WSET Level 3 Results

So I had been waiting patiently for my Level 3 Results all summer and got home last week to see a large envelope waiting for me outside my flat...

My stomach turned flips as I wondered, 'would send me an envelope that large if I had only passed half of the exam?'

I put my bags down and stood at the kitchen counter and gently opened the envelope.

I slid out two pieces of paper and a small pin badge. You could have knocked me down with a feather when I saw I had passed the exam WITH MERIT!!!

Whilst I was pretty sure I had passed the tasting and the multiple choice questions, as you know from my post directly after the exam, I was really worried about the essay questions part of the exam. But obviously it was unfounded.

So I opened a bottle of Cotes Du Rhone (my celebratory Ridgeview not being chilled to the correct temperature) called my parents, text my friends and shared on Facebook - whilst basking in my glory!

Level 3 was tough in places for me - just the sheer amount of things to remember was the toughest part I would say. However I would definitely recommend the course (and all of the WSET courses) if you are a keen/serious amateur.

WSET has taught me so much about wine, and I feel I am making much better choices now in the wine I buy for myself at home and in restaurants and bars. Before I buy or try by looking at where in the world it is from, I now have much more of an idea about what it will taste like and whether I will like it. Even if I don't like it, I can appreciate that it is a good example of it's type (Beaujolais I'm talking about you). I almost always ask to try wine before I get a glass in a bar, and don't mind asking for something else if it isn't for me. I also have the slightly daunting task of being given the wine list by friends wherever we go...

Whilst the Diploma (Level 4) looks amazing, it's not something I want to do to at the moment. At over 18 months (if you do it for an evening a week) and over £3000, it is a serious commitment. Knowing how I struggled to remember all of the regions for Level 3, I do wonder if it would be too tough. Maybe in the future?

For now I am going to keep on enjoying new wines and new regions whilst continuing to expand my knowledge on wines. Oh and I also have to plan trips to Porto and Bordeaux next year...

For more information on WSET Level 3 go to:
https://www.wsetglobal.com/qualifications/wset-level-3-award-in-wines/

Visit to Denbies Winery

I've never tried the wine from Denbies, but had a bottle of their fizz in the wine rack that friends had got me earlier on in the year. So when I saw that the winery was based in Dorking (which isn't that far from London), I thought I would organise a tour for me and a friend around harvest time when the grapes would be looking lovely!

So last week we hopped on a pretty early train from Waterloo for a day in the countryside. Pulling into Dorking station it was lovely to be greeted by vines running along the side of the track. I hadn't been to this part of England before and was really pleasantly surprised about how lovely the North Downs are.

First of all we went on an outdoor tour where we were taken through the vineyards in a lovely little train pulled by a Land Rover. It was a shame the weather wasn't great, but it didn't dampen our spirits as we had a glass of demi-sec up a hill side whilst we learnt about the history of the winery. The tour guide was informative and fun, and it was certainly a pleasant way to spend an hour.

The amount of different varietals they grow there is quite surprising and have some German grapes I hadn't heard of, alongside champagne grapes and others I have seen at English wineries like Bacchus and Pinot Gris.

We then went inside and watched a short film about the vineyard before being taken on a short tour and a tasting of 3 still wines.

The whole operation was very slick and I imagine could be very appealing to tourists. The tours and tour guides were good, but the still wine wasn't really to either of our tastes, and the wine was the main reason for visiting! As is often the case with English white, we found them too acidic, and too austere. The best of the three was their bestseller the Surrey Gold that had some peach tones to it, but again wasn't really for me.

The restaurant on the 3rd floor of the lovely farmhouse style building gave a super view of a lot of the vineyard. Our lunch was pleasant and we enjoyed a glass of fizz before and after the meal.

So if you are in the area I would say pop in, as they have a farm shop as well as lots of wine based goodies and chutney and art exhibitions etc. But I wouldn't hurry back for the wine...

Stick with 'Greenfields' which in my opinion is their best bottle...

Rathfinny Tasting Room in Alfriston

A friend came to visit for a weekend on the South Coast, and after a couple of hours of marveling at the majesty of Seven Sisters, we went to the beautiful quaint little village of Alfriston for lunch.

We had a delicious lunch at Wingrove House (the 4th time I have been to this great hotel restaurant) and then took a wander through the town to try and aid digestion.

