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Ornellaia tasting
29 March 2023
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
Tuscany, Italy
Considered the producer of one of Italy’s leading Bordeaux-style red wines and located in the exciting wine region of Bolgheri, Ornellaia is one of the most acclaimed wineries in Italy, famous for crafting some of the original “Super Tuscans”.
Established in 1981 by Marchese Lodovico Antinori, their winemaking combines tradition, innovation, and excellence with great attention to detail from selective harvesting to microvinification and ageing, producing wines that epitomise elegance and the best of the terroir. This high level of care shines through their entire collection from the Cabernet Sauvignon blends to single varietal Merlots to their white and dessert wines, grappa, and even olive oil!
Join us for this special tasting!
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Domaine Weinbach tasting
15 March 2023
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Venue: Sidney Sussex, Knox-Shaw Room
Venue Website: https://www.sid.cam.ac.uk/
Description:
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Alsace, France
Domaine Weinbach, a former monastery built by the Capuchins in 1612, has belonged to the Faller family since 1898. Today they own and farm 38 hectares of vines spread in the valley of Kaysersberg over the historical terroir of Clos des Capucins, the prestigious Altenbourg and Vogelgarten crus, and the acclaimed Schlossberg, Furstentum, Mambourg, Marckrain, and Kaefferkopf Grand Crus. This geological diversity, from granite to marls, clay, limestone and sandstone, reflects the uniqueness of Alsace.
The production comes exclusively from the estate, without any external purchase of fruits. Domaine Weinbach made the choice of biodynamics at the end of the 1990s in order to better express the personality of each terroir and to pass on a living land to the next generations. The wines, fermented with indigenous yeast and aged in old foudres (neutral oak), are vinified without any additives other than a micro-dose of sulfites at bottling (if needed) to ensure stability during transport and ageing.
The work is based on the tripod of great terroirs / old vines / limited yields, without compromise and in a perpetual quest for excellence. Please join us in tasting their delicious wines!
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Domaine Belargus Drop-In
9 March 2023
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Loire Valley, France
Created in 2018 by Ivan Massonnat to restore the prestige of a thousand-year-old vineyard, the Pithon-Paillé estate of Jo Pithon, who is renowned for developing the reputation of Anjou wines, Domaine Belargus is not only critically acclaimed but a true wine lover’s dream come true – the manifestation of the vision of a wine enthusiast.
The estate spans 24 hectares of some of the most renowned terroirs in Anjou, focusing exclusively on Chenin Blanc to explore the micro-terroirs of the region in a single-plot approach through an unprecedented selection of grand crus, single-plots, and monopoles.
Entirely biodynamic, every wine is rigorously produced to highlight the signature identity and features of each plot. Please join us in discovering their collection that is redefining the vineyards of the Loire Valley.
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Marlo Drop-In
4 March 2023
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Marlo’s mission is to bring us better wine, something we can definitely get on board with! They are passionate about bringing serious wine to the people and making it easy and accessible. With over ten years of experience in the wine trade, they curate a selection of cult classics, old vintages, top producers and more at great prices for the consumer.
CUWS invites you to our Drop-in with Marlo, Fine Wines at St Paul’s Church, Hills Road. Whether you are a connoisseur or just wine-curious this is a great chance to taste some delicious wines from the Marlo range and reconnect with old friends.
Entry is **£10** and you can stay as long as you wish!
Tickets are on sale until 1 March, 8pm.
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Il Chiosso tasting
23 February 2023
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Piedmont, Italy
The project of Carlo Cambieri and Marco Arlunno, their two families’ vineyards were brought together to form Il Chiosso in 2007, combining decades of experience in Piedmont’s vineyards. They are dedicated to drawing out and preserving the best of regional wine varietals. Over three generations, they have slowly acquired plots that now allow them to officially produce wines from Gattinara DOCG, Ghemme DOCG, and Fara DOCG, the most historically important crus in the region.
Their production is centered on a high level of respect for natural rhythms, with great care taken at every step of the process to capture the essence of the varietals and the terroir. Only vines typically found in the region, like Nebbiolo, Vespolina, and Uva Rara, are planted.
Please join us in tasting the wines from the cellars of Il Chiosso.
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Capichera tasting
21 February 2023
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Sardinia, Italy
Located in Gallura in the northern part of Sardinia, Capichera, led by the Ragnedda family, was the first in demonstrating the ageing potential of Vermentino wines in barrels. Credited with the winemaking revolution and renaissance in Sardinia, they’ve worked to establish standards of quality and expression both in the vineyards and cellars.
Realising the potential of Vermentino in the 1970s, well ahead of its time, Capichera began vinifying it purely and has continued to enhance its processes to produce wines of elegance and structure with this local grape variety. This innovation was not limited to Vermentino but was also later applied to produce red wines from Carignan and Syrah. Come and taste some top-quality Italian local varietals from this outstanding producer.
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Ruinart tasting
16 February 2023
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Champagne, France
Founded in 1729 by Nicolas Ruinart, Ruinart is the world’s first champagne house. A symbol of elegance and French art de vivre, it is simultaneously timeless and modern, striving for excellence and committed to continuous innovation while supporting local craftsmen, artisans, and protecting the environment. ]
Created at the dawn of the Enlightenment, the House of Ruinart truly reflected the culture of the time, capturing the sophistication, light, beauty, rarity, and elegance of the period. Their wines have a common thread of Chardonnay running through all their cuvées that are fermented and matured in grandiose chalk mine cellars, spanning a length of over eight kilometers underground.
