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| It’ll be a corker of an
evening |
This friendly unstuffy wine tasting course is
perfect for beginners and experts alike, writes Joel Taylor
From left: Martyn Zemevieius, Paula Bibby and Andrew Thomas
from wine producers Palandri |
DID you know one-in-ten bottles of wine in the world is corked?
Or that red wines become paler with age?
Or, indeed, that Lambrini was made with pears and has never even
seen a grape?
These were just a few of the precious nuggets of information that
could be gleaned from a wine course that a Camden Town bar held
over three weeks recently.
And after the success of the course they are now planning a series
of monthly wine evenings for enthusiasts to enjoy beginning on Wednesday.
Over the course of three weeks the Mac Bar, in Camden Road, invited
wine producers, sommeliers and experts to spread their knowledge,
without the rigmarole and officiousness that is often associated
with formal wine courses, to budding wine connoisseurs from the
area.
There were buckets to spit sips of wine out, but it seemed that
they were there more for decoration than for actual use.
Over recent years there has been a huge growth in wine drinking
but how much is actually known remains open for debate.
For most people choosing a good wine involves strolling through
the drinks section of Sainsbury’s weighing up which interchangeable
New World wine on offer should be consumed this evening.
“We wanted to have something very informal, where people could
have a laugh, and just learn a bit about wine,” says Paula
Bibby, who runs the bar with her husband Andy.
“It can be a bit intimidating at restaurants knowing what wine
to order so we just wanted to try and demystify it a little.”
Using their supplier the Mac Bar invited wine experts from around
the world including Hadyn Petricevich and Nina Walters from wine
suppliers Hatch Mansfield. Perhaps most impressive was Junior Vianna,
who is bidding to become a Master of Wine – a position so specialised
and hard to attain that there are just 250 in the world.
On the basis that all in attendance were beginners, the course began
with an investigation and identification of different grape varieties.
For instance, chardonnay is one of the most extensively grown grapes
for white wine in the world. Not only is it used to make Chardonnay,
it also finds its way in Burgundy and Champagne.
It can be a deliciously smooth wine and is excellent with poultry
but lacks the citrus acid needed to accompany fish well.
A wine that gets a particularly bad press is Riesling, bottled in
long slender vessels and normally associated with Blue Nun. But
at its best a terrifically malleable wine, going from dry, crisp
and fruity wines – and perfect for fish – to sweet, dessert
wine.
One that I had not come across before was Viogner, a big, fruity
powerful grape, with an hint of spice.
As a frequent red wine drinker I was familiar with Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot and Shiraz, though less so with Pinot Noir – one of
the most difficult grapes to grow and responsible for fine wine.
But the real test came the following week when the evening consisted
of a Call My Bluff game with blind tastings and three definitions,
only one of course correct.
But despite the training the previous week I frequently found myself
agreeing with all three. I suppose the only way to improve is through
practice.
The final week of the course saw the thorough investigation of champagne
and fizzy wine.
There are some to avoid, champagnes that are mass produced and lack
the care that is truly required.
But a delicious vintage was enjoyed, as well, a Taittinger Nocturne,
which is made from 40 per cent Chardonnay grapes and 60 per cent
Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier.
And the tasting notes advise champagne to be drunk with caviar,
strawberries, pate and gravalax: doesn’t sound like a bad life.
The Mac Bar has been in Camden Town for five years and has established
a reputation for its huge range of cocktails but its journey into
wine seems to have been a personal one for Paula.
She said: “I just caught the bug and I really want to learn
more. I think my favourite at the moment is a lovely Riesling.”
So now the Mac Bar, on the back of the success of their course are
to hold monthly wine evenings, featuring several of the experts
who appeared on the course
Paula added: “We just want it to be relaxed and fun. It’s
not going a strict evening, it will be a social occasion where we
just learn more about wine.”
The first takes place on November 2 at 7pm.
• Mac Bar
Camden Road, NW1
020 7485 4530 |
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