Edinburgh Uncorked – Expand your wine knowledge this summer
Thanks to Diana Thompson, founder of Wine Events Scotland, I spent the most enjoyable day in the company of the UK’s favourite wine expert, Oz Clarke, OBE, who was in Edinburgh for the most exciting wine fair in Scotland this summer.
Edinburgh Uncorked brought together 26 diverse wine producers, makers and personalities for a day of tasting and learning all about wine at the Captial’s Assembly Rooms, with over 204 wines to taste. With responsible drinking in mind, I obviously didn’t try them all, but it was a great opportunity to chat and meet some of the producers and try some more unusual ones, such as Wines of Ukraine and Wines of Bohemia. I loved meeting the team from local gin producer, Lime & Lind gin. Did you know you can do a tour? It’s on my list for trying later this summer.
You may have missed Edinburgh Uncorked but Wine Events Scotland has lots more events to tempt this summer and help you broaden your wine knowledge.
MASTERCLASS
The Riedel Experience & Masterclass, Edinburgh Academy,
Tuesday, 27 June at 7.30pm – Tickets from £70
Can the right glass improve your wine? Master glassmaker Maximillian Riedel shows how
Maximilian Riedel, the 11th-generation CEO and president of Riedel, the crystal glass manufacturer renowned for creating different wine glass shapes to suit specific wines, will be in Edinburgh this June for a rare and unique wine-tasting experience.
Everyone attending will receive a set of four of the Veloce Range Riedel glasses to take home, which are worth £125.
Riedel, established in 1756, has been producing glassware for more than 265 years and 11 generations. It is the oldest family owned and operated global crystal glass brand in the world. Renowned worldwide for the creation and development of grape varietal-specific glassware, the company was the first to recognise that the taste and aroma of a wine or spirit is affected by the shape of the glass it is drunk from.
WINE FAIR
Scotland’s first Greek Wine Fair, Assembly Rooms, George Street, Edinburgh
28 June – Wednesday, 6pm – 8pm – £25
Greek wines are receiving a lot of attention at the moment, and the country is producing great quality and fantastic value-for-money wines. You don’t have to be a wine expert to enjoy these events – they are a must for anyone with even the slightest interest in wine. This will be a walk-around tasting with the chance to speak to the producers as you taste and enjoy a fantastic range of wines. As well as tasting new wine, this is a great opportunity to learn from and be guided by the experts.
Greece has one of the longest winemaking and wine appreciation histories in the world. Today there are 180,000 growers and more than 1,200 wineries, which highlights that this is a country that takes wine very seriously.
There will be 32 Greek wineries showcasing wines primarily made with indigenous varieties including Assyrtiko, Malagousia, Roditis, Savatiano, Xinomavro, Agiorgitiko, Mavrodaphne, Liatiko and many more.
TASTING
Lidl French Wine Tour
Friday, 28 July – 7.00pm – 8.30pm – £15 (ticket price per household)
A tried and tested format, Diana had to adapt her business during the pandemic and resorted to doing tastings on Zoom. The events are very informal, and as they’re on Zoom, you can join in from anywhere in the UK. You’ll hear from their Lead Taster and Master of Wine Richard Bampfield and Chris Scott from Lidl.
There will be 10 beautiful French wines to try, which will be a selection of sparkling, white, red and dessert wines. So grab a group of friends and share the cost. It’s completely up to you if you’d like to buy any or all of the wines to have ready to taste. Alternatively, if you’d like to find out what everyone else recommends then you’re welcome to. However, the more people who have one, two or even all ten of the wines, the more interesting and fun it will be since everyone will enjoy hearing each other’s views.
During the tasting you’ll be given a brief overview of where the wines come from and a bit about the style or grape variety and then of course you’ll taste them. This style is much more of a Whistle Stop Tour around the range.
As with all the Lidl Wine Tours each store receives an allocation of the wines and once they’ve gone they’ve gone. There should be plenty of stock for at least the first two weeks after the launch, but once the word gets out which are the best wines in this Tour, then the best ones are likely to sell out quickly.
Diana will let you know by Friday, 14 July which wines will be tasted. The wines will be in store by Thursday, 20 July. You don’t need to buy all 10 to join in.
The cost is just £15 for the tasting and of course, only one ticket per household is required.
To find out more about any of these events and to buy tickets, contact:
