Dear SPWC Members
A belated Happy New Year to you all and apologies for being somewhat tardy with the first Grapevine of 2026. May 2026 be a good year for you all. I hope you all enjoyed a peaceful Christmas and that Santa brought you all you wished for. Although we didn’t have a white Christmas, the New Year has brought the first snowfall of the winter so I hope you’re all keeping safe and warm. Those pavements are pretty slippery out there so please take extra care.
Last Month’s Meeting
Well, what can we say about December’s fund-raising meeting? Well, first of all. A massive, massive thank you to you all for your generosity. In all we raised the huge sum of £1,033.12 which has been donated to the Alzheimer’s Society – a sum that is far in excess of anything that we have collected previously and represents a fitting way of marking our 50th anniversary which we celebrated on the evening. I bet you didn’t know you could all sing in Swedish, did you?
This Month’s Meeting
Our first speaker of 2026 will be a new face. This Thursday, January 8th (yes, it’s come round very quickly), Natalie Walsh representing Te Kano Estate Wines from Otago, New Zealand will be here to talk to us about their wines. It’s been a while since we had a presentation on wines from that neck of the woods so it will be good to reacquaint ourselves with what, I am sure, will be some excellent stuff.
Wine of the month – Les Arbousiers, Malbec, France, 2024, 12.4% ABV
I’ve turned to the south of France for this month’s chosen wine. Malbec originated from this part of the world before it became a global phenomenon, perhaps more associated with the Mendoza region of Argentina than its humble origins. This wine has been crafted from some lovely Malbec vineyards growing in the famous limestone and clay soils located in the foothills of the Pyrenees. With aromas of blackcurrant, this violet-coloured red wine is elegantly balanced, yet with juicy, jammy fruit on the palate It’s a great partner for cuts of grilled and griddled meats. It’s available from Virgin wines for £11.99.
Wine of the month – Les Arbousiers, Malbec
SPWC Christmas Meal – 8th December 2025
Some 40 members and guests enjoyed a fantastic evening at Agra Indian restaurant in Eden Park. The food was excellent and the DJ/singer was superb and had everone up on their feet.
Everyone agreed that it was a great evening and certainly terrific value (thanks to Tracy for negotiating such a good deal). Sami and his staff looked after us extremely well and it has been sugested that we make a return visit, but not necessarily wait until next christmas in order to do so. Sounds like a good idea to us, so watch this space.
Coming Up
A reminder that our meeting in February will, as usual, start with our AGM, followed by a presentation from the committee. Please look out for the documents for the AGM being circulated in the near future. If anyone has an interest in standing for the committee, then please let us know. We’re always on the lookout for fresh talent. That meeting will take place on Thursday, February 12th and then four weeks later, on March 12th, we welcome back one of our favourites, Carrie Winton, from Sparkle and Spirit. We will shortly be able to add more names to our programme for 2026 so keep a lookout on the website. We’re also working on a number of social events for the year and will let you have details of those when they’re available.
Did You Know?
The oldest known bottle of wine, dating back to 325 AD, was discovered in a Roman tomb and is now housed in Germany’s Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Speyer. The bottle was excavated in 1867and remains unopened.
Once again, a healthy, prosperous and happy new year to you all.
Very best wishes,
Goff
5th January 2026