OUR LUNCHES & TASTINGS Click here to get a flavour of our tasting lunches: Click here to see a summary of all our tastings and courses Click here for our Special Midweek and Weekend Deals We have added a whole new range of events for 2010 and 2011. We offer tasting lunches, dinners and Midweek suppers, usually focusing on a grape variety or region, and there is a one day general introductory wine course, which covers tasting technique and the whole world of wine. You can also get some great deals when you combine one of our tastings with a stay for a night or two. All our tastings are very informal. Some of our tastings are at introductory level where all you need is an enthusiasm for wine, others are Master Classes, which go into quite a bit more depth and are ideal if you want to learn more about wine. For our lunches we choose wines generally in the £10 to £12 bracket, for our Master Class dinners the average retail price will be more than £20 per bottle, as wines at this price level offer real quality and the best insight into the region or grape variety. All our wines are tasted in plain bottles. This is not to put anyone on the spot, it is simply to avoid any preconceptions and to let us concentrate on what is actually in the glass, not what is on the label. VERY IMPORTANT - DIETARY REQUIREMENTS & TERMS AND CONDITIONS We are very happy to cater for any dietary requirements, as long as we are advised in advance. The only tasting that really is not suitable for vegetarians or vegans is the Food and Wine Matching Lunch where we do need to offer a range of fish, sea food and meat. For our full terms and conditions, click here. DEVON WINE SCHOOL INTRODUCTION TO WINE The Devon Wine School offers a really good one day introduction to wine. The course, which runs from 11.00AM to 5.00PM, is perfect for someone who is interested in wine and would like to learn how to taste and enjoy it, while at the same time getting some really useful background knowledge as to why a wine tastes as it does and what to look for when faced with rows of bottles on the supermarket shelf. We taste at least 15 wines and have some fun comparing different wine styles and seeing why one wine can cost twice the price of its neighbour. Average retail price of the wines we taste is more than £12 per bottle. A good buffet lunch is included, the course is very informal and relaxed and we polish it all off with a lovely glass of fizz. What we cover: How to taste wine, using the WSET Systematic Approach to Tasting Wine© How wine is made and the factors that influence the style of wine Comparison of New World and Old World styles Is it worth it? Comparison of 2 neighbouring wines with a big price difference Key white and black grape varieties Sparkling and sweet wines Course Dates for 2010: 11th September, 23rd October, 20th November Course Dates for 2011: Saturday 29th January, 26th February, 12th March, 16th April, 4th June, 30th July and 3rd September The course runs from 11.00AM to 5.00PM. Course Costs: £140 per person (including £20.85 VAT). We offer a special rate of £120 (including £17.87 VAT) per person when booked as a couple. The cost covers at least 15 good quality tasting wines, tuition by a Master of Wine, tasting booklet, with a light lunch and a certificate. Maximum numbers: Limited to 12 participants Download the Introductory Wine Course registration form in html Download the Introductory Wine Course registration form in Excel SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY WINE COURSE WEEKEND DEAL FOR COUPLES COME AND STAY FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHTS, WITH 2 COURSE SUPPER AND A BOTTLE OF FIZZY CRÉMANT DE LIMOUX ON THE FRIDAY NIGHT, THE INTRODUCTORY WINE COURSE ON SATURDAY, AND BREAKFAST ON SATURDAY & SUNDAY MORNINGS. WE'LL BOOK YOU INTO ONE OF OUR EXCELLENT LOCAL PUBS FOR DINNER ON SATURDAY. ALL FOR £230.00 (£260 IN SAINT AMOUR) PER PERSON. (DOES NOT INCLUDE THE COST OF THE PUB DINNER ON SATURDAY NIGHT). OUR LUNCHES Our lunches are not grand affairs - we take a theme, a region or a grape variety and choose a range of really interesting wines to get behind the label and explore the key flavours and styles. What is included: An apéritif on arrival 6 wines to taste at an average retail price of £12 Informal tutored talk on tasting techniques and on the key characteristics of the region or grape variety 3 course lunch with coffee Our lunches run from 12.30PM to 3.00PM. 2010 Saturday 6th November - Loire Valley France's longest river is home to an extraordinary diversity of wines. The interesting bit, winewise, starts close to the town of Pouilly-sur-Loire, where the river flows north-west past the vineyards of Sancerre and Pouilly Fumé, then on to Vouvray, home to the versatile Chenin Blanc, continuing past Chinon and Bourgueil with its attractive reds, on through the town of Saumur, a rival to Champagne with its refreshing fizzy wines, past the vineyards of Anjou, with its range of sweet and dry whites and delicate rosés, before finally passing out through the vineyards of Muscadet to the Atlantic by Nantes. 