A FRUITFUL DAY LEARNING HOW TO GET FROM VINE TO WINE!

Glen King spends a fruitful day learning about the art of getting from vine to wine..

A self professed wine lover (well I have had a lot of practice), I jumped at the chance to take part in an introductory wine course at the Devon Wine School in Cheriton Fitzpaine identified by Jonathan Ray of the Daily Telegraph as one of the top 10 places in the UK to learn more about wine. 

My fellow wannabe Sommeliers and I were in the capable hands of Alastair Peebles one of only 295 Masters of Wine in the World.  With over 40 years in the industry as a former director of the prestigious Wine Merchants Berry Bros & Rudd, Alastair has also made films for some of the world’s top wine producers.  With wife Carol, a professional cook, he now operates the only residential Wine School in the UK from a delightful 17th century farmhouse set in 3 acres of beautiful Devon countryside.  The group of ten on the day included couples who had travelled from as far afield as Durham and Berkshire who took advantage of the stunning 5* Gold Award winning accommodation on offer.

This one day course is perfect for someone interested in wine who wants to learn how to taste and enjoy it whilst gaining useful knowledge as to why a wine tastes as it does and what to look for when faced with a daunting row of bottles on the supermarket shelf.  Held in the relaxing and contemporary dining room, from the moment you arrive you are met with a warm welcome by the hosts and their adorable dogs, Dudley and Lilly.  After an introduction by Alastair, workbooks were handed out whilst Carol delivered a bowl of delicious, hot freshly baked homemade bread sticks to clear the palate between tastings. 

The programme uses the WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) systematic approach to Tasting Wine©.  In addition, Alastair is an Approved Programme Provider for the Wine & Spirit Education Trust’s Foundation (WSET) training in Intermediate and Advanced Level Courses offering in-house and distance learning and specially tailored external courses for pubs, restaurants and hotels.

Alastair is not your traditional “chalk and talk” teacher as he actively encourages audience participation.  “Never think a question is stupid or be afraid to stick your neck out and be wrong, it is the only way to learn.” Alastair informed us. “I hate it when some Sommeliers talk down to their customers.  There is no room for pretention”.

Our programme included the tasting technique; factors influencing the style of wine; key white and black grape varieties; New World versus Old Word sparkling and sweet wines and food and wine matching.  The average retail price of each wine tasted was £14 per bottle although we did sample a rather fine Premier Cru Burgundy from Beaune, retailing at £24.98.  Cru is French for growth and it is all about location, location, location of the vines, Alastair informed us.  The climate is a key factor to the wine industry and the type of wine produced is due to whether it is grown in a cool, moderate or hot location.  We learned that crisp dry whites with high acidity are generally produced on the cooler coastal regions with more robust wines made from grapes grown inland. 

The day is made up of a series of blind tastings and Alastair invited us to utilise all of our senses to fully enjoy the experience.  Firstly we tilted the glass against a white background to check the clarity and intensity of colour and then swirled the wine to release the bouquet, burying our noses deep into the glass to inhale the heady aromas.  Naturally our Master of Wine is an expert at twirling the wine, however, as a novice I highly recommend engaging the base of the glass with the tablecloth as you swirl to avoid spillage!  We each got very enthusiastic feeling like real wine experts as we detected a diversity of smells ranging from delicate floral perfume to petrol, smoke and spice.  Next we moved on to the palate and the tasting technique (my favourite part), where we were actively encouraged to make loud slurping noises.  Utilising the taste buds on the tongue we experienced sweet, sour, salty and bitter elements.  We discovered that wines with high acidity dried out the side of the tongue leaving your mouth watering which sounds like an oxymoron but is a fact.  Naturally in order to write this article coherently I restrained from imbibing all of the 17 varieties of wine by utilising my spittoon; it did help my resolve when Alastair informed us that there are no taste buds in the throat.  My new found drinking pals and I were keen to out-shout each other with descriptions of the flavours we could detect, becoming more adventurous as our confidence grew throughout the day.  This included ‘manure’ which sounds unattractive but certain reds like Burgundies can take on a rustic farmyard smell and taste. 

