Virtual Tasting Events...!

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Many thanks to Bill & Billy and (latterly) Sally for hosting 60 online weekly  events since way back in April 2020.  With (hopefully) the resumption of normality,  our  face-to-face meetings restart on 3rd July 2021.  In addition, we will revert to 'Zooming' on a monthly basis on the third Sunday of the month at 7.00pm from now on just to keep you all interested!  The first of our 'Monthly Virtual Tastings' will be on Sunday  18th July at 7.00pm, the meeting will be hosted by Sally and the theme (suggested by David)  will be 'Malbec'   

An experiment attempted on Sunday 12th April 2020 was very successful when Bill & Billy hosted a 'Virtual SWAS Tasting' using the Zoom on-line conference software. Twelve members & friends took part and thanks are due not only to the hosts but to all the participants! There is a good chance that such a Virtual Tasting will be repeated, maybe even on a weekly basis. A second event took place at 1pm on Sunday 3rd May and a third at 1pm on Sunday 10th May.

Virtual Tasting #4 Sunday 24th May at 1.00 pm: 'Pinot Noir' - Fourteen members joined in

Virtual Tasting #5 Sunday 31st May at 7.00 pm: 'White Burgundy' - again 14 members joined in

Virtual Tasting #6 Sunday 7th June at 7.00 pm: 'Cabernet Sauvignon' - 12 of us this time

Virtual Tasting #7 Sunday 14th June at 7.00pm: 'Something Unusual...' - 14 of us again, great to see David back to good form and to see James joining in from the heart of England in Moseley, Birmingham

Virtual Tasting #8 Sunday 21st June at 6.00pm: 'Australian Wines' - 13 members joined in

Virtual Tasting #9 Sunday 28th June at 7.00pm: 'Italian Wines' - 12/13 members joined in including a guest

Virtual Tasting #10 Sunday 5th July at 7.00pm: 'Balkan Wines' - Just 10 of us this time, some very interesting 'Balkan' wines from Spain & even from Puglia were included...! A very good session, nevertheless 😎

Virtual Tasting #11 Sunday 12th July at 7.00pm: 'Wines from the Chardonnay grape'

Virtual Tasting #12 Sunday 19th July at 7.00pm: 'Wines from the Iberian Peninsular' - at least 13 of us turned up this evening, lots of good Rioja, a Vinho Verde and a few Douro plus Bryan & Jill's White Port...!

Virtual Tasting #13 Sunday 26th July at 7.00pm: 'Côtes du Rhône-Villages from the lesser known villages' - a great turnout of 17 including Peter & Sioned's friend Ian and our friend Filippo who joined us from self-isolation in Italy 😎

Virtual Tasting #14 Sunday 2nd August at 7.00pm: 'Wines from Puglia' - Nine of us this evening including new member Ian Gaunt who joined in with his daughter.

Virtual Tasting #15 Sunday 9th August at 7.00pm: 'Wines from the Veneto' - a good turn-out again this evening.

Virtual Tasting #16 Sunday 16th August at 7.00pm: 'Wines from Chile' - Thirteen this evening including the Norris's who have returned from the Dark Side...!

Virtual Tasting #17 Sunday 23rd August at 7.00pm: 'Wines from Argentina' - 12 this evening,  comms problems experienced by one or two but some good and and some not so good Argentinian wines tasted during the session.

Virtual Tasting #18 Sunday 30th August at 7.00pm: 'A Favourite Wine Bought For Under £15.00' -

Virtual Tasting #19 Sunday 13th September at 7.00pm: 'Wines from Portugal'- An excellent 13 of us turned up this evening for Bill's last Virtual Tasting before his hols. James (despite joining from Sardinia) had his usual very distorted and sadly, unreadable, audio but the rest of us had good connections. Felippo was welcomed home from his 6 week lock-down in Italy and we all wished Bill, Billy & Tina well for their trip to Greece. 

Virtual Tasting #20 Sunday 20th September at 7.00pm: "Wines from Greece" - An excellent evening when eleven of us were able to connect to discuss and enjoy our choices of wine from Greece.

Virtual Tasting #21 Sunday 27th September at 7.00pm: "Australian Wines" - A very select seven of us this evening (not counting James' family)

Virtual Tasting #22 Sunday 4th October at 7.00pm: "Austrian Wines" - A record 18 of us this evening. Ian & Irina were able to connect from their hotel room in Perth in Scotland.   Even Dinah was able to rise briefly from her sickbed to join us. Get well soon, Dinah...!

