Welcome to Andover Wine Friends
Janet and I founded this Hampshire wine club in 2007 and – like a great bottle of wine – we have enjoyed every stage of its development. Our aims are to:
- taste wines, including those that we would not necessarily buy in the first instance
- learn from them
- enjoy the company of others who love wine.
You don’t have to be an expert to join, you just need to like tasting wine and exploring new things.
We are currently meeting about once a month. If you join our mailing list (email me), you will get an invitation to each tasting. We keep the costs to the absolute minimum as the focus is on exploring wine together as a true wine club of friends. The typical cost is £15–£20 an evening.
Programme
At the moment, we are simply emailing those on our mailing list of upcoming tastings, one by one. The programme below shows the sorts of events that we hold.
South African stars, £15
We will taste the innovative white wines of Chris and Suzann Alheit and the well-established reds of Boekenhoutskloof, both a real treat for lovers of South African wine, indeed for anyone who loves wine.
Piemontese journey, £20
As you will know, Janet and I are spending quite a lot time in this premier wine region in north-west Italy. Join us for a journey in the glass from Barolo to Monferrato, from Gavi to Gattinara.
Chapoutier’s whites, £15
Michael Chapoutier is best known for his great wines from the northern Rhône. Here is a chance to taste his white wines from the Rhône and much further south in Roussillon.
Volcanic wines, £20
Super on-trend, wines from a good selection of the great volcanic regions of the world: Vesuvius, Santorini, Tenerife, Mosel, Lipari … will they be smoky and sultry?
Affordable white Burgundy? £20
The Wine Society has thrown down the challenge: is there good value to be had in the world’s most famous and most-sought-after white wine region? A six-bottle case of ‘excellent value’ wines with a couple of grander bottles to round off the evening …
Volcanic wines part 2: the whites and reds of Etna, £15
While Nerello Mascalese and Carricante do not exactly trip off the tongues of regular wine buyers, there has been real vinous excitement on this volcano for the last two decades. If you know the wines you will want to come, if you don’t you really should. And there is some good value here too.
Margaret River update, £20
Margaret River in Western Australia has been making world-class wines for 50 years. We will be tasting recent vintages from some of the pioneers – Vasse Felix, Cullen and Leeuwin – and from some more recent producers such as Robert Oatley. The quality has remained consistently high.
