1. LONDON – November 3rd, Vinopolis
2. EDINBURGH – November 10th, The Assembly Rooms
3. BATH – November 24th, The Guildhall

Please sign-up using the form on the right to be the first to hear about Early Bird ticket going on sale, the programmes of fabulous masterclasses and information on the wines to be featured.

Please put November 3rd and November 10th in your diaries as the provisional dates for the London and Edinburgh Christmas fairs 2012, though we hope to be announcing a lot more Wine Gang Live events for 2012 at the start of the year.

Auld Reekie Steps Up

See ticketSOUP.com for info and tickets for Edinburgh, Nov 12th.

The Merchants’ Hall is our venue, just off Princes Street on Hanover Street, where we’re open from noon to 6pm with a terrific array of wines to taste, free wine walks and a programme of exceptional masterclasses. Here are just some of the wines freely available for you to taste, included in your £15 Earlybird ticket (£14 for members):

• 2000 Vega-Sicilia Unico (£220.00 a bottle)
• 2008 William Fevre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros (£69.00)
• 2008 Neige Canadian Ice Wine (£25.00)
• 2009 Mt Difficulty Central Otago Pinot Noir (£24.99)
• 2005 Yalumba The Signature (£26.99)
• Cattier Brut Antique Champagne NV (£29.00)
• and many, many more…

Sign up on the day for a Wine Walk, and one of the Gang will take you on a tour of the room, stopping at half a dozen tables to taste and discuss some of our favourite wines.

One of the absolute highlights for many people is the programme of tutored masterclasses. These sit-down, tutored tastings of 8 wines are optional (tickets £10) and take place in the calm of an adjoining room. You will get to taste some seriously fine and rare wines with expert speakers, and can choose from:

Portugal: Europe’s Best Kept Secret with Tom Cannavan
The Portuguese Wine Writer of the Year 2010 will present a selection from his ’50 Great Poruguese Wines’ that will unlock some of Portugal’s vinous secrets. Wines include Prats & Symington Chryseia 2008, Quinta do Portal  Touriga Nacional 2009 and Dão Sul Cabriz Reserva 2008.

Magnificent Malbec with Anthony Rose
Ant has recently returned from an extensive visit to Argentina and will conduct a tasting of some of the country’s top Malbecs, including premium cuvees from outstanding producers including the Achaval Ferrer Bella Vista Malbec, Mendel Finca Remota Malbec and Catena Adrianna Malbec.

Chile’s Key Valleys with Jane Parkinson
Featuring a selection of the Premium Wines of Concha y Toro’s portfolio, Jane will take us on a tour of Chile’s Valleys, both the traditional heartlands of Chilean production and newer Valleys like Limari and Bio Bio. Wines to be tasted include some of Chile’s rarest and most scintillating Pinot Noir and Syrah.

Think You Know Chablis? with Martin Straus
Martin is an official Chablis wine ambassador and his fascinating tasting will present a ravishing tour of Chablis terroir. In his masterclass Martin will compare the wines of the Chablis appellation including some of the top estates and vineyards of  Chablis 1er cru and Chablis Grand Cru.

See ticketSOUP.com for info and tickets for Edinburgh, Nov 12th.

We’ll see you there!

ticketSOUP.com for info and tickets for London (Oct 29)

ticketSOUP.com for info and tickets for Edinburgh (Nov 12)

These absolutely outstanding events offer extraordinary value: full price tickets are £20, but you can still buy at an Earlybird £15 and members at just £14. As well as literally hundreds of wines in the £6 to £12 range to taste there’s an amazing array of high-end wines: the fine and rare wines below plus dozens and dozens more are there for the tasting. There’s no catch!

• 2006 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon (£105.00 a bottle)
• 2007 Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars Artemis Cab Sauvignon (£48.00)
• 2007 Marquis D’Angerville Volnay Champans 1er Cru  (£43.00)
• 2006 Chateau de Blagny Meursault Premier Cru (£42.99)
• 2007 Fontodi Vigna del Sorbo Tuscany (£39.99)
• 2007 Chapoutier Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne (£52.00)
• 2007 Errazuriz Don Maximiano Founder’s Reserve (£44.00)
• Champagne Delamotte Blanc de Blancs (£34.99)
• Taittinger Prélude Grands Cru Champagne (£45.00)
• 1985 Fonseca Port (£85.00)
• and many, many more…
]]> http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?feed=rss2&p=245 0 http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?p=235 http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?p=235#comments Wed, 28 Sep 2011 09:10:27 +0000 admin http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?p=235 £15 Earlybird tickets still available for our fabulous wine fairs!

London (October 29th 2011 – click for info and tickets)
Edinburgh (November 12th 2011 – click for info and tickets).

We’re putting the visitor catalogue together for London: 600 wines on tasting! Quantity’s not everything, so how about the 2006 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon (£105 a bottle), the 2007 Volnay Champans 1er Cru from Domaine Marquis D’Angerville (£43) or the Fonseca 1985 Port (£85)? Then there’s Chapoutier Hermitage Monier de la Sizeranne 2007 (£52), Chateau de Blagny Meursault 1er Cru 2006 (£42.99) and on and on. We reckon 200 wines @ over £20 so far and an average bottle price close to £15. With free wine walks and a free prize draw for someone in the room to win £250 of beautiful Zalto crystal glassware from aroundwine.co.uk too…

Did we mention amazing value?

]]> http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?feed=rss2&p=235 0 http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?p=156 http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?p=156#comments Fri, 16 Sep 2011 08:45:56 +0000 admin http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?p=156 £15 Earlybird tickets still available for our fabulous wine fairs!

London (October 29th 2011 – click for info and tickets)
Edinburgh (November 12th 2011 – click for info and tickets).