Virtual Tasting #23 Sunday 11th October at 7.00pm:   "Sparkling Wines in honour of James' 80th Birthday on 10th October" - A splendid turnout of sixteen (including James' daughter Rachel & son-in law David) to open some fizz and to toast James.

Virtual Tasting #24 Sunday 18th October at 7.00pm:    "James' Choice - a Dessert Wine" - Your choice of food to accompany your wine will be of interest..! - Bill will host and will invite everyone to join the session just before 7.00pm

During the next few 'Covid Lockdown Months' we will be starting a new series of 'virtual tastings'. These will follow a very broad alphabetic theme. We will start with the letter 'A' this week. Plenty of scope, your bottle should have some sort of connection with the letter of the week. Your wine could be from a country beginning with the week's letter or perhaps it's the first letter of a main grape. The choice is yours. The possibilities are endless, the more avant-garde or obscure, the better 😊

Virtual Tasting #25 Sunday 25th October at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'A' " - Some thirteen of us this evening with a great variety of wines from across Europe and at least one nod to South America. The theme was well received and I think that it is fair to say "a good time was had by all...!". However, we were all left wondering whether Bill needs help managing his recent auction buy of 24 assorted Gins 😲

Virtual Tasting #26 Sunday 1st November at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'B' " - 16 of us this evening and what a happy bunch we were...!

Virtual Tasting #27 Sunday 8th November at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'C' " - Yet another evening when 16 SWAS Members joined in to a splendid shared evening of wine enjoyment.

Virtual Tasting #28 Sunday 15th November at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'D' " - Fourteen of us this evening, Billy & Tina were off on Opera Duties...

Virtual Tasting #29 Sunday 22nd November at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'E' " - The usual stalwart 16 turned out again this evening with lots of unusual 'E's'

Virtual Tasting #30 Sunday 29nd November at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'F' " - 15 of us this evening with some very interesting variations of 'F- Wines'.

Virtual Tasting #31 Sunday 6th December at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'G' " - we followed the 2020 AGM with a Seasonal Tasting of 'special' wines of our Members' choices.  Bill again hosted and some 16 of us joined in. 

Virtual Tasting #32 Sunday 13th December at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'H' " - Another good turnout for what was our penultimate Tasting before Christmas.

Virtual Tasting #33 Sunday 20th December at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'I' " - Bill hosted and 16 stalwarts turned out for the Tasting.

Virtual Tasting #34 Sunday 27th December at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'J' " - Our first post-Christmas session and our last of 2020. 

Virtual Tasting #35 Sunday 3rd January 2021 at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'K' "- Bill hosted as usual and we welcomed new SWAS Member Bill Lamb...!

Virtual Tasting #36 Sunday 10th January 2021 at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'L' " - A record 18 turned out this evening. It was good to see Jackie & Ted again 😊

Virtual Tasting #37 Sunday 17th January 2021 at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'M' " - Another good turnout of 17 of us ...!

Virtual Tasting #38 Sunday 24th January 2021 at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'N' " - 16 of us this evening, we all sent our thoughts and best wishes to Tina & Billy.

Virtual Tasting #39 Sunday 31st January 2021 at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'O' " - A splendid session this evening. We welcomed Christopher & Elizabeth as new members and were all so pleased that Tina & Billy seemed to have  come through their C-19 problems this week. We missed Dinah & (New) Bill who were on study duties and Alex who was catching up with her end of year Tax problems. Eighteen of us were able to be there and, despite all the silly hats, we had a splendid  evening's 'Tasting'.

Virtual Tasting #40 Sunday 7th February 2021 at 7.00pm "A Wine with connections to the letter 'P' " - What an excellent turn out this evening 😁 20 fully paid up members for a Tasting hosted, as ever, by Bill who had dropped by this evening on his way to referee a snooker match. Dinah had taken an evening off from her studies and it was good to see that Christopher & Elizabeth had turned up again having seemingly  not been too distressed by their first experience of a SWAS Virtual Tasting last week. Everyone was, as usual, very welcome...!

