Wednesday, 15th May 2024
Members: £49.50
South Africa is on a similar latitude to California, and has a generally warm Mediterranean climate, but mountains, winds and the cold Benguela current from the South Pole, give a variety of microclimates, and there are varied soils, so almost every style and quality of wine can be made. And is. Although the Dutch first fermented grape juice in Cape Town in 1652, it was but 30 years ago that only one third of grapes were made into wine and the rest into brandy. Fast forward and four-fifths are now wine and exports are up more than twenty fold. There has been a revolution. Volume is down, vineyard area is down, but quality has never been higher. Growers are finally being paid a reasonable price. So forget any thoughts of simple, easy drinking bottles discounted in supermarkets; we will be tasting five whites and five reds in ten critically acclaimed wines showing some of the extraordinary diversity of styles being made today in this revitalised country.
As for accompanying food, South African cuisine has a wide mixture of influences from the Dutch, English, French, Malay, Indonesian, so there is sure to be something vaguely appropriate to accompany the vino.
- Reyneke Reserve White 2021 (Sauvignon Blanc) Stellenbosch 13%
- Ataraxia Chardonnay 2023 Western Cape 13%
- Black Elephant Vintners The Dark Side of the Vine Semillon 2017 Frankschoek Valley 12%
- Alheit Fire By Night 2022 (Chenin Blanc) Voor Paardeberg 12.5%
- Breton Cabernet Franc 2020 Stellenbosch 13%
- Storm Ridge Pinot Noir 2017 Hemel-En-Aarde 13.5%
- Minimalist Wines “No place like home” Syrah 2022 14%
- Beeslaar Pinotage 2020 Stellenbosch 14.5%
- Vergelegen Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 South Africa 14%
- Mullineux Straw Wine 2022 Swartland 7.5%
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.
*As tickets are limited, only members of the Cambridge Society of London may book tickets – if you are not currently a member and would like to become one, please enrol via this link.
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About your host
Richard Pearey, 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 23 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