I N T E R N A T I O N A L W I N E C H A L L E N G E M E R C H A N T & O N L I N E R E T A I L E R O F T H E Y E A R 2 0 1 6

July 2017

SOCIETYINEWS

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Find out about our new-look tastings in ‘tattoos, beats and burritos’ by Rosie Allen

We chat to new head of Buying Pierre mansour about his views on the current state of play in the wine world and his own personal passions

Get to know Alsace – 10 things you may or may not know about this beautiful wine region

in season … members of the team at Stevenage pick some of their favourite food and wine summer combos

OnLIneWine writer david williams on why there’s such a buzz around iberian whites at the moment at thewinesociety.com/iberianwhites

out of the Blue – Janet Wynne Evans on making the most of neglected veg, in this case, fennel in a blue-cheese gratin at thewinesociety.com/fennel

Barbecues are very much order of the day, find some inspiration for grilling wine-friendly dishes in our recipe section at thewinesociety.com/recipes

Jo locke mw talks about tracking down some stunning Portuguese whites for our offer in travels in wine at thewinesociety.com/travels

VISIT thewinesociety.com/wineworld FOR MORE ARTICLES ANd WINE GuIdES

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From our research we found that a considerable number of people wanted the flexibility to order wine and collect it at their convenience from a local shop rather than take delivery by one of our vans or carriers.

Last month we introduced this new service to help make ordering wine easier for some of you, particularly those out at work all day or with nowhere secure for wine to be left. The service has been launched with our Click & Collect partners Pass My Parcel who currently have a network of more than 3,000 shops and newsagents across a good proportion of the country* that they deliver to. More remote parts of the uK are not yet that well served, but the operation is expanding and we hope that a good majority of members will be able to make use of this in time.

All you have to do is select this option at the checkout when ordering online or when you talk to one of our team in Member Services. Choose which pick-up point you’d like to use, then wait to get an e-mail with a code from Pass My Parcel to let you know when your order is ready to collect. You then have up to seven days to pick up your order. Someone else can go on your behalf so long as they are over 18 and have the collection code.

no extra costdelivery is free, just as it is for standard deliveries, if your order meets the minimum order quantity or value. Order before noon on weekdays and in most instances your wines will be ready for collection the following morning, making this an ideal option if you need wine in a hurry!

We hope that members will find this a helpful additional option, supplementing our van and carrier delivery, free name-the-day and paid next-day delivery services. Visit thewinesociety.com/collect to find your nearest Click & Collect point and to find out more.

*Unfortunately Click & Collect is not currently available for members living in the Highlands, Channel Islands or Northern Ireland and not every part of the UK is yet covered. Pass My Parcel are expanding their network all the time though, so please keep checking back to see if there is a location that’s near you.

An en primeur offer of 2016 White BurgundyQuantity down but quality goodWhile frost and hail significantly reduced the crop in places in 2016, a good summer and wonderful September and October provided excellent conditions for producing healthy grapes which were picked at optimum ripeness. Overall, wines are pure, fruity and clean, but due to the reduced yields (Frédéric Burrier produced only half his crop of Saint-Véran, for example), there is a good degree of variation in styles of wines made. Those that produced a normal crop (50hl/ha), made characteristically fresh, floral, very aromatic and pure wines. The vines affected by the weather extremes early in the year (which produced anywhere between 5-25 hl/ha), produced naturally rich and concentrated fruit, but picked at the right time these made impressive and powerful wines. Of course, there are also wines between these extremes. The notes on the individual wines will indicate the style that members can expect.

toby morrhall Society Buyer

We are currently putting our selection of wines together to offer to members en primeur which we will be publishing later this month. Please visit the website

to find out more about buying wines en primeur and to view this offer when it becomes available. Go to thewinesociety.com/enprimeur

New Click & Collect Service

Chairman Sarah Evans was frank about addressing members’ concerns over the impact on this year’s Accounts of the pension issue highlighted in the Annual Review and the strength of feeling following our leaving Montreuil. Tackling these head on at the start of our Annual General Meeting at the QEII Conference Centre in Westminster on Monday 12th June, Sarah set out to clarify the reported deficit in the Accounts and reiterate our rationale for closing our French showroom.

