Time for a bit of a plug. Mmn, maybe not the right word here(!)- time for a little update on a little adventure Benji and I enjoyed this Summer…
We hit the road and joined the Naked Wines Tasting Tour of the UK.
But sorry to disappoint, no further naked bodies to follow – we didn’t get down and dirty with grapes and wine – but some pics of the many wonderful people we met and re-met and chinked glasses with, from all corners of the wine-making world, as we travelled the countryside in a tour bus driven by the lovely Bob, in late June, to show our wares.
Norwich, Cambridge, London, Southampton, Bristol, Cardiff, Manchester, Edinburgh, Leeds, Birmingham – nearly each stop on the 2012 tour (Benji and I could only make half of it) was sold-out and each tasting event held in a beautiful venue of each town. It’s an impressive sight seeing the doors open to hundreds of wine enthusiasts ready, with ther glasses poised, to try over 140 wines!
France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Austria, Germany, Chile, Argentina, South Africa, New Zealand, the U.S. and bien sur, Australia! – these are the countries that the winemakers selling their wines with Naked Wines hail from and what a bunch a great people they are!
It was brilliant to finally meet all the people behind the names I’ve only, until now, seen and admired from the website – and get to try their wines for the first time and to enjoy some time talking on the bus, over a breakfast table, behind a tasting table, over a take-away pizza, watching the Australian cricket warming-up in the nets at Lord’s, on a walk trying to find the nearest public loo, disco-ing on a dancefloor until the early hours… You know, quality times like that. It’s not often I get out of my hamlet and get to bond with people from all over the world in such a short time, having so much fun!
And then of course, there were the tasters! A thriving mass of curious, enthusiastic, incredibly friendly people who came out to our tastings and worked their way through the hundreds of bottles. Benji and I loved the atmosphere of each tasting and picked up good feedback, first-hand, on his wines. It was hard not to soak up the fun – obligatory tasting required for quality checks. And then there were all those wines from everyone else that we hadn’t even tried yet….
All in all a great tour and LOTS of fun. I kinda like being the Vigneron’s helper.
And after every good wine tasting, there comes a delicious all five food groups breakfast…
And they all (well, apart from the couple we saw having a tiff under the tree in Cardiff) went home happy.
The Vigneron's Wife 
That’s a great photo of Benjamin…..
Yes I love too. The naughty guys fagging out the back!
Brilliant we enjoy the tours also it’s such a treat to meet the makers of the wine we all love to drink
It’s a big treat for us too. Thanks for coming along!
Hi Kat,
We enjoyed meeting you in Southampton. Your wine is still our favourite, but we argue amongst ourselves which we like the most! My favourite is St Chinian!
Mine too! (re the St Chin)
– and thanks for your vote for the wines!
How could you? Vegimite in England, lucky you weren’t locked in the Tower of London! Seriously it was great to meet the two of you at Lords.
She wasn’t too impressed, I’m telling you!
Lord’s was a mammoth one!
Brilliant as usual Kat…, love the pics of course!
As NW seem to have lost their mascot (sad face), I am seriously thinking of volunteering to replace the little monkey as that way I would get to do some monkey’ish things like meet ALL of the winemaker’s on tour rather than just some, help with setting up and setting down, and really just eat and drink – in the ambience of the Naked Wine camaraderie…
Regardless, would you and Benji please try and make Norwich next time!
Thanks for the thumbs up Barry!
Intersting concept, you as knitted mascot, but I think you’d get sick of all the paparazzi!
Yes, it would be great to get to Norwich sometime and finally meet you.
Great article Kat, and a great event too!
thanks!