Tuesday, 24th June 2025
Members: £68.50
Guests: £73.60
*Members of the Cambridge Society of London may invite one guest – if you are not currently a member and would like to become one, please enrol via this link.
Wine tasting of Central Italy
After tasting North-West Italy in March and North-East Italy in May, we have now made it to the heartland of Italy’s most famous wine and most planted grape. I mean of course Chianti which is made from at least 80% Sangiovese in Tuscany. Sangiovese is grown all over Italy (accounting for 10% of total plantings) and particularly in the first two of the other regions that feature in Central Italy: Marche and Umbria, leaving Lazio (principally white grapes – think of Frascati) and Abruzzo (famous for Montepulciano). So if we think of Italy as a boot, we’re at the knee and calf, going from Pisa (roughly the knee cap) and Florence in Tuscany on the west down south beyond Rome in Lazio. Heading to the opposite side of Italy from Florence we cross Umbria over the mountainous Apennines to Marche (roughly the calf) and south down the Adriatic coast to adjoining Abruzzo. There are plenty of vinous gems in this huge area, beyond the many quality levels of Chianti. Their long-lived, complex and delicious neighbours Brunello di Montalcino. The global icons of Cabernet based Bordeaux blends known as Supertuscans like Sassacaia, Solaia and Tignanello. The absurdly complicated Vino Nobile di Montepulciano (made from Sangiovese in the town of Montepulciano in Tuscany) compared to Montepulciano (no relation) the wine from the grape of the same name made in Abruzzo. Italy really is hundreds of little countries in one. We will as always concentrate on the finer quality wines, which are good but typical examples of the styles of the region. One rosé, four whites and 6 reds. There will of course be an Italian style charcuterie and cheese accompaniment, which will help soften the grip of the oft times punchy reds. The wines we will taste are:
I do hope you can join me.
As usual the venue will be revealed to those who have purchased a ticket. But as many of you know it is very close to Green Park.
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About your host
Richard Pearey DipWSET, Chairman of the Society, has been passionate about wine from an embarrassingly early age. He began creating a cellar in 1984 and despite (or perhaps because of) a long career in advertising, film and sports marketing, then men’s luxury shirts, has been drinking steadily ever since. His addiction to the grape has led many of his friends to hand over their wine cellars to his care. He has organised and hosted wine evenings as corporate or staff entertainment for city firms, marketing agencies and private clients, from 8 to 200 people. He has run a wine course for friends, his own wine club – Who Nose – since 1985 and his old school dining society, the oldest in the world, for 24 years. He co-founded a wine event company, We Don’t Spit, in 2013 and learned to spit, at which point he began his official wine qualifications. He completed his Diploma in lockdown and works part time in Hedonism Wine in Mayfair, whilst now pursuing his ultimate dream of becoming a Master of Wine, of which there are still only 425 in the world. Part of this 3-5 year course involves blind tasting 24 wines from anywhere in the world. So he is hoping tasting with Society Members will help!
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Cambridge Society of London Transfer and Refund Policy
i) At least 14 calendar days before the event: We will provide full refunds (minus any booking/transaction fees, which are nonrefundable). Alternatively, if you have found a suitable replacement, we can change the name on the ticket on the understanding that you will reclaim the ticket price from them separately.
ii) Between 4 and 14 calendar days before the event: Our arrangements with our hosts are always finalised 4 calendar days before each event. With more than 4 calendar days’ notice we can still change the name to someone named by you on the understanding that you will reclaim the ticket price from them separately. Alternatively, we MIGHT be able to sell it to someone else; there is no guarantee of that but we will do our best and then refund you if successful.
iii) Less than 4 calendar days: We regret that we cannot offer refunds if given less than 4 calendar days’ notice
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