Evening Tasting; Spain & Italy

Welcome to an evening where we explore the wines of southern Europe, where wine & food go hand in hand with each other. We'll taste some of the traditional classics as well as more modern wine styles.

Evening Tasting: Spain & Italy

Welcome to an evening where we explore the wines of southern Europe. Both Spain and Italy are famous for their food-friendly wine styles from classic regions such as Piedmont & Tuscany in Italy and Rioja in Spain. During this evening tasting we will spend some time paying our respect to these firm favourites and explore their enduring popularity. However we will also look beyond the classics and discover a world of exciting new wines coming from up and coming wine regions that show there's another side to these proud wine making nations.

Part 1 - Viva España

Think of Spain, and you probably think of Rioja, where the magnificently smoky Tempranillo is King. We will get to grips with Rioja by deconstructing a mature Rioja Reserva and then contrast this with an altogether more modern interpretation of this classic wine style. Ever wondered what the difference is between a Reserva and Gran Reserva? We'll explain it all. But there's more to Spain than just Rioja so we go on to explore some of Spain's lesser known regions including, among others, Galicia where we will examine the soft, peachy appeal of Albariño.

Part 2 - A taste of Italy

With its proud history of strong regional winemaking traditions and literally thousands of indigenous grape varieties, Italy is both fascinating and confusing; but therein lies its appeal. First we pay homage to the mighty Nebbiolo, the grape behind powerhouse wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco. Then we'll talk about the Veneto, home of Pinot Grigio. We will also explore the rolling hills of Tuscany and tempt your tastebuds with the biter-sweet fruit of Sangiovese in a Chianti Classico as we attempt to untangle some of the label terminology including Riserva, Classico & DOC. We will then explore another