2011 Saturday 9th April - Food and Wine Matching There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to matching food with wine but there are definitely some combinations made in heaven, while others that can really disappoint. Lamb and red Bordeaux, Roquefort and Sauternes are classic examples but we are going to do a bit of experimenting, with 2 wines for each course and see if we can achieve the thrill that comes with finding those elusive pairings. A booklet with food matching tips and suggestions is included. Saturday 13th August - Riesling around the World One of world's finest white grape varieties, making very long lived wines that have virtually nothing in common with Liebfraumilch, which is usually made from lesser grapes. Riesling's spiritual home may be Germany but countries like France, Austria, New Zealand and Australia are producing some really exciting examples. Come and be very surprised. The cost for all Tasting Lunches, with an aperitif and 6 wines to taste, followed by a 3 course meal is £82.50 per person, with a special rate of £72.50 per head when booked as couples. OUR DINNERS Our Master Class dinners go into a little more depth. We start at 6.30PM with an aperitif, then a sit down tutored tasting of 6 wines, followed by a 3 course dinner matched to the wines we have been tasting. We normally finish around 10.00PM. What is included: An apéritif on arrival 6 wines to taste at an average retail price of at least £15 Informal tutored talk on tasting techniques and on the key characteristics of the region or grape variety 3 course dinner with coffee 2010 Saturday 18th September - Bordeaux versus Burgundy Would you like to know your Burgundy from your Bordeaux? The two regions are often spoken of in the same breath in terms of producing some of France's greatest wines but they are completely different in their styles, their grape varieties and their cultures. We will unravel a few of the regions' secrets in a fascinating comparative tasting. Friday 24th September - Spain Master Class Spain's diversity of climates, from the cool Galician slopes in the north-west to the parched arid plains around La Mancha has led to a whole range of different styles, some made from local grape varieties, others from around Barcelona using better known more international varieties. Saturday 9th October - Italy Master Class In a country with roughly 2000 different grape varieties planted all over the country, you could never accuse Italy of a lack of diversity. We probably won't taste even half a percent of what is on offer but we will select some of the more interesting varieties there are. Saturday 30th October - Champagne There is life beyond non-vintage Moët. Champagne may portray itself as a small boutique area yet this region of fine sparkling wine is as diverse as any you will find in France. There are more than 300 villages growing 3 different grape varieties, with many smaller producers making some very interesting vintage and non-vintage rosé and white fizzy wines. 2011 Saturday 5th March - Burgundy Burgundy, home to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, is a fascinating patchwork of vineyards on soils which go back millions of years. Come and taste why two vineyards a few yards apart can produce such different wines. Saturday 26th March - Bordeaux Bordeaux is the biggest quality wine producing area in the world, by far. It is a region of great red wines and enticing dry and sweet white wines. It is also a region whose wines repay ageing. For reds, the Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon grape varieties are king, for whites it is Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. Come and get under Bordeaux's skin and taste how age and the different communes within the Bordeaux wine region make such startlingly good wines. Saturday 2nd April - South African Treasures No country has done more over the last few years to re-invent its wine industry than South Africa. Capitalising on its biodiversity and helped by the friendly rand, South Africa now offers a stunning array of wines at affordable prices. The climate, the terrain and the presence of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans around Cape Town are helping to create wines that mix New