Next tasting - Friday 8th May

Favourite Wines of Evington's

Web: https://evingtons-wines.co.uk

This month we will welcome back Oliver March of Evington's Wine Merchants. Having taken over from his father a few years ago, Olly has established himself as pillar of the local wine community. This month Evington's are celebrating their 100th anniversary.

I do hope that you are aware of Olly’s good taste, inherited from his father perhaps, from both his tastings at the Grand Union and also in his wonderful shop. He has put together a selection of some of his most favourite wines for us to try. In recognition of our two anniversaries, a more generous budget than normal has been made available. 

Olly said:

"At Evington's we not only share the local area, members and customers with the GUWS, but a great love of discovering and sampling new and exciting wines. As we celebrate our 100th year and the GUWS celebrates its 40th, I've put together a list which I hope will continue to excite and satisfy this journey of discovery. It's a privilege to have such a large group of enthusiasts with which to share these milestones in both our organisation's history."

Olly’s tastings are always a great pleasure, I do hope that you will be able to attend. Do feel free to invite your friends as guests too. 

What we tasted in April 2026

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 vineyard in Vergisson producing Pouilly Fuisse and Macon Villages wines.

John showed us the molecular basis for the rose and lychee flavours common in Gewürztraminer wines, debunked the idea that iodine had any role in the flavour profile of Chablis, explained to us the origin of the sherry- and champagne-like flavours of Vin Jaune, described how carbonic maceration is a distinct fermentation process from normal juice fermentation that is used not just in Beaujolais, and talked about the calorie content of wine (telling us that a cinnamon doughnut has more calories than a stick of dynamite!)

John's educational and entertaining talk was illustrated with some exemplary, rare and very enjoyable wines. It was much appreciated by the attendees.

The wines tasted were:

1. Joseph Cattin, Grand Cru Hatschbourg, 2023. Alsace, France. Gewürztraminer

2. Domaine Meyer Fonné, Grand Cru Wineck-Schlossburg, Vendage Tardive, 2021. Alsace, France. Gewürztraminer

3. Domaine Laroche, Saint Martin, 2024. Chablis, France. Chardonnay

4. Domaine Badoz, Château-Chalon, Vin Jaune, 2018. Jura, France. Savignin

5. Xavier Benier, Noveau, 2025. Beaujolais, France. Gamay

6. Onofri, Alma Gamela, 2021. Mendoza, Argentina. Garnacha

7. Baglio Gebellina, Passimento, 2024. Sicily, Italy. Nero d'Avola, Frapatto

8. Cantine Pellegrino, Pantellaria, Passito liquoroso, 2024. Pantellaria, Italy. Zibbibo

   
   

   

Next tasting - Friday 10th April

This month we are able to have an unusual chance to focus on the origins of a few of the flavours that can predominate in specific wines. John Manley will present exemplary wines, aiming to shine a light on the molecular causes of the flavours present. He is one of a very few experts in this area. The tasting is one of a series offered by John; this one will consider:

Lychee & Gewürztraminer, Iodine, Vin Jaune, Carbonic Maceration, and Calories

I have summarised John’s introduction as follows: 

Lychee is an aroma/taste almost always associated with Gewürztraminer – even when it is late harvest or botrytized. The molecule largely responsible for the lychee/rose taste has some interesting stereochemistry. 

Iodine is romantically linked with Chablis through its prehistoric oyster beds, although it is well down the list when it comes to Iodine found in grapes and wines. 

Few wines can be called unique. Vin Jaune is definitely one of them. Made from the Savagnin grape in the Jura region of France its production has aspects similar to Sherry, although it is not fortified. Its ageing produces aromas and tastes similar to those found in Champagne. 

Carbonic Maceration is a pre-fermentation process that creates a small amount of ethanol by different routes. It has an impact on volatiles, acidity and tannins of the resulting wines. Beaujolais Nouveau uses Carbonic Maceration to produce wines for immediate drinking full of bright red fruit and unmistakable waves of esters.

Calories in wine are counterintuitive. Sugar is only a contributor to the calorie count. A Passimento and a Passito from Italy illustrate the effects.