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[glass]Events: Hilary 2004

Bottles Please click on the list of events below to read further information:

Photos of events

View photos of previous tastings and events on our alumni page.
If you have any photographs of events to submit please email web@oxforduniversitywinesociety.com.

Earlier Termcards

Details

Educational Blind Tastings: Session One

Glass of Red Wine
Sunday 1st week (25 January)
7.45 for 8pm
Rainolds Room, Corpus Christi College.

This term sees the advent of a new pedagogical tool to further develop our wine tasting skills. 'Bacchus Educational Blind Tastings' is a series of non-competitive, small group semi-blind tastings. No previous knowledge of wine is required, only a longing to learn!

Each session will begin with a presentation of different wine styles. After this we will serve 6 or 7 unidentified wines, and try to pair up the different wines with the described wine styles. A fantastical way to perfect your tasting skills, the sessions will no doubt be useful for beginners and experienced tasters alike.

Session One (1st Week)

This our first session will take a broad look major red wines & grapes across the globe. Please email thomas@oxfordwinesociety.org if you want to participate.

£5 payable on the glass. 15 places only.

This event is now FULLY BOOKED

Oxford Great Value

Glass of Red WineThursday 2nd week (29th January)
7.45 for 8pm
New Rooms, Magdalen College

Tonight members will have the opportunity to 'try before you buy' a range of wines readily available in stores around Oxford. As a service to members the Committee has selected 10 wines, ranging from £5 to £20, to test against the palates of value craving members!

Use this opportunity to orienteer your way towards good quality and value for money! The entire £5 glass charge will go towards covering the (unsponsored) cost of the wines.

50 places. Please book online. £5 payable on the glass.

Weingut Robert Weil (Rheingau)

Weingut Robert Weil LogoTuesday 3rd week (3rd February)
7.45 for 8pm
New Rooms, Magdalen College

http://www.weingut-robert-weil.com/

Tonight we shall be tasting wines from one of the most prestigious producers of the Rheingau region of Germany. With wines which "have a simplicity of line and a purity of fruit that promises greatness over the long term" this promises to be an excellent tasting.

Our speaker tonight is Jochen Becker-Kohn, export manager from the estate, who will be guiding us through a tasting of some of their fine wines.

50 places. Please book online. £3 payable on the glass.

Wines of Austria

Austrian Wine Marketing Board LogoMonday 4th week (9th February)
6.45 for 7pm
New Rooms, Magdalen College

http://www.winesfromaustria.com/

To wine trade professionals and discerning enthusiasts, Austria is renowned for producing red, white and especially dessert wines of outstanding quality. Increasingly seen on wine merchant's lists in England, interest and prices are growing rapidly as importers seek out top class producers. Tonight we are delighted to host Susanne Staggl from the Austrian Wine Bureau, who is travelling from Vienna to join us for a unique and very special tutored tasting covering a large selection of Austria's greatest wines. All the main styles and regions will be covered in this comprehensive and educational evening. It promises to be an unmissable opportunity to learn about this relatively undiscovered region.

50 places. Please book online. £3 payable on the glass.

Glenlivet Whisky

Glenlivet LogoThursday 4th week (12th February)
7.45 for 8pm
New Rooms, Magdalen College

http://www.theglenlivet.com/

The Glenlivet remains the definitive Speyside malt. Since the early 19th century, when George Smith was granted the first legal licence to distil in the valley, Glenlivet was the guarantee of a quality born out of an unflinching conviction to produce the best possible. Today, still considered the definitive Speyside malt and the only one that can call itself The Glenlivet, this famous Scotch whisky exhibits the characteristic delicacy and softness of the region. It is acclaimed for its balance and perfect finish and is the benchmark by which all other malts are measured.

Ann Miller, International Brand Ambassador with Chivas Brothers, will speak about what continues to make The Glenlivet so special as well as conducting a tutored tasting of the range.

50 places. Please book online. £4 payable on the glass.

Domaine Paul Blanck (Alsace)

Domaine Paul Blanck LogoTuesday 5th week (17th February)
7.45 for 8pm
New Rooms, Magdalen College

http://www.blanck.com/

Tonight is Bacchus' first ever Alsace tasting - and it promises to be a good one! Domaine Paul Blanck is a top-class Alsace domaine, specializing in single Cru wines. To quote Clive Coates in The Vine, "This property now belongs in the super league".

This domaine in Kaysersberg is now run by Philippe Blanck and his winemaker cousin, Frédéric - who will be presenting the tasting tonight.

This promises to be a popular event. Please book early to ensure a place.

50 places. Please book online. £3 payable on the glass.

Grand Cru Part II - The Old World

A glass of red wineSunday 7th week (29th Feburary)
6.45 for 7pm
Old Law Library, Magdalen College

Following on from the sell-out success of last term's French Grand Cru tasting, we turn our attention to the remainder of the 'Old World'. Often overlooked amid the commercialisation of fashionable wines from Australia, New Zealand and the Americas, the remainder of Europe has been the cradle of winemaking for several thousand years. Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany and Austria all produce wines that can be held up as the finest of their kind in the world. Tonight Dr Edward Fitzgerald and Thomas Heath will again present a carefully chosen selection of the most famous bottles in this tutored tasting. This is a unique opportunity to taste the some of the world's greatest wines and a truly memorable night to talk about for years to come.

Cost: £28. Please book a place by sending a cheque (payable to "Bacchus Wine Society") to James Alexander at Brasenose College. Please book early to ensure a place.

The Australian Wine Challenge

Australian Wine Bureau LogoWednesday 7th week (3rd March)
7.45 for 8pm
New Rooms, Magdalen College

http://www.australianwinebureau.com/

Here's the event we've all been waiting for! Tonight, Avril Abbott will present to us a broad range of Australian wines, highlighting some of the major grape varieties and vinification styles characteristic of Australian winemaking. And pay attention! Following her presentation she will distribute a short written exam, for which all of the answers will have been given during her talk. You will also be presented with two wines to taste blind. You will be asked to identify the grape variety (which will be one of those presented to you during the tasting), and to write a tasting note about each wine. The three top scores will go on to represent Oxford University in the national competition to be held in London in May/June 2004. The top prize? A round trip ticket to Oz for a spectacular wine tour, and an opportunity for travel in Australia! Beth, Ed, and Nina ended up taking the top prize in 2002, and it is definitely well worth the effort.

Book early! This is certain to be a popular event.

50 places. Please book online. £2 payable on the glass.

Villa Maria (New Zealand)

Villa Maria LogoTuesday 8th week (9th March)
7.45 for 8pm
New Rooms, Magdalen College

http://www.villamaria.co.nz/

Founded in 1961 by George Fistonich, this family owned New Zealand Winery is one of New Zealand's leading winemakers. As the country's leading award winner, both nationally and internationally, Villa Maria sources the finest grapes from each of New Zealand's premium grape growing regions; Marlborough, Hawke's Bay, Gisborne and Auckland. Villa Maria's viticultural team has representatives in each major region and a major investment in Hawke's Bay. The team not only manages its own vineyards and developments, but also provides a complete advisory service to its growers. The ability to select the right sites and develop and manage these vineyards to specific wine style and quality goals has been a major factor in Villa Maria's success. At the heart of this remains their focus on the importance of regional differences in grape quality and wine styles.

Tom Stevenson (The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopaedia) "Villa Maria is the best all round producer in New Zealand."

50 places. Please book online. £3 payable on the glass.

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