In the run up to taking over as Chair of the AWE I spent a while thinking about the priorities I had for our members, educators and wine trade. One of the main points that I kept coming back to was a desire to show wine enthusiasts there are wine educators and then there are ‘Wine Educators’ and that our members are the best in the business, with top notch knowledge, presentation skills and experience. Certainly, with hospitality closing up for the majority of 2020 there have been lots of opportunities for individuals to host online tastings and set up swanky looking websites and businesses. And there are many confusing job titles that, like in all industries, are really stretched and manipulated by certain people and used purely as a marketing ploy to get more traction. I was saddened to hear that a few businesses and friends wouldn’t do another wine event as their host just wasn’t up to scratch even though their online presence was indeed impressive.

So, for those in the AWE I ask that we all start using our logo in all correspondence to make it more obvious to wine lovers who to trust and learn from. To those not yet a member, get in touch!

And to all the wine fans who may wish to attend classes and tastings sometime here is a little guide as to what’s what in the UK. (The American system and others round the world tend to have slightly different gravitas on roles again)

Master of Wine (MW)

This is considered one of the top qualifications to aspire to and there are less than 400 in the world. It takes years of study and experience to pass the tough tasting and theory exams and was something my Grandfather was proud to introduce around the world as back in his day it was just a UK qualification. Don’t be fooled if someone claims to be a Master in Wine, this is exactly how cowboys try and get you!

Sommeliers

Somms gain their experience in restaurants. The top qualification is a Master Sommelier (MS) which focusses more on service and food pairing than the MW but is considered of similar status. Lots of restaurants give the job title Sommelier quite freely and they may just work in the bar so make sure your wine host has attended The Court of Master Sommeliers, International Sommelier Guild or equivalent.

Wine Educator

Specifically trained to teach you about the world of wine, look out for those who have their Wine and Spirit Education Trust, WSET, Diploma or higher, as mentioned above. All our full AWE members are qualified to this standard, are assessed before joining and should have mention of the Association on their signature or website.

Wine Trainer

These individuals tend to work for wine businesses and train the staff who work with their companies’ wines. Again, they should have WSET qualifications under their belt or be working towards a high level.

Oenologist/ Winemaker/ Vintner

The fabulous girls and guys that make wine. They have a wealth of knowledge and expertise but just as not all footballers will make good commentors pick wisely or you may be listening to someone take you through wine at their level and not yours.

Viticulturist

Grape growers who need to get the berries on the vine just right for the perfectly balanced wine. Again, very interesting and knowledgeable especially if on your wavelength.

Journalist/ wine writer

This one is pretty obvious but what I always suggest is that you make sure you have a similar palate to critics if you are going to take advise on which wines to buy as recommendations and scores from some of the most influential writers can differ immensely, just like film or art reviews.

Sipologist

A classic example of a made up, impressive (?!) sounding expert. This time invented by yours truly to give the sense of combining learning and fun. But as I have mentioned as silly as the name may be I do have the qualifications behind me too.

Please do use this website to look up our members and get in touch with them to host your event. Or get in touch if you would like the chance to join us too.

Wine professional + AWE logo = some great learning and tastings!

As some of you know I am not only a Professional Sipologist but also a member of the Association of Wine Educators (AWE) and was lucky enough be invited on a trip to the Rhône Valley this month with other wine trainers. Our first port of call was at the Ecole des Vins in Avignon - wine educators like nothing better than going back to school too.

We were led through a wealth of information about the region. Here are some quickfire facts –

• The Rhône is the second largest appellation d'origine contrôlée (French AOC wine regions are controlled to protect the quality and style of a particular wine-making place.)

• It covers both the north and south of the valley though there are different rules in every village so the wine styles vary across the 48 appellations, 5,300 producers, 70,000 hectares

• Last year they sold 1 million bottles a day across the world and have a wine-making history going back 2000 years. And now they are focussing on organic and biodymanic production. Infact 10.5% of Rhône wine production is already organic.

• Rosé may not be what you associate most with the Rhône, but is 13% of the total sales (more than white at 6%).

And as there are increasingly some really successful rosés to be found I was keen to explore this colour more than usual- the power of the sunshine and approaching summer!

There is much debate among wine drinkers about the colour of rosé, with most settling on only drinking the 'pale' ones like those made nearby in Provence. There is an AOC called Tavel in the Rhône that produces a very dark pink wine and is best to have with food, like you would a red.

The SipSoc verdict? There is a time a place for all colours of rosé, just make sure the acidity remains fresh.