I had read up about Rathfinny, and knew that they didn't have any sparkling wine, and wouldn't for a few years (2018 will be their first batch). However I thought it would be worth popping in and seeing the shop and trying their still wine.

The shop is lovely with lots of things you didn't know you needed like chutneys and candles made from old wine bottles. However it was the wine that was the best surprise. I have found the high acidity of English wines (that's perfect for sparkling) can sometimes be a bit austere for a still wine, but not this!

Cradle Valley is a blend of Pinot Gris and Pinot Blanc, and was rather lovely. Crisp, with citrus and apple flavours, it was probably the best English still wine I have tried. With only 3000 bottles made in 2015, it was pretty reasonable at £14.95.

Needless to say I grabbed a drop, and I am really excited to try their sparkling wine in a couple of year's time...

You can find out more about Rathfinny here: Rathfinny Estate

Davy's Wine Tasting at Bunghole Cellars

A friend and I spent a couple of hours swirling and slurping at a wine tasting evening at a Davy's bar in Holborn last week.

Taking place in one of their private rooms in the basement, it was a great place to spend a couple of hours with some expert tuition.

We were greeted with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc from Bordeaux as we waited for the tasting to start. I had tasted the Sauvignon before (Davy's own) and it's a very quoffable reasonable drop at £9.50

Over two hours, the team of two guys took us through 7 wines from around the globe:

• Solitar Riesling Trocken, Prum, Mosel Germany 2015
• Vierkoppen Sauvignon Blanc, Robertston, S. Africa 2015
• Sidewood Chardonnay, Adelaide Hills, Australia 2013
• Saint Sidoine Rose, Cotes de Provence, France 2015
• Mount Brown Pinot Noir, Waipara, New Zealand 2013
• Chateau du Moulin Rouge, Haut Medoc, Bordeaux, France 2012
• Valserrano Reserva DOC, Rioja, Spain 2010

The lead guy (whose name I didn't get - apologies) was particularly good and went into a fair amount of detail about each of the wines, and I learnt a couple of things that we hadn't covered in WSET level 3. Both members of staff knew their stuff and delivered it in an interesting way, blending between fun learning and facts. The only slight issue was the noise from the bar outside making it slightly hard to hear the quieter of the two presenters.

They also gave us a flavour wheel with aromas and flavours grouped together by colour and similarity -a useful reference point for the future.

In terms of the wines, the best of the evening (in my opinion) were the German Riesling and the Australian Chardonnay - both delivering what you would expect from these regions at these price points.

However with a full wine rack at home, I decided not to purchase any on this occasion, but have made a note to get some with my next delivery...

I spoke to a couple of the guys on the table next to me, and they also said how impressed they were with the tasting and that it was better than others they had been to in London, particularly in terms of the price (£30 per ticket and 25% off food if you wanted to eat in the restaurant afterwards). They had also been to a Davy's Tasting at Vintners' Hall back in March, and recognised me from that (you may remember I went with my dad and of course blogged about it...Another Wine Tasting at Vintner's Hall)

I would recommend a night wine tasting with Davy's as an enjoyable, interesting, educational night of trying out wines you may not normally think of...

New wine tasting - Columbia Winery Cabernet Sauvignon

Our heatwave in London seemed to come to an abrupt end last night with momentous thunder storms at 4am...

So with the temperature dropping around 13 degrees overnight and autumn finally arriving, what better way to enjoy the passing of the summer than with a Cab Sav?

For a Friday night in I opened up a Cab Sav (2013) from Columbia Valley in Washington State. It's the first time I have had a red from this part of the world, and it didn't disappoint.

Full bodied with plenty of blackberry and blackcurrant smells and flavours, this 81% Cab Sav blend is the perfect drink for autumnal nights. I enjoyed it by itself, but the oak and chocolate flavours mixed with the ripe black fruit would be the perfect accompaniment to roast beef, or a stew, I am sure. Probably could do with a couple more years cellaring and the finish wasn't as long as I would have liked.

But at around £10 per bottle in the UK, it was very drinkable and a great introduction for me to this part of the USA...

See more about the Cab Sav from this winery: Columbia Winery

A visit to Ridgeview Wine Estate

I'm lucky enough to have access to a lovely family owned static caravan on the South Coast, which gives me access to the plethora of wineries across Sussex. However I haven't been to any of them yet, so I thought I better start!