Virtual Tasting #41 Sunday 14th February 2021 at 7.00pm "A Valentine's Day Tasting of a Wine with connections to the letter 'Q' "

Virtual Tasting #42 Sunday 21st February 2021 at 7.00pm " Wine with connections to the letter 'R' "

Virtual Tasting #43 Sunday 28th February 2021 at 7.00pm " Wine with connections to the letter 'S' " - A great turnout of 18 this evening. Despite him taking a lot of stick, which he took all in remarkably good spirit, we all wished Peter Vos a very Happy Birthday...!

Virtual Tasting #44 Sunday 7th March 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'T' " - A very jolly evening enjoyed by  18 of us. Lots of T's and lots of anecdotes & stories about a splendid variety of wines. Bill looked magnificent in his 'Français vendeur d’oignons' outfit.

Virtual Tasting #45 Sunday 14th March 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'U' " - Lots of anecdotes and lots of memories this evening shared by 17 of us.  Alex took the prize for the most unusual 'U' (Uxbridge...???!).  Chile and Argentina featured heavily and Ian's Austrian contribution was interesting.  Tina & Billy's 'en primeur' purchase was definitely the best bargain.

Virtual Tasting #46 Sunday 21st March 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'V' " - A great turn-out of 19 members this evening, the expected rash of 'Viognier' didn't materialise...!

Virtual Tasting #47 Sunday 28th March 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'W' " - Bill hosted nineteen of us whilst we considered a selection of obscure 'W's. Jackie picked the best of the labels, Bryan and Jill's was first , James' was second &  Peter & Sioned's was third...!

Virtual Tasting #48 Easter Sunday 4th April 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'X' " - 18 of us this evening, David could not join us due to family Easter duties.  James joined in with family in Birmingham.  Bill hosted an excellent Outside Broadcast from the wilds of Kent with Tina & Billy before he was recalled  at Her Majesty's Pleasure to his B&B in HMP Elmley .  At least five Greek 'X's featured and Jackie's "label of the night" prize went to Ian's 'Xerico' Rioja.

Virtual Tasting #49  11th April 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'Y' " - Not one of the 19 of us this evening realised that this evening marked the 1st Anniversary of the very first weekend of Bill & Billy's "SWAS Virtual Tastings". Doesn't time fly by...? Jackie's 'Best Label Prizes' went to: 1st Sally & Peter in a tie with Alex; 2nd Elizabeth & Christopher; 3rd: Ian.

Virtual Tasting #50 18th April 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'Z' "- This evening we appeared before Mr Justice Gaunt. After a lengthy trial W. Geddes Esq., was found 'Guilty as Charged' and was sent down at Her Maj's Pleasure. The rest of us were acquitted. "Take Him Down..." was the cry.  Zzzzz...

Jackie awarded herself Third Prize on her Label Role of Honour, Ian was an easy Second but Christopher & Elizabeth ultimately floated away with their gravity defying 'Zero-G' in a clear First Place 😎

Virtual Tasting #51 25th April 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'A '- Sally & Peter hosted (whilst Mr Geddes completed his custodial sentence).  A slightly depleted 16 of us this evening, Bill managed to make it back from Kent by the skin of his teeth.
CORRECTION: Jackie has reminded me that the 'Label of the Week 1st prize was actually awarded to Billy & Tina for their splendid Greek wine .  Christopher & Elizabeth scooped the 'Artistic Contribution' Trophy for the second week running ... (yah, boo, sucks, etc 😁). 

Virtual Tasting #52 2nd May 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'B '- Sally hosted a rather depleted 14 of us this evening.  Christopher & Elizabeth scooped the 'Artistic Contribution' Trophy for the third  week running and Claire & Mike were, rather surprisingly, awarded the 'Best Label' prize for their not particularly well stored 2008 Rioja.

Virtual Tasting #53:  9th May 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'C'- Sally hosted 18 this evening, James' video was sadly, frozen for the session but his audio worked well. His wine, Château Canon Chaigneau 2002, scored highly both on age and on multple 'C's. Elizabeth & Christopher came first in the label stakes, Claire & Mike were second with their undrinkable Montagne-St Emilion 2008 and James was third with his very drinkable St Emilion 2002.  Christopher & Elizabeth took the prize for 'Artistic Design' yet again.  It was good to see our Scottish contingent back with us after their success in the Polls... 😎  

Virtual Tasting #54:  16th May 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'D'- We congratulated Elizabeth & Christopher on the new signing to their grandchildren's football team - they will soon be up to the required XI... 😁 Lots of good 'D's this evening. James easily won the Label Competition with his '2012 Dogs', Ian's '2019 Agenda' was a strong second and Claire & Mike's excellent '2018 Châteauneuf-du-Pape' was a lowly third. Our resident aesthetes, Elizabeth & Christopher, again romped away with the Prize for Artistic Contribution...

