Going it alone at the Naked Wines Summer Tasting Tour 2019

I've been with Naked Wines now for 7 years and one of my favourite things is going to their tasting events.

The fabulous Lindley
Hall where the London
Tasting was held

I attended my first in 2016 and have been pretty much every year since. You get to meet all the wine makers, chat to other Naked Wines Angels (the members) and, frankly best of all, there are normally over 100 wines to try.

One of my fellow
Archangels who
looked after me

This year, I decided to go on my own. Normally I go with my husband and some of my friends have come with me in the past. But, this year, Naked Wines had organised a meeting for all the Archangels beforehand and that, together with babysitting issues, meant I decided to go it alone.

The Tasting Tour
Brochure

Pretty nervous doesn't even begin to describe how I felt beforehand. I don't really do anything on my own these days. I would never go to the pub on my own or to the cinema. And, thanks to my small children and running my own business, I rarely even leave the house these days.

However, I needn't have worried as I was utterly looked after by the other Naked Wines Angels and Archangels. Everyone is so friendly and chatty, it really doesn't matter if you're on your own. 

If you order wine
on the tour, you get
the cost of your
ticket back. Win win.

I drank some delicious wines (I've written about my favourites on another blog post if you are interested), met some really interesting people and learned more about Naked Wines and their wine makers. I even managed to make a few notes in my Tour Programme (which I'm sure has never happened before).

I genuinely had a great time and it was quite liberating. 

Naked Wines have already released the dates for their Winter Tasting tour here. The Winter Tour tends to be slightly smaller than the summer one, but they still have over 100 wines to try, lots of wine makers from all over the globe and it's a really great day out.

You can read about my favourite wines from the Summer Tasting Tour here.

Selecting a new rosé wine for Naked Wines

Me tasting the good stuff

As an Archangel for Naked Wines, I was recently lucky enough to be asked to to help them choose a new Provencal Rosé wine for their website.


It was pretty exciting stuff as it was the first time I'd visited the Naked Wines offices and met a lot of the people I've been chatting to online since 2012. Plus, I hadn't drank for 33 days previously. What a way to break dry January with a rosé tasting with Naked Wines?

Outside the Naked Wines
offices with Archangels
Simon and Darren

When I arrived at the offices, I did not feel let down by the Naked experience. The funky reception was dominated by a huge slide that transported staff between floors. Everything was quirky and open plan with meeting rooms named after principle Naked wine makers and wine vending machines for staff to sample latest vintages. What a fab place to work.

Archangel, Phil, 
shooting down the slide

And then the rosé wine arrived. Bottle after bottle after bottle of delicious looking wine. Some more delicate and blushy and some more red and fruity in colour. Turned out there were 37 of the stuff. It was like some sort of fantasy come true!

But when MD (and super fox) Eamon Fitzgerald kicked off the tasting, it became apparent that this was no jolly for Naked Wines. 

Wine Guru, Toby, had literally spent months talking to rosé producers in Provence to secure a selection of wines that would be, not only delicious, but exclusive to Naked. Plus, most of the wine makers were fairly small, artisan producers. And, if they were to secure distribution through Naked Wines, Eamon told us, it could be life changing.

Just a few roses to choose
from then....

On the train to Norwich, Archangels Simon and Darren had told me about a wine they selected at a previous day like this one. And, apparently the wine the Archangels chose was really unpopular with the Naked Angels. It literally "bombed". I did not want to be responsible for choosing a wine that the Angels don't like and I didn't want to let Eamon and the team down! 

We were instructed to use the spittoons and make the right decision. No pressure then.

I really hope that we made the right decision. Because the task was much more difficult than I'd anticipated!

Gorgeous Eamon laying down
the law. This was serious
business (I promise)

For starters, never before had I tried so many wines in such quick succession. Now, I'm a drinker and I've done a lot of tasting! But, we had to whittle 37 wines down to one which would go on sale on the website that evening! 

