Piwik

 

I love the London Wine Fair. Every year people complain that it’s not busy enough, it’s too far away (when it was in Excel), there are too many stands, there aren’t enough stands……but I love it. As in every show, you get out of it what you put in and I love walking around and exploring everything that’s on offer. Where else in the country do you have the opportunity to taste such a diverse range of wine? Whether it is wine made from unusual grape varieties or from small countries or large countries or new techniques, there is a fantastic mix of the traditional and modern and so much there to captivate.

My highlights from this year’s fair were…

  • Tasting a 2009 Semillon with Negociants UK – this is such an underrated and undervalued style of wine and my husband and I always keep some in the cellar (garage) at home. Low in alcohol, and great complex flavours, it’s the perfect lunchtime wine – as long as someone’s babysitting
  • Trying wine on tap at Frizzenti – an idea that I think is going to go far in the on trade
  • Tasting a 2013 Sauvignon Blanc from Luis Felipe Edwards. “2013?”, you say, “isn’t that a bit past it for Sauvignon?!”. It wasn’t at all – in fact it was stunning and really showed off the skill of the winemaker and how a good Sauvignon can last
  • The fantastic selection on offer from Borough Wines, with my particular favourite being a dry Tokaji from Hungary, which was so rich and textured and is definitely a style of wine I would like to explore more.
  • Finally trying Sake! I have never tasted anything like it before and I’m looking forward to trying it again and getting my head around this complex drink

Having been in the drinks industry for almost nine years, seeing the changes in wine techniques and tasting wine from emerging countries is so exciting and I look forward to seeing what next year’s fair will have to offer.

By Kate Beveridge, Account Director