Virtual Tasting #55:  23rd May 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'E'- Jackie's Label Competition, despite her being off on a weekend 'Jolly' to the envy of us all 😁 :

Best Label of the Week:  
Joint 3rd: Mike & Claire (in absentia) for their 2019 Silver Route Tempranillo Syrah Old Vine from Extremadura
AND Sally & Peter for their 2016 Côtes du Rhône.  A very attractive picturesque scene.
2nd: Jill & Bryan for their 2016 Paul Cluver Elgin - such a beautifully designed label in an Art Nouveau style.  Most attractive.
1st: James with his 2018 Red Heads, Esulé Woman with Gun, McLaren Vale.  A 'pop art' label - Lichtenstein perhaps?  The Esulé label was chosen to be part of San Francisco's MOMA 'How Wine became Modern' exhibition in the 'Woman with Gun' section.

Joint Award for Artistic Contribution caregory goes to... (drum roll...) Elizabeth & Cristopher for their 2018 French white Espirit de L'Horizon set amongst the white spirit and white paint. "I like their style". It's always good to knock back a glass or two when decorating as it alleviates the boredom
AND to Claire & Mike - whether intentional or not** the precisely positioned coaster seems to echo the style of the label. Very clever.

(** it wasn't - ed.)

Virtual Tasting #56  30th May 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'F'-  a select 13 of us this evening.  Jackie's Label  Competition: 

Best Label of the Week:
Special Mention to Claire & Mike for their 2017 Feuerheerd 'Anchor' Duoro DOC. Jackie hesitated with this one as she would also have liked to see the actual bottle. More of a wrapper than a label *  
3rd Place: James for his 2009 Gerard Bertrand La Forge - nice script, informative label
2nd: Jill & Bryan for their Saint Ferreol Viognier Grand Reserve.  Very attractive classic label. "I always like a split label and the uneven edges on this particular label are very attractive".
1st: Elizabeth & Christopher for their 2018 Californian Zinfandel 'Frog's Leap'. Nice crisp, clean label. "I particularly liked the blocked style".

( * The wrapper was ripped off later revealing a totally plain bottle... ed.)

Virtual Tasting #57:  6th Jun 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'G'- Full marks to Jackie for keeping her Label Competition going!

Special mention to Alex for her Chilean Sauvignon Blanc showing Hokusai's the Great Wave, one of the most well known and reproduced art images worldwide and reproduced here on a wine label. Special mention also to Claire & Mike for their Spanish Vina Altogrado 2020 Garnacha. A handsome and distinctive label.

3rd place Sioned & Peter for their double G  Rosé – Gamay Grolleau 2019 A nice clean label with a silver flourish which is also water marked on the left of the label, plus the black band at the bottom, make this a very attractive label.

2nd place Bill for his 2013 Domaine Grosset Cairanne Côte du Rhône. A beautifully designed traditional label with rustic charm. Very attractive.

1st place Ian for his Roberto Sarroto Tenuta Manenti – what an absolutely stunning label. All that gold. I like how the lettering circles around the central point and that the font is of different sizing.

Joint Award for Artistic Contribution category award goes to Elizabeth & Christopher – as they consistently pull something out of the bag and are always on the ball with this category, also for the added authenticity of a cricket match going on in the background, and also to: Bill – although obviously not staged six years ago with this event in mind, it adds depth and humour to a simple bottle of wine. I reckon Janis was checking the receipt as was oft her wont! It’s a brilliant image Bill and a fond reminder. 

(We should all aim to stay clear of grumpy Frenchmen in the future... ed.)

Virtual Tasting #58:  13th Jun 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'H' -  15 of us this evening.  Elizabeth was congratulated on her appearance on the 2021 Queen's Birthday Honours List...!    

Jackie's competition:  

Wine Label of the Week 13 June:  Special mention to Claire & Mike for their 2018 Shiraz Chalk Hill from McLaren Vale. A simple understated label with an unusual curve to the top of the label meant to represent the hill perhaps? 