Our group initially had 12 wines to taste, then we tasted the 6 shortlisted rosés from all the groups and finally we selected one. I felt like I was literally tasting one wine after another after another! (I know, it's a hard life!)

Look how serious we were
Archangels Darren & Sarah

In addition, we had to keep in mind that we were helping to select a wine that would be popular with Naked Wines Angels. So, we had to consider the cost of the wine as well as whether it would be something that Naked customers would want to buy and would expect from a Provencal Rosé.


However, a few of the wines really stood out. And I was really pleased with the wine we chose. 

The Chateau Saint Hilaire Provence Rosé by Bruno Lapierre was mouth wateringly zingy with fresh strawberry fruit flavours, pale and blushy-pink in the glass and would be dangerously drinkable on a summer's day in the garden. 

My Archangel friend Ray
We finally met for the first
time that day!

In fact, 3,600 bottles went on sale that evening as a marketplace deal and nearly all of them had gone in just a few days, which hopefully showed we made a good choice.

I had such a great day and it was definitely worth the train fare and the total of 8 hours of travel to get there. I've also learned loads more about rosé wine (who'd have thought that a third of the wine drank in France was pink? They definitely have good taste). Thanks Naked Wines for an absolutely amazing afternoon (an AA afternoon).

A groovy wine tour at Domaine O'Vineyards

I'd heard from some of the other Naked Wines Angels and Archangels that a visit to the Domaine O'Vineyards in France is an absolutely excellent experience. So when we were in the Languedoc this summer, we decided to book a night with meal and wine tasting with Joe and Liz O'Connell.

Joe giving his
groovy wine tour

It was a really, really hot on the day we visited. Apparently it was the hottest September that the region could remember. We'd spent the day wandering around nearby Carcassonne and lying by the lovely but very breeze-less Lac de la Cavayere and we were literally expiring when we arrived.

We were over half an hour early, but Liz, Joe and Muse the dog opened the doors and welcomed us into a wonderfully cool room and opened an ice-cold bottle of delicious white wine. It was absolute bliss. And, it wasn't a thimble-full of wine either, it was a nice, big, juicy glug.

The view from our balcony

Liz and Joe were like these super cool hipsters. Not cool in a modern way. More a laid back, 70s throwback sort of way. Joe kind of shuffled around in his Hawaiian shirt, jeans and sandals, humming away to his Beatles and Elton John music with a wry, knowing smile while Liz wafted in and out in her denim shorts and huge shades. Apparently they met while she was sunbathing nude on a beach in California. Says it all really. Very cool.

My husband and I
enjoying the yummy wines

The winery and the vineyards were absolutely stunning. Joe had designed the building himself and the decor and structure were an interesting mix of modern, rustic and baroque. All peppered with art that you felt they'd collected on their journey through life. Our bedroom had a fabulous view of the vines and I joked to Liz that I would need a ladder to get onto the ginormous bed. Everything was very luxurious and felt like a proper treat. Again, probably not stylish in a modern or conventional sense, but all very cool, eclectic and distinctive.

When everyone else arrived, Joe introduced the event as "not a wine tasting, but a wine drinking". And, that really set the tone for the event. The measures were generous as were the hosts with their time and attention.

Stunning sunset over the vines

The tour itself was informal and fun. It didn't feel like a stuffy lesson on winemaking. But it had enough content to be interesting and enough interaction for us all to feel comfortable and get chatting.

Joe and Liz moved to France with their son Ryan to make the type of wine they wanted to make, the way they wanted to make it. Apparently, there have been some frustrating times along the way navigating the Languedoc Appellation rules. But he'd come out the other side and has earned a great deal of respect for his wines and methods both in France, England and across the pond in America where his son, Ryan does a great deal of work with Naked Wines USA.

Me with Joe and Liz
and the star of the show, Muse

At the tasting and meal, we were treated to glass upon glass upon glass. So much so that I think we tried everything in their range. The wines were stylish and interesting, without taking themselves too seriously. For example, all the bottle labels were designed by the family and one even had the head of a Naked Wines Archangel on it. 

