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The Fine Wine Fair Team
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Video of the Fair
The dust has settled and the money counted, and the result is pretty impressive! Off the back of charity auction run by Bid for Wine at our fair, we’ve raised nearly £13,000 for the Help for Heroes. Not bad for a first fair, I’d say!
The big hitters in terms of raising the most were as follows:
1) 1 case of 12 2003 Echezeaux Jayer-Gilles, going for £1114.01
2) Case of 12 Grand Puy Lacoste, 5eme Cru classé, Pauillac 1995 – £735.00
3) A case of 6 2005 Château Providence – £540.50
4) A Methuselah of Moët & Chandon NV signed by England cricket captain Andrew Strauss – £407.73
5) A Methuselah of Moët & Chandon NV signed by the Harlequins – £400.01
While I did get involved with the bidding action, my contribution didn’t quite rate at the same level as these, but I’d like to think that it will have made some little difference, somewhere along the way… And to boot I got a nice bottle of bubbly – Christmas present for the parents sorted.
I was curious to know what was going to happen to all the money we raised, so had a quick chat to the people at Help for Heroes to track the cash.
While they couldn’t pinpoint exactly what our money would be used for, they were keen to name the various projects that might benefit, including a rehab complex, and personnel recovery centres – all very sound.
Only problem is trying to beat that total next year… !
Not every wine event, unfortunately, is as friendly and accessible as ours, and sometimes having fun there doesn’t come all that naturally, what with trying to remember the five first growths of Bordeaux while swilling and spitting elegantly… It can all be a little taxing at the end of the day…
So we’ve put together a list of DOs and DON’Ts for Fair-going, to help you look the part and have fun!
Feel free to add/comment, after all, you are all best placed to know what works and what doesn’t…
You all saw us, you were probably even accosted by us at some point, and, I’d like to think, helpfully guided by us. But what was it like for the purple shirted Personal Wine Shoppers? As Head Personal Wine Shopper, I’m well placed to tell you everything…
If you didn’t have a chance to talk to one of us, the aim of the Personal Wine Shoppers was to help visitors find things that might interest them in the Fair; to guide them to stands that would suit their preferences, and help them get the most out of the event. Sounds pretty easy? Well, it required a good memory for all the wines on offer, and more over, a lot of energy to stay bright eyed and bushy-tailed over the course of the full three days!
My team and I assembled for the first time in the early afternoon on the Friday. After introductions and getting out shirts sorted, we took to the stalls to find out exactly what wines we had on offer.
Most of my team had years of experience in the field, so they were no strangers to properly tasting and helping people identify exactly what it is they liked (or didn’t like in a wine), which was a huge help. Moreover, they were a friendly bunch – perfect for the job.
Understanding what wines we had on offer was crucial: this meant a meticulous tour of all the stands, chatting to the producers, tasting their wines (honestly, this really does count as work!) and making a mental note of what was what, and where to find it.
The problem with wine fairs for most people is there are no obvious signposts. In an attempt to not feel like a tourist, people tend to plum for the closest stall and wonder round a bit aimlessly after that. While this can be fun, it can also result in some fairly confusing taste alternations; from heavy reds to fruity whites to bubbles and back again to the reds… Firstly, you’re much more likely to get confused that way, but you’re also quite likely to lose all idea of what tastes like what (a strong red will completely obliterate the taste of a lighter wine – red or white – so you want to build up to them). So part of our mission was to help visitors avoid such confusion.
I personally found that a great way to start is with some bubbles: not only are they always fun, and put you in a good mood, but they often have light and delicate flavours which would be lost later on after some heavier wines.
One of the main challenges was gauging people’s understanding of wine: patronising people who are quite knowledgeable can irritate them, but talking too in depth to people who are less well versed will just intimidate them. So, we had to carefully start our conversation in broad terms, and see which way we needed to take the conversation – we could usually figure out pretty quickly the required level.
The mix was fairly thorough; we had everything from seasoned spitters who knew how to sniff, swill and spit like the pros, and then people who knew what they liked, but weren’t necessarily sure why, and as a result were unsure what to try next. Thankfully, given the huge selection at the stand, there was something for everyone. Apart from one lady on a mission to drink some Austrian wine – my one failure of the event! I promise now to make sure there is some lovely dry Austrian Riesling next year, just for her…
To celebrate the success of the Fair after the close of the Sunday session, the Fine Wine Fair Team went for a well deserved drink at the pub. But, strangely, there was not one glass of wine, fine or not, to be had amongst us…
