The club is organised by a small committee. It currently consists of nine people elected annually by the members at the Annual General Meeting in April.
Steve Viney – Chairman
Responsible for leading the committee and co-ordinating all wine club activities.
Why Chalfont and Amersham Wine Club?
I had been a member of a club in Chiswick for several years, enjoying a wide range of tastings from many different countries in a friendly and informal way. On moving out to Chesham we looked for a similarly open and inviting club to join to continue our enjoyment of learning about wine. After a couple of false starts (including a club where they bought tea and home-made cakes for the interval -not wine!) we found CAWC with great relief and have now been members for over 15 years. The wines may have changed as our exploration of the increasing diversity of wine regions continues, but the friendly relaxed atmosphere remains.
Expert or Novice?
Over the years I must have tried just about every style, grape, colour and origin on wine, but still consider myself a novice, which is the challenge that wine offers. Do I know more than others? Maybe, but it doesn’t matter. It is all about being open to what is in front of you at the time (apart from sweet wine which I still struggle with!). We are so fortunate in the UK that wines from so many regions and countries are available to us, so there is always something new to try, and lots to learn.
Best Experience?
No doubt wine has given me the excuse and opportunity to travel and visit different regions around the world. Often it is not the wine itself that you remember but the memory of the occasion that a particular wine may stimulate. One such occasion that springs to mind is paddling in the cold sea of the actual Cloudy Bay itself in New Zealand then meeting Kevin Judd, who was the original winemaker at Cloudy Bay, at his house, to taste his memorable new wines – Greywacke.
Contact: chairman@chalfamwineclub.org.uk
David Burton – Meetings Secretary
Responsible for organising interesting and engaging wine presenters for our monthly meetings.
Guiding principles:
- Curiosity: If I find a wine-based topic interesting, there’s a good chance our members will also find it interesting.
- Quality: Always seeking well produced wines, properly conditioned and with a good story behind.
Favourite Wines:
- Favourite fizz: Nino Franco San Floriano Brut 2018 (Valdobbiadene, Italy)
- Favourite white: Rimapere Sauvignon Blanc 2018 (Marlborough NZ)
- Favourite red: La Rioja Alta 904 gran reserva 2009 (Rioja, Spain)
- Anything else: I’m always on the lookout for new material. If you are a producer, vendor or educator able to travel to Buckinghamshire HP8 4UD prepared to share engaging wine stories, I’m happy to hear from you.
Contact: meetings@chalfamwineclub.org.uk
Sandy Clark – Honorary President
Profile under construction!
Kirsten Stein – Membership Secretary
Responsible for managing the club’s membership list and waiting list.
Profile:
I have been a member of the wine club for a good number of years now and joined because I have always enjoyed a nice glass of wine but found it was impossible for me to choose from the array of bottles in the supermarkets and wine merchants, as I knew next to nothing about different grapes and growing conditions. I also wanted to be able to go to a restaurant and make a choice from the wine list and not be disappointed. Coming to the club has expanded my horizons and introduced me to lots of wines I would never have tried before – and not all of them expensive! I have learned never to have preconceived ideas about any wine producing country and that price is not always an indication of a good wine. It is all down to your own personal taste – there is no wrong answer.
Favourites:
- Fizz: Prosecco Rustico Nino Franco
- White: Rioja Blanco El Coto
- Red: Double Lariat Cabernet Sauvignon – Jamieson Ranch
Contact: membership@chalfamwineclub.org.uk
Robert Stein – Events Secretary
Profile under construction!
Marion Smart – Treasurer
Profile under construction!
Contact: treasurer@chalfamwineclub.org.uk
Kirsten Tolfree-Dart – Communications Secretary
Profile under construction!
Contact: secretary@chalfamwineclub.org.uk
Richard Margerison – Catering Secretary
Profile under construction!
Contact: catering@chalfamwineclub.org.uk
Alex Margerison – Website Development
Responsible for the development and maintenance of the club’s website.
Profile:
I work for TfL as a Chartered Engineer and develop Signal Control Systems for the London Underground. I joined the Chalfont & Amersham Wine Club in July 2015 having been on the waiting list since moving to Little Chalfont in 2013. Due to my more technical background, I was approached to modernise the club’s website to increase it’s functionality.
I have always enjoyed drinking wine but had become a little stuck in my ways and would typically always drink my go-to favourites. Wine Club has been fantastic in expanding my knowledge of different wines and enabling me to now enjoy a much wider variety of wine regions and grapes.
Favourite Wines:
- Favourite fizz: Tattinger Brut Reserve NV (Champagne, France)
- Favourite white: Cave de Lugny Macon-Villages Chardonnay (Burgundy, France)
- Favourite red: Beronia Gran Reserva (Rioja, Spain)
- Anything else: I’m always open to any suggestions or criticisms on the club’s website – please get in touch at the address below if you have any suggestions to improve our site.
Contact: webmaster@chalfamwineclub.org.uk