Join us in tasting these exceptional, refined wines!
Ticket and ballot information
We only have a limited number of tickets available, and due to anticipated popularity, the event will be balloted for members only. Members will be able to apply for ONE ticket each and tickets will be allocated through a completely randomised ballot.
The ballot opens on Thursday 9 February at 6pm and will close on 11 February at 6pm. We will be selecting the ballot winners shortly after, and payments are due by Monday 13 Februay at 6pm. You MUST pay for your ticket by this time in order to secure your spot.
If you fail to pay for your ticket or your payment is not authorised by the deadline, your ticket will be released to the next person on the ballot.
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Grape Britannia tasting
2 February 2023
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Venue: Sidney Sussex, Knox-Shaw Room
Venue Website: https://www.sid.cam.ac.uk/
Description:
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Cambridge-based independent wine merchants Grape Britannia are the leading experts on English and Welsh wines, specialising solely in these countries. They are winners of the Decanter Retailer Award for England & Wales Specialist Retailer of the Year, each year, from 2020 to 2022. For this tasting, they have selected a range of wines of different styles from across the country with producers ranging from the boutique to the largest.
England is now, rightly, renowned for the quality of its sparkling wines, and four benchmark examples of these will be tasted, but the quality revolution in still wines is perhaps the most exciting development in this relatively young wine region. You will have the opportunity to taste some of the top examples
If you’ve ever been curious about English wine, want to know what’s happening in wine right on our doorstep, or to get to know more about some environmentally friendly wine options, please join us in welcoming them for their first CUWS tasting!
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Lafite dinner
25 January 2023
7:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Venue: Clare College, Garden Room
Bordeaux, France
Owned by the Rothschild family since the 19th century, Château Lafite Rothschild was one of four châteaux of Bordeaux originally awarded Premier Grand Cru in the 1855 Classification with their wines noted as “the most superb in all of Médoc”. It is one of the most renowned wine properties in the Médoc, if not the world, and is also one of the largest Médoc estates. Found in the Pauillac appellation, their wines have a distinguished perfumed elegance and finesse. Please join us at our Bordeaux Dinner to experience these exquisite wines with us.
Pre-Dinner Drinks – R de Rieussec 2020 (AOC Bordeaux Blanc)
MENU
Starter
Château d’Aussières 2016 (AOC Corbières)
Parsnip and parsley risotto fermented turnips, black pepper roasted chickpeas, rocket pesto (VE) (GF)
Intermediate Course
Château Duhart Milon 2016 (AOC Pauillac)
Wild mushroom stuffed supreme of chicken and truffle velouté with fine herbs, citrus-burnt butter dressing, and confit carrots.
AND (Veg/vegan option)
Goats cheese mousse textures of beetroot, radish, horseradish snow, and sorrel cress. (V) (GF)
Main
Château Lafite 2008 (AOC Pauillac)
Braised shoulder of local lamb topped with toasted oats, minted pearl barley, roasted celeriac purée, glazed offal faggot, pea and pancetta, crumbled feta, and split jus.
AND (veg/vegan option)
Butter roasted cauliflower steak, cauliflower, and smoked cheddar velouté, buttered greens, pickled shallots, toasted pine kernels, beurre noisette vinaigrette (V) (GF).
Cheese
Château Rieussec 2019 (AOC Sauternes)
Dessert
Salted caramel tart quince gel, milk sorbet, sesame tuile. (V)
Dress code: Black tie
Ticket and ballot information
We only have a limited number of tickets available, and due to anticipated popularity, the event will be balloted for members only. Members will be able to apply for ONE ticket each and tickets will be allocated through a completely randomised ballot.
The ballot opens on Sunday 15 January at 4pm and will close on 17 January at 6pm. Please indicate any dietary restrictions and seating preferences when you submit your ballot. We will be selecting the ballot winners shortly after, and payments are due by Wednesday 18 January at 6pm. You MUST pay for your ticket by this time in order to secure your spot.
If you fail to pay for your ticket or your payment is not authorised by the deadline, your ticket will be released to the next person on the ballot.
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Pietramatta/Nove Lune tasting
19 January 2023
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Lombardy, Italy
With nearly 30 years of experience, Andrea Sala, the creator, owner, and director of Pietramatta, has harnessed his fascination with the world of viticulture to deliver some incredibly innovative and exciting wines from his home in Bergamo. Pietramatta’s focus is to utilise traditional methods as starting points but to continuously experiment, putting their wines through a thorough testing process with constant analysis in order to aim for excellence in their production. This rigorous methodology starts in the vineyard and continues all the way through to the cellar, resulting in award-winning, exclusive wines.
His brother, Alessandra Sala, of Nove Lune is no different. Championing the importance of environmental sustainability and organic production, he is passionate about producing quality wines from disease-resistant varietals that require no chemical treatment. Creating an eco-compatible cellar, he has gone on to produce award-winning wines in many styles, including passito, orange, and sparkling, all while respecting the environment. Please join us in discovering these cutting-edge, boutique wines!