The next meeting is on Tuesday 7th April 2026.
We meet on the first Tuesday of the month ('The Kitchen', 198 Watford Road) to sample a variety of reasonably priced wines, potentially with a theme:
e.g. Wines from a specific region, vegetarian wines,
Same grape from various regions, kosher wines,
Same wine various prices, wines from ALDI etc etc
Ideally, we want to have a group size of 24 members who will be divided up into 12 groups of 2, with each pair running approximately one session per year. Don’t worry if you don’t bring a partner along, we will pair you off with someone; it will not be onerous and we don’t want long winded descriptions!!
Each taster will be of 30ml, giving a total of 180ml (if you actually drink it all!).
The idea is to have some fun and be sociable.
The costs will be £5 paid in advance. Please note that there is an initial joining fee of £5 to cover equipment etc.
Each pair will be allocated the same budget for their 6 bottles and can spend it as they wish.
Due to the costs involved we really need you to attend most if not all of the sessions.
The group is currently showing as full (waiting list) but please don't let that deter you from applying to join it. We don't know if you are interested in joining unless you apply - and we will do our best not to keep you on the waiting list for very long!
LAST MEETING:
March 2026
Spring was at last in the air as 18 members of the Wine Appreciation Group descended upon ‘The Kitchen’ for their monthly gathering to sample six chosen wines. Jeremy was experimenting with the Virgin Wines starter pack, all the wines he chose had received an average 4-star rating amongst the Virgin Wine club members.
As is customary we started with three whites.
- Les Trois Calices Essential Sauvignon blanc Colombard Gros MansengCotes de Gascogne, France, 10.9%, we paid £10.99
- Billy Bosch Chenin Blanc 2024, South Africa Western Cape, 11%, we paid £10.99
- Brio Pinot Grigio 2024 IGP Del’Emilia, Italy, 11.8%, we paid £10.99
Voting was 0, 14, 4 – the clear winner being the Billy Bosch
Onto the reds:
- Ripper 2024 Shiraz, South Eastern Australia, 12.3%, we paid £11.99
- Florel Reserve Malbec 2024, Argentina, 12.8%, we paid £12.99
- Marques del Parral Rioja Tempranillo, Spain, 13.5%, we paid £12.99
The Voting was 5,10,3 - once again the most expensive red was the clear winner.
More about the Virgin Wine Club
On taking up the introductory offer one sets up a monthly direct debit. It defaults to £25/month which goes into an account which accrues interest. The wine is delivered within days, together with an offers pack, including a £75 off voucher to give to a friend using the code FRIEND75.
Each month several special offers are received by email (typically £50 off a case). However, it is straightforward to cancel at any time, to obtain a full refund (but the interest is lost). The direct debit is cancelled, but membership remains, and the offers are still received; enabling one to make a one-off payment to take advantage of any offer that seems attractive.
Once again, a thoroughly enjoyable evening was had by one and all.
Detailed write ups can be found on the Wine Group page.
MEETING HISTORY:
- Click on 'Meeting date' to view meeting details'
- Right click on Wine Bottles and select 'Open Image in new tab' to view the full size.
- Click on Wine information' for more details on the actual wines
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