In early 2016 The Society sought advice on closing the final salary pension scheme to future accruals. during this process, it also emerged that previous legal advice given in 2010, to change the scheme (separating out salary from pensionable salary as a way of reducing the cost of the scheme) was only partially valid.

‘The consequence is that the cost of providing a pension and thus the liabilities of the pension scheme for members retiring after 2010 have been understated,’ Sarah reported; a situation only exacerbated by ever more challenging economic conditions. This year’s Accounts reflect the accounting entries needed to correct the position, but are not cash movements, Sarah was keen to point out.

On Montreuil, Sarah said that she was sad that members had been disappointed with the closure of our French showroom, but reiterated that it was done in the best interest of the membership as a whole. Only 2.6% of members had used Montreuil in the last full year before the closure announcement, and substantially increased costs – of more than €100,000

per year– combined with reduced footfall, would inevitably result in the rest of the business cross-subsidising the service, to the disadvantage of the vast majority of members: something the Committee did not think was appropriate.

As to members’ reactions to some of our experiments to broaden our appeal to a new generation of wine lovers, Sarah said: ‘Some of you have told us that you don’t like the changes that we have made to some of our printed offers, website and tone of voice. Others do like it. We continue to experiment: sometimes we’ll get it right, sometimes we won’t.’ It is important that we evolve with the times though and be braver in

our communications.

Sarah also announced that deputy Chairman, George Jeffrey was retiring from the Committee after 20 years’ service. With a background in IT, George came to the Committee just in time to help us through the challenges of Y2K and a much-needed systems overhaul. He was elected deputy Chairman in 2009, the same year that Sarah was elected Chairman, and she said she’d miss his support immensely. Sarah thanked him for his dedication to The Society and also thanked members for their continuing support, ending with a reminder that our Society continues to remain strong and in good financial health.

Visit thewinesociety.com/agm to read Sarah Evans’ speech in full and a summary of questions and comments from members.

The Society’s 143rd AGM Pension issues and Montreuil feature highly among member concerns

The Clos at Meursault

SOC I E T Y N E W S J u LY 2 017

This is a fantastic time to be a wine drinker. The quality of wine today has never been better and the choice is vast, from every corner of the globe. For The Society’s buyers, the focus is on seeking out wines that offer that bit extra: wines that show individuality, flair and character, as well as value for money.

Over the past 20 years, I’ve witnessed a sea-change in winemaking and vineyard husbandry. understanding of vine management has improved enormously. So much more is now known about matching the right grapes to the best sites, for example. There’s also an increased appreciation of the importance of sustainability throughout the whole process, transforming the way people work and improving quality standards too.

I think this is partly down to the new generation coming through. More often than not, they’ve received a formal education in wine but, perhaps more importantly, they’re often more widely travelled than their parents’ generation and have gained experience of working vintages around the world. You can plainly see the positive effects this has had as they don’t just bring back new ideas and ways of working to try back home, but they often have a greater appreciation for what they have at home too. You can see this in particular in more traditional areas like Spain or Italy where the new generation is breathing life into the authentic palette of flavours at their disposal. They understand what a precious inheritance they have in their indigenous grapes and that they are working with raw materials with real heritage. It’s really very exciting for wine lovers.

Improvements in vineyard and cellar mean that there really isn’t any excuse for making poor wine now. When was the last time you heard people talk about a bad vintage? Even in more challenging years, the good growers manage to make good wine. So much more is known now about caring for your crop and getting the harvest timing right.

Of course there are still years, like this one, where frosts have devastated parts of northern Europe, including here in the uK. Some Bordeaux vineyards have lost 100% of their crop, there’ll be little, if any, Climens this year, for example, and even Rioja reported frost damage for the first time for years. My colleague Marcel Orford-Williams was in Germany in the midst of it,and happened to speak to German winemaker Cecilia Jost of Weingut Toni Jost in Bacharach in the middle Rhine. She told him how she’d not had a proper night’s sleep for three

weeks, keeping vigil over her precious vines. It’s a reminder of the human effort required to keep crops protected. Mother Nature’s wake-up calls highlight that we shouldn’t forget that grapes are, after all, an agricultural product. But even under such difficult conditions, although there will be an effect on quantity, it’s still very possible that good wines will be made.

