How you can help raise money for Wine Relief

This month many individuals and companies are raising money for Wine Relief which seeks to tackle poverty and social injustice in the UK and Africa. Most of the big supermarkets are donating 10 percent from the sale of selected wines. Many other organisations are organising charity tastings.

The big day itself is next Friday, March 16th which has been designated Red Nose Day. If you'd like to organise a tasting of your own you might like to follow my suggested format which was published in the March issue of Sainsbury's Magazine. (Obviously, if you don't have a Sainsbury's near you,  pick six other wines to taste and devise your own descriptions and clues.)


"If you’ve never been to a wine tasting now’s your chance to host one of your own! In order to raise money for Wine Relief, the wine industry’s contribution to Red Nose Day, we’ve come up with our unique Guess The Red! tasting during which you have to ‘nose’ and taste five wines and put them in price order. The good news is that as someone has to organise the tasting you’ll know what the prices are already. (The bad news is that disqualifies you from winning the prize!)

OK, this is how it works. You toddle off and buy the five wines I’ve suggested, plus an extra mystery wine in case there’s a tie. You cover each bottle up so no-one can see the shape of the bottle or the label (say, with a small bin bag). You give everyone a glass, a pad of paper and a pen. You give them a description of the wine they’re about to taste. You let them sniff and slurp away to their heart’s content (see ‘How to Taste’ below). You encourage them to make their own tasting notes and have a guess at what the wine is and what it costs. Then you move on to the next wine. Whoever puts all the wines in the right price order wins. If there’s still a tie open up the mystery wine and see if your guests can guess what it is and where it comes from.

If this all seems too much like hard work then just buy a few of the Wine Relief wines that are on offer this month, invite your friends to a fundraising Red Nose Day supper and hold the simple wine quiz (below) to see who is the Supreme Nose of the night.

How do you raise money? Well we suggest you charge your guests £20 a head to cover the cost of the wine and the food + a donation to Wine Relief. Then just call 0845 791 0910 and pledge your donation.

Whatever you do enjoy it and have a great evening!

How to play Guess the Red!
Tell your friends that the wines they're about to taste are made from different grapes, in different styles and come from different parts of the world. Read out the tasting note and only give them the clue if they’re struggling and you feel inclined to take pity on them!

Wine number 1
Description
A thumping big, plummy red with a dark, almost liquoricey character. You could drink it with venison, red meat and spicy foods
Clue
A grape variety you don’t find anywhere else but South Africa
What it is
Beyerskloof Pinotage 2005, made by the winemaker generally regarded as the king of Pinotage, Beyers Truter.
What it costs Usually £5.99. Currently on offer at £4.49.

Wine number 2
Description
A powerful supercharged red with a velvety texture and ripe, sweet blackberry, mulberry and plum flavours. The perfect wine for a steak
Clue
Over the pond
What it is
Napa Valley Vineyards Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2002
A classic cabernet sauvignon from America’s premier wine region
What it costs £11.99

Wine number 3
Description
This smooth mellow wine has the sweet fruit and gentle tannins that come from long ageing in cask and bottle. It would be particularly good with roast or grilled lamb
Clue
Olé!
What it is
Faustino Rioja Reserva 2001 from north-east Spain
What it costs £8.99

Wine number 4
Description
A gluggable easy-drinking medium bodied red with a savoury edge. Great for gastropub classics like bangers and shepherd’s pie.
Clue
A big favourite with Francophiles
What it is
Caves Saint-Pierre Cotes du Rhone Préférence 2005. A former award-winning ‘Great Value’ wine of the year in the International Wine Challenge
What it costs: £4.99

Wine number 5
Description
A huge blockbuster of a red with lashings of sweet, ripe fruit. Perfect for barbies
Clue
Just what you’d expect from our friends Down Under
What it is
Wirra Wirra Sexton’s Acre Shiraz 2004. A classic South Australian red, aged in American and French oak barrels.
What it costs: £6.99

Mystery wine
Get your guests to guess what grape variety this wine is made from and where it comes from . . .
Description
Jammy blackberry, plum and damson flavours with a touch of black pepper spice
Clue
A grape variety normally associated with another country
What it is
Stormhoek Shiraz 2005. This Aussie-style red from South Africa has become a cult wine among bloggers thanks to their enterprising website www.stormhoek.com
What it costs Usually £5.99, currently on offer at £4.49

How to Taste Wine

• Fill your glass about a quarter full. (No more than this or the wine will splosh over the sides when you swirl it)

• Tilt the glass away from you and take a look at the colour. It should be bright and clear. In general the darker the colour the fuller the flavour.

• Now swirl the wine around in the glass and take a sniff. You should already be able to pick up the wine’s 'bouquet' as the aromas are called
  

• Take a sip, and move the wine around your mouth. Professionals suck in air as they do this which helps them to taste more acutely but it results in a pretty disgusting slurping sound so don’t feel you have to follow suit. But distributing the wine round the different parts of your palate helps you to pick up the different tastes and flavours and discover how dry, sweet or oaky it is

• Finally swallow the wine. You should be able to detect the flavours you picked up before. Better wines also have what’s called a ‘long finish’, a lingering aftertaste that may reveal more complex flavours in the wine

The Red Nose Wine Quiz

1. What was the name of the wine, Miles, the hero of the hit movie Sideways was crazy about?
a) pinot gris b) pinot blanc c) pinot noir

2. Which French region does the famous red wine Chateau Mouton Rothschild come from?
a) Bordeaux b) Burgundy c) the Rhone

3) Which substance can cause a furred up feeling in your mouth after drinking red wine
a) Lanolin b) Aspirin c) Tannin

4) Which red wine is released with great ceremony on the third Thursday in November?
a) Beaujolais Nouveau b) Valpolicella c) Tempranillo

5) Which of the following wines is made from Chardonnay?
a) Chablis b) Sancerre c) Muscadet

6) Which wine comes from the town of Jerez in Southern Spain?
a) Madeira b) Montilla c) Sherry

7) Which of the following celebrities owns a vineyard in Portugal?
a) David Beckham b) Cliff Richard c) Jamie Oliver

8) Which Italian wine used to be served from raffia-covered flasks called ‘fiascos’ in the 1960s and ‘70s?
a) Frascati b) Chianti c) Soave

9) In the book Bridget Jones’s Diary, Bridget’s favourite wine was
a) Chardonnay b) Pinot Grigio c) Sauvignon Blanc

10) Which wine critic once described a wine as tasting like a ‘wheelbarrow of ugli fruit’?
a) Jancis Robinson b) Jilly Goolden c) Oz Clarke


Answers: 1) c, 2) a, 3) c, 4) a, 5) a, 6) c, 7) b, 8) b, 9) a, 10) b.