Sussex Down College

It's adult learning week and on show was a sampler 2 hour tutorial entitled - An Introduction to Wine. A 5 week course in two parts covering a professional approach to tasting, noble grape varieties and classic wine regions. Part II focuses on English wines with an English Vine Tour.

There were 10 attendees, eager to sample wines, understand more, a desire to be able to decipher the bunkum on the labels of mass-produced hamburger-like wines and much more. As nervous as I was initially I have to say that I really enjoyed myself and I think that all attending had a great time too. Fingers crossed that we have managed to convince a few already to sign on the dotted line. Total costs, including a 5 week course, wines, English Vine Tour is very reasonably priced at £97 per person.

On tasting for the sampler were the following - Alexis Dry White-Carr Taylor Vineyards in East Sussex, Carr Taylor Sparkling Brut NV, Bodegas Vina Cerrada Rioja Joven, Peter Lehmann Wildcard Shiraz and Nathalie Estribeau Cotes du Rhone. We swirrled, sniffed, sucked, spat our way through them all and digested, discussed and debated!

The course can booked direct from Sussex Down College in New Haven, East Sussex from June and starts Thursday 24th September.