Wine Clubs And Wine Tasting Events, Alcohol and No Alcohol Around Britain

Angela Lansbury trying Grenache Rose from a can at a show. 

Wine Clubs

Near Trafalgar Square, about half way between Charing Cross and Embankment stations, an easy 5 minute walk from each, is the Civil Service Club which is the venue for the Central London Wine Club. They meet the second and fourth Wednesday evenings each month and are open to guests. No need to be a member of the Civil service or its club. Just book and pay though their website. (New website from November 20th. Like all theatres and other places of entertainment, you pay in advance to reserve your seat in a place where seats are limited by fire regulations. Also for wine clubs, unlike restaurants, the number of bottles ordered depends on the numbers signing up.

If you want a venue with unlimited wine stocks, the ideal venue is a restaurant, but they mostly charge corkage, so the organizers have to budget carefully. Turning up with a magnum might involve the hosts in more changes. An alternative is a members' club with cellars, like 67 Pall Mall, where you pay a joining fee and a montly or annual fee.

Other wine clubs in London and the home counties which I have attended include wine clubs in St Albans and Welwyn, which attract people who live in those areas. Put into a search engine the name of your location and the word wine club and see what comes up. Very useful if you live in a new area and want to meet friends. 

Some clubs attract young people. Others attract the retired. Or a mixture.

Restaurants & Shops Tastings & Themed Evenings

Many restaurants, bars, and pubs, and wine shops have evenings based on wines from a particular country, or season. Also embassies, promoting the wines and vineyards of their country. If you attend one of these events, you are likely to meet somebody from the local area or further afield. You might get invited to an event, or meet somebody interesting in attending a wine club you start, or in helping you to organize a meeting.

If you attend a trade fair for a country, or hospitality, for luxury travel, or group travel, or a wedding fair, you might meet suppliers of sparkling wines, low alcohol and no alcohol wines, mixers, spirits and juices.

Those attending might include owners of wineyards, winemakers, owners of bars and restaurants, sommeliers and head waiters, students of wine (not necessarily youngsters) people celebrating weddings and anniversaries.

Suppliers of wine such as Berry brothers also have wine tastings before Christmas and at intervals throughout the year.

If you order a case of wine, or even do an internet search, you might be sent useful advertisements and invitations and information about wine events and societies. 

WSET

WSET runs courses for the interest of amateur enthusiasts, sommeliers, and those specializing in sake.

Wine clubs have also been started by members of big businesses such as banks. You might find that your company already has a wine society. Or if there is a newsletter, you might be able to start one. It is a good way to network with others in your company, or to network if the club is open to guests and outside members.

Why would you need to give your details or pay money in advance? First of all, for the security of the venue, and the event. Secondly, to ensure there is enough wine, water, crackers, bread, or food, for all attending. Thirdly, you need enough wine glasses. Even if the event is bring a bottle, if ten people each bring a bottle, you either need a tasting sheet to provide information and enable people to note which wine they liked, or enough glasses of different types.

What if the event provides no food, or asks you to bring your own wine glasses?

Big events open either to trade only, or to anybody willing to pay, are held at major stadiums, in London at Olympia, and Excel. In Singapore a popular venue is Expo. Get on their mailing list. You can also look at Eventbrite and Meetup.

If you order wine by the case, for a wedding, anniversary, birthday, housewarming, club Xmas party, you might be able to hire for a fee, or free, glasses from major wine shops or warehouses. You then get on their list invited to tastings or events.

Another option is to join the Wine Society. You can then visit their huge shop in Stevenage has large selections of wine bottles. You can join online in advance for about forty pounds which gives you a discount towards your first purchase. 

For the driver of your car, there will be water, or a coffee machine. And toilets. And at Christmas chocolates in gift boxes, and other snacks and gifts. 

My husband and I have attended several lunches. At one of them we made permanent friends of another couple who meet us in London to have lunch at an art gallery.

Before driving all that way, to Stevenage, check their opening times and events. It may be possible to ask a member to take you in as a guest, or to stop at the cashier and pay for membership on arrival, without waiting, but please check the latest regulations of the society, and the UK laws on club membership and drink driving.

