Back in December, I went to The Three Wine Men Christmas Tasting event; it was a great excuse to meet up with friends and to taste more wines.
Three Wine Men
Manchester Wine Tasting
This was a very different wine tasting event to my previous experience at Royal Horseguards in London, but was still in amazing surroundings at Manchester Town Hall. There were a large number of wines (according to the programme over 330) arranged by the seller or promoter (often the producing country) and guidance was mainly provided by the people hosting on each stand.
I admit I found it overwhelming at first. My plan was to only try red wine and I ended up visiting stands in an erratic order, so I’m sure I missed lots. Of the 32 wine stands I visited 15 and tried just 26 different wines (I made good use of the spittoons). In terms of the wines I tasted I either copied my wine buddy as we have similar tastes or asked for a full red. This tactic worked fairly well as I only disliked three wines, but I only like eleven, and none of those well enough to consider buying.
Wine & Spirit Education Trust, WSET
I completely missed there was help available from WSET until just before the event finished. By answering a few questions you got advice on the type of wine you like, with reference to one of the Three Wine Men. I got Bold and Fruity like Oz. If I’d known that earlier I could have walked around the stands looking for wine labelled with Oz’s sticker; it’s a shame I completely missed it until I’d decided not to drink any more wine.
Anyway back to WSET. They offer wine and spirit training; Yes really! And I have to say I’m tempted as it could really help me with my attempt to learn more about wine.
Conclusion
I had a fun time, but didn’t learn much and didn’t find any wines I really liked. I came home with a lovely wine glass, but now need to a find a matching pair for my husband. I’m glad I went as it provided a reason to meet up with friends and we had a great time, but I need more guidance to help me learn what wine I like, and once I know that I think I’ll find this type of event more useful. Maybe next time I should try going abroad to learn more about wine.
Well looks like you had fun! My favourite wine is Ridge – it’s pricey so only for a special occasion but worth it!
Is Ridge the winery you wrote about earlier in the year? If so it sounded like a great place to visit.
I literally do not have any idea when it comes to wine – I’m the opposite of a wine buff, whatever that is! But I do like the sound of going round and tasting lots of them 😉
I agree about trying wine. I enjoy buying mystery boxes where you don’t know what you’re going to get because it enables me to try different types of wine. I hope one day I’ll know at least what grape / country I like to drink.