Other parts of the world have the challenge of natural disasters which threaten not just the crop but human life too: forest fires in Chile and Australia and earthquakes which have rocked New Zealand, Chile and California. It puts what we do into perspective!

I have been very lucky in my career to be in the right place at the right time. For example, I feel so privileged to have been buying Spanish wine for the last eight years. It is my passion, and happily for me, Spain seems to resonate with members too. Its popularity has gone through the roof and it’s now third in terms of sales volume by country at The Society.

What is it that appeals to me about Spain? Well, I adore the Spanish way of life, the informality of their cuisine and the modesty of the locals. The Mediterranean style of living probably appeals to the Lebanese side of my heritage!

Is there anything that gets me hot under the collar? Well, I do struggle with the concept of ‘natural wines’. I think it’s great that it’s got people talking about wine and opened up wine to a new, younger market. But there isn’t really any clear definition of what constitutes a ‘natural wine’ and I hate to see people hoodwinked by those taking advantage of a trend to sell their wines. More controversially, I hate to see it used as an excuse for poor winemaking. There is little doubt in my mind that the best wines are those made as naturally as possible, with

minimum intervention. But this is nothing new. Good winemakers have always aimed to do this and it is these artisanal producers that we have traditionally followed at The Wine Society. We have also always bought wine on the basis of whether it tastes good too, rather than because of the way in which it was made.

What do I like to do when I’m not at work? I have to confess to an obsession with vinyl and have an embarrassingly large collection of records at home. I adore playing old records, the sound quality is just so superior to Cds and downloads. My music tastes are a bit like my wine ones – as long as something is good, I tend to like it!

Much to my surprise, I have also recently got into gardening. We have an allotment and I am really enjoying it. My spare time is precious so I tend to stick to plants that are easy to grow – onions, garlic, that sort of thing. We just experienced our first frost scare-it really brought home the anxiety that this must cause winemakers.

I relish my time with the family and try not to take life too seriously. I’m sure there’s a perception that The Wine Society’s Head of Buying drinks nothing but posh bottles, but actually, at home, we tend to drink more day-to-day wines with just the occasional treat to celebrate something special.

At the moment I’m really enjoying 2015 Beaujolais. It’s a great summer wine served on the cool side and in this vintage it just has that extra bit of concentration and power. Our current favourite is a Juliénas from domaine du carjot (ref N-BJ6931, £9.50).

Finally, I just wanted to reiterate what I said in this year’s Annual Review. I’m both proud and privileged to be leading a great team with a vast breadth of knowledge, experience and talent. The buyers all appreciate how lucky we are in being able to source wines purely on taste and quality, and not because it’s a fancy marketing brand. Our business model is our single-most distinguishing feature as an organisation; crowd-funding has become cool in today’s digital age but this is what the original members of The Wine Society did back in 1874. So it isn’t just wine that fires me up; I’m equally passionate about The Wine Society ethos, built on our co-operative status. Here’s to the next 143 years!

Find out more about each of our buyers and the areas

they buy from on our website at thewinesociety.com/buyers

Exciting times ahead for wineNew Head of Buying Pierre Mansour talks to Societynews about the current status of the wine world and his own personal passions inside and outside of work

Wine Society content creator Rosie Allen reports back on a new take on Society tastingsBare-brick hipster hangouts, craft gin, beer and electro house music – at The Wine Society?!

Even a year ago, the idea of members leaving a Society tasting with #1874 freshly inked, Hells Angel-style, across their knuckles (albeit temporarily) would have been unthinkable.

But May’s Generation Wine tasting proved a hit, and not only with the bright young things that flocked to the railway arches of Shoreditch’s Kachette for our sell-out tasting. Bona fide Society devotees threw themselves into the spirit of the evening, adorning themselves with feather boas to pose in the selfie-booth, enthusiastically sampling craft gin and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere and company of members of all ages. ‘This is great!’ said one longtime member, Beavertown brew in hand as I applied a wine bottle tatt to his bicep. ‘I’d love to bring my mates to something like this!’

