We offer a range of tasting and experiences, including wine tasting, gin tasting and wine dinners. Please see below for our up coming events, when you find something that you would like to join us for. Please don’t hesitate and call the wine shop today to book your spot. Our events are always well received and are always fully booked!
Wine Tastings and Events
To book call 01934 708 312
Gin Tasting – Mothers Ruin
Date: Friday 17th March 2023
Ticket: £25.00
To book Call 01934 708312
We all know its called Mothers Ruin, but why? As it is Mothers Day weekend I thought we should have a gin tasting in honour of them all!
Come and explore the wonderful world of gin, its history, how its made and all the different botanicals that creates this wonderful drink!
Organic Wine Tasting
Date: Friday 3rd March 2023 – 7.00 – 9.00pm
Ticket: £20.00
To Book Call 01934 708312
I’m delighted to welcome Emmanuel our organic specialist for an evening of purely delicious organic wine both white and red win.
Come and find out what organic wines actual means, which will include low sulphite wine and biodynamic production.
Down to Basics – How to Taste Wine
Date Thursday 23rd February – 7.00-9.00pm
Ticket: £20.00
To Book Call 01934 708312
This is a wine tasting masterclass that will concentrate on how to taste wine. Giving you the basic skills on how to taste wine covering the beginning steps on sight, smell, taste and conclusion.
Giving you a better understanding what you are looking for in a wine, identifying the different flavours while comparing and contrasting different grapes and styles of wines.
This is an ideal tasting for those that have an interest in wine, and want to find out more and develop their tasting skills.
Sparkling Wine and Champagne Tasting
Date Friday 17th February – Time 7.00 – 9.00pm
Ticket £40
To Book Call 01934 708312
This is one of my favourite styles of wine, along side it tasting delicious, it evokes happiness and celebrations!
Come and discover the beautiful world of sparkling wine and understand the difference between Prosecco and Champagne and find out what happens in the deep cellars of Champagne!
Pasqua Italian Wine Dinner
Date Thursday 9th February
Time 7.15pm – for a 7.30pm start – end time approximately 10.00pm
Venue The Bath Arms, Cheddar
Ticket £65 (includes wine and food)
To Book Call 01934 708312
Come and join us for what will be an incredible evening as we welcome Will Willis the UK representative for Family Pasqua from Verona.
Along side a delicious three course meal from the Bath Arms Kitchen, enjoy a flight of wines presented by Will as we discover the wonderful wines of Verona, including mouthwatering Valpolicella’s.
The full menu will follow closer to the event, please specify any dietary requirements on booking.
Lyres Cocktail Night – Dry January Special
Date Thursday 12th January 2023 – Time 7.00 – 9.00pm
Ticket £20.00
We are really excited to welcome the lovely Anita from Lyres Non alcoholic range of spirits to host our first non alcoholic cocktail evening.
No need to get a taxi or organise a lift as you can drive yourself!
Anita will guide us through a fabulous and fun evening on how to make that perfect cocktail, it will be interactive as she teaches us how to build the cocktails, what to use and how to do it. You will be making each cocktail to make sure you know how to recreate it at home.
Anita has a vast experience in bartending and hospitality so understands the importance of quality ingredients to make that perfect drink!
Book in to what will be a fantastic tasty evening while not breaking that dry January commitment.
Gin Tasting
Date Friday 6th January 2023 – Time 7.00- 9.00pm
Ticket £25.00
A tasting dedicated to discovering gin, what the different terminology means such as the understanding the definition of London Dry Gin. Take the time to sniff, swirl and compare the mixology of the wonderful world of botanicals!
Christmas Wine Tasting – New Date!
Thursday 24th November 7-9pm £25pp
Due to popular demand we have set a second date for our Christmas Wine Tasting. Be quick as this date will fill up too!
Concentrating on Christmas Day where you can immerse yourself in to an indulgent day ahead. The tasting, just like Christmas day will start with a glass of sparkling wine to get your mouth watering and set the tone!
