Events: Michaelmas 2007

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.
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Earlier Termcards

Details

Wines of South Africa - South Africa winemakers tasting

South African flag

Thursday 1st Week (11th October)
6.45 for 7pm
Oscar Wilde Room, Magdalen College

One of the oldest of all the 'New World' wine producing areas, South Africa is often thought the closest in style to the famous European wine regions whilst still establishing its own unique tastes and styles. Tonight we welcome five winemakers who have traveled from South Africa to present their estates and talk us through their different wines: Veenwouden Private Cellar, Morgenster Estate, Nabygelegen Private Cellar, Jean Daneel Wines and Yeo & Co. With the unique opportunity to learn first-hand from a range of experts and try wines from five different producers, this tasting will make an unmissable start to Michaelmas!

45 places. Please book by contacting catherine@oxfordwinesociety.org. £5 on the glass for members, £10 for non-members.

OUWS Beginners' Classes

Glass of Red Wine

Saturday 1st Week (13th October) and Saturday 2nd Week (20th October)
Beginners' Tasting Class - led by Dr. Ed Fitzgerald.

6.45 for 7pm
Lecture Room A, Magdalen College

Now in their seventh year, we are pleased to be running our Beginners' Classes again this Michaelmas term. Offered as a set of two evening sessions, each night includes the tasting of at least 7 wines. In a small group we will cover tasting skills, 'good' vs. 'poor' wines, popular white & red grape varieties and classic wine styles. It also offers a great opportunity for experienced wine drinkers to improve their tasting skills and improve their knowledge of the classic grape varieties.

Cost: £29 members, £48 non-members.

The dates for the classes are as follows:

Saturday 13th October (end of 1st week): Class one
Saturday 20th October (end of 2nd week): Class two

To book a place please pigeon post a cheque (payable to Catherine Lee) to Catherine Lee at Magdalen College. These classes are always oversubscribed, so please book as soon as possible to secure a place! For further information please contact: edward@oxfordwinesociety.org.

Wines of Italy - with Cambridge Wine Merchants

Barbaresco

Wednesday 2nd Week (17th October)
6.45 for 7pm
Oscar Wilde Room, Magdalen College

www.cambridgewine.com

Perhaps the most complex and fascinating of all the worlds wine producing countries, Italy often remains an enigma to even the most passionate of wine enthusiasts. With a myriad of regions and grape varieties, trying to learn about the wines can be a frustrating yet greatly rewarding experience. To guide us through our vinous travels Brett Turner, Chairman of Cambridge Wine Merchants, returns to the Society again for what promises to be an excellent tasting comparing some famous wines from the great regions of Piedmont, Tuscany and Veneto.

45 places. Please book online. £5 on the glass.

Wines of Chile

Wednesday 3rd Week (24th October)
6.45 for 7pm
Oscar Wilde Room, Magdalen College

www.winesofchile.org

Although vines where first brought to Chile in the 1500's by the Spanish conquistadores, its reputation as one of the leading lights of 'New World' wine production was firmly established as recently as the 1990's. Both historic wine dynasties and talented young wine makers have led to this South American country now being regarded as one of the world's best sources of good value quality wines. With such a rich history of viticulture, this long thin country is also blessed with a great range of climates ideally suited to a wide range of grapes. Tonight we welcome Michael Cox, Director of the Chilean wine industry's representative body, who will talk about the different wine regions and guide us through a range of wines.

45 places. Please book online. £5 on the glass.

The Wine Show (London)

The Wine Show

Friday - Sunday 5th Week (25 - 28th October)
Business Design Centre, London N1

www.wineshow.co.uk

Make your date with The Wine Show 2007 at London's Business Design Centre, Islington from 25-28 October 2007. Now in its 3rd great year and attracting over 15,000 wine lovers, the show gives the opportunity to sample 1000s of wines from 100+ exhibitors at the country's biggest and best excuse to discover the world of wine. OUWS has linked up with the show to offer members discount tickets.

Please email catherine@oxfordwinesociety.org for further details and join the Bacchus group attending on the day!

Bordeaux Tasting CIVB (Council for Bordeaux Wines)

The Wine Show

Thursday 4th Week (1st November)
6.45 for 7pm
***NOTE LOCATION CHANGE***
Dorffman Centre, St Peter's College

www.vins-bordeaux.fr

From its vineyards on the banks of the Gironde, Bordeaux produces an array of subtley different styles which can baffle the uninitiated. Tonight in the Council for Bordeaux Wine will guide us through a complete cross-section of the region from Medoc in the north to Sauternes in the south.

45 places. Please book online. £5 on the glass.

