Little Beauty Masterclasses

We’re thrilled to be able to offer you the opportunity to join us for a pair of tastings of the Little Beauty wines from Marlborough in New Zealand. What makes the tastings extra special is that we’ll be joined for both evenings by Little Beauty’s owner and founder, Fleur McCree, who hails from New Zealand but is currently resident in London. These rare but excellent wines come from a free-draining, sheltered single vineyard in the Lower Waihopai Valley in the south of Marlborough. It’s a sunny site, but it’s cooler here than in many other parts of the region, resulting in wines that winemaker Eveline Fraser describes as charming, pure and elegant. Eveline has an impeccable pedigree, having worked for several years at the world-famous Cloudy Bay alongside Marlborough legends Kevin Judd (now at Greywacke) and James Healy (of Dog Point fame) before moving on to Little Beauty. If there is a problem with the Little Beauty wines, it’s that they’re in such short supply. They’re next to impossible to find in the shops, with the tiny UK allocation being snapped up by establishments such as The Savoy, Chiltern Firehouse and Gleneagles Hotel – you’ll also find the range in the 1st class cabins of BA and American Airlines. For the first evening on July 3rd, we’ll be focussing on Pinot Noir and trying the two versions which Little Beauty makes, the Limited Edition, and the Black Edition. We’ll discover something of the history of Pinot Noir in New Zealand, and also find out how and why these two wines are different. And we’ll kick off with a Dry Riesling, which will demonstrate just how well this classy grape performs in Marlborough. It is after all a former trophy winner at the Decanter World Wine Awards. Yes, DRY Riesling – stock up on sushi, as this is the perfect partner. For the second evening on July 10th Sauvignon Blanc will take centre stage. If you think you know Savvy, as some insist on calling it, Little Beauty Limited Edition and barrel-fermented and aged Black Edition, will make you think again. While some Sauvignons shriek, these two speak to you confidently but gently, and they’re thoroughly delicious. We’ll round off the tasting with a Gewürztraminer, another aromatic grape which thrives in Marlborough. The Little Beauty version has just a hint of sweetness, and works very well with lightly spicy foods. (While we can’t supply that spicy food, or the sushi for the previous week, we will be sending out a set of recipes for dishes that have been specially developed to partner the wines.) The normal cost for these six wines including UK mainland delivery would be £147, but we’ve persuaded Fleur to offer them to those who book a place for the two evenings for just £123.03. Moreover, since we imagine there’ll be many people wanting to stock up on the wines after the event, we have a code that you’ll be able to use against any purchases made before the end of July 2020. 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 session will last around an hour. Once you have booked your online access for the tasting, we’ll send you instructions on how to order your wines plus the code you need to buy them at the special price. PLEASE NOTE – you’ll need to place your order by Monday June 22nd to allow time for delivery. This pass covers access for two people for both tastings - 3rd July and 10th July.