What is winecdote ?
At Winecdote, we tell stories about wine. We offer a modern and unpretentious approach to wine education.
Winecdote offers wine tasting classes and private wine events to help you learn about wine.
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We think learning about wine should be fun. Our wine classes are interactive, include plenty of accessible yet surprising wines from all over the world and exciting blind tasting games!
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Winecdote is founded by Claudia Bastiaensen, who is a certified WSET wine educator and has worked for various wine companies in Paris and London.
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Winecdote organises wine classes at different venues in East London. We also organise private tasting events at any London venue of your choice.
winecdote
(noun)
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An anecdote about wine; a great story about a passionate winemaker, an exciting wine region or a fantastic grape variety.
A Wine Affair - Introductory Wine Masterclass
You like your wines, but you find it hard to choose them or to describe why you actually like a particular grape variety or type of wine? You always go for your beloved Sauvignon Blanc or Merlot and you'd like discover some other type of wines? When you smell your glass of wine, you just smell "wine", and not at all these complex descriptive aromas people tend to talk about?
We can help to make you feel a bit more like a wine pro with our introductory wine tasting class!
During this two-hour tasting class you'll:
- taste five delicious wines from different wine countries and grape varieties
- learn everything about how wine is made
- practice how to taste wine like a pro
- discover different wine regions and grape varieties
- learn plenty of fun wine facts (how to store wine, how to serve wine, how to pair wine with food etc)
- test your taste buds with fun blind tasting games
- enjoy our complimentary snacks and water
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Book your tickets now for a great wine learning experience!
Themed Wine Tasting Classes
Next to our popular introductory wine tasting classes we offer themed classes as well, such as:
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French Wines
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Italian Wines
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Vegan and Natural Wines
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Rare Grape Varieties
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Sparkling Wines
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These are two-hour events, during which you will learn:
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how to taste wine like a pro
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everything about the wine theme of your class
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plenty of fun facts: how to store wine, faults in wine, how to read a wine label, how to pair it with food etc
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to recognise aromas in wine thanks to blind tasting games
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to taste five delicious wines during the event
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For the latest event dates, check the Book Online section of this website.
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We regularly come up with new wine themes. We are also very interested to hear about any specific theme you might be interested in. If you're keen to learn about a specific type of wine, wine country, grape variety etc, let us know!
It's Your Party! - Private Wine Tasting Events
Hen party? Fancy date? Birthday celebration? Winecdote can take care of your own bespoke wine tasting event. We'll provide you with the perfect activity to impress your guests with! We cater to groups from 2 to 50 people, at your wine tasting studio in Netil House or at a venue of your choice.
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Click here for more information and prices.
What our customers say about us...
"This class was brilliant! Myself and a group of friends went to the master class last week and had the best time. The blind tasting was a highlight. We 'birdboxed' it with blindfolds to make it even more fun. Claudia was lovely and super knowledgeable. Ive done wine tasting before but this class was much better. Would highly recommend. We will be doing it again. Cant wait."
Tim
"The most wonderful and unique experience! I was looking for a real informative wine tasting class, ideally in a relaxed environment and without the hard-selling of wine. When we entered Winecdote, I straight away knew it was just so what I were after. Claudia is extremely knowledgeable, but not only that, she really is keen for her clients to learn and understand. Whether information on the grapes, regions, colour/smell/taste, and production, she’d always ensure we discover the world of wine together. By the end of the two hours, we were skilled enough to analyse for example the country of origin, whether a stainless steel or oak barel was used and what flavours the wine had. I’m definetely back, hopefully for the professional course :) Thank you Claudia!"
Lorena
"If you like drinking wine, and learning about wine, I can wholeheartedly recommend one of these masterclasses. They're a nice size (there were 8 people the night I was there), and are fun and relaxed. The blind tasting challenge was a fun way to really think about all the way we judge what we're drinking. We tasted five wines: a Cava, two white and two red. In addition, the snacks were delicious and plentiful (breadsticks, olives, mini-salami, crisps)."
Stephen
"Attended the introductory wine tasting course last Friday night and it most certainly did not disappoint! Knowing very very little about wine beforehand I was slightly worried I would still be way out of my depth even at the "introductory" stage , however Claudia was amazing at communicating the information so it was appealing to all attendees, no matter the extent of their previous wine knowledge. As an after work activity the class was the perfect length of time and we were still fresh and able to carry on the night after it had ended. Thank you Winecdote ! will be booking the next class very soon."
Monica
winecdotes
Our stories about wine
Winecdote's Wine of the Week:
We recently discovered this warming red from winery Can Xanet. It is a blend of both international and local grape varieties: Syrah, Merlot, Callet, Gorgolassa and Mantonegro.
Why would you make a blend of five grape varieties? It allows the winemaker to play around with the characteristics of the different grapes. One grape variety might add fruitiness to the wine, while another one adds more body and yet another grape adds more structure etc. The right percentages of each grape variety can lead to a perfectly balanced wine!
We love the smooth aromas of black fruits (blackberry and bramble) and warming spices (cedar wood, liquorice, toast) in this Xanet wine. The wine has these spice aromas thanks to ageing in oak barrels (the oak adds flavour to the wine).
What to eat with it? If you eat meat: a grilled steak would be great with this wine. A veggie option: a mushroom based dish.
Cheers!
One of the participants of our introductory wine tasting masterclass asked us why some wines are cloudy:
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A winemaker has to decide during the winemaking process whether to filter the wine or not. By filtering the wine you take out the bigger particles in the wine, that make the wine look cloudy. Filtering the wine makes it look clear and hence gives it a more "commercial look". Some winemakers choose to leave these bigger particles in the wine and don't filter it. This gives the wine a cloudy, artisanal look and will add extra flavour and texture to the wine. You often see this in natural wines, for which the winemakers try to minimise intervention during the winemaking process.
Filtering or not filtering: it is a matter of taste and style!
Get in touch
You can't wait to finally discover how to taste wine like a pro and to learn why you like certain wines and dislike others? You have a birthday celebration to organise and you have no inspiration? You're simply looking for an amazing wine tasting experience in East London? Call, email or message us and we'll design your unique wine event!
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