At the March meeting, some 30 of us spent a fascinating evening in the company of Chris Hellin, the head brewer at Robinson's brewery, learning about the art of brewing from someone who not only knew his subject but made it understandable and interesting. We heard about stressed yeast, chocolate malt, the Burtonisation of water (to make it just like Burton-on-Trent water) and female hops (more delicate, sweeter and better balanced than the male..).
Robinsons has existed for 150 years and is still a traditional ale brewery, malting its own barley and using water from its 600 feet deep well.
We tasted 4 of Robinsons' products, kindly provided free of charge: brown ale (sweet and smooth), best bitter, Frederics premier beer - a bottled pale ale and the strong, dark Old Tom. The latter seemed to hold a strange appeal for many.
Simon Lawson donated the prizes for the raffle, which was in aid of the Mozambique flood appeal and we raised £52.
For the April meeting there was an excellent turn out and 39 of us enjoyed a 'blind' wine tasting presented by Ben Stephenson from Oddbins at Bramhall.
The challenge was to work in teams to identify the correct grape variety and country for seven wines. We were given a tasting wheel and some crib sheets to help us as we attempted to pin point the appearance, nose and taste of two whites and five reds. Did it smell fruity or flowery? Did it taste of pencils or petrol? Was it ruby or garnet in colour? Was it Old World or New World or just out of the world? You will be pleased to hear that we all concentrated on at least some of these points for at least some of the evening before settling down to enjoy the wines and listen to Ben's knowledgeable tasting notes.
For the record, we tasted Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand, Chilean Gewurtztraminer, Pinot Noir and Merlot, a fine Burgundy: Cote de Beaune (another Pinot Noir!), Greek Syrah and a luscious Australian Cabernet Sauvignon.
The subject of our May meeting was a presentation of Spanish wines. Over forty members enjoyed an evening, which was in truth a celebration of the variety of wines available from this country of extremes. The wines were presented by Mr Jim Whitney from Morgenrot-Chevaliers, a wine wholesale business based in Bolton.
In all eight wines were tasted, starting with three whites. The fiesta spirit started with a sparkling crisp Cava made using the traditional method, which ensures the longevity of bubbles and zest in the glass. As a demonstration of the diversity of wines Mr Whitney selected pairs of wines to compare. Firstly he compared two white wines from the same producer, one of which was the sparkling wine. He then went on to contrast a red and white from the well-known Rioja region. This gave an insight into the use of different grape varieties, to obtain different characteristics in the product.
We were introduced to grapes seldom used outside Spain, and also met up with old favourites like Cabernet Sauvignon, often used in combination to produce lively and interesting wines. We sampled wines from six regions including a very full and heavily oaked "Reserva" from Yecla, made from the Monasterell grape.
With such a wide range of wine styles there was something to please everyone, and all the members enjoyed a interesting and sociable evening.
Our summer barbeque was held on Saturday 10th June in the grounds of Middlewood House. For once, the emphasis was on food not drink and there were plenty of burgers, bangers, chicken, baked potatoes, salads, garlic bread, fruit salad and ice cream for all. We all brought our own drinks and the quality and variety available showed that we had all learnt a lot from previous meetings.
The rain stayed off until we had all finished our main course. There was then a general dash to carry everything inside and the party carried on. We all had a lovely time and there's already talk about how to make next year's do even better.
Plenty of folk helped by preparing food, providing equipment, washing up etc but special mention should be given to Simon Lawson and Anne Smith who between them did most of the buying, preparation and cooking.
Our September meeting was held on the 8th September. Fifty members and friends attended and were treated to a most enjoyable evening. The presentation by Ian MacWhirter and Simon Lawson, entitled Tradition and Innovation included tasting of six varied and interesting wines, accompanied by four savouries.
Our starter was fish: crab pâté and a fish mousse served on savoury crackers. Ian provided Bourgueil a red wine from the Loire region, whilst Simon served a white Gewürztraminer Riesling Australian white.
Next came white meat: chicken and pork pâté. The wines were a Côte du Rhône and a Penfolds Red from Australia. Finally a taste of game: duck and wild boar terrine. Ian gave us a traditionally aged Côte de Castillon and Simon a Winter Hill, which is a French wine from Pays D'Oc made by an Australian.
All the wines served complemented the food extremely well, and there was a great deal of discussion of the merits of all the wines.
Special thanks are due to Phyllis MacWhirter, for planning the food and preparing most of it.
At our October meeting Mr George Milburn, who stepped in at short notice, led our evening. We were guided through the principal wine regions of the Loire starting at the mouth and working our way up stream.
We drank two Muscadet wines both produced near Nantes. Of these - Muscadet Sur Lie - was kept in barrels with its fermentation sediment. The other - Muscadet Sèvre-et-Maine - was bottled sooner to bring a different quality to the wine.
Moving east to the region around Angers we sampled a Rosé de Anjou made from the Cabernet d’Anjou grape. This was the sweetest wine of the evening and was although not to everyone’s taste, is well known and the only non white wine tasted.
We drank three wines from the Touraine region. Two different Vouvray wines - from the Chenin Blanc grape and a Touraine Sauvignon - from the Sauvignon Blanc grape.
The finest wines of the valley come from the upper Loire. We were treated to a Sancerre and a Pouilly Fumé. The opportunity to compare these complex wines made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape made a fitting end to an enjoyable evening.
Over 35 members and their guests attended our November meeting, which was entitled Wines of the Bordeaux region. Our speaker was Dr S Furness who outlined how he had become interested in wine whilst still a student and how his interest had developed. He was able to convey to the audience his enjoyment of wine.
We were given a brief description of the development of the wine fraternities, how they spread from Burgundy into each district around Bordeaux and the founding of satellite fraternities in different countries. It is interesting to note that a fraternity in Manchester was established before the one in London.
Dr Furness has built up an extensive library dedicated to the subject of wine. He brought with him a number of the more approachable volumes. He also showed us some of his regalia and memorabilia from time spent in Bordeaux; an anecdote or explanation accompanied each item. We were fascinated to hear first hand details of the selection of wines for the " Appellation" and experiences of being a juror for an international wine competition. There was a description of the effect of climate on the vines, and a story of Château Pétrus hiring helicopters to hover over their vines all night to keep a late frost from the shoots.
We were treated to a number of wines from the Dr Furness’ cellar, starting with a Château Fougas ‘94 (made from his own vines) and a Château Le Clos du Notaire 1990, both from the Côte de Bourg district. We then tasted a Lalande de Pomerol ’89 and finally Château St Croix du Mont ‘96 a Sauternes.
Dr Furness brought with him his Bordeaux cellar book, (one of four, for different regions) in which he records: details of each wine he buys, notes on the wine, the vintner etc, and frequently details of the occasion when it was drunk, including company and menu.
About 30 members and their guests attended our meeting on 8th December. The tasting, led by Simon Lawson and James Simon, presented the wines to accompany an imaginary Christmas meal.
The wines tasted were a Manzanilla (an austerely dry sherry) from Sanlúcar de Barrameda. Two white wines: a Chardonnay from the Ardèche region of France and a Sauvignion Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand. There were two red wines: a Cabernet Sauvignon again from the Ardèche, and an Australian Rawsons Retreat bin 35 from Penfolds. To finish the evening in festive style, hot mince pies were served; a German Riesilng Spatëlese, which proved an excellent match for the desert, accompanied these.