Cracked! 23 Sept 08
September 30th, 2008 | by Hayley | Published in Sessions
The pours were big, the experts fabulous and most people left with a whole new respect for the Grenache grape (Gris and Noir).
We packed out the newly opened Black Room in the Kingly Club – classic French cinema projected on the walls, popping corks and the excitement of something new noisily filled the room (until Ang’s wolf whistle cut through the air). The night had begun and we were ready to learn and err… drink. No spitting here, only the indulgent were allowed to take part in these tasting sessions.
Charismatic Englishman and wine author Hugh Baker lyrically bounced off the ever-smooth Guillaume (G) Glipa’s French wine selections for the evening – decoding a few french myths along the way.
We gave ‘three blind mice’ a whole new meaning, asking volunteers to participate in a spot of blind tasting. The wine was a 1999 Chateau Monbousquet St. Emilion Grand Cru Classés and the descriptions were fantastic. The women compared this wine to the perfect partner. Rocks your world and leaves you feeling fabulous the morning after. The gentleman? Well there was something about long, long legs… actually Mark’s descriptions were so good, we’ve asked him to be a guest contributor. You can read it for yourself in the tasting notes.
The night finished later than planned but guests left knowing more about French wine than when they arrived. Hugh handed out copies of his book to everyone – a handy little guide for any little trip to the off-licence or Calais for that matter.
To quote one of the emails we received the morning after “The Tasting Sessions was the best night I’ve had in a while… although I’m a little hazy today”.
Welcome to the journey tasters!
See the photos from our launch event here.