It wasn’t just about the fun though: English premium-bubbly makers Ridgeview helped spread the love for home-grown sparkle, while Sarah Knowles MW shared her enthusiasm (and considerable gin-smarts) on what makes Jensen’s Gin so delicious (ref N-GN201, £26).

Learning more about our wines is always a highlight for our tasting attenders, and our Generation Wine event encouraged this too. As one Society tastings veteran enthused: ‘The relaxed location has given me the confidence to try new wines and ask Wine Society staff about them without worrying that I sound stupid! Tastings often take place in beautiful locations, but these can sometimes be a little intimidating. Kachette was the perfect surrounding to let my hair down and really get involved.’

One man that couldn’t be more thrilled with the response is Matthew Horsley, whom lots of you will recognise as one of our Tastings and Events hosts and the brains behind the Generation Wine concept: ‘The night at Kachette was us seeing how far we could push the Generation Wine idea. It’s now about taking the elements that worked and building on them, and rethinking some of the parts that didn’t work so well. Initial feedback is positive, and I think those that went into the night with an open mind had a great evening.

‘The intention is to do at least two of these events a year, initially in London, the next being held at The Old Truman Brewery on the 14th September (see below), with smaller events and informal dinners in between, such as brewery and distillery tours to showcase our growing beer and spirits ranges.’

Above all, The Society will continue to be all about our amazing wines, with our more traditional tastings also remaining at the heart of what we do; the stunning, stained-glass windows and elegant surrounds of Merchant Taylors’ Hall or No. 1 Great George Street in London, and the many inspiring locations around the uK continuing to be great places in which to discover new world wonders and classic favourites alike. But as Chairman Sarah Evans wrote in our Annual Review, ensuring a bright future for The Society means thinking a bit differently and forging a more fun-filled path to The Society for younger wine lovers.

Having said all that, if Generation Wine at Kachette taught us one thing, it’s not just that you can teach Society members new tricks, but that you can count on them to dive head-first into our brave new world of tastings – selfie-booths, tattoos and all!

Tattoos, beats and burritos: Generation Wine kicks off in style

Our next Generation Wine event will take place at The Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane on Thursday, 14th September (ref N-TG170914,

£28 a ticket). Please see our Tastings and Events pages at thewinesociety.com/tastings for more details.

Pierre in the vines with Roberto Rodriguez, producer of The Society’s Rioja

Happy harvesting Viña Zorzal

Matthew Horsley

Rosie applying tattoos

Photo-booth fun

Wine talking...

SOC I E T Y N E W S J u LY 2 017

VISIT thewinesociety.com/wineworld FOR MORE ARTICLES ANd WINE GuIdES

As Alsace is the theme of our summer wine List, we thought it a great opportunity to tell people more about this classic French regionAlsace is one of the wine world’s great, underappreciated treasures, and probably the least understood French wine region, so if you’re not familiar with the wines of Alsace you’re certainly not alone. One of the most common misconceptions is that the wines, with their Germanic-sounding names and presentation in long, slender bottles, are all sweet, but as we’ll see below, this is not the case. We hope that in just ten simple points below, we’ll help dispel such myths and show you that the wines of Alsace are well worth learning about and give you some basic facts (and a mixed case) to get you started on your voyage of discovery.

Alsace wine is also a perfect match for some of the uK’s hottest food trends (more on that later), so if you’re looking for ways to show off at your next dinner party then read on…

1. the bottle shapeNo matter how new they are to the region, most people will recognise Alsace’s tall, tapered bottles. Known as ‘flûtes d’Alsace’, use of these bottles is a legal requirement in the region, and they’re also commonly used in Germany. It’s thought that their long, delicate shape evolved from the need to maximise space inside the hulls of small ships on the Rhine, historically the main mode of transportation for these wines.

2. where France and Germany collideThanks to its position next to the German border, Alsace has passed back and forth between Germany and France throughout history, and the combination of both cultures is evident throughout the region. As well as Germanic-sounding place names and a crossover of cuisines (one of the region’s most famous dishes is choucroûte, Germany’s version of sauerkraut), Alsace wine is perhaps best known for its use of the two most famous German white grape varieties, riesling and gewurztraminer. Importantly, the main difference between Alsace and Germany comes down to wine style. In Alsace, the sugars in the grapes are traditionally fully fermented out into alcohol, making full-bodied drier more alcoholic wines, unlike their lighter, sweeter counterparts across the border.

