Rioja Masterclass with Simon Woods - MANCHESTER

Spain’s most famous wine region could arguably stake a claim to being the world’s most popular one too – it’s a rare wine drinker who hasn’t been wooed by the charms of Rioja. And while we’re big fans of the good everyday bottles – what we think of as Wednesday night, sausage-and-mash gluggers – we thought it was about time that we put on a tasting to show what happens when the producers pull all the stops out.  Because this is a place with a magnificent heritage, a magnificent terroir – or to be more accurate several magnificent terroirs – and a magnificent array of grape varieties.  So join us as we explore the higher reaches of Rioja, and look at the many expressions of its wines. There’ll be traditional wines, there’ll be modern ones. There’ll be wines made from a variety of grapes, there’ll be ones made from just one. There’ll be young wines, there’ll be much older wines. And in among the delicious reds, there’ll be at least one of the undersung white wines. We’ll be trying eight wines with an average price of over £25 – and there’ll be some Manchego on the side to nibble in-between. It’s a great opportunity to see what it is that makes a great wine region great, and we look forward to sharing these treasures with you.