Wine & Spirits Tastings

Jancis Robinson is one of the world's most famous living wine writers and educators. Starting her career in 1975 as assistant editor in trade magazine "Wine & Spirit" Jancis rose to become the UK's leading wine journalist and, in 1984, became the first person outside the wine trade to become a Master of Wine.

Nowadays, Jancis is well known for her work as the Financial Times' wine critic and authoring or co-authoring not one, but three of the wine world's most essential texts - The Oxford Companion to Wine, Wine Grapes and The World Atlas of Wine. Her main focus however is JancisRobinson.com, which contains thousands of articles (around one third of which are free of charge), is updated daily and features insight and articles from an array of fine wine writers and journalists.

Each guest will receive a complimentary copy of the newly published eighth edition of The World Atlas Wine and get to meet Jancis and have it signed. We will also be pouring a superb English sparkling wine in the form of Nyetimber Tillington Vineyard 2013.

Cos d'Estournel has long been considered one of the greatest wineries in Bordeaux. Situated on the relatively clay-heavy soils of Saint-Estèphe, the vineyards at Cos are planted with a slightly higher proportion of Merlot than one would normally expect of a Left Bank red. The result is a Grand Vin which is soft and approachable in youth, but with the tannic structure to develop complexity and age with grace.

Guests at this tasting will enjoy eight wines from the château including Goulée 2016, Pagodes de Cos 2011 and 2015, Cos d'Estournel Blanc 2015 and Cos d'Estournel Grand Vin 2008, 2010, 2005 and 2000.

Tickets are priced at £100, fully redeemable against any purchase of Cos d'Estournel wines on the evening of the tasting.

Perus produced their first vintage in 2013 in the form of a tiny 30 case production & while the number of cases they produce has grown since then the extreme focus on quality of fruit & winemaking has not wavered. Taking their cue from the finest wines of Bordeaux, Perus has been lauded not only by critics, but also by sommeliers & top chefs worldwide - the wine is currently on the list at Thomas Keller's French Laundry in Yountville.

Winemaker Russell Bevan has applied his considerable knowledge & experience to create a range of bold wines using some of the grapes available in California. PerUs currently work with three very different vineyards - Tench, Sugarloaf Mountain & Edcora.

Tench is situated in the Oakville AVA & shares a fence line with the legendary Screaming Eagle vineyard, Sugarloaf Mountain's high altitude & cooling mists allow for slow ripening & a marked purity of fruit while the Cabernet grapes from Edcora are marked by their seductive aromatics.

PerUs' own Katya Kurtbek will host the tasting, guiding guests through a flight of wines showcasing the concentration, balance & elegance of the PerUs range.

Tickets for this tasting are £75, fully redeemable against any purchase of PerUs wines on the evening.

The Tesseron family have roots in the Cognac region stretching back over one hundred years. Their reputation was built on the superb quality of their blended brandies, which drew on exceptionally old stocks of fine Cognac sourced from estates across the region. Even today, the eaux-de-vies used to make Tesseron's XO Cognacs are aged for many decades longer than is required by law.

Of their superb Lot No. 29, wine critic Robert Parker opined, "it is about as ethereal Cognac as anyone could ever hope to drink - 100 points".

Fourth generation founding family member Noé Tesseron will present five different Cognacs for guests including XO Passion, Extra Legende, Lot No. 53, Lot No. 29 and Tresor. 

Tickets are priced at £50, fully redeemable against any purchase of Tesseron Cognac on the evening of the tasting.

We are pleased to announce another fantastic tasting with our resident wine writer Sherry Rose Stolar. Sherry will take guests for a deep dive into one specific grape variety, Pinot Noir, and explore what makes wines from this one grape variety taste different. To do this, we will taste six different Pinot Noirs from around the world. 

Though grape varieties have inherent characteristics, their expression can change depending on a number of factors, such as where the grapes are grown and what happens to the grapes once they are in the winery. 

The aim of this fun and informative tasting is to provide you with a deeper understanding of what makes you like a certain wine, so you can further build your personal palate and order wine with confidence the next time you're in a restaurant or a wine shop. 

Wines to be tasted include By Farr Tout Pres 2016, Botanica Pinot Noir 2016, Burn Cottage Pinot Noir 2016, Calera Ryan Vineyard Pinot Noir 2012, Volnay Clos d'Audignac Domaine de la Pousse d'Or 2007, Franz Haas Pinot Nero 2017.

Tickets are priced at £50 with £20 fully refundable against any of the wines enjoyed at the tasting.

Self-described "flavour company" Empirical Spirits are a Denmark-based brewer, distiller and blender of innovative and original spirits and preparations. While many of their quirky distillations are well-suited to use in cocktails, an equal number are best enjoyed on their own or with a simple garnish. Unusual flavour combinations and interesting botanicals abound in their meticulously prepared concoctions that bring together the finest of the familiar and the unexpected.

We are excited to welcome Ali Kurshat Altinsoy to Hedonism Wines to host this fascinating tasting and present four innovative distillations from Empirical Spirits. Spirits to be tasted are...

Helena
A double fermented spirit produced using barley koji, pilsner malt and Belgian Saison yeast. A smooth, nutty distillate with a subtle floral note.

Fallen Pony
A double fermented quince tea spirit - expect sweet botanical notes with hints of marzipan and a lively acidity.

Charlene McGee
A smooth, smoky juniper spirit aged in ex-Oloroso Sherry casks for added complexity - superb.

F**k Trump and His Stupid F**king Wall 
An interesting title for an interesting spirit! A savoury habanero chilli spirit with fruit and floral notes on the finish.

Tickets are priced at £25, fully redeemable against any purchase of Empirical Spirits on the evening of the tasting.

Piper-Heidsieck are one of the most well established négocient houses in Champagne. The winemaking team work closely with local growers and cooperatives to source only the finest grapes for their vintage and non-vintage assemblages. 

This very special tasting will focus solely on Piper-Heidsieck's excellent "Rare" vintage bottlings.

Guests will enjoy seven different vintage Champagnes from the Piper-Heidsieck cellar including Rare 2006, Rare Rosé 2007 and 2008, Rare 2002, Rare 1998 from magnum, Rare Le Secret before finishing with the spectacular Rare 1988.

This is set to be an unmissable Champagne tasting to welcome in the festive season - we hope you can join us!

Tickets are priced at £75, fully redeemable against any purchase of Piper-Heidsieck wines on the evening of the tasting.

We are pleased to announce the fourth edition of our ever-popular Champagne Showcase. Held each year at the beginning of the festive season, this tasting brings together some of the biggest names in the world of Champagne.

This year we will be presenting over 37 wines from 14 different growers & houses including Bruno Paillard, Krug, Pol Roger, Ruinart, Philipponnat, Billecart-Salmon and many more. Each Champagne will be poured by a representative of the winery & guests will have the opportunity to sample a wide variety of different styles - from off-dry to extra brut, from non-vintage to vintage.

This is set to be an exciting tasting both for newcomers to the world of fine Champagne and connoisseurs alike - we hope you can join us!

Tickets for this tasting are £75 per person, with £35 redeemable against any purchase of Champagne on the evening.