At 2 pm we adjourned to the homely farmhouse kitchen for lunch where Carol had served a wonderful repast of spicy lentil soup, homemade breads, home cooked ham, fabulous salads, and a wonderful spinach roulade with prawns followed by a selection of cheese accompanied, naturally, with a choice of wine. It was a great way to get to know the rest of the group socially which included two couples who had travelled from Surrey to celebrate a Birthday.  Peter Merrett from nearby Sandford had been given the course as a Christmas present from his wife who heard Alastair being interviewed by BBC Radio Devon’s Judi Spiers.  Local wine merchant Rory Stapleton who owns the Jolly Vintner in Tiverton had recommended the course to his brother-in-law Richard Pettinger who was particularly enthusiastic about the day.

Further blind wine tastings followed with each of us encapsulated by Alastair’s enthusiasm and expertise which instilled a thirst for knowledge.  Mid afternoon we enjoyed a welcome tea break and a slice of Carol’s delicious homemade lemon drizzle cake which would have complemented the Sauternes from Bordeaux we tried later in the day; a sweet dessert wine with a deep gold and bright clarity with overtones of Seville marmalade and honey which was not cloying; just heavenly.  Eat your heart out Jilly Goolden! 

The day concluded at 5.30 pm with a celebratory glass of fizz and a certificate. The general consensus was that it was a unique and unmissable experience and we were all keen to put our new found knowledge into practice and to really take the time to appreciate good wine.

For full details of courses and wine tastings, lunches and dinners offered by The Devon Wine School contact: 01363 866742 - www.devonwineschool.co.uk

Huish Episcopi Academy's Bright New Future

Rachel Britt and Roger Madge of Huish Episcopi Academy a specialist college for Science, Languages and Applied Learning in Langport talk to Glen King Marketing about the bright future for this award winning college ....

It is a new era and a very exciting time for Huish Episcopi in Langport as the school can now offer their pupils a chance to continue their further education studies in a brand new cutting edge designed £4.5 million sixth form facility.

The new autumn term welcomed 6^th formers for the first time a chance to explore the newly completed building.  A multi-functional auditorium, contemporary café, high-tech computer suites and vibrant colour scheme are just some of the innovative design features.  And the response from the students was very positive. 

Laura Thornton

Laura Thornton is a year 12 student studying Maths, English Literature, History and Spanish, she said, “It was really exciting to come into such a modern building . The best thing is the size of the classes, because they are smaller you can really concentrate and get one-to-one tutoring.”

Roger Madge, Head of Huish Sixth says, “The completion of Huish Sixth following 5 years of hard work on the project has given the entire school a new lease of life. There is a hub of excitement amongst the students and staff. Now that we have the facilities available we can really encourage a number of pioneering projects that have until now only been talked about for the future. In addition we are looking to establish strong relationships with local businesses to offer them opportunities such as using our conferencing facilities. We also want members of the local community to be fully involved and have the opportunity to benefit from the new development.  It has so much to offer and we want to share it with as many people as possible. We’re hoping to run art exhibitions and start-up a film club in the fantastic new auditorium as well as other community based projects.”

From left: Head of Husih Episcopi Graham Roff, Head of Governors David Bell, David Heath MP and Head of Huish Sixth Roger Madge

And it’s a double celebration as the school which is rated outstanding by Ofsted is one of the first in the country to attain *Academy status under the new coalition Government.   Following careful consideration by a panel of staff and governors this month the final seal of approval was given which means the school has freedom from local authority  and will be able to make changes that can maximise the potential of students at the Academy.

One area that will no doubt gain increased focus is the language department following its recent accreditation in the form of ‘The International School Award (ISA)’. This recognises the school’s commitment to embedding a global dimension into the curriculum through projects that collaborate with pupils in other European countries such as Spain and Sweden.   International Dimension Co-ordinator Rachel Britt says, “It is wonderful to receive this award in recognition of all our efforts to ensure our pupils are global citizens and realise the world is on their doorstep.  We feel it is essential that pupils take advantage of the opportunities available to link with their peers in countries all over the world to teach each other, share ideas and gain an insight into the culture of that country.” 

The world just got smaller with the use of webcams and Skype allowing pupils to immerse themselves in other cultures from day-to-day as well as through school study trips to Italy, France and Spain to increase awareness of local environmental schemes and implementing such schemes via the schools ‘Not Stupid’ campaign. Pupils are also encouraged to share their work with students in countries as far flung as Chile, New Zealand and India.

 www.huishepiscopi.net