Taste Liverpool Drink Bordeaux

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I’ve never been to a wine tasting before. Sure, I’ve tasted my fair amount of el vino but apart from being able to tell a Shiraz from a Sav Blanc, my knowledge is limited. I couldn’t tell you a top note and although I’m aware you’re meant to hold a wine glass by the stem, I clutch it by the bowl like someone’s going to rob it off me. Not very sophisticated, I know.

Luckily for my education and decorum (or lack of) we welcomed a new food and drink festival to the city – Taste Liverpool, and with it Drink Bordeaux, playing UK host for the Bordeaux Wine Festival in 2022. As part of this was a wine tasting experience held in the extremely grand setting of Liverpool Town Hall, showcasing some of the region’s finest wines, alongside tastings and quizzes.

The set-up is as follows – you’re given a two-hour tasting slot, provided with a “bingo card” to mark off as you make your way around the wines, and provided with a commemorative wine glass, complete with it’s own pouch. There are stalls set up around the dining rooms of the Town Hall and you can stroll around at your leisure, choosing from a number of wines at each station. Wine producers from each vineyard are on hand to talk you through the various bottles on offer.

It all added up to a relaxed atmosphere, with the initially intimidatingly long queue that wrapped around the building prior to the start soon mellowing out into a lovely buzzy crowd. Liverpool Town Hall was an inspired venue for it, the grand décor balanced out by some very clever dressing injecting fun into the traditional style. The wines were fantastic, with fruity reds bursting with flavour and a peachy Crémant that could rival any champagne.

Did I learn anything? Well, I definitely broadened my palette and the time I spent chatting to the vineyard owners really highlighted how dedicated they are to the wines they produce. I wish I’d taken the time to take photos of the labels in order to track them down afterwards – there isn’t an option to purchase any of the wines which is a shame. But overall it was a lovely way to spend a couple of hours in a gorgeous building, pretending to be sophisticated and if it returns I’d love to visit again. Just don’t look too closely at how I’m holding my wine glass…