Port Tasting – Spaces still available!
Friday 11th November 7-9pm £25pp
Douro in northern Portugal is one of the most breath taking wine regions with steep terraces of old gnarly vines that have to be hand tended without machinery. This makes it a labour intensive which continues on in to the winery ensuring quality wine is produced to age in the deep cellars of Oporto. Come and discover more about this historic fortified wine.
Compass Box Whisky Tasting – Spaces still available!
Friday 4th November 7-9pm £25pp
I am really excited to welcome Jill from Compass Box Whisky producer. The Compass Box Story…. Inspiring and Unique!
Back in 2000, John Glaser was working for a large UK distiller when he realised that there was so much that hadn’t yet been explored in the world of Scotch whisky. An American living in London, he decided to do something refreshingly different and bring the joys of Scotch whisky to more people in exciting new ways. So, he started Compass Box, an inventive company based on the long-lost model of the Scotch whisky blending house, but with a forward-looking approach and an unrelenting desire to create deliciousness.
A word from John “We believe Scotch whisky is one of the world’s great drinks. With more spectrum of flavour and style than any other spirit, it has incredible capacity to delight both newcomers and discerning devotees. Which is what we aim to do with every bottle we create.“
Christmas Wine Tasting – Fully Booked
Friday 25th November 7-9pm £25pp
Concentrating on Christmas Day where you can immerse yourself in to an indulgent day ahead. The tasting, just like Christmas day will start with a glass of sparkling wine to get your mouth watering and set the tone!
South American Wine Tasting – Fully Booked
Friday 18th November 7-9pm £20pp
Time 7.00pm – 9.00pm
Ticket £20
To Book Call 01934 708312
Somerset Wine Fair @ Sidcot Arts Centre – Sidcot School – Sold Out!
Friday 28th October 2022 6-9pm £20pp 50% of your ticket refunded with orders taken on the evening.
It gives me great pleasure to announce the Somerset Wine Fair Tickets are now on sale.
We welcome you to our Somerset Wine Fair, this will be our 9th Autumn Wine Fair where we show case a large range of wines from the shop. This is a great opportunity for you to discover and explore styles of wines plus meeting either the producer or importer of the wines.
Along side the main tasting, we will also have two Masterclasses, one being our well loved Italian family producer Pasqua, who produces our Valpolicella Classico through to the full bodied Amarone. The second talk will be from Bristol based Psychopomp distillery!
Tickets available from the Wine Shop Now or call 01934 708312
Autumn Wine Tasting – Fully Booked
Friday 7th October 2022 – 7-9pm £20pp
With a change of seasons is always brings about a change in a wine drinking habits and this tasting will be focusing on the fabulous wines to enjoy throughout the autumn time.
To Book Call 01934 708312
Wine and Food Pairing with Ginger Pig Kitchen £60pp – Fully Booked
Wednesday 5th October – 7.15pm for 7.30pm start
We are delighted to be co hosting a wine dinner pairing evening at the Ginger Pig Kitchen Weston Super Mare.
Dave the chef and owner of the Ginger Pig Kitchen has devised a beautiful menu and the Wine Shop will be pairing a flight of wines to match with each course and going through why they have been chosen.
Please join us for what will be a delicious evening!
The Menu
Canapés on Arrival
Starter
Heritage Tomatoes, Roasted Beetroot, Whipped Feta, spiced pumpkin seeds & sticky walnuts
Main Course
Woodbarn Farm Belly of Pork, Wookey Hole Cave Aged Pomme Puree, Braised Vanilla Carrot, Vimto Puree, GPK Bon Bon, Thatchers Cider Sauce
Vegetarian option – Heritage Carrot Risotto, Spinach, Toasted Pine Nuts, Black Garlic & Shaved Gouda
Dessert
Thatchers Blood Orange & Cardamon Polenta Cake, Vanilla Cream, Meringue
Friday 23rd September 2022 – 7-9 £25pp – Fully Booked
Whisky Tasting with Gordon and Macphail Whisky Specialist
We welcome Luke Todd from Gordon and Macphail whisky specialist. Todd has an extensive knowledge in whisky, so whether you are new or a seasoned whisky drinker this will be a great evening.