Emilio Lustau Sherry

Glass of Red Wine

Monday 5th Week (5th November)
6.45 for 7pm
Oscar Wilde Room, Magdalen College

http://www.emilio-lustau.com/

One of the largest family run Bodegas in Jerez, Spain, Lustau produce an excellent selection of wines with some world class stars at the top of their range. Tonight we welcome one of the company's Directors, Mr Michael Hall, a recent chairman of the Sherry Shippers' Association. He will be talking to the Society about sherry wines and leading us though an excellent selection from the Lustau range. Robert Parker, perhaps the world's most famous wine critic, says of Lustau: 'simply staggering in quality - sherries such as these remain among the last great unknown wine bargains of the world. They must be tasted to be believed'.

45 places. Please book online. £5 on the glass.

Guerrieri Rizzardi

Giuseppe Rizzardi Thursday 6th Week (15th November)
6.45 for 7pm
Oscar Wilde Room, Magdalen College

www.guerrieri-rizzardi.it

Guerrieri Rizzardi is the only Veronese wine estate to own vineyards and cellars in the four different DOC Classico Areas, and certainly the expert of the region's historical grape varieties Corvina, Garganega and the formerly nearly extinguished Marco Bona. Giuseppe Rizzardi, son of the Contessa Rizzardi and chief winemaker at Guerrieri Rizzardi started his career in Bordeaux, where he studied viticulture and vinification. Giuseppe defines his approach to viticulture as "scientifique". His experience at the Bordeaux Classique Chateaux taught him how to maximise the capability of the different grapes on the four estates to create authentic, balanced and well structured wines. Giuseppe will be leading our tasting of premium wines from the family estates including the Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico 2001 awarded the prestigious "Tre Bicchieri" by the famous Gambero Rosso wine guide, the first such award for the Guerrieri Rizzardi Estate and placing it amongst the finest wines in Italy.

35 places. Please book online. £5 on the glass.

Wines of Spain

Tuesday 7th Week (20th November)
Wines of Spain with Lynne Sherriff MW

6.45 for 7pm
Oscar Wilde Room, Magdalen College

New Wave Spain - Lynne will be taking us through a selection of what is hot and happening out of Spain right now. The wines selected were all award winners in the New Wave Spanish Wine Awards 2007. This was a comprehensive tasting of over 800 Spanish wines by some of the UK's most illustrious palates - Joanna Simon of the Sunday Times, Tim Atkin of the Observer, Nick Room from Waitrose, James Griswood from Tesco. Out of this 800 just 109 were selected to represent the best of New Wave Spain. We will be tasting 8 wines ranging from bubbles through to luscious sherries with some delicious red and whites along the way.

45 places. Please book online. £5 on the glass.

Champagne Grand Cru

Glass of Red Wine Saturday 7th Week (24th November)

6.45 for 7pm
St Peter's College

Following on from the sell-out success of previous years' 'Grand Cru' tasting series, we continue this year with a focus class looking at the finest Champagnes. The purpose of these 'Grand Cru' evenings is simply to taste the greatest examples of wines available today. These classes celebrate the very best wines in production and offer the unique opportunity to taste as a group wines so expensive and rare that they are often unavailable to individuals. Tonight our class will look at the likes of Taittinger, Bollinger, and Louis Roederer's 'Cristal', amongst others. Dr Edward Fitzgerald will 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: £25 members (limited places for non-members at £40). Please book a place by sending a cheque (payable to "Bacchus Wine Society") to Catherine Lee at Magdalen College. Please book early to ensure a place.

Christie's Auction (London)

Christie's Logo Monday 8th Week (26th November)
Christie's Auctioneers, South Kensington, London

http://www.christies.com/

These days, rightly or wrongly, many fine and rare wines are traded as commodities like blue-chip stocks. Proudly at the centre of this international trade is Christie's of London, an auction house known to many for their fine art sales rather than fine wine. However, with their first wine sale taking place in 1766 and a team of nine highly respected experts on hand to advise clients, this is the one place to buy and sell the world's most famous wines. From everyday claret to a bottle of Château Lafite-Rothschild 1784 (which sold for £24,200 in November 2000) Christies is rightly proud of its historic tradition.

This afternoon, by a special annual arrangement, Christie's have again agreed to host a small number of OUWS members for the pre-auction tasting. This sale promises to be one of the largest of the year, with over 700 lots. David Elswood (Head of European Wine Sales) and Carolyn Holmes (Senior Specialist) will be there to greet us and take our group through the line up of wines and auction itself. Complimentary auction catalogues are kindly being provided.

12 places are available. To book please send a cheque for £5 (payable to "Bacchus Wine Society") together with your contact details to Chris Lintott, Somerville College. Please book at least one week before the event. Members are responsible for their own transport arrangements to and from Christie's.

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