Events

                      The Olympic Silver Medal is awarded to those who come in second and who just miss out on the top place. These are the Olympic ‘super seconds’, the ‘nearly but not quite’!   

The 1896 Olympic Silver Medal

                                          

Our event tonight follows this ethos and shows the super second wines of nine well-known Châteaux.

 

Enjoying a second wine is like accessing an advance preview of the Grand Vin. Approachable and inviting, these wines are designed to develop more quickly. As their lifespan is shorter, it means they may also assist with gauging the evolution of the first label.

So, in an early–drinking vintage, the second wines are what you should consume first and fore-most; in strong vintages the most impressive of them may be left longer. Additionally, with recent technological advancements inBordeaux– and with the Châteaux themselves constantly improving the quality of all of their wines – many of these second labels are now just as good as the historic Grand Vins. Moreover in the majority of cases they represent excellent value for money and are not simply ‘a fashionable hype’.

  

We have chosen 9 wines tonight from very well respected Châteaux from each of the Bordeaux Communes and Pomerol and these are as follows:

2004 Duluc du Branaire Ducru  

2004 Pavillon Rouge du Château Margaux

2003 Bahans Haut-Brion

2001 Ségla

2000 La Petite Église de l’Église-Clinet

1998 Le Moulin de La Lagune

1996 La Dame de Montrose

1979 Les Forts de Latour

The final wine from St Émillion remains to be sourced and this will either be Les Songes de Magdelaine from Château Magdelaine or Mondot du Château Troplong Mondot.

A plate of food will accompany the tasting.

                      The Olympic Gold Medals Table invariably featuresAustralia,Canada,England,France,Germany,Japan,Spain, andUSA. Following the Olympic theme in this Programme we have selected fine, mature and unusual wines from these participating countries.Greecehas been included as it was the birthplace of The Games andIndiabecause we simply wanted to include a winner from the lower end of the table!

 This very interesting tutored tasting will be conducted by Jeffrey Benson who has provided many of the wines from his own cellar.

 Our ten wines tonight are as follows:

 SPARKLING WINE 

ENGLAND - Chapel Down Brut 

WHITE WINES

JAPAN  -  2010 Grace Koshu Hishijama Private Reserve

 

FRANCE - 1985 Pouilly Fume ‘Baron de L’ 

GERMANY - 1976 Deidesheimer Kalkoffen Riesling Auslese 

 

RED WINES

INDIA - 2010 Sula Dindori Shiraz Reserve

CANADA - 2006 Pelée Island Pinot Noir Reserve 

SPAIN - 2005 Mayor de Ondarre Rioja Reserva

USA -  2007 Paul Dolan Organic Zinfandel

GREECE -  2006 Gaia Estate Nemea 

AUSTRALIA - 1993 Rosemount Show Reserve Cabernet 

 

The tasting will be accompanied by Ham, Cheese, Salad and French bread

                      The Guildhall has been the City Powerhouse since the 12^th Century. Although the present Guildhall was begun in 1411, references to a London Guildhall are made in a document dating back to 1128. In fact the word ‘Guildhall is said to derive from the Anglo-Saxon ‘gild’ meaning payment, so it was probably a place where citizens would pay their taxes.

 

In an era when the Lord Mayor ofLondonrivalled the monarch for influence and prestige, this was where he and the ruling merchant class held court, fine-tuned the laws and trading regulations that helped createLondon’s wealth.

 

Today 900 years on, Guildhall is still the home of the City ofLondonCorporation and acts as a grand setting for glittering banquets in honour of visiting Heads of State and other dignitaries, royal occasions and receptions for major historical anniversaries.

                                                           

Thanks to our co-host tonight, Deputy John A Barker OBE and a past Chief Commoner, we are able to offer our members a buffet reception with wine at this very prestigious location for our Closing Ceremony.

 

On arrival you will be welcomed with a glass of sparkling wine and introduced to members whom you may not know. Following this we will partake of our buffet, which will be accompanied by Guildhall Club red and white wines, whilst continuing to mingle socially with fellow members.

 

Our buffet menu is as follows:

Selection of Sandwiches to include:

Smoked Salmon on Wholemeal

Roast Beef on White

Brie, Tomato, Lettuce & Red Pesto on White

Humus & Roast Pimento Peppers on Wholemeal

 

Vegetarian Cocktail Tartlet

Vegetable Samosa

Duck Spring Rolls

Garlic & Herb Chicken Fillet

Goujons of Sole

Deep Fried White Bait

 

Reception Pastries

 

This social reception is for our Members and your Committee is subsidising it to encourage you to attend. Nonetheless we will be delighted if you wish to bring guests and offer a special incentive for them. Should your guest decide to join the London Branch following the event, they will receive a reduction in their LB Membership equal to the Members’ subsidy. In addition, to encourage New Members to come and meet others socially, we are reducing the price for those New Members in their first year of membership.