Next tasting - Friday 11th September

James Long (Corney & Barrow) - Bordeaux

Web: https://www.corneyandbarrow.com

I am pleased to say that on Friday September 11th the Grand Union Wine Society will have a tasting from James Long, featuring wines from Corney & Barrow.

James has given us with very many entertaining, educational and delicious presentations over 30 years. His enthusiasm and ebullience is undimmed, and he continues his very active engagement the wine world. 

This next tasting will focus on the wines of Bordeaux. Central in the history of wine making, Bordeaux is for many people the very definition of classic fine wine. This reputation is very well deserved, despite the recent lack of such wines at our tastings. The region’s wines are always tasty, and cover a wide range of styles from youthful, lively and fruit-forward to world-renowned wines which develop complexity to considerable age. I am sure that you will enjoy rediscovering the delights that the wines of Bordeaux can provide. James’ tasting will cover this much demarcated region, ending with a beautiful sweet Sauternes. 

I do hope to see you at this tasting. Do please also consider inviting your friends.

What we tasted in August 2026

Committee Tasting

On August 14th we had our AGM and a very special tasting reflecting the 40th anniversary of the Grand Union Wine Society. Wines were selected and presented by members of the committee. They were all of a high quality, but some were relatively unfamiliar and were wonderful surprises: La Rocca and the Rivesaltes VDN were standouts for me. The latter, although bottled in 2022, had spent the previous 36 years in barrel, and so was a genuine vintage from the Society's foundation year. It was delicious too.

The wines tasted were:

1. Cloudy Bay, Pelorus sparkling, NV. Marlborough, New Zealand. Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (Margaret Connor)

2. Pieropan, La Rocca, 2024. Soave, Italy. Garganega (Isabel Crump)

3. Hamilton Russell Vineyards, 2023. Hemmel-en-Aarde, South Africa. Chardonnay (Bob McKinley)

4. La Despensa, 2022. Colchagua Valley, Chile. Sangiovese (Isabel Crump)

5. Les Bastides d'Alquier, Bardi d'Alquier, 2019. Faugères, France. Grenache, Syrah (Tim Hobbs)

6. Seghesio Family Vineyards, 2022. Sonoma County, USA. Zinfandel (John Malpass)

7. Riveyrac, Vin Doux Naturel, 1986. Rivesaltes, France. Grenache Noir, Grenache Blanc, Grenache Gris, Maccabeo (John Freeland)

   
   

   

Next tasting - Friday 14th August

Committee tasting

Our next Grand Union Wine Society tasting, on August 14th at 7:45pm, will be a presentation by members of the committee of wines that they have especially enjoyed. Recognising that this is our 40th anniversary year, a higher budget than usual has been adopted for the wines, allowing for some top examples to be presented. The final wine will actually be 40 years old. This should be a great tasting, and I hope to see you there. 

This tasting will follow our AGM, which I hope we can deal with quickly. We will aim to get the first wine in your glass before the AGM starts.

Documents for the AGM will be sent one week before the meeting.