My favourite wine was probably the O'Chasan 2015. I'd never tried a pure Chasan wine before, but apparently it is a popular, but underrated wine of the Languedoc region. Very light and easy drinking and perfect served crisp cold. We also loved the O'Syrah 2011. A smooth and peppery Shiraz that left my mouth warm and very happy for a long time after each sip. 

We tried pretty much the
whole range

The food was all lovingly prepared by Liz. The website promoted the meal as "home cooked food". Well, if you live in a house with about 20 chefs! I have no idea how she managed to create all that food. We enjoyed course after course of interesting and intricate Asian-French-Californian fusion food. And Liz lovingly enthused about how she made each dish and her added personal touches. 

But the real star of the show was their beautiful conker dog, Muse. He seemed to lead the wine tour, obviously knowing the route by heart. Staring lovingly up at us all with gorgeous eyes, hoping to perhaps get a few of Liz's supper treats.

What a view to have from
your dining room table!

When we finally stumbled to bed, I've never seen such a beautiful sky from our balcony overlooking the vines. Hundreds of stars and with not an artificial light or sound in sight.

The whole experience was extremely relaxing, very decadent and, well, groovy baby....

Naked Wines calls on members to pledge their pounds for the future of English Wine

At 8pm on 25th August, Naked Wines is launching a very exciting new proposition for their members (or Angels). They are asking Angels to put their money where their glass is and invest in the future of English Sparkling wine. 

Here's what they're doing...The hope is that, if enough Angels pledge their pounds, then Naked Wine Growers Charles and Ruth Simpson will have enough money to produce a new English sparkling wine exclusively for Naked. 

Not only does the Angel money fund the production of the wine. They also get to help decide the branding, blend and name for the wine. Let's hope they use their power for the good (thankfully, Winey McWineface has already been overruled)! Plus, all investors get anywhere between 2 and 6 bottles from the production of the first fizz which will be delivered by Christmas 2018.

Charles and Ruth Simpson

I've recently become a Naked Wines Archangel. Which meant the bosses ran the crowdfunding campaign past us prior to launch. And, although there was widespread excitement from the Flight, there was some concerns. Will members be willing to invest in a wine that they won't be able to sip until 2018? With the British weather so unpredictable, will this be too much of a risk?

Well, I for one hope it will be an amazing success. With English sparkling wine more popular than ever, this feels like a real opportunity to be part of something at the very beginning. And, who knows, if this is a success, maybe there will be more crowdfunding opportunities for the public to invest in English wine.

So come on Naked Angels, press that green buttonhttps://www.nakedwines.com/marketplace. We only need 1,200 of you to make history! I'm so nervous, it's enough to drive you to drink....

My first ever Naked Wines Tasting Tour

At the beginning of the tasting

Ever since I joined Naked Wines in April 2012 I've wanted to go to one of the events on their tasting tour. But for one reason or another (work, then pregnancy then babysitter) I've been unable to go.

So, I was delighted this year when I was neither pregnant nor working and the tour was coming to Southampton, on a Sunday!

The tasting programme

The pre-event marketing claimed there was going to be 30 wine makers and 139 wines to try. I literally could not have been more excited! Plus, all the Angels on the Naked Wines forums were chatting about it and I literally could not wait. I was so excited that I had three cocktails beforehand, which in hindsight was an error....

The tasting started at 2pm and all the visitors joined an orderly queue outside the Guildhall in Southampton (we are so British!). When we got in, there was a huge hall full of wines. It was just fabulous.

139 wines to try

I've been to lots of tasting events before and they have often been pretty snobby. However, it immediately became clear that this was not that sort of event. In fact, the organisers were actively encouraging us to take selfies with the winemakers (I'm yet to discover if I won the selfie competition!). 

With Serena from Cordero
wines and ArchAngel Leon

Plus, nearly all of the people working the stands were the winemakers themselves, not just some rep or agency staff. I guess some of that comes down to the whole Naked Wines ethos. The money that the Naked Wines Members (or Angels) invest into Naked Wines goes towards funding independent wine growers. So, I guess for most of the winemakers attending the event, this was an opportunity to promote their wines to their key audience.

