Wine Fest Winch

(by Peter Richards MW & Susie Barrie MW)

First things first: huge thanks to everyone who has been so supportive of Wine Festival Winchester in its first year. We can’t wait for 21-23 November to launch the inaugural event itself. It’s had a great reception all round. Now we just need to make sure everyone has a fantastic time: no problem!

How can we be so sure it’s going to be worthwhile and fun? Nothing’s ever 100% guaranteed, of course, but how about the following as a darn good try:

• We have more than 40 exhibitors showing hundreds of fabulous wines, from Hampshire fizz to vintage port. All free to taste as part of the entry price.
• Everyone gets a free Riedel wine glass worth £12.50 with their entry ticket.
• At the festival we’re running a prize draw with some amazing prizes from very generous donors including tickets to Grange Park Opera 2015, a Mercedes AMG drive, J&B champagne, Riedel decanters worth up to £500, Guy Kremer goody bag, Le Creuset wine accessories, Majestic wine, consultancy from Farrow & Ball and dinner by Savage Kitchen at Cottonworth wine estate
• Exhibitors are offering exclusive discounts and incentives at the festival so you can take advantage of these not only to buy local but also save money in the process.
• Our Follow Your Taste scheme will help you experiment with confidence at the festival and easily find wines that appeal to your personal taste. Whether you like it fresh and racy, or you’re a big smoothie…
• We’ll be on hand to chat, offer tips on finding great wines and lead masterclasses. Themes for the latter include cheese and wine with Peter, chocolate and port with Susie, plus Riedel wine glasses in action.
• Most of the exhibitors have local connections so you’re supporting local businesses by coming along, tasting (and hopefully buying too)
• By coming to the festival and supporting the prize draw you’re also helping local charity Naomi House & Jacksplace, which provides brilliant support and care for children and young adults with life-limiting conditions

Finally, as if that didn’t represent great value and bang for the buck, you can still get 20% discount off entry prices if you use the code WFWSP2014 when buying tickets via the website.

It’s worth adding that the festival is for everyone, not just wine buffs. The idea is to have fun and explore the world of wine (and food) in a brilliant setting and just at the right time of year to pick up some bottles for Christmas and beyond.

And don’t forget you can easily make a weekend of it. Winchester’s famous Christmas market and ice rink is on at the same time, just round the corner beside the cathedral, and we have some amazing hotels and restaurants in what is a pretty scenic and historic vicinity.

Thanks to all our amazing exhibitors and sponsors, without whom this event simply wouldn’t be happening. And we’ll hope to see you at some stage on 21-23 November: come say hi!