Great Bristol Wine Festival with Wine Alive!

Saturday 25^th April was a day very well spent, sampling fantastic new wines among some old favourites and chatting to the lovely teams behind the products. One thing that really stood out – aside for the quality and diversity of the wines being showcased – was the passion and pride behind the brands. The exhibitors at Wine Alive really did bring the wines to life! As owner of a wine school, something I’m always on the lookout for is not only great tasting wine, but wine with a story behind it. A story to which I must then do justice, recreating the producer’s passion through my own recounting at my tasting events; but this is never difficult when you believe in a product, brand or concept.

What initially seemed like an ample window of three hours to learn, share and sip soon flew by, leaving me wishing I’d purchased an additional ticket to the evening session to visit more of the stands. But of those I did visit, all of them were impressive and had their own unique stories and techniques to share. Whether that was the introduction of Hungarian oak to the ageing process, the combination of traditional grape varieties and alternative production methods or single varietals in grape varieties I’d never tasted before – yes those do exist!

It was also lovely to reunite with an importer and merchant that I met last year at London Wine Fair and whose wines I quickly became a fan of; Koul Agency. Specialising in Greek and European wines, Koul agency uses the classic trio of native Greek grapes well-known to the WSET alumni among us; Assyrtiko, Agiorgitiko and Xinomavro, along with international grape varieties and lesser-known local grapes. A great example of the latter is their Victoria rosé wine, made with cabernet sauvignon and kotsifali, an indigenous red grape variety native to Crete.

We also spent time learning about DOCG Valdobbiadene and the quality and vast diversity offered by the region, a fantastic opportunity to try a superior range of elegant prosecco wines which could rival traditional-method sparkling with their flavour profiles and food-pairing potential. We certainly weren’t short of sparkling wines at the event, with wonderful examples from Joseph Perrier, Maud Heath and Wildflower Wines among others.  

A special thank you to all the exhibitors who took the time to talk to us about their wines, I even had the opportunity to practise some Italian with one of the lovely representatives which was great fun! With so many more special wines to mention, this post could very easily become a series!