World ripeness and flamboyance with Old World elegance and style. Saturday 30th April - Chardonnay This versatile grape sometimes gets a bad press for producing dull flat oaky wines. However this is far removed from the reality. Chardonnay is one of the few grape varieties that flourishes in cool, moderate and hot climates. Whether your preference is for elegant dry sparkling wine from Champagne's Côte des Blancs, a delicious clean mineral refreshing Chablis or a soft fuller flavoured style with lovely tropical fruit flavours, then this tasting is for you. Saturday 7th May - World Pinot Noir This is the winemaker's grape, difficult to tame and hard to make good wine from. At its best, the Pinot Noir grape produces beautifully translucent reds with delicious red fruits, with countries like Chile and New Zealand achieving results unheard of 10 years ago. Saturday 11th June - Fruity Merlots around the Globe Merlot is renowned for its ability to produce lovely soft plump blackcurrant wines. It is Bordeaux's most widely planted grape and is often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon to produce some of the region's finest wines. Its popularity has also grown hugely in countries like the US, New Zealand, Chile and Australia. Come and taste an international selection of this appealing black variety. Saturday 18th June - New Zealand versus France The growth in the popularity of New Zealand's wine has been dramatic and for a relatively small producing country to have made such an impact says a lot about the quality its wines. Sauvignon Blanc may be its most famous variety but there is much more to discover. Saturday 2nd July - Syrah/Shiraz This is one of the world's greatest red wine grapes. Its homeland is the Northern Rhône, just to the south of Lyon where it is responsible for the great wines of Hermitage and Côte Rôtie. Plantings have seen a huge increase in the south of France and the grape is recognised as a top producer around the world from the Barossa Valley in Australia to Central Valley in Chile. We will be tasting examples from all over the world and seeing how they compare with the Northern Rhône's finest. Saturday 6th August - Champagne versus UK Sparklers Champagne sees itself as the pinnacle of sparkling wine production. Yet within the last few years, a number of upstart UK producers, helped by climate change and soils that not too dissimilar from those in Champagne have started to gain notice for the quality of their wines. We shall cover up the labels and put some of the UK's best sparklers up against some great Champagne names and see if all the hype is justified. Saturday 10th September - Wine & Oak - The Perfect Partnership? The old days of dreadful over-oaked woody wines have mercifully moved on. Nowadays, oak is used much more judiciously - and what a choice of oak there is. The French have at least 3 different oak forests, each producing wood with a slightly different flavour, then there's American oak which brings a very different style to the wine. And that's before the subject of toasting or burning the inside of the barrel. We will experiment and see how oak and wine can work together. Our Tasting Dinners start with an aperitif and we then taste 6 really good quality wines, before enjoying them with a 3 course meal and coffee. Cost is £105.00 per person, with a special rate of £95.00 per head when booked as couples. MIDWEEK SUPPERS These tutored tastings and suppers are very informal and fantastic value. They are the perfect way to learn about choosing and enjoying wine. We will find 4 wines which are available locally but which you may not have discovered and then enjoy them with a two course supper. Our Midweek Suppers run from 7.00PM to 9.30PM. 2010 Wednesday 15th September - Classic White Varieties Like to be able to tell your Sauvignon Blanc from your Riesling or your Chardonnay? Then come along to this very enjoyable supper and have a taste of some of the classics. Wednesday 13th October – Classic Red Varieties Whether it’s Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot or Pinot Noir, each variety has its own distinctive style and this supper will provide the perfect opportunity to compare them, side by side. Wednesday 10th November – South America Chile and Argentina have really come of age over the last 5 years and even Brazil and Uruguay are getting in on the act. These are exciting regions, making some really good wine at affordable prices. 