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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:
View the College map. more…
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!
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Gravner
1 December 2022
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Venue: Sidney Sussex, Knox-Shaw Room
Venue Website: https://www.sid.cam.ac.uk/
Description:
View the College map. more…
Friuli, Italy
Founded by visionary Josko Gravner, Gravner has become the standard for clay-fermented, skin contact, low intervention wines, with winemakers worldwide seeking inspiration from their style. He has established benchmarks for a viticultural approach, production method, region, and the expression of many grape varieties, and is considered one of the fathers of the modern orange/amber wine movement.
Now in the safe hands of his daughter, Mateja, their wines are vinified using traditional, local techniques that bring out the purity and expressiveness of each variety. Come join us in tasting these ‘cult status’ wines, some of the finest natural wines on offer!
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Luis Seabra Vinhos
21 November 2022
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Venue: St John's College. Wordsworth room
Address:
Description:
Go up the staircase in the far left corner of First Court to the first floor. map.cam.ac.uk more…
Portugal
After making his name as Niepoort’s winemaker, Luis Seabra set out to revolutionise wine-making in Portugal. Setting up his own project in 2013, he is central to a cultural shift in Portuguese wine, championing the authenticity of terroir and region and low intervention wines.
Internationally known as one of the leaders of the “New Portugal” renaissance in wine, he aims to produce wines without compromise – the wines he wishes to make, not those the market wants. We hope you can join us to taste these incredible wines!
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Delas
16 November 2022
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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Rhône, France
Established in 1835 by Philippe Delas and Charles Audibert, Delas Frères is a name synonymous with quality and excellence. It was first acquired by the Champagne House Deutz in 1977, which later became a part of Louis Roederer. Cultivating vineyards on the northern Rhône’s steep granite slopes, they produce some of the most refined wines in the region, notable for their elegance and finesse, showcasing an intensity of flavour that highlights some of the most prestigious appellations of the region. Join us in tasting these amazing Rhône wines!
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Wiston Estate
2 November 2022
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm
West Sussex, England, UK
Join us for a tasting of sparkling wines from Wiston Estate, a multi-award-winning, family-owned, Sussex vineyard, and winery.
Set in the ancient chalk downlands of the South Downs, Wiston has a winemaking heritage dating back to Roman times and today houses an impressive tasting room and fine dining restaurant, as well as making some of the UK’s finest traditional method sparkling wine.
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Snowden Vineyards dinner
20 October 2022
7:30 pm - 9:45 pm
Venue: Sidney Sussex, Main Hall
Napa Valley, California, USA
A four-generation, family-run affair, we are thrilled to have Snowden Vineyards join us for our Michaelmas Term Dinner!
Situated on a homestead in Napa that has been harvesting grapes since 1878, the Snowdens moved to the ranch in 1955, swapping the previously grown Petit Syrah and Palomino for Cabernet Sauvignon, and there, their story began.
We’re pleased to welcome Diana Snowden Seysses, their winemaker, who is also the resident enologist at Domaine Dujac in Burgundy (owned by her husband Jeremy). Taken by the Burgundian approach, she has driven forward their classically styled wines to highlight the specificities of the terroir to produce beautiful, organic wines that capture qualities specific to the region.
Dress code: Black tie
MENU
Soup
Standard (Vegan): Pumpkin and coconut milk soup, white truffle oil, hazelnut crisp
Starter
Standard (Vegan): Roasted corn risotto, crispy kale, parmesan
Main
Standard: Braised shoulder of venison, crispy potato terrine, curly kale, quince puree, pickled chestnuts
Vegan/Vegetarian: Roscoff onion tart tatin, parsnip purée, brassicas, crispy chickpeas
Cheese
Dessert
Standard (Vegan): Coconut and vanilla mousse, winter spiced fruits, mixed nut praline
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17 October 2022
9:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Venue: Sidney Sussex, Knox-Shaw Room
Venue Website: https://www.sid.cam.ac.uk/
Description:
View the College map. more…
Burgundy, France
With a history of significantly influential innovations since 1872, including originating many important Pinot Noir clones and being one of the first to practice estate bottling in the 1930s, Domaine Ponsot boasts a loyal following in the wine world as one of, if not the, defining domaine of the village and is the largest landowner in the famous Clos de la Roche Grand Cru terroir. We’re excited to welcome you to taste their remarkably powerful, rich, intense, long-lived wines!
Please note: this will be a balloted members only event.
- Registration will close on 11 October, 6pm
- Registered members will be drawn at random and notified if they have a place on 12 October