Oxford Wine Festival 2021

 

Unknown to us, the Oxford Wine Festival has been going since 2013. It is small (400 wines from 23 countries) as these things go but extremely popular. It takes place at the Oxford Union. Buying your tickets well in advance is advisable (2022 is already on sale). We decided to go along in the last hour of the last day and flash our lifetime mebership of the Oxford Union at the gatekeepers but that wasn't necessary as they said (kindly) that many people had left already and we could even enter at a reduced rate.

Inside there was a jolly scene as you see. Live music (Jazz) threatened from a small podium but didn't materialise. 

The first stop was the New World Room but we walked through hardly stopping as we were short of time and the New World in general has fewer rare grape varieties than the Old.

Inside the Union proper was the Old World appropriately enough. 

Among the exhibitors were some familiar names:

Bat and Bottle, Fells, Symington Family Estates, Graham's Port, Te Mata, Vergelegen, Warwick Estate, Wente, Yalumba, Jansz, Pewsey Vale, White Castle and Wiston.

Greek wine is always interesting.

Here we renewed acquaintance with Methymnaeos' Chidiriotiko now sold as an Orange Wine. The producer still refuses to have a DNA test on his grapes which he maintains are unique. We hope they are but it would be good to have that scientifically confirmed. The wine is certainly unique.

Again, we were struck by the fact that the Oxford Wine Festival is really small and yet full of interest.

We were particularly taken by this couple specialising in Natural wines from Catalunya. their company is called L'Altre Vi (the other wine). They are heavily into the natural wines of Vinyes Singulars which is excellent news because it is one of our favourite producers.

We have never come across a Rose made from a Field Blend of red and white Garnatxa but it seems an obvious combination.

Xarel-Lo. What's not to like?

Xarel-Lo Vermell is always good in our book.

Upstairs to Emerging Regions including England, Brazil, China, Hungary and more.

Here we met a great personality called Chris Ruffle. 

Chris was pouring some wines he had made in China. Indeed, he had built a complete vineyard, winery and Scottish Baronial castle would you believe.

More: there was a book ('A decent bottle of wine in China') he was selling which told the whole story. We weren't immediately tempted to buy the book (£10) but in the end we did. Chris is nothing if not a great salesman. We were very happy with our purchase. Everyone should read it because it is completely hilarious although grisly in parts too. You wouldn't want to set up a winery in China after reading this. We're not sure how happy Chris was at having done so but it certainly was an achievement.

The wines listed above are Muscat, Viognier, Chardonnay, Grenache, Syrah, Petit Verdot and Arinarnoa with a 'Bordeaux blend' which presumably might be Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. the wines come under the name of Treaty Port.

Hungary was represented by this Gyorgy Zsiga who had some nice unhackneyed offerings including a Keknyelu. He really knew his Hungarian grapes so we got into an interesting conversation during which he intimated (there's no other word for it) that there may be another producer of Fekete Jardovany apart from Attila Gere. That left us rather shaken we have to admit.

The South American (mainly Brazilian) table attracted a lot of attention so it was a while before we could get in there. the company is called Go Brazil, Nicholas Corfe presiding.

The Go Brazil website is interesting. While stating that there are no indiginous winemaking grapes, they point out that Brazil's panoply of varieties is a bit different, reflecting the grapes the Italian immigrants in the late 19th, early 20th centuries brought with them:

[there are} small plantings of Nebbiolo, Teroldego and Ancellota, for example, while other European varieties such as Tempranillo (Spain), Touriga Nacional (Portugal), and Cabernet Franc, Tannat, Malbec, Marselan, Petit Verdot and Alicante Bouschet (France) can also be found.

Always a sucker for Semillon, we liked the look of this one from Pizzato (12%).

So, well done Oxford. We shall be back next year if the situation allows. This was our first outing to a wine event since the start of the pandemic. It's pleasant to report that it seems it wasn't a vector for infection.