After a lovely day with friends at Brighton Pride, I thought a great way to spend the Sunday would be at Ridgeview Wine Estate, just on the edge of Ditchling village. The sea mist that was hanging round the coast stayed on top of the South Downs, as I drove inland to pick up a friend at Burgess Hill station.

The car park gives no indication of the lovely view that will be yours when you go round to the entrance...(see above).

Our guide took us through the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay fields that were on site, but of course they have vines all over the county (and also in West Sussex). He explained a lot about the vines and what happens in the growing cycle. Having done my sparkling wine lesson only around 6 weeks ago, it was all still fresh in my mind, so nothing new for me, but it was still well explained and interesting.

We then went inside the building to see how the wine is made, and he explained the 2nd fermentation well. It actually seemed pretty small in there compared to some of the wineries I have been to. But they have plans to be producing half a million bottles per annum, over the next 5 years.
They are already doing bubbles for M and S and The Wine Society but under slightly different names, so read the label, and you may be buying Ridgeview.

Then onto the best bit - the tasting...

The tasting room itself is lovely - with stunning views over the vines and the South Downs. You would never tire of looking out the window if you worked there!

The wines were enjoyable. I haven't tasted Ridgeview before, but the blends were silky smooth with that lovely blend of fruit and bready flavours that comes with autolysis. Gordon Ramsay stocks their bubbles in his restaurants and they recently supplied wine for a couple of banquets for the Queen!

I was less keen on their Blanc de Blanc, and their other Chardonnay dominant wine. But the Pinot Noir really excelled. We tried a 2010 Rose de Noir which was lovely. Really lovely. So lovely I managed to snag the last one they had in the shop. The difference between that and the 2013 was marked, and if I could keep it well for another couple of years, I think it would get even better. At £40 not cheap, but well worth it.

But the likelihood of me keeping it longer than this summer is very slim, and I am looking to drink it when my WSET result comes in - I will either be celebrating or commiserating, but either way it seems a fitting drop to have.

If you are in the area, you can go tasting most days, but tours have to be booked in advance. The guide who took us round had recently finished a wine and business degree at Plumpton College nearby and was really knowledgeable.

A great way to spend a couple of hours, so go! You won't be disappointed: http://www.ridgeview.co.uk/

An evening wine tasting at Forest Wine

Last week I organised a lovely tasting evening for friends at local shop, Forest Wine.

I had been in touch with the owner Jana, and between us (and her staff) we came up with 3 whites and 3 reds that I thought my friends would enjoy. I also hoped it would challenge them a little in terms of what they normally drink and like (rather like I have been doing over the past year).

We arrived at 7.30pm to be greeted by a large table in the shop with a plethora of cheeses, meats, bread, grapes, olives and radishes (the least popular of the snacks!)

The wine specialises in organic and bio-dynamic wines from around the world, and we got stuck in with a Chardonnay from Fruili in Italy. Lots of stone fruit with some tropical tones and some minerality and great with mountain cheeses apparently.

We then went for a dry German Riesling from the Rheingau. A lovely drop, that some of my friends purchased because they enjoyed it so much. Again stone fruit, citrus and minerality but with a longer finish than the Chardonnay.

Then we tried a French Sauvignon Blanc from the Loire Valley. This was my favourite of the whites and I bought a bottle. High acidity with strong citrus notes. A great drop for the summer.

For the reds, our first was from the Dao region, Dao Tinto. Smooth and juicy with ripe red and some black fruits, and with a wallop from the Touriga Nacional (one of my fave new grapes as you know). This is apparently good with smoked meats (I don't eat them).

We then tried Le Pech Abuse. The nose! My friend likened it to silage, but the taste was fab! A blend of Merlot, Cab Franc and Cab Sauv a real keeper to have with a stew when the nights draw in again. I got a bottle of  this too.

The last wine of the evening was a Cotes du Rhone. Again very drinkable, mainly Grenache with some Syrah and a dark ruby colour with hints of olive on the nose and palate.

It was a lovely evening and the staff were really knowledgeable. It was great to try out some different wines in a friendly fun environment.

It was so much fun, I'm planning on organising another evening in October.

For more information on the shop (who deliver in E17) go to: https://www.forestwines.com/