2026 Past Events

Meeting 487 Friday 20th March 2026

 Andrew Walker Solaris wines: Slovenian whites and Spanish reds

An excellent tasting by Andew Walker, founder of Solaris Wines in 2019.  He gave good information about each of the wines and then spent time going round the tables discussing how people liked the wine - and doubtless much else.  He brought some interesting wines from Slovenia.  The aperitif bubbly was absolutely classic: vintage, bottle-fermented wine from 70% Chardonnay and 30% Pinot Noir.  It was lovely, but sadly priced at Champagne rate, albeit towards the lower end. The next two white wines were from gape varieties unfamiliar to us.  The Zelen was soft, slightly off dry, and with hints of honey on the nose and taste; quite pleasant but not very exciting.  The Pinela 365 was fuller in flavour, with a little more acid, slight oak and a very attractive complex finish.  The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Sanctum were both very appealing wines, and should have fallen easily into the bracket of better-than-average mid-range every-day wines.  I suppose we are having to get used to the increased cost brought on by political decisions not universally acclaimed.  These wines would have attracted considerable sales at two thirds of the current prices. 

The Spanish red wines were all excellent.  The Gran Lerma 2018 was much liked, and was at a good age.  The Rioja 2019 was a more complex example, again much enjoyed; but it was thought that it would improve over the next few years.  The Ribero del Duero 2020 was very rich and loved by some tasters.  It was thought not ready by others, and it was agreed that it would improve over the next 5-10 years.  It was decided to invest in some of this wine, for the Branch cellar.

Mark served a Slovenian starter of filled and sliced steamed dumpling with an apple & walnut salad and then a  Spanish main course of carne en salsa de almendras - pork in almond sauce - served with green beans, shallots and hasselback potatoes

Meeting 486 Friday 20th February 2026

Malvina Fraccari Italnatural Wines:  Artisanal wines from Italy

Malvina’s journey is built on a unique foundation: a degree in Architecture and an MBA, which trained her
eye for detail and strategic thinking. Since becoming a certified Sommelier in 2010 and a Wine Instructor
in 2018, Malvina has turned that analytical gaze toward the world of oenology and founded Italnatural Wines.

Meeting 485 Sunday 18th January 2026
The January Sunday lunch was so successful in the last two years that we had no difficulty deciding to repeat. And we were not disappointed. Mark came up with a splendid winter menu, starting with a smoked haddock tartlet and watercress salad. When at the end Mark came out to explain the details of the menu, this tartlet got especially warm spontaneous applause. The main course was pheasant cooked in the style of coq au vin, with parsnip purée, glazed carrots and January King cabbage. Pudding was a pear and almond frangipane with crème fraîche. After this we were invited to help ourselves to a lovely selection of cheeses. Coffee was served.
The wines came mostly from the Branch Cellar, but we started with an aperitif of Alta Langa Brut Araldica 2021 from The Wine Society. This was very well liked; it is good value at £16.00. We did not have enough bottles of any white or red wine to be able to choose one for each course. Therefore we provided three different white and three reds, so that people could choose; they helped themselves, and were able to sample all of them, and it was interesting to find which were the favourites, and to find that individual tastes varied considerably.