2011 Wednesday 16th March – Southern Italy For years Southern Italy was more famous for its godfathers and its huge quantities of high strength low quality wines, used for blending with the puny wines of the colder north. But over the last few years there has been some heavy investment and the south has seen a huge improvement in winemaking skills. By a combination of resurrecting old local grape varieties and importing international varieties, the wine scene here has been transformed. Wednesday 20th April - Sherry & Tapas Every time we do this tasting, people are amazed at what sherry has to offer. There’s a lot more to sherry than Auntie’s sticky pale cream. From racy dry Manzanilla to aged Amontillado, Spain’s Jerez region close to the Atlantic is responsible for some great wines that are a perfect match for the local meats and dishes. Wednesday 25th May – Sauvignon Blanc around the World This very popular white grape variety is responsible for some of the best loved aperitif wines. Refreshing and vibrant, its spiritual home is in the Loire Valley around Sancerre but first New Zealand then countries like Chile and South Africa have joined the bandwagon. We’ll be looking at some particularly good examples. Wednesday 29th June – Alsace One of the most misunderstood and underrated wine regions in the world. Alsace has always been unusual in that it is the only region in France where the grape variety appeared prominently on the label, something the New World has taken to its heart. Alsace produces some stunning white wines that are a dream with food, this really is a tasting that will offer surprises. The cost per person for our Midweek Suppers is £42.00 for a two course supper, an aperitif and a 4 wine tutored tasting. OUR VERY SPECIAL DEALS MAKE IT A REAL OCCASION - COME AND ENJOY OUR WINE TASTINGS AND STAY IN ONE OF OUR VERY COMFORTABLE VISITBRITAIN 5 STAR GOLD AWARD EN-SUITE ROOMS WITH SUPER KING-SIZE BEDS. THE WEEKEND DEAL FOR COUPLES TASTING LUNCH WEEKEND DEAL (2 NIGHTS) COME AND STAY FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHTS, WITH A BOTTLE OF DELICIOUS FIZZY WINE ON ARRIVAL, 2 COURSE SUPPER ON FRIDAY NIGHT, A TASTING LUNCH, AND BREAKFAST ON SATURDAY & SUNDAY MORNINGS. WE'LL BOOK YOU INTO ONE OF OUR EXCELLENT LOCAL PUBS FOR DINNER ON SATURDAY. ALL FOR £185 PER PERSON. (£215 IN SAINT AMOUR). (DOES NOT INCLUDE THE COST OF THE PUB DINNER ON SATURDAY NIGHT). MASTER CLASS DINNER WEEKEND DEAL (2 NIGHTS) COME AND STAY FRIDAY & SATURDAY NIGHTS, WITH A BOTTLE OF DELICIOUS FIZZY WINE ON ARRIVAL, 2 COURSE SUPPER ON FRIDAY NIGHT, THE DAY FREE, AN EARLY EVENING TASTING FOLLOWED BY DINNER, AND BREAKFAST ON SATURDAY & SUNDAY MORNINGS. ALL FOR £205 PER PERSON. (£235 IN SAINT AMOUR). MIDWEEK DEALS FOR 1 OR 2 NIGHTS 1 NIGHT BED AND FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST, WITH 2 PLACES ON ANY MIDWEEK SUPPER AND DINNER ON THE SECOND NIGHT, ALL FOR £77.50 PER PERSON, (£85 PER PERSON FOR SAINT AMOUR). 2 NIGHTS BED AND FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST, WITH 2 PLACES ON ANY MIDWEEK SUPPER AND DINNER ON THE SECOND NIGHT, ALL FOR £140 PER PERSON (£155 FOR SAINT AMOUR). OR, IF YOU CAN GET A PARTY OF 5 COUPLES TOGETHER, WE HAVE A VERY SPECIAL WEEKEND ACCOMMODATION DEAL FOR YOU. TAKE THE PLACE OVER AND BOOK OUR 5 ROOMS FOR THE 2 NIGHTS OF FRIDAY AND SATURDAY FOR JUST £885, TO INCLUDE FULL ENGLISH BREAKFAST, A SAVING OF £155 ON OUR NORMAL ACCOMMODATION PRICES. To make enquiries or to reserve a place on one of our lunches or dinners, please telephone or email Carol or Alastair Peebles TERMS & CONDITIONS Full payment, by cheque or credit card, should be made at the time of booking. We do not accept provisional bookings and places will only be confirmed once payment is received. Cancellations or changes to confirmed places are accepted up to 21 days prior to the tasting. After this time, full refunds, transfers or exchanges will only be given if we are able to re-sell your places. Please note that it is not possible to do these tastings with less than 8 people, because we taste relatively expensive wines and the cost of these wines makes it uneconomical for smaller groups. If we do not have sufficient numbers, Devon Wine School does therefore reserve the right within 7 days of the tasting to offer our clients the choice of either a new date or a complete refund. VERY IMPORTANT We are very happy to cater for any dietary requirements, as long as we are advised in advance. The only tasting that really is not suitable for vegetarians or vegans is the Food and Wine Matching Lunch where we do need to offer a range of fish, sea food and meat. Click here to return to the top of the page Click here to return to the top of the page Alastair and Carol Peebles, The Devon Wine School, Redyeates Farm, Cheriton Fitzpaine, Crediton, Devon EX17 4HG United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1363 866742     Email