3. Grape varietiesAlsace produces mainly white wine, and as well as riesling and gewurztraminer, the grapes to look

out for are pinot gris, sylvaner, pinot blanc and muscat. Perhaps the unsung hero of Alsace is the auxerrois grape – it’s rarely seen on the label but is widely used, especially when blended with pinot blanc. The only widely grown red grape in Alsace is pinot noir. Alsace is exceptional in France in that its wines are labelled by grape variety.

4. the vineyardsunlike other French regions, Alsace’s wine geography is really very simple: you’ll find its vineyards in a narrow, north-south strip between the Vosges Mountains and the Rhine, where they are protected from the rain.

5. on the label: Grand cru vineyardsA wine will either simply be labelled ‘AOC Alsace’, a catch-all term for wines in this region, including many single-vineyard wines, or it will be Alsace Grand Cru AOC, meaning it comes from one of the region’s 51 designated grand cru vineyards – in which case, you’ll also see the vineyard name on the label. Two of the most famous are grand cru Schlossberg and grand cru Schoenenbourg (you can find a list of some of the other commonly seen names in our online How to Buy guide at thewinesociety/howtobuyalsace). A new Premier Cru classification is anticipated.

6. on the label: ‘vendange tardive’This term literally means ‘late harvest’, meaning grapes are super-ripe thanks to being picked later than normal, giving them an opulent, complex character. Some people wrongly assume this means that they’ll always be sweet – but late-harvest Alsace wines range from rich but dry to dessert-sweet. Increasingly producers are including an indication of sweetness on their back labels.

7. on the label: sélection de Grains nobles This term means the grapes were affected by ‘noble rot’, the wine world’s famous fungus which shrivels grapes, concentrating sugars and creating heavenly, nectar-sweet dessert wines.

8. crémant d’AlsaceThis is the name of Alsace’s dry sparkling wine, made in the same way as Champagne, mostly using pinots gris, blanc and noir, plus auxerrois and riesling. It is France’s second most popular sparkling wine and is often

an excellent-value fizz choice for celebrations.

9. Ageing potentialAlthough most Alsace wine is delicious to drink in its youth, good Alsace riesling has some of the longest ageing potential of all the world’s white wines. With age (sometimes up to 25-30 years), riesling from this region develops petrol-like aromas and incredible complexity.

10. Food matchesThe Alsace region has one of the highest concentrations of Michelin-starred restaurants in the wine

producing world, so it’s no surprise its wine is wonderfully versatile with food. In fact Alsace wines are a boon for our uniquely diverse uK food scene, not only hot new trends from south-east Asia and South America but our national staples too. Fragrant, delicate muscat is a great match for home-grown asparagus as well as gently spicy dim sum; gewurztraminer is an obvious choice with light, aromatic curries or Korean kimchi, but also has a wonderful but little-known affinity with tomatoes; subtly spicy pinot gris works with chilli prawns as well as roast duck or goose. Riesling has a wonderful way of cutting through rich,

eggy dishes and is sublime with fish and chips. don’t forget Alsace wine with the cheeseboard too! Experiment online with our Food and Wine Matcher thewinesociety.com/foodmatch

Travels in Wine

one year onWish you were here!Last year we launched a new e-publication on our website called Travels in Wine. We wanted to give members the inside track on what happens behind the scenes when our buyers scour the globe for wines to bring back for you to enjoy… the people and places behind the wines, the latest developments in the wine world and the adventures along the way. Often it’s the non-wine-related experiences which leave the longest-lasting impression! Here’s a snapshot from our buyers’ trips over the past year.

Tim Sykes was wowed by Calabria when he visited southern Italy last year with Sebastian Payne MW, but the vision of singing and dancing nuns at the airport was probably the most surprising of all the scenes encountered on his trip!

Joanna Locke MW and content editor Martin Brown find themselves knee-deep in wine in Portugal.

…and Toby Morrhall shared his insights into the South American art of the asado (or barbecue).