Rocking it like a redhead with
Jen Pfeiffer.

Either way, I had an amazing time. I chatted to loads of winemakers, other Naked Angels and also some of the Archangels (Archangels are the elite members of the Naked Wines crew and their job is to help promote Naked Wines via the forums and events such as the tasting tour). Everyone was super friendly, no-one mocked my pitiful wine knowledge and most of all I tried some delicious wines!

My highlights included (and there were loads, so I'm sorry if I've missed you out):

Ian Kellet and son from
Old Winchester Hill

- Meeting Serena from Gianfranco and Serena Cordero wines. We got married in Italy and we are a bit obsessed with Italian wines. In fact, I am drinking one of their Barbarescos that we bought at the tasting as we speak! She was so friendly and I'd never tried any of their wines before and I loved them.
- Rocking it like a redhead with Jen Pfeiffer. Jen Pfeiffer is an Australian winemaker and something of a legend on the Naked Wines Forums. Again, I'd never tried any of her wines before and I especially loved her "The Rebel Bubbles", which was light, fresh and zingy and my new favourite sparkling wine.

Rod Easthope, an absolute
legend

- Trying Naked Wines' first English grown wine. For ages, Naked Wines has been promising us an English wine. And, finally we have one and it is grown just down the road from where I live. Ian Kellett was there with his son serving his new "Old Winchester Hill" sparkling wines. At the end of the tasting, we ended up stood chatting while drinking a bottle of Gerd Stepp Reisling. Absolutely delicious and what a nice man. I hope his venture is a huge success.
- Meeting one of my favourite Naked Wines growers, Rod Easthope. I love his pinot noirs, I love his Sauvignon Blancs and I got to try his Merlot Cab Franc which I'd never tasted before. The man lived up to my expectations! 

Lovely Serena from Cordera

- Finally speaking face to face with some of the Naked Wines Crew. Highlights were (very slurred) thanking the event organiser Seb for organising such an incredible event. And meeting some of the Archangels including lovely Leon who even indulged me with a selfie. 

Overall, it was a great event. The brochure encouraged us to use the spittoons. However, to my chagrin, I did not and drank far too much. I lost my brochure, I broke my selfie stick. I took photos of people and have no idea who they were. 

Who are these people? Does
Anyone know?

If you get the chance to go along to one of the events, I'd really urge you to. The tickets were only £15 and you got the price of those back if you ordered a case of wine (which we did). And, for that price you get a lot of really high quality wines, great conversation and a lot of fun. My advice though? Use the spittoons and don't have three cocktails beforehand.....

Oh My Gin. A Spanish Gin?

I'm a bit of a creature of habit when it comes to gin. I nearly always buy Bombay Sapphire as I like the clean, crisp taste and there is also a distillery near where I live so I feel like I am buying local. If there isn't any Bombay, then I'll always try to choose a London Dry Gin like Tanqueray. 

So, when the Naked Wines Christmas case included a bottle of gin from Spain, I was intrigued. Had I ever tried a gin from Spain? I don't think so.

The Rambla 41 Mediterranean Dry Gin is made in a small, artisan distillery in Spain by Stefan Lismond and Philippe Geeraert and is made just for Naked Wines. 

According to the blurb, all the ingredients come from the Catalan region near Barcelona. The base spirit is made from Grenache and Carignan wine lees (the left overs from the bottom of red wine tanks). It is then infused with botanicals like Almonds, Juniper and Angelica which are apparently gathered by hand from the hills around Priorat. They then add orange and lemon peel and some special water from the gin makers' well. All impressive stuff.

I've never really looked at the ingredients of gin before, but much of the base ingredients seem similar to others I've tried. For example, Bombay Sapphire is made with Juniper, Angelica, Almonds and lemon peel. So although the method of production is more artisan, it shares many of the common ingredients to gins I've tried before.