Luke is the Southern Regional Sales Manager for Gordon & Macphail, one of the world’s leading independent bottlers of Single Malt Scotch Whisky and owners of The Cairn and Benromach Distilleries.
He has been working in the whisky industry for over 12 years, having started his career as a Brands Development Manager with Maxxium UK Ltd (Now Edrington UK) working with a portfolio of brands including Macallan, Highland Park and Laphroaig to name just a few.
Luke joined Gordon & Macphail back in 2017 and now manages the sales and distribution of the company portfolio across England and Wales. “I have been privileged to work with some incredible whisky brands over the years, but working for a family owned business that has played such an integral part in bringing the world of Single Malt Scotch Whiskies to life for over 127 years is a real honour. The Gordon & Macphail portfolio contains some of the oldest, rarest whiskies in the world and for a whisky lover like myself, what could be better than that?”
To Book Call 01934 708312
Friday 19th August 2022 – 7-9pm £40pp – Fully Booked
Sparkling Wine and Champagne Tasting
Sparkling wine and Champagne are special wines, so we are dedicating an evening to indulge in them! Learning about how the bubbles are created, tasting the difference between sparkling methods, grapes and countries. Maybe treat someone special to a night of fizz!
To Book Call – 01934 708 312
Friday 12th August 2022 – 7-9pm £25pp – Fully Booked
Psychopomp Gin and Spirit Tasting
Love spirits and exploring then this is an evening for you.
The team from Psychopomp have been very busy the last few years creating new Bristol based Circumstance distillery spirits.
As you can well imagine they are highly creative with quality leading the way, with organic mash bills, using different variety of woods, ex bourbon casks, seasoned casks and charred English oak spindles and only bottling when its ready rather than being restrained with certain laws. The spirit does the talking.
Sustainability is taken seriously and they are certified by Carbon Neutral Britain as a carbon neutral business, which includes all the left over grain is sent to local farm as cow feed. There are some very happy cows around here!
The evening will be led by Sara and we will be tasting through Psychopomp gin creations along side introducing their Circumstance spirits creations.
To Book Call 01934 708 312
Friday 8th July 2022 – 7-9pm £25pp – Fully Booked
Pocket Full of Stones Spirits Tasting
We are delighted to welcome Shaun the founder of Cornish based Pocket Full of Stones distillery and Sian to host an evening The Wine Shop.
They specialise in gin and have a beautiful range including the quirky Squid Ink Gin. Aside from gin they also produce other spirits which they may well bring along to showcase what they can do!
Come and enjoy what will be a tasty evening full of gin, stories and Cornish legends!
Shaun used his experience of working in hospitality in Durban, Belfast, and London to open his own pub in Fitzrovia. Named after his grandfather, the Lukin quickly became known for its eclectic selection of drinks, its friendly, down-to-earth atmosphere, and, thanks to Balazs, its exceptional menu. After years of tastings, pairings, distillery tours, and altogether too much drinking, Shaun decided to put all that knowledge to good use. So in the cellar of the Lukin our first gin, Caspyn, and Pocketful of Stones were born! The decision to set up in Penzance was an obvious one for this surf-loving Durban native who remains the driving force behind our creativity.
Shaun Pocket Full of Stones
I’ve worked for Pocketful of Stones for almost 2 years now, and I love it. To be honest, I didn’t even like Gin when I started (obviously I didn’t disclose this to Shaun before I started) and by day 2 I was on the G&T’s… now I drink it daily!
My personal favourite is our newest addition.. the Galaxy & Pilgrim Hop Gin. The ‘Marmalade Old Tom’ holds a special place in my heart as this was the first one that got me into being a Gin drinker, as it’s on the sweeter side – I hope you enjoy the tasting!
