Verulam Wine Tasting Club
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 circa 150 members. Tastings are held nine or 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, Barbara Bennett, Phil Stead, Brian Hutton and Julia Rayment.
The calendar usually consists of 7 or 8 '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 7 or 8 "regular' tastings, we sometimes hold:
an ,informal event such as a barbecue with food and wine (sometimes June)
an informal blind-tasting.(January)
day trip to UK winery
away trip to European Wine Region.
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, in 2024 with Jerez and the Sherry Triangle, and our next one will be 2025 to Bordeaux.
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.
Jerez and the Sherry Triangle - Premium Wine Tour - Tuesday 17th September to Sunday 22nd September 2024
Here is a selection of photographs from our recent tour to Jerez and the Sherry Triangle, courtesy of P. Stead.
Bordeaux Wine Tour - Saturday 14th June 2025 - Saturday 21st June 2025
Plans are will underway for our next wine tour which is to Bordeaux, where our winery visits will include Margaux, Pauilliac and St Emilion.and Sauterne'
If you would like to know more about Verulam Wine Tasting Club. Contact us for more information.