? THE BURNING QUESTION

What’s the best trade tasting you’ve been to recently?

�Boutinot's Manchester tasting is a standout for me. It’s held in a great venue with lots of space and a fantastic selection of wines laid out in a user-friendly manner. They also make sure that they stick to a sensible amount of people for the space. The overall winning factor for me is that there are plenty of people behind the wines to talk about them.”

�Being a one-man-band I don’t get out to as many trade tastings as I should but there is one that I never miss: Vinexus’s anteprima tasting of the new vintages of Barolo, Barbaresco and Brunello. It is a walk-around tasting with 100+ wines to taste, with many serious buyers who are personally invited, so always small numbers. It’s a good opportunity for me to catch up with the guys from Vinexus, but also other people who are there.”

�I like going to the Modal tastings where you can talk through the wines and move on to the next table without too much elbow sharpening. The last Indigo tasting I went to was very good and a great chance to really talk to the producers behind the wines. Taking the team was a real bonus. We are involved with a local vineyard and help with the picking, so they get to see every part of the winemaking process and the trade tastings at the end of it.”

�The most enjoyable and informative tasting was a Burgundy whites tasting with Charles Taylor Wines. It was organised as a semi-private tasting with each attendee booking a scheduled time to arrive. I had the opportunity to focus on 29 Burgundy whites over an hour and a half in the company of Tom Hare with no distractions. This was a very effective way for us to pinpoint some new additions to our Burgundy range and subsequently all these new wines have become good sellers in our shop.”

The oldest wine house in Champagne: Äy 1584