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 Soci

Domaine Chanson (Burgundy) from Mentzendorff - Enguerrand Leonetti and Dan Ruell Web: https://www.domaine-chanson.com/en/ Web: https://mentzendorff.co.uk On the 2nd of July we felt very privileged to have presenting to us Enguerrand Leonetti from Domaine Chanson in Burgundy and Dan Ruell from the suppliers Mentzendorff. Domaine Chanson are producer-négociants with vineyards in the Côte Chalonnaise and the Côte de Beaune. They always have a substantial presence at the Mentzend

Southern English Wines - Dan Farrell-Wright - Wickhams Web: https://wickhamwine.co.uk On the 12th of June we were glad to have back Dan Farrell-Wright of Wickhams Wine from Exeter. Dan is a well-recognised expert on English wines, and his enthusiastic presentation showed his deep knowledge of the development of winemaking here. The tasting covered a wide variety of wine styles and demonstrated both the maturity of the winemaking in England now, and how English wines themselv

Evington's Favourites - Oliver March Web: https://evingtons-wines.co.uk On the 8th of May we welcomed back Oliver March of Evingtion's Wine Merchants. Evington's are celebrating their 100th anniversary this year, as our Society is celebrating it's 40th. We decided to push the boat out and have a celebratory tasting. Olly chose some of his favourite wines. We had a Viognier from next to Condrieu, which opened beautifully in the glass; a superb and very long white southern Fr

Lychee & Gewürztraminer, Iodine, Vin Jaune, Carbonic Maceration and Calories - John Manley On the 10th of April we were very glad to have John Manley explain to us the basis of the flavours and contents of a range of wines. John has had an extensive and varied career in chemistry, physics and AI. He has been Her Majesty’s High Sheriff of the County of City of Bristol, and is currently a visiting professor at the University of the West of England, Bristol. He is a co-owner of

Woodthorpe Wines - Matthew Whitaker On the 13 March we hosted Mathew Whittaker from Woodthorpe Wines. Although this was Matthews’s first presentation to the Grand Union he is no stranger to Leicester having led tastings at the Pheonix where he has built a substantial following. Mathew started his career in hospitality and trained as a sommelier working in fine dining before opening Woodthorpe wines. He brought his wealth of experience of working with wine and food and his sto

Champagne Verrier et Fils - Emmanuel and Laurence Verrier On February 13th we were delighted to have a presentation from the Champagne producers Emmanuel and Laurence Verrier of Verrier et Fils in Étoges. This tasting was organised by our deputy chairman Bob McKinley following his many personal visits there. Étoges is in the Côtes de Blancs, about 10 km just south of Épernay, in the heart of the Chanpagne region. The wines of Verrier et Fils are made by the 5th generation of

Southern Italy - Ben Robson; Bat and Bottle Our first tasting of 2026, our 40th anniversary year, was presented by our good friend and long-term supporter Ben Robson of the Bat and Bottle in Oakham. Ben presented a set of wines from Southern Italy covering a huge range of styles that were quite far from the standard sweetish southern reds that are so well known. From the light and mineral Verdeca to the rich and substantial skin-contact Falanghina, we were shown what quality

Christmas Tasting - Duncan Murray In December we gladly welcomed the return of Duncan Murray. Duncan's shop in Market Harborough is always a very welcoming spot, and his free Saturday tastings there are very popular. Duncan told us that he has been presenting to the Grand Union for 30 years or more, in recent years entertaining us at our Christmas tasting with his terrible jokes and delicious wines. We had a wonderful variety of both white and red wines, covering a huge range

Brazilian Wines! In November we were treated to an unexpected treat by Nicholas Corfe of Go Brazil. Unfortunately I could not be present, but I was told that the wines were very well recieved and the Nicholas gave an excellent presentation. Although Brazil is clearly a tropical country, most of its wine is produced near the southern border with Uruguay (which also prduces some fabulous wines). A sparkling brut Blanc de Noir, three white wines and four red wines were tasted; t

Uncover Europe’s Best-Kept Wine Secret - The wines of Moldova In October we were very glad to have Martin and Galina Flowers from InKnotts Wine Ltd present from their extensive range of Moldovan wines. Situated between Romania and Ukraine, Moldova has had grape cultivation for over 6,000 years. Following Russian embargoes, the EU gave Moldovan wine duty-free access in 2014. Moldovan wines are now regularly winning medals in international competitions, including the coveted ti

A new light on Laithwaites? This month we were very glad to welcome Ross Donaldson and his team (Sam and Dan) from the Laithwaites shop...

In August, after our AGM, we have our annual Member's Tasting, for which we ask members to volunteer a presentation and tasting of one of...

In July we welcomed back Dan Ruell from Mentzendorff. A few of us had been at the Mentzendorff Spring Tasting in London earlier in the...

In June Oliver March visited us from Evington's Wine Merchants. He is a local distributor, following in the footsteps of his father, with...

In May we had a tasting of Uruguayan wines put together by Carla Bertellotti of Vinos Latinos. Carla was unfortunately unable to attend,...

In April we were very glad to have Nancy Gilchrist MW to present a range of wines from the Alto Adige region of northern Italy. High...

In March we welcomed back Preet Sahota of Edgmond Wines, who showed a range of elegant wines from South Africa. Avoiding the most obvious...

In February we welcomed Tom Holt the maker and owner of Paso-Primero Wines, who presented his wines from Somontano in the Spanish...

In January we welcomed Andrew Walker of Solaris Wines, who presented wines from Romania, Slovenia and Spain. The society was entertained...