In the autumn of 2009 Andover Wine Friends enjoyed three great tastings led by experts. They are written up in detail on my Winefriend blog:

Martin Hudson MW gave us a brilliant tour around the great wines of Bordeaux, white and red. The highlights included three great reds from 1999, including the 'super-second' Chateau Cos d'Estournel. Read more about this at:

• the whites: Bordeaux Master Class 1
• the reds: Bordeaux Master Class 2

Jean Pla, from Maury, Roussillon, got on the plane from the South of France, to showcase the exititng new table wines from the area and of course the traditional sweet reds of Maury.  Paul Gumm heroically drove the wines up to us - not to mention the local cheeses and wild boar sausage.  See: Roussillon tasting

David Thomas, MD of Caviste, reintroduced us to port, via some excellent table wines from Portugal.  This was such a success that Caviste then had a run on Port in their shops, selling out the Churchill white among others.   More details at: Rediscovering Port