Sian Pocket Full of Stones
To Book Call 01934 708 312 Today!
Friday 17th June 2022 – £20pp – Fully Booked
Spanish Wine Tasting
Spain has a huge wine reputation with Rioja being the most famous wine region, however there is so much more to explore.
Please come an join us for a journey throughout Spain.
To Book please call the Wine Shop 01934 708312
Thursday 19th May 2022 – £65pp – Fully Booked
Wine Dinner With M. Chapoutier
Join us as we explore the wonderful wines from Rhone producer Michel Chapoutier.
We welcome Guillaume Chapoutier’s UK ambassador to take us through the journey of Michel and his family, his passion and love for producing organic and biodynamic wines within the Rhone valley, as well as pioneering in other wine regions.
To accompany these iconic wines we will have a delicious menu created by the chefs at the Congresbury Arms who have received two Rosettes for their culinary excellence.
To book please call the Wine Shop on 01934 708312
Friday 6th May 2022 – 7-9pm £20pp – Fully Booked
Italian Wine Tasting – With Mark from Astrum Wines Cellars
Italy is covered from top to toe with vines with so many native grapes to explore. This will be a fascinating discover of Italian wines as we welcome Mark from out Italian importer to take us on a journey.
Friday 29th April 2022 – 7-9pm £25pp – Fully Booked
Gin Tasting – With Joe from Chew Valley Distillery
Meet the man behind the creation of Chew Valley Gin. Joe began the distillery only 2 years ago and has recently been awarded for “Best UK Navy Strength Gin” which will automatically go in to the World competition.
It will be a tasty evening enjoying the range of Chew Valley gins and find out more about Joes inspiring story.
Friday 22nd April 2022 – 7-9pm £20pp – Fully Booked
Organic Wine Tasting
It is with great pleasure we welcome Emmanuel back to the Wine Shop to host our organic tasting. We have worked with Emmanuel for longer than the shop has been running which shows how passionate and dedicated he is to organic wines.
Please join us for a discovery of organic, natural and biodynamic wines.
Friday 8th April 2022 – 7-9pm £20pp – Fully Booked
Easter Wine Tasting
Join us for a fun and informative wine tasting, full of great suggestions on what to enjoy over Easter weekend with family and friends.
To Book Call 0194 708 312 Today!
Friday 25th March 2022 – 7-9pm £20pp – Fully Booked
Portugues Wine Tasting
Portugal may be small in size in comparison to its neighbour Spain, however it more than makes up for this with a vast amount more native grapes. Over 600 indigenous grapes, that is a lot to explore!
The evening will be spent tasting through different wine regions, showing diversity in soil, climate and wine production along with tasting through different grape varieties. Portugal really is a unique and wonderful wine country to explore so come along and enjoy the experience.
To Book Call 0194 708 312 Today!
Friday 25th February 2022 – 7-9pm £25pp – Fully Booked
Pocket Full of Stones Spirits Tasting
We are delighted to welcome Shaun the founder of Cornish based Pocket Full of Stones distillery and Sian to host an evening The Wine Shop.
They specialise in gin and have a beautiful range including the quirky Squid Ink Gin. Aside from gin they also produce other spirits which they may well bring along to showcase what they can do!
Come and enjoy what will be a tasty evening full of gin, stories and Cornish legends!
Shaun used his experience of working in hospitality in Durban, Belfast, and London to open his own pub in Fitzrovia. Named after his grandfather, the Lukin quickly became known for its eclectic selection of drinks, its friendly, down-to-earth atmosphere, and, thanks to Balazs, its exceptional menu. After years of tastings, pairings, distillery tours, and altogether too much drinking, Shaun decided to put all that knowledge to good use. So in the cellar of the Lukin our first gin, Caspyn, and Pocketful of Stones were born! The decision to set up in Penzance was an obvious one for this surf-loving Durban native who remains the driving force behind our creativity.