3rd place Elizabeth & Christopher for their East Sussex Bacchus Reserve 'Hidden Spring'.  A delicate and refined design. I liked the little bunches of grapes. 

Joint 2nd place to Jill & Bryan for their López de Haro Rioja Blanco – an unusual label with the angled banner. Am assuming the image at the bottom of the label is the house and vineyard, and also (although not mentioned at the meeting as it was only emailed at 18.50) to  Alex for her Hawkes Bay 2020 Rosé 'LeftField'. With a rather amazing moth on wheels. Liked the play on 'Left field' also. 

1st place to James for his Whip-Hand Cabernet Sauvignon by Redheads Studio 2012 from the Barossa Valley. A very powerful image. You can almost hear the crack of the whip and taste the dust. 

Award for Artistic Contribution category to Elizabeth & Christopher for their wine from East Sussex - Bacchus Reserve Hidden Spring.  Displayed, of course, against a rather handsome hand tufted mattress. Colours blend well too.  

Virtual Tasting #59:  20th Jun 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'I' - Sally hosted a very cosy turn out of just 11 of us this evening.

Jackie's competition:  

Special mention to Alex for her Inama Vin Soave Classico 2020 Veneto, a very stylish and classic label with nice fonts, and to Bill for his attractive Rioja label but not for his horrible sauce bottle. Sioned and Peter were a mistake – sorry!

3rd place to James for his Sardus Pater Is Arenas Riserva Carignano del Sulcis from Southern Italy. A very stylish and classic label with strong colours. Most attractive.

2nd place Claire & Mike for their il Brutto Negroamaro Primitivo from Salento, southern Italy. A very striking label indeed with the red and gold vine and the vertical medieval/gothic style of script.

1st place to Sally & Peter for their Greek wine Cavino Ionos 2020. What an absolutely beautiful label with all the little coloured butterflies flitting hither and thither and fluttering around the metal skirt also.

Award for Artistic Contribution category goes to Alex for using a very ancient (over 250 years old) wooden background to display her wine.

Virtual Tasting #60:  27th Jun 2021 at 7.00pm "Wine with connections to the letter 'J' -  After 60 highly enjoyable virtual Tastings we've now come to the end of our weekly sessions.  With the gradual lifting of restriction we will restart our monthly face-to-face meetings.  All is not lost regarding the 'virtual' events, these will continue on a monthly basis  on the third Sunday of the month.

Jackie's Final Wine label of the Week 27 June

 Special mention to Alex for her Altus French white wine. An interesting label and the fact she managed so many J’s. 

 Joint 3rd place to James for his 2006 Pinot Noir from the Julicher Estate in Martinborough, New Zealand. Simple but has great impact, and to: Claire & Mike for their South Australian Shiraz 2019 produced by Peter 'Juicy' Gajewski. A colourful eye catching label. Although the same design, I wonder if the label is printed in different colours depending on the vintage, but I may be wrong on this. 

 2nd place Sioned & Peter for their Jean-Pierre Moueix St Emilion 2016.Such an elegant classic label. I can’t make out what the gold leaf type design represents . My first thought was the vine leaf and then possibly a golden four leaf clover, also note the subtle trellis design in the background. 

 1st place to Elizabeth & Christopher for their Jaa-bru 2019 Malbec from Blank Bottle in Stellenbosch. Very striking. Is there a Crazy Mouth monster known as Mr Stumpy perhaps? 

 Award for Artistic Contribution category goes to Christopher & Elizabeth as some thought went into finding an image to echo their wine label, and also perhaps surprisingly to Claire & Mike for their toning coaster which matches the colours on their label perfectly. They must have coasters for all occasions!

NEXT EVENT:  Many thanks to Bill & Billy and (latterly) Sally for hosting 60 online weekly  events since way back in April 2020.  With the resumption of normality,  our  face-to-face meetings restart on 3rd July 2021.  In addition, we will continue to 'be Zooming' on a monthly basis on the third Sunday of the month at 7.00pm from now on just to keep you all interested!  The first of our 'Monthly Virtual Tastings' will be on Sunday  18th July at 7.00pm, the meeting will be hosted by Sally and the theme (suggested by David)  will be 'Malbec'   

Page last updated 10.7.2021