Andrew Kay Dines Out
Wine me up, let me go
Tasting wine is a real treat, in fact these days I would rather spend an evening tasting wines than merely drinking wine. If that sounds mad then bear with me.
I can remember a time when I was a serious quaffer, I liked a glass or two or should I say a bottle or three. I don’t think I had an alcohol problem as such, just a massive capacity.
Since I started to take wine seriously though I have a smaller capacity – but a need for better and better wines. By this I do not necessarily mean more expensive wines, that is not always the way forward, far from it and this proved to be so true when I was invited to join a tutored tasting at myHotel organised by the Sussex Wine Shool. Jonny Gibson led the evening and it was a ‘meet the wine maker’ event featuring the wines of French winery Foncalieu and introducing Jean Michel and Marie-Annick who spoke to us about how the wines were produced and where the different grapes had been grown.
Wine tasting can all get a bit sniffy and swirly and let’s face it downright poncy, but not here. Whilst there was plenty of the serious stuff, the science etc., the emphasis seemed to be on how well the stuff drank – which is how I like to assess the wines that I drink. Did I like drinking it or not, simple as that.
Of course things are not really as simple as that, and whilst we tried a wide range of wines from this excellent maker we discussed the wines, what they might be well matched too, how strong they were and inevitably the price that one might expect to pay.
Foncalieu make a variety of wines for what is known as the ‘On Trade’ which to the uninitiated is wines that are made available only to restaurants and not to wine merchants or supermarket chains. They do produce wines that we can buy there too and we tasted wines from all areas of their production.
We tasted a lot of wine too, lots of grape varieties, colours and of course prices. They were all impressive too, delicious, balanced and fascinating. We chattered about what we liked and why we liked it and whilst doing so we nibbled on cheese and saucisson and bread, sharing in our passion for wine.
Not everyone liked the same wines either, which is just as it should be, no two palates are alike, nor two pockets so it was good to see that Foncalieu produce excellent wines at a wide range of prices. I also enjoyed the free discussion of marketing as we looked at how their bottles are presented to appeal to very different audiences – all clever stuff.
This was an educational experience, we looked at grapes, regions, terroir and the like but never lost sight of the real joy of wine and that of course is in the drinking.
One day I must find the time to do the Sussex Wine School’s advanced courses and perhaps get qualified but for now I will simply enjoy the drinking, in fact I have already booked to go to another of these events in December.
Les Vignobles Foncalieu is a large co-op that produces wines across the Languedoc including IGP Pays d’Oc, but also from individual denominations like Corbières, Minervois, St Chinian, Fitou, Cabardès, Picpoul de Pinet and Pic St Loup and their wines are already getting wide recognition in the UK.
Sussex Wine School is an independent wine education company led by wine educator Jonny Gibson. They have been running wine tastings and wine courses in Brighton since 2012. Their events are relaxed and fun and are aimed at people who enjoy wine and would like to learn more about it. No previous wine tasting experience is necessary. The tastings and courses are a great way to improve your confidence selecting wine, unravel the mysteries of wine lists and labels and learn how to pair wine with food. Themes include 8 week World of Wine, 4 week country-specific courses, Fine wine, Food and wine and Champagnes. Sussex Wine School is also accredited to run WSET Level 1, 2 and 3 courses in Brighton.
For more information please visit: www.sussexwineschool.com and www.foncalieu.com