Falling off my chair.

Yes, the picture above is sideways*. It's the view I had of my hotel just after seeing the bill for my small glass of wine in Dubai this month. I was over there teaching some Somms. as wine is an ever growing drinks category with the laws of consuming alcohol relaxing ever so slightly there. But with a whooping 50% tax on it no wonder the Government want tourists to drink it by the case load. Hotel margins are ludicrous too.

They whack another huge mark up on top meaning a pretty bog standard £6 wine would be over £50 there. Gulp! In the UK we expect margins to be on average 65% higher in a restaurant than a shop. But beware, you are quite often being stung just a little bit more for choosing the fashionable (or easy to pronounce) wines. Our tip? Ask to try a sample of something you haven't heard of or figure out what it's most similar to. If SipSoc have anything to do with it they should all be fully trained up!

*Sorry, I could work out how to add pictures back into this article

Don't believe everything you see in the UK

Wines that are reduced are normally marked up in price for a couple of months first so retailers can then show how much you may be 'saving' tempting shoppers to empty the shelves of that particular product.

We don't like paying too much attention to 'awards' either. As we know from Sip to the Beat, taste changes with different music and we know for a fact many judges get a say in the playlist.

Grab the Champers!

Branded Champagne on the other hand is something you may want to stock up on when you see it's on offer (usually around holiday periods). This is because the Champagne Houses position themselves in the market place based on price just like spirits.

How are some supermarkets (Aldi/ Lidl) offering £10 Champagnes? Steady on, Sipologists! I am writing that course at the moment... Keep it in mind for gift cards

AWEsome-ness

We're not saying spend a fortune. In fact those who have been to ReWINED will have learnt what the best price to spend on wine is. Just don't get tempted by a bargain that isn't actually a bargain at all. Being part of the Association of Wine Educators, SipSoc have access to recommendations from many experienced palates from retailers across the country at many a price point and we are happy to share this with you all.

Happy New Year! I trust you drank all sorts of delicious things during the festive season. And now it's time to stay off the booze, right? Well even I am trying to give my liver a bit of a break.

But in this first newsletter of 2018 I am determined to eradicate the word DRY.

I recently went out with some friends for dinner. They always get me to choose the wine for them but this time I refused. It was the New Year and time for them to pick. So the waiter comes along and ‘She-who-shall-not-be-named’ says, “I’ll just have something dry please.” My heart sinks. So does the waiter's. Er, what exactly does she mean by this? Dry so it makes your mouth dry? Dry because it doesn’t taste too fruity, so citrus flavours are preferred over tropical ones? Or just because that’s how you order white? Or does she want red?

Unfortunately my friend has described any and all of the wines on the list.

The waiter and I classify the term dry to mean, not sweet. The EU Regulations state that in wines of ‘moderate acidity’ there should be no more than 9 g/L of residual sugar. Residual Sugar being the level of glucose and fructose (grape sugars) that are not converted into alcohol during fermentation.

Our perception of sweetness is affected by both acidity and bitterness. Think of homemade lemonade. Lemon juice on its own is too tart, but with the right balance of sugar you get a refreshing, even if somewhat bracing, drink. In fact, many dry acidic wines (e.g German Riesling) permit higher residual sugar when the acidity is above a certain level, because they’ll still taste dry.

Some wines, mainly those from warmer countries, may smell of peaches or honey and this in turn prompts your brain to think of sweetness. Ignore it. It’s probably still dry.

So what should you do? Well quite frankly I’ve heard enough of the word dry in January (and mainly without the preposition there.) As Sipologists’ I encourage you to take the word out your wine lingo as it’s commonly misunderstood. So try and work out the flavours you might like in your wine instead.

And if you don’t know just yet get yourself to a ReWINEd session!

We've gone international!

Well, our first 'Canadian' Sipologists are really Scottish but we were out in the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia so we still think it counts. It's a region that makes some fantastic boutique wines and as we tasted our way around the area we managed to get a few special SipSoc moments; it appears that our Canadian/ Scottish palates who normally always buy the fashionable Sauvignon Blanc grape in fact preferred an off-dry Riesling.

Also on the trip...

I found out that Merlot Moisturiser is actually a face cream on the market, made Vine Vera. I picked it up at a Canadian Rodeo way out in Alberta, among the horses and bulls, but apparently they also sell it on Bond Street.

And I bought some cowboy boots to replace my old favs that died a few years back. Turns out they're the 'must have' this season in New York. So our SipSoc tastings are to be held in them from now on.

*line dancing not included