Shaun Pocket Full of Stones
I’ve worked for Pocketful of Stones for almost 2 years now, and I love it. To be honest, I didn’t even like Gin when I started (obviously I didn’t disclose this to Shaun before I started) and by day 2 I was on the G&T’s… now I drink it daily!
My personal favourite is our newest addition.. the Galaxy & Pilgrim Hop Gin. The ‘Marmalade Old Tom’ holds a special place in my heart as this was the first one that got me into being a Gin drinker, as it’s on the sweeter side – I hope you enjoy the tasting!
Sian Pocket Full of Stones
To Book Call 0194 708 312 Today!
Thursday 17th February 2022 – 7pm £60pp – Last Few Spaces!
Wine Dinner with Babylonstoren
Over the years Babylonstoren have become a firm favourite at The Wine Shop and many would have met Duncan the UK representative at our previous Somerset Wine Fairs events.
We are pleased to be hosting a wine dinner along side the Bath Arms Hotel in Cheddar. The Bath Arms Hotel will provide an excellent five course dinning experience, with each course complemented by a selection of wines from Babylonstoren’s South African vineyard.
Our wine dinners are always a real treat and fanatic value with quality of food and wine on offer.
Welcome & Canapés
Starter
Brixham crab lasagne, seafood bisque
Main Course
Venison loin & rolled leg, pomme anna, spiced pear puree, chestnuts, blackberries
Dessert
Orange cremeaux, salt caramel ice cream
Cheese
Cave aged cheddar & Draycott blue with fig chutney
To Book Call 0194 708 312 Today!
Friday 11th February 2022 – 7-9pm £40pp – Sold Out!
Champagne Tasting
Sparkling wine and Champagne are special wines, so we are dedicating an evening to indulge in them! Learning about how the bubbles are created, tasting the difference between sparkling methods, grapes and countries. Maybe treat someone special to a night of fizz!
Friday 29th January 2022 – 7-9pm £20pp – Sold Out!
South African Wine Tasting
Johnny was a real hit at our Somerset Wine Fair earlier this year so we have asked him to come an host a tasting on a country he is very much passionate about.
I first visited South Africa in 1994 when I just left school and fell in love with the country, people, food and wine. I have since been back to SA many times and even got married there in the wines lands 12 years ago to a South African.
So on this tasting I hope to take you on a Lekka wine trip across the wine map of South Africa from the isolated mountains in North West of the Cederberg, across the plains and gentle rolling hills of the Swartland, to the more busy and bustling Franschhoek and Stellenbosch, then onto Constantia tuck in behind Table Mountain where the wine story began in SA and then down to the seaside of Hermanos. The Wines will be from some of the best wine makers be they young or old, from tiny properties to larger ones and this will hopefully show you the dynamism of this amazing country and its wines and I hope to convert you to loving the wines as much as I do.
Cheer Johnny
Saturday 8th January 2022 – 10-1pm Free
Drinks Kitchen
Alli launched Somerset based, The Drinks Kitchen non-alcoholic aperitif in June 2021. The range has already won four Great Taste and Taste of the West awards and has also been recommended in the Sunday Telegraph and Delicious magazine.
Alli will be showing the three different flavours, the well loved Spiced Rhubarb, fresh Herb Verde and for those that love a Negroni, I’m sure you will love the Orange Cinchona.
I have pretty much always worked in the drinks industry. I started by running wine shops in Bath then Bucks and London. Over the last 10 years I headed up marketing and new product development for a large drinks company; developing new brands and recipes for other businesses was something I did all the time with my team.
In 2020 I decided to set up on my own. Although I still adore and drink wine, it doesn’t love me back anymore! So, I decided to create a range of non alcoholic drinks which were packed with amazing and complex flavours as an alternative to alcohol. And so, drinks kitchen was born.
Alli @ Drinks Kitchen
We are delighted to welcome Duncan from South African winery, Babylonstoren to host an evening for us on Thursday 17th February at the Bath Arms in Cheddar.
The wines never fail to please showing elegant complex wines that are balanced showing character of their natural beauty of where the grapes are grown.