No Alcohol Drinks

For non drinkers, it is very handy to see the variety of low alcohol and no alcohol drinks which you can give to drivers and non drinkers, and people on pills for temporary or permanent conditions. You can now buy no alcohol wines, beers, ciders, and decaffeinated teas, and coffees.

Alcohol In Food And Drink

Keeping informed about spirits in food is also handy. For example, you might see alcohol in the list of ingredients in Christmas pudding and other dishes which you wish to buy or serve. The same applies when you look at menus or get served in restaurants or people's home, when you responsible for events serving adults or children. 

Useful Websites On Wine And Events (alphabetically)

Central London Wine Society

https://www.67pallmall.com/

wine@clws.org.uk

Berry Brothers & Rudd

https://www.bbr.com/events-and-experiences

Decanter

https://events.decanter.com/london/your-details

The Wine Society

https://www.thewinesociety.com/

WSET

https://www.wsetglobal.com/wset-school-london

-ends-

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Where Can You See The Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race And The Harvard-Yale Regatta - Book For The Next One

Problems
Who will win the boat race?
Where can you see it?

Answers
Where can you see it? The race takes place not in Cambridge nor Oxford but in London, from Putney to Mortlake.

? 

Map from Wikipedia.

The rowing race takes place along the Thames, and can be seen from bridges from several riverside pubs in London.

I missed it this year because my internet was down. Better be ready for next year.

Swans at St Ives, Cambridgeshire. Photo by Angela Lansbury, copyright.

This year was pretty cold - it's still freezing in London, and predicted to be equally cold next year. Not ideal for outdoors, unless you come from a cold country and have proper outdoor clothing. This means get out your ski gear. In the UK people dressed for the office think it's cold outside.

However, cold weather doesn't stop people going skiing, in Canada, or the USA, or Korea, or Italy, Or Switzerland, Or France, Or New Zealand, because they are dressed for it.

Cambridge
Why did Cambridge win? Was anybody surprised? I was not surprised. I would expect them to win. Cam bridge - the name means bridge over the river Cam. It's a beautiful city with waterways always inviting, especially in summer.

However, looking at the statistics, the result is not predictable. It's a close run thing. I see that Oxford and Cambridge have both won about 80 times since the race was started in the 1800s.

British Weather in March
This year, if I had been out at a pub, I would have spent most of the time indoors watching on the pub TV. Unfortunately, the summer weather wasn't with us this year. Snow isn't unknown in Britain in March. In 1979, when a member of my family was born, I recall looking out of a hospital window in Watford at the snow. On the other hand, on another birthday, in the 1960s, I have photos of the family in London sitting in a back garden in Edgware, Middlesex, NW London, in summery sunshine.

Three City Circuit
Think now about a holiday including London and then Cambridge for this time next year. Three places to put on your itinerary, London, Cambridge, Oxford. Meanwhile, what can you do in Cambridge in summer? You will want to see the river and the university colleges.

All three destination, London, Oxford and Cambridge, offer sport, culture and history. You could make a three-city circuit.

Old Bridge Hotel
I will tell you about Cambridge in a later post. Come back. In fact, I have already written a lot about one of my favourite waterside restaurants, The Old Bridge Hotel, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

You can watch the men's event, the women's event or both. They take place on the same day, the women's event first.  If you don't make it to the area, the race is shown on TV. Also look at YouTube. 

In America a similar race takes place between Harvard and Yale. It is called the Regatta. Notice the doubte T. 

Where? On America's The Thames River, involving New London, Connecticut. The colours are blue for Yale and Red for Harvard. How do you remember which colour is which team? Easy. LE in both Yale and blue. RD in both Harvard and red.