The newest member of the Buying Team, Freddy Bulmer, witnessed a crash-course in blending at Marcel’s side with our growers in Corsica.

Marcel was in reflective mode on his first trip back to Germany to take over from Sebastian Payne MW after ten years away. His passion for history shines through in all of his write-ups.

Sarah Knowles MW’s adventures in Oz included having to deal with some rather inclement weather!

To keep up-to-date with our buyers out on the road, visit the Travels in Wine pages of our website at thewinesociety.com/travels

Get to know Alsace: a 10-point crash course

A cAse For AlsAceGet to know wines from this part of France better with this six-bottle mixed case containing a bottle each of four of Alsace’s signature grapes and two noble blends (Les Gryphées is actually from neighbouring Lorraine). Case includes background notes on the wines.

laura Vickers-Green

Laura previously worked as a wine adviser in our Member Services team and is now a freelance writer and active blogger.

muscat collection Kuentz Bas 2014

riesling trimbach 2014

Gewurztraminer cave de turckheim 2016

sylvaner leon Beyer 2015

moselle château de Vaux les Gryphées 2016

edelzwicker special cuvée Joseph cattin 2016

Ref N-MX17221 £62 including uK delivery.

Historic Riquewihr, home of The Society’s Vin d’Alsace

eXPlore

AlsaceEdelzwicker Special Cuvée, Joseph Cattin 2016If you want to get a taste of the region in just one wine, why not try a speciality of the region, Edelzwicker. The term literally means ‘noble blend’ and is usually made up of the principal so-called noble grape varieties and the wine is an ideal way to get a feel for the Alsace style. Not all producers use this traditional term on their label, but this wine, from one of Alsace’s largest family producers who have been making wine in the small village of Voegtlinshoffen 10km south of Colmar since the 1700s, wears it with pride. despite, or because of, its impressive heritage, the family is extremely forward-looking and their wine is made in a bright, fresh modern style. This is a decidedly moreish, fruity blend of pinot blanc, muscat, riesling, pinot gris and gewurztraminer, displaying characteristic floral aroma with gentle rounded flavour. Sip slowly and see what flavours emerge from the glass… a hint of spice or rose-petal from the gewurz, maybe, or a citrus note from the riesling. Excellent with a cold salad of smoked fish with a dressing made with a dash of horseradish.

Try a bottle of edelzwicker special cuvée, Joseph cattin 2016 (ref n-Al13281) for the special price of £7.50 instead of £8.50 until Sunday, 20th August, 2017. One bottle per member at this price.

You can e-mail Societynews at societynews@thewinesociety.com or write to: Societynews, The Wine Society, Gunnels Wood Road, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2BT. Contact Member Services at memberservices@thewinesociety.com or call 01438 741177.

SOC I E T Y N E W S J u LY 2 017

SebastianPayne MWSociety buyer

Al FrescoLocation, location, location – our impressions of food and drink are much affected by who we are with and where we are. After climbing up and down Mount Hymettus on a hot day as a student, I thought a glass of cold water was the best drink in the world. When an old friend who lives in Washington had taken us on a fascinating 12-mile walking tour of its sights, perfectly made gin and tonics hit the spot. When we were first married, we drove round rural France exploring empty country roads, camping at night and buying lunch in local markets and wine from a cellar door.

France is full of wonderful picnic spots. One overlooking the Loire was the perfect setting for a bottle of Vacheron’s Sancerre, fresh baguette and crottin de Chavignol. draconian drink-driving laws have since ruled out such simple pleasures. With our children we discovered evening picnics in the Luberon hills (when the locals had all gone home). The reds which my wife and I drank tasted all the better for the company and the gorgeous evening light.

In Puglia last year Vallone’s Brindisi Rosato was the perfect accompaniment to outdoor meals while grandchildren ate cold watermelon, better than ice lollies. Rosé comes in to our minds with outdoor meals where the bouquet of subtle wines would float away – I particularly enjoy the full-flavoured rosatos of southern Italy, made to match grilled fish and wonderful sun-ripened vegetables, and Spain’s rosados from garnacha, full of fruit but never sweet.