Each includes a programme of sit-down, tutored masterclasses featuring some of the world’s top winemakers and wines. A highlight of the Fairs for many people, here’s the menu:

LONDON- all masterclasses £15

1:00pm – The icon wines of Yalumba, with Jane Ferrari
Winemaker Jane Ferrari will lead a tasting focused on Viognier and Cabernet/Shiraz, with museum wines going back for over a decade.

2:00pm – Champagne Bollinger – SOLD OUT

3:00pm – O. Fournier, with Jose Manuel Ortega
The irrepressible owner of one of Argentina’s star estates considers terroir, comparing with top wines from Chile and Ribera del Duero.

4:00pm – Michel Chapoutier – VERY FEW TICKETS LEFT
Michel puts the great 2008 Hermitage vintage in the spotlight including his Hermitages Le Meal, Le Pavillon, De l’Orée and L’Ermite.

EDINBURGH – all masterclasses £10

1:00pm – Portugal: Europe’s Best Kept Secret with Tom Cannavan
The Portuguese Wine Writer of the Year 2010 will present the most exciting and high quality wines from Portugal’s native grapes.

2:00pm – Magnificent Malbec with Anthony Rose
Anthony will conduct a tasting of the country’s top Malbec wines, looking at the diversity of styles from Argentina’s regions.

3:00pm – Chile’s Key Valleys with Jane Parkinson
With the Premium Wines of Concha y Toro, Jane explores both traditional and new valleys like Limari, Elqui and Bio Bio.

4:00pm – Think You Know Chablis? with Martin Straus
Martin will present a ravishing tour of Chablis terroir, comparing Chablis, Chablis 1er cru and Chablis Grand Cru from top estates.

]]> http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?feed=rss2&p=156 0 http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?p=163 http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?p=163#comments Wed, 03 Aug 2011 23:34:11 +0000 admin http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?p=163 To see more details and to buy £15 earlybird tickets, go to ticketSOUP.com (London) or ticketSOUP.com (Edinburgh)

The exhibitors

London	Scotland
Armit	Australian Vintage, Australia
Australian Vintage, Australia	Blason de Bourgogne, France
Asda	Chablis producers
Beaujolais producers	Chalié, Richards & Company
Bollinger	The Co-Operative
Blason de Bourgogne, France	Concha y Toro, Chile
Chalié, Richards & Company	Corney and Barrow
The Co-Operative	Freixenet, Spain
Concha y Toro, Chile	Great Grog Co
Copestick Murray	Grupo Faustino, Spain
Corney and Barrow	Hill Smith Vineyards, Australia
Fonseca, Portugal	House of Menzies
Freixenet, Spain	L’Art du Vin
González Byass, Spain	Les Clos Perdus, France
Great Western Wines	Lockett Brothers
Grossi Wines	Majestic
Grupo Codorníu, Spain	Marks & Spencer
Grupo Faustino, Spain	Mostly Wine
Hatch Mansfield	Mud House, New Zealand
Hill Smith Vineyards, Australia	New Zealand Winegrowers
Journey’s End, South Africa	Stratford’s
Laithwaites Wine	The Wine Society
Lea & Sandeman	Valvona & Crolla
Les Clos Perdus, France	Wine Australia
Liberty Wines	Wines of Argentina
Little Beauty, New Zealand	Wines of Chile
Louis Latour	Yalumba, Australia
M. Chapoutier, France	WoodWinters
Majestic
Marks & Spencer
Napa Valley Vintners
New Zealand Winegrowers
O Fournier, Argentina
Oakley Wine Agencies
Oregon Wine Board
Plaimont producers
Provence Wines
Ramos Pinto, Portugal
Sainsbury’s
Stone, Vine & Sun
SWIG
The Best of Both Worlds
The Wine Society
ViniPortugal
Thierry’s
Treasury Wine Estates, Australia
Waitrose
Wines of Argentina
Wines of Chile
Yalumba, Australia

]]> http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?feed=rss2&p=163 0 http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?p=105 http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?p=105#comments Sat, 12 Feb 2011 13:49:42 +0000 admin http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?p=105 The Gang has announced its Wines of the Year for 2010 – the best wines we tasted and rated, in a number of different categories. Each wine producer honoured will receive a signed certificate:

Red Wine of the Year Château Léoville-Poyferré 2005 96/100 – £56.76 Bordeaux Index White Wine of the Year Domaine Moreau-Naudet Chablis 1er Cru Fôrets 2007 95/100 – £18.95 Lea & Sandeman Rosé Wine of the Year Marks & Spencer Sancerre Rosé Le Mont 2009 90/100 – £11.99 Marks & Spencer Sparkling Wine of the Year Champagne Taittinger Comtes de Champagne 1998 95/100 – £100 Majestic Sweet or Fortified Wine of the Year D’Oliveira Reserva Terrantez 1977 95/100 – £55 Waitrose Great Value Red Wine of the Year Château des Tours Côtes du Rhône 2006 95/100 – £13.95 Lea & Sandeman and (joint winners) Viña Leyda Cahuil Pinot Noir 2008 93/10 – £14.99 Waitrose Great Value White Wine of the Year Domaine Gerovassiliou Malagousia 2009 93/100 – £12.49 Laithwaites/Novum Great Value Sparkling Wine of the Year Marks & Spencer Okhre Natur Organic cava 89/100 – £9.99 Marks & Spencer Great Value Sweet Wine of the Year Tesco Finest 10YO Grand Tawny 2000 94/100 – £8.99 Tesco The People’s Award Château de Chénas Moulin à Vent 2009 £10.99 Waitrose

]]> http://www.thewinegang.com/live/?feed=rss2&p=105 0