Dear SPWC Members
Well, it hasn’t rained since we published the last edition of The Grapevine and so now we have the inevitable hosepipe ban. No surprise there. And now we are into the fourth heatwave of the summer. In future our coastline may look more like that in the above picture (which is of Barbados) And mainland Europeans will be flocking to book their two-week package holidays to Margate and Southend!
Last Month’s Meeting
It was great to welcome back Debbie Peel last month. She and her colleague Steph proved to be a highly entertaining double act as we were all put to the test with a “Call my Bluff” style presentation. It all went to prove that, despite many years of trying wine and accumulating a bit of knowledge along the way, how little we actually know about the drink we all enjoy. A big thank you to Debbie and Steph for a super evening.
This Month’s Meeting
Our presenter this month is Richard Jacquard, one of our newer members. Richard has some experience of working within the wine industry so I am sure he will be giving us some excellent wines to try as well as keeping us entertained for the evening. His theme is wines from Italy. I hope to see you all there at the usual time on Thursday, August 13th.
Wine of the Month – Blueprint, Vinho Verde, Portugal, 10% ABV
Fancy a nice quaffable wine that’s not too heavy for this hot weather? This light vinho verde from Waitrose might just fit the bill. Coming from the vineyards around Lousada, a lush, green area in the north of Portugal, this vibrant white has flavours of citrus fruits and apple with a refreshing zesty finish. It’s an ideal partner for summer salads and a great accompaniment for seafood – particularly grilled fish. So, get the sardines on the barbie and crack open a bottle. This wine is part of the Waitrose Blueprint range and costs just £7.50. Waitrose currently offer a 5% discount for six bottles or more.
Wine of the Month – Blueprint, Vinho Verde, Portugal, 10% ABV
A trip to Meopham Valley Vineyard, Sunday 26th July
A group of 30 members and guests enjoyed a fantastic afternoon at Meopham Valley vineyard on Sunday, July 26th. Taking advantage of the lovely sunny weather, we were royally entertained by vineyard proprietor, Surinder Bassi, ably assisted by his family and support team. Surinder spoke passionately about the history of the vineyard and how his family became involved. We sampled eight wines produced by the vineyard, all of which were very nice indeed. The wine was then followed by super charcuterie boards, accompanied by some more glasses of Meopham wines. I attach some photos of the event (thanks John and Heather). We hope that Surinder will be on our list of speakers at SPWC next year – he is certainly very keen to come and will be a very entertaining and informative presenter. (Please see photos of the day on our social events page)
Coming Up
By the time this newsletter is published the SPWC walk will have taken place. Many thanks to Paul for organising the walk from Highgate to Hampstead, visiting Kenwood House, the Heath and the viewpoint at Parliament Hill and for finding a great restaurant in Hampstead for the post-walk meal. I’m sure all those who went on the walk will have had a great time.
As mentioned in previous newsletters, our annual summer garden party takes place on Sunday August 23rd at 2pm when we will be revisiting Sue and Dennis Gigney’s smashing garden at 36 Bennetts Way. At least 35 members and guests have already signed up for this event and tickets will be on sale at the August meeting at the bargain price of just £8 per person (not £7 as erroneously advertised on our notice board) which will provide welcome drinks, a salad bar, bread board, condiments, ice cream etc. Our experienced chefs will light up the BBQ and it will be for you to bring whatever you would like them to cook for you. There is still time to add your name to the list if you haven’t already done so.
This is a further reminder to keep the following date free – Friday, December 4th - the date for our Christmas meal. We will be making a welcome return to The George in Hayes this year. The George has proved to be a popular venue with members in the past. It will offer a traditional Christmas set menu, (details of which will be circulated as soon as they become available) with plenty of choice for everyone and, the good news is, that their bar stays open until 11 pm on a Friday, so we can enjoy a more leisurely evening.
As a footnote to the last item above, those of you who joined us for our Christmas night out at Agra last year will recall what a great night out it was. We have decided that our Christmas meal this year should be along more traditional lines, but we are planning on a return to Agra on Tuesday 13th October for those of you who wish to make another visit. As before entertainment will follow the meal and you will all get a chance to strut your stuff until late. Tracy will be arranging this and sign-up sheets will follow.
Nominated Charity 2026
We have received a couple of nominations to be our chosen charity for this year and the committee will be meeting soon to consider the options. Last year we raised over £1000, a monumental effort but I’m sure with a bit of determination and some hard work, we can exceed that this year. The gauntlet has been thrown.
Did You Know?
We’ve had a few interesting developments in the wine world over the last few years and the latest trend to hit the shelves is “Vin Blouge”, which is a wine that mixes both red and white grapes to produce a wine which is light and fresh that tastes like a red but carries the high, vibrant aromatic taste of a white. Apparently, this mix has been around for centuries but is enjoying a revival, particularly in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in the south of France. Here, drinking red wine has become less fashionable so wine makers had to consider what they were going to do with the red grape harvest. So, they hit on mixing red and white grapes to produce a Vin Blouge, such as Boogie Woogie which is produced by the Aubert et Mathieu vineyard. This is a blend of grenache noir and grenache gris which creates a wine that evokes aromas of red berries and gives a clean and lasting finish on the palate.
Very best wishes and don’t forget the factor 50.
Goff
1st August 2026