Head to page 89 of the new List for our new clutch of fresh rosés, rosatos and rosados including Vallone’s Brindisi rosato 2016 (ref N-IT23631, £7.75) and señorio di sarría rosado, navarra 2016 (ref N-SP12391, £6.50). Vacheron’s ‘la reine Blanche’ sancerre 2016 (ref N-LO13091, £18.50) is on page 91.

Find rosés online at thewinesociety.com/rose

lAst word in seAson…

Our New Summer List Our latest wine List celebrates all things Alsace with the cover by local Hertfordshire-based artist Cathy Smale. Cathy likes to work in oils, using brushes and a palette knife to build up layers of colour giving her images a textural feel, perfect for depicting the stunning vineyards of Alsace.

New features in the List include a summer barbecue mixed case and a mixed case of six organic wines (organic wines are now indicated in the List with a symbol, following members’ requests for this). The featured brewery in this edition is the Northern Monk Brew Co based in Leeds who say that they are inspired by the brews once carried out by monks in Yorkshire’s Kirkstall and Fountains Abbeys. Our gin listing is growing and there are several new aperitifs to discover too, and with nearly 100 new wines from across the globe, there’s no shortage of fabulous new vinous flavours ripe for exploration as well.

We ask members of the team at Stevenage for their seasonal foodie tips.crab ‘It might sound strange, but though I am really into food and trying different cuisines, I’ve only very recently learnt to appreciate and

enjoy crab – my vague childhood memories of this deliciously sweet meat were far removed from actuality. The tipping point was a crab and parsley mousse with plaice and a delightful young and fresh, floral and limey Spanish godello; a perfect match for the summer sun. Try with rompeolas Godello, Galicia 2016 ref N-SP12711, £8.50.’

Andrew Slowe, Member Services Adviser (and co-ordinator of our online Food & Wine Matcher)

strawberries ‘When thinking about summer, fresh British strawberries always come to mind – they’re perfect to eat on their own when they’re beautifully ripe, but when they’re not quite up to

scratch I like to blitz them with double cream and icing sugar, then break meringue into the mixture and freeze overnight. It’s so easy to do, you don’t even need an ice-cream maker – just give the mixture a stir every now and then. Perfect with a large class of chilled muscadellu muscat Pétillant from Corsica, a lightly sparkling, gently sweet wine which our buyer unearthed recently and which you can find online (ref N-SG2211, £12.50).’

Emma Briffett, Tastings & Events Co-ordinator (with a penchant for food and wine-matching tutored tastings, particularly where chocolate is concerned!)

Fennel ‘The level of public ignorance about this regal vegetable and what to do with it is such that more than one checkout operator has asked me what on earth it was. Borne home in triumph, it does

need immediate processing but this is the work of moments: either a quick wedge and blanch for a gratin-in-waiting or a rapid feed through a mandoline or fine slicer into a bath of salted lemon juice, ready to lift a simple green salad to new heights. For the gratin*, try combining your blanched fennel with similarly aniseedy herbs, blue cheese and breadcrumbs. For that, a white Cape blend or off-dry Loire chenin is the glass of choice. Try with the liberator special edition ‘A motley cru’, coastal 2014 (ref N-SA11021, 10.95).’

Janet Wynne Evans, former Fine Wine Editor at The Society (and very much missed!)

*For those missing Janet’s wit and wisdom, head to our website to read her article ‘Out of the Blue’ on the treasures to be found on the

‘reduced’ shelf of supermarkets, and a recipe for that fennel gratin. Go to thewinesociety.com/fennel

summer veg ‘Growing up in southern France I have, from a young age, been exposed to the beautiful flavours

of Mediterranean vegetables such as courgettes (the variety from Nice is the best!) and aubergines. Add tomatoes and peppers with a good sprinkle of herbes de Provence, and there you have your Provençale ratatouille, my favourite summer dish in the world! I love it accompanied with a pink and juicy rump of lamb, topped with a crisp anchovy beignet and roasting juices. My philosophy is always to get a wine from the same region as the food, so for me, a rich and spicy yet elegant red like the château Vignelaure 2008 from Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence would be just perfect (ref N-FC32061, £17).’

Marjorie Cropp, Showroom Assistant (and qualified sommelier)