However, the biggest difference in production seems to be the filtering method. Rambla 41 is non-chill filtered whereas most big brands chill-filter their gins as a cosmetic procedure in order to make the spirit clear.

Because Rambla 41 is non-chill filtered, it is slightly cloudy as the botanicals have not been stripped out. 

Ok, so enough about the ingredients. What was it like?

Well, the bits floating around in the gin didn't bother me at all. I mean, once you've squished some lime in your gin, it always ends up slightly foggy anyway.

If you look carefully, you'll see
the botanicals floating about

But I have to say, it does have a unique taste. It is very aromatic and fruity and quite unlike any gin I've ever tried. It is also very smooth and not at all harsh. 

But at £34.99 (£24.99 Angel Prices), it's not cheap. So is it worth it? Oh My Gin, I loved it. A really delicious treat that I will definitely buy again. On the Naked website, Angels can review things they've bought. And 98% of the 224 people who have reviewed this gin say they will buy it again. Which is a pretty strong accolade IMHO.

The gin makers recommend serving it with Fever Tree tonic, lime, a grape cut in two (presumably because a whole one would be a choking hazard - jokes) and some orange zest. I'll give that a go next time I buy some.

The bottle is also very beautiful (label below) if you like that sort of thing.

What I'll be drinking this Christmas

If it lasts that long! 

Every year, I order a case of wine at the start of December, with the intention of it seeing me though until the New Year. It never does and I doubt my purchase this year will be any different!

In the past, I've bought cases from different companies. I like to buy a mixed case as it gives me the opportunity to try different wines that I otherwise might not have bought. And, Christmas mixed cases often come with some little freebies. Win win! 

Without a doubt, the best value Christmas mixed case I've found has been from Naked Wines. I've bought it for the last three years and have been delighted. 

My 2015 Naked Wines Christmas case

In 2013, I bought the case which should have been £296 and I got it for the Angel price of £164. I received a free wine aerator that I still use today and a pair of Schott wine glasses (which my husband smashed!). Plus 20 bottles which included two bottles of fizz and a port.

In 2014, the Naked Wines Christmas case brought me 18 bottles (including a port and two bottles of fizz), a Schott wine decanter, some Naked coffee and some olive oil. All for the Angel price of £159 rather than £306.

I've just received my 2015 Naked Wines Christmas Case. It went on sale last week and has already sold out, which shows you what great value it is! 

I tried to take a photo of the package and I'm not sure it does it justice! It contains 18 bottles (again, a port and two fizz), a bottle of the new Naked Wines gin, some Naked coffee, two Schott wine glasses and some quality olive oil. All for the Angel price of £169 rather than £326.

As usual, I've already tucked into my case, so it won't last until Christmas, let alone New Year! So far, my favourite wine is the Carlos Rodriguez Seleccion de Barrica 2011 (pictured). Full of ripe fruits and oaky tobacco and a bargain at £14.99 a bottle.

My favourrite wine to date. With my 2014
free decanter and one of my 2015 glasses

I'm also really looking forward to trying the bottle of gin that came with the case. The Rambla 41 Mediterranean Dry Gin is the first Naked Wines funded gin. The read-up says it is non chilled filtered which apparently leaves it slightly cloudy but leaves a better taste. I'll let you know what I think.

If you're thinking about getting the Naked Wine Christmas case in 2016, then get in early as it always disappears.

** If you're wondering what Angel prices are, then read my earlier article on Naked Wines. Happy drinking. Do it sensibly and all that.

Just text for wine!

If you follow me on Twitter or regularly read my blog, you'll know that I am a huge fan of the company Naked Wines.

I first became a member (or an Angel) in 2015 when Eamon FitzGerald came to a conference I was attending and waxed lyrical about buying wine with a social purpose. You can read my original article here.

They have loads of wines on the website, so I always spend ages trying to decide which ones to order. In the past, I've often ended up buying a prepared mixed case because I know I'll get something different to try and it means I don't have to give myself brain ache trying to narrow my selection down to 12 wines.

