This year, I went to the Laithwaites/ Sunday Times Wine Club, Wine Festival held last May at its new venue, Olympia London, which is undergoing renovation and more like a construction site. There was a long queue and, on entering, the unfortunate smell of fresh paint, not something conducive to tasting wines!
The event boasted its largest Festival selection yet with over 350 wines from 100 producers across 17 different countries, each country or region enjoying its own dedicated festival area. In addition to the impressive range of wines, there were stalls offering artisanal foods, English sparkling wine and high-end spirits. Despite my best efforts to take in the event during my visit, the sheer number of wines and stands meant I was only able to sample a fraction of what was on offer.
Here are the wines that stood out for me:
White
Bodegas Chavarri, Albarino 2021
Pegoes, Maria Fadista 2022
Enotri, The Boar Riesling 2021
Seifried Estate, Nelson Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2022
Red
Casa Ermelinda Freitas, Vinh de Fava Reserva 2021
Labels, Ognissole Organic Primitivo 2019
M&M & Ponderi Dal Nespoli, Poderi dal Nespoli Borgo dei Guigi 2018
Rose
Hacienda de Lