP £14.95) 2019 Petit Pinotage (RRP £10.95) Friday 23rd October: Viña Falernia, Elqui Valley, Chile The Elqui Valley 400km used to be known for two things: astronomy (more than half of the world’s major telescopes are found here) and Pisco, the national spirit of Chile. In the past 25 years however, the region has developed a reputation for its wines, and Viña Falernia is the winery that started it all. Join us as we sample a range of wines produced under some of the world’s clearest skies. The Wines: 2019 Elki Pedro Ximenez (RRP £9.50) 2017 Syrah Reserva (RRP £10.95) 2017 Carmenere Gran Reserva (RRP £14.95) Friday 30th October: Chaffey Brothers, Barossa Valley, Australia Although the Chaffey family has a long and very interesting history in Australia, both from wine and non-wine points of view, the Chaffey Brothers winery is a fairly new enterprise for the Barossa Valley. Or should that be the Barrosa Valley…? We’ll find out more about how this part of South Australia got its name and also sample (among other things) the only example of Kerner in the southern hemisphere  The Wines: 2018 Kontrapunkt Kerner (RRP £14.40) 2016 La Conquista! Tempranillo Garnacha Graciano (RRP £13.30) 2017 Synonymous Shiraz (RRP £14.40) Please note that due to the time difference between the UK & Australia, this session will include a pre-recorded interview - let us know if you have any questions for the team! The cost per household for all four sessions is £60 (excluding wine – see below) Book your online access below and we will send instructions on how to join the meeting through the Zoom platform from a desktop, laptop, tablet or mobile phone. The sessions all start at 7pm and will run for around 90 minutes – or more if the questions keep coming! The wines for the tasting can be ordered from the Great Wine Company – the normal cost for to buy a bottle of all 12 would be £171.85, but we’ve managed to persuade our friends at Great Wine to reduce the price to £137.45 including delivery. A link to order the wines plus a code to obtain your discount will be sent when you book your online access. If you can’t make it for all the tastings, you can still join us for individual sessions at a cost of £17.50 each - they’re all listed HERE.