I have now discovered that Naked Wines has a new service called Text for Wine. It's amazing and does exactly what it says on the tin! 

All you have to do is register for the service online and then you can just send those bods at Naked Wines a text and they will send you wine. So you can do it any time, any place. I won't tell you what I was doing at the time!

And you can be as vague or specific as you like. So, for my first order, I asked for 12 bottles, for the wines to be around £10 a bottle, a mixture of red and white and told them the sorts of wines that I liked. And that was that!

The next day, a box of wines came through my door. The total cost was £105 (including my Angel discount) so actually worked out a bit less than £10 a bottle. And, I was really pleased with the selection. There were a couple of wines in there I'd ordered before such as the Benjamin Darnault Picpoul de Pinet 2014 and the Dominic Hentall Malbec 2014. But there were some new ones to try such as the Christian Patat Primitivo Puglia 2014 (which was really nice) and a delicious bottle of Benjamin Laroche Chablis 2013.

Apparently this is the first service of its type in the UK and currently only available to Angels (monthly subscribers to Naked Wines). But I think it is brilliant and I'll definitely be texting for wine in the future!

Must be talking to an angel

I discovered Naked Wines when I went to a marketing event in Norwich. I was supposed to be learning about building successful brands. Instead, this hot, Irish man stood up and started talking about wine. By all accounts I listened to that presentation!

The hot, Irish guy introduced me to the concept of wine buying with a social purpose. I love wine, but unless I'm in a vineyard, eyeball to eyeball with the producer, I rarely think about the people behind the bottle. I guess most wines fall into the category of what I view as the "mass produced wines you see on the shelves of Tesco or Waitrose". And don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with those wines, lots of them taste pretty good.

In England, we often hear about local farmers campaigning about the cost of milk. About how the big, bad supermarkets squeeze farmers to beyond levels where any living can be earned. But it never occurred to me the same could be true of wine. 

Lovely Picpoul and how you rate the wine

Naked wines supports independent wine growers. This means that when you buy wine from them, you'll never have heard of the brand and sometimes the stocks run out of the wines you really like. But each of the wines has been made by a family vineyard or a small, artisan producer. And, by you buying the wine, you are directly investing in that vineyard and personally helping to ensure that winery continues to be in business. And, you pay a fair price for a bottle of wine.

And do you know what, maybe I do feel a bit better about drinking the wine when I feel I am doing good for the world (#fact, by me drinking wine, I am helping someone). But that's not even the best bit.

You know those adverts where you give money to charity and you receive updates from the children, or ponies or forest you have helped to save? Well it works just the same for Naked Wines!

When you invest in Naked Wines, you become an Angel. As an Angel, you receive updates from the growers to let you know how they're getting on. How the grapes are ripening this season, new wines they have on the market and other little things they happen to be excited about.

OK, so I haven't exactly saved a breed of endangered snails, but it makes me feel pretty good.

Another great thing about the site is that you can share your experiences with others. So, if I had a particularly enjoyable session on a case of Picpoul de Pinet, I can let other people know about it. And they can let me know what they liked and didn't like too. It's not even that poncey either, as the people talking about the wines are mainly normal people, like me.

And the wines have been pretty good too. I have especially enjoyed:

•  The Benjamin Darnault Picpoul de Pinet which is light and soft and highly coiffable
• The Filigrana Alvarinho from Antonia Venturo - a lovely pear drops wine that comes in a surprising, blue bottle (pictured above)
• The Mauricio Lorca Lorico 2010 which tasted like a glass of ripe cherries

My only complaint would be that they claim to be a social brand, yet they are rubbish at acknowledging and responding to mentions on social media. I talk about them all the time on Twitter because I think they are great. I talk about when a new delivery arrives, which wines I've liked, what I'm doing when I drink the wines... Look, basically I love them.

All I ask, is show me a little love in return. Just the odd tweet. Just a tiny mention. Let me know you're listening! After all, you are talking to an Angel.

Disclaimer: drink sensibly n that ;)