Verulam Wine Tasting Club, based in St Albans, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom meets regularly to taste wines in a convivial and relaxed atmosphere.

We normally welcome new members, but as several of our recent events have been oversubscribed, we have closed the club to new members (for the time being). If you are interested in joining, we would still like to hear from you via our contact form contact us.

The Club is independent and non-profitmaking and is managed by a revolving committee of members. Club membership is £10.00 per annum and the charge per tasting is normally £18 for members and £22 for guests. The club came into existence in autumn 1978 and currently has over a hundred members. Tastings are held ten times a year - we usually take July and August off.

The current committee members are:-

Ralph Levey, Sue Chasney, Peter Chasney, Paul Berendt, Jules Winterton, Jonathan Grinsted, Barbara Bennett, Phil Stead and Mike Fish.

The calendar usually consists of eight 'regular' tastings where we sample 8 to 10 wines presented by a guest speaker. The speaker tells us the background behind the wine while we taste the wine. During the tasting, we provide crackers and, occasionally, antipasti (to match the wines). At the end of the tasting, we provide a supper of cold meats, cheeses, bread and salad.

In addition to the eight 'regular' tastings, we hold:

• in June, an informal event such as a barbecue with food and wine.

• in January, an informal blind-tasting.

Congratulations to the winners of our January 2024 blind tasting competition, John C. overall winner, Giles W, for the highest red wine score, and Andre H. for the highest white wine score.

Verulam Wine Tasting Club - Wine Tours

Every year from 2013 to 2019, the club has organised at least one wine tour to regions such as Champagne, Alsace, Burgundy, Loire, Verona, Rioja and the Douro.  On these trips we visit excellent vineyards and restaurants but rarely miss the opportunity to have a bit of fun along the way, such as a segway trip around the vineyards of Beaune and stomping grapes in the Douro.  Unfortunately due to COVID, we were not able to run wine tours in 2020 or 2021, but we  resumed in 2023 with Burgundy Top to Toe.

Burgundy Top to Toe with a Sparkling Finish (Monday 26th June to Saturday 1st July 2023)

From Chablis in the north to Macon in the south,  we visited a variety of cellars, wineries and restaurants, enjoying the wine (and food) of Burgundy. What better way to break the return journey home than a visit to the Champagne region  for a sparkling finish to our wine tour. Pictures below courtesy of P. Stead and B. Hutton.

Sherry Triangle Premium Wine Tour - Tuesday 17th September 2024 to Sunday 22nd September 2024

From our base at the Tio Pepe Hotel in Jerez, we will visit many of the famous bodegas of Jerez and Sanlucar de Barrameda, not only to enjoy the food and wine, but there will plenty of opportunities for the full Andalusian experience including flamenco, Andalusian Horse Display, and the famous sites of Jerez such as the cathedral and Alcazar.

There are currently a few spaces so if you would like to join us, please contact a committee member.

If you would like to know more about Verulam Wine Tasting Club. Contact us for more information.