The history and aims of the Chalfont & Amersham Wine Club

A personal recollection by the founder, Ray Keen

When Terri and I first met, I only drank Lager and Terri was Teetotal (if only I could turn the clocks back). I had tried hard to get into wine but for some strange reason I could not get either an aroma or an after taste from the £1-50 Liebs that I used to try and as for those red vinegars!!

In the late eighties, I joined two evening classes, one run by Helen Verdcourt, who also ran a couple of wine clubs. Eventually Terri decided that “she could not beat me so she had better join me” and in 1990 joined Helen's evening class with me. One evening, Helen had a special tasting at her Maidenhead wine club which we visited. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to set up our own club in the Amersham area.

Once the decision had been taken, the hardest thing was to find a hall that was not fully booked by John Travolta exercise classes. We eventually booked The St George's Scout Hall in White Lion Road, twisted a few of our friends’ arms and held our first meeting with forty members on the first Tuesday in March 1991. We held monthly meetings from then on with me setting up the Hall, Terri supplying the buffet and Helen Verdcourt, our resident wine expert, who also supplied the wine.

We continued with that format for a number of years but eventually changed so that we had a different wine expert every month. We wanted the club to be relaxed and fun while trying to show the different tastes and aromas from the vast amount of wine types, wine producing countries, styles and grapes from around the world. We ran the club for ten years eventually, passing it on in March 2001.

We were very lucky during that ten year period meeting some wonderful friends, enjoying some wonderful wines and learning an awful lot about the wonderful world of wine. We are now both very proud to see the club going from strength to strength and with the new constitution, new name and a very hard-working committee, we are both sure that it will continue to give pleasure for a lot of years to come.

What are we all about?

The Chalfont and Amersham Wine Club (formerly the Amersham Wine Appreciation Society) has been running since 1992. The club meets on the first Tuesday of every month at 8.15pm at Little Chalfont Village Hall.

Each month a wine merchant is invited to host a tasting of their wines, usually on a specific theme. The club tries to cover all areas of the wine-making world as it is geared towards "appreciation" of wine rather than only being interested in fine wine. With a membership of fifty and an average attendance of around thirty it is large enough to flourish, but small enough to maintain a friendly and informal atmosphere. It typically uses small independent merchants as their wines are considered more interesting and the merchants have often visited the vineyards themselves and have amusing stories to tell. No prior knowledge or experience of wine is needed to come along to the club. If you enjoy drinking wine and want to meet like-minded people then this is the club for you.

Tthe club plans well ahead and will typically have tastings planned for the forthcoming 6 – 8 months at least. The evenings as a rule cost £11 per head for a tasting of ten wines plus a light buffet served half way through. After someone has visited three times and indicates that they wish to become a regular they are charged a one off fee of £10. At each tasting members vote for their favourite wine of the evening and a couple of bottles are purchased. In April they are all re-tasted and an overall Wine of the Year is voted upon. The club also organises three or four "special" tastings per year held outside normal club hours where they invite a professional speaker along to talk and taste around a particular subject. These usually involve wines of a superior quality/price and the charge is £25 per head for these evenings.

The club also organises events of a more social nature. There is an annual Summer Party with quizzes, raffles, etc and annual wine-tasting trips abroad. So far these have been to Tuscany in Italy and Ribiero del Duero in Spain.

The committee

The Club is organised by a small committee. It currently consists of four people elected by the members.

The chairman is Mike Baldwin and the treasurer is Norman Smyth. The secretary, Julia Belton, is responsible for organizing all speakers, special events and trips abroad. Carole Hazlehurst, the newsletter editor, joined the team in 2005 and also oversees the catering.

We asked the committee to answer a few questions.

Mike Baldwin, CAWC Chairman Mike Baldwin (Chairman)

Australian or French - your preference?
If I had to choose, it would be French, but I hope never to be forced to make that choice! The reason I joined the Wine Club was to discover the New World in particular. It’s still a voyage of discovery – there’s some great stuff out there. I have found lots of wonderful South African, Chilean, Argentinean, as well as Australian and New Zealand, of course.

What is your favourite wine?
No such thing – it depends on the situation. For seafood, a Muscadet is great. For a great roast, then an aged Bordeaux would have to be the prime choice. For summer on the terrace, then something fresh with good acidity – a Viognier – I have tasted some great Viognier from South Africa and Argentina, but the best was a Condrieu from Guigal. Divine ! But then there’s Semillon from the Hunter, Vouvray, the whole range of Sauvignon Blancs – and fizz – no the choice is impossible to make!!!!

Riesling - old world, new world or not at all...?
I love Riesling in all its forms, but I like it aged for several years. For dry, then probably Australian – South Australia, Clare Valley in particular. But I also love Reingau or Mosel Ausleses – a fantastic mixture of sweetness and acidity.

Julia Belton, CAWC Secretary Julia Belton (Secretary)

What is your favourite wine?
I agree with Mike, it depends on the situation - time of year, what I’m eating, who I’m drinking with, what kind of day I’ve had…….but if I had to pick one it would be Condrieu.

Most memorable wine experience?
So many, some more lucid than others, and hard to pick a winner as they were all amazing! So, here’s two for starters, both from Italy... (1) eating Prosciutto and Pecorino whilst drinking a large glass of the local wine (Brunello di Montalcino) sitting in the grounds of the ruined castle on top of the hill at Montalcino overlooking the patchwork fields of Tuscany. (2) sipping a cold glass of Soave and eating fresh pasta on the shores of Lake Como, watching a small speedboat zip through the twinkling azure waters…..are you reaching for the wine yet??

What are you drinking now?
Lots of viognier (French and Australian) as I’m into cooking Thai curries at the mo’ and I can’t be doing with Gewurztraminer or Riesling (what a heathen you cry!), Albarino for when I cook fish and good old Shiraz for beef dishes. Petit Verdot (Australian) or Grenache (French) for when I fancy a glass of red for no particular reason and I always have chilled Prosecco in the fridge for when I’m getting ready to go out, when friends pop round unexpectedly or for those “I know it’s only 6 o’clock but I fancy a drink anyway” moments.

Norman Smyth, CAWC Treasurer Norman Smyth (Treasurer)

What got you into wine?
In January 1992 I joined an adult education class on wine appreciation at Beaconsfield run by Helen Verdcourt. There was no looking back, I was hooked!

What is your most memorable wine experience?
Visiting the Rustenburg winery in Stellenbosch in August 2006 and being given a two hour tour of the cellars by their charismatic chief winemaker Adi Badenhorst. A barrel tasting of the Cabernet/Merlot he had blended specially to mark the birth of his son was a privilege and great fun.

What do you uncork/screw for special guests?
Every year I try to lay down some bottles of really good Australian Shiraz which after a few years are ready for that special occasion. St Halletts Old Block has been a reliable favourite but a recent opening of a Pertaringa Undercover Shiraz was marked 11 out of ten by our guests!

Carole Hazlehurst, CAWC Newsletter Editor Carole Hazlehurst (Newsletter & Catering)

What got you into wine?
My dad made home made and I knew the only way was up…..

Australian or French - your preference?
Aus every time I’m afraid. Can’t afford/won’t pay to drink the high end French and with a couple of exceptions, the low end stuff is not terribly good. A £10 Oz is frequently really good and reliable.

What do you drink with BBQs?
Aussie Shiraz, Jim Barry for the quality folk…. Had some Margaret River Shiraz recently, from Becketts Flat, which was far better than I remember and was possibly wasted on a BBQ, but went down a treat.