UK

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-5539949/Cambridge-win-2018-Boat-Race-Oxford-dominated-gloomy-Thames.html

https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/bars/boat-race-2018-route-where-to-watch-oxford-vs-cambridge-go-headtohead-a3797986.html

https://www.visitbritain.com/gb/en

USA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard–Yale_Regatta

visittheusa.com (Note the double T.)

author
Angela Lansbury
Travel writer and photographer, author and speaker

St George's Day Celebrations With Traditional Roast Beef and Yorkshire Pudding

Celebrate with r o a s t beef ( I had to insert spaces because the site's spell checker keeps changing r o a s t to road.
Roast beef and Yorkshire pudding is a traditional lunch all year Expect to see bunting and flags at a pub or carvery or other restaurant.
In Yorkshire the batter is often local style, plate size like a bowl to contain the beef. But in London more often you get a smaller piece of bowl shaped batter not he side which you can fill with gravy, sometimes served in a jug. It is filling food.

The Mayor of London is supporting and promoting celebrations in Trafalgar Square. So, if you'd rather look at the Trafalgar square stone lions than think of beef, that's the place.

http://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/event/8726328-feast-of-st-george-in-trafalgar-square

St George's Day is also the start of British Beef week with reductions at butcher's if you want to cook your own beef.
http://www.cobbsfarmshop.co.uk/news.asp?contentID=622

See previous post on flags. Please share my posts.
Angela Lansbury, travel writer, photographer, author and speaker.

Where to Find Free Toilets, and signs to toilets, please - oops

The toilets on Euston station charge an outrageous 30p for toilets. I know, it's to stop undesirables hanging around and using the toilets. And to prevent people washing. If they want to deter pickpockets and pick up artists and panhandlers they should put video cameras and warning signs around the entrance and inside above washbasins at eye level, everywhere except inside cubicles, to track people entering and leaving the premises.

Or have somebody paid to be on site 24/7. Motorway stops can do it. Every little branch of a cafe can do it. The DLR can afford to pay three people per platform giving information and ensuring safety during major events at Excel. You could even have sponsors. These toilets managed by such and such a toilet paper or soap or coffee bar chain.

Toilet in a London church twinned with another.

On other stations, such as Bank, there are signs warning that if you urinate in the corners of corridors (such as the one leading to the lift, which is handy if you are elderly or disabled, or carrying heavy luggage and don't want to use the stairs because you are on a long journey and tired).

Euston station is surrounded by coffee stalls, and everybody knows coffee irritates the bladder. But no free toilets. I suppose some of the long-haul trains must have toilets. Pubs have toilets. Big restaurants have toilets. McDonalds and Burger Kings - the bigger branches have toilets. As far as I'm concerned all toilets are twinned with mine back home, which sets the standard for cleanliness and toilet paper.  Back in the good old days toilets cost a penny but there was always a free one, not so nice and clean, if you were caught short of change as well as caught short.

Pregnant women, pensioners with prostate problems, small children, people unfamiliar with alcohol, need toilets.

I was just reading through a page on London travel advice in my copy of the Metro newspaper when I came across a link to a watchdog. it listed
www.londontravelwatch.org.uk
I thought, before I complain to them about toilets, or lack of toilets, I'll type in toilets and see what comes up.
I found a link to a toilets map.
https://www.tfl.gov.uk/cdn/static/cms/documents/toilets-map.pdf
Of course if you choose to print it, this uses up your very expensive colour inks.

Business meetings abroad - where? At Coffee shops and pubs

5 A city or countryside coffee shop or pub

a) Choices
Many pubs and coffee bars will be nearby. You want to know the name to book it, or check opening times. Or the address to tell the colleague where to meet.

b) Challenges
Where to go? If you need a nearby place, having just met a colleague at a station or hotel and want somewhere quiet nearby to sit over coffee, you can use a search ap on your phone.

Solutions
We recently discovered here.com which is similar to google street view. It gives pictures of the nearby location, 3D pictures, you can even see the name of every restaurant and coffee bar or big store containing restaurants and coffee bars. I can't find an ap on here.com for an iPhone but it seems to be available for lots of other phones.

One great advantage is that you can download the map. So you are not lost if your phone loses a connection. If you have an attached printer you can print off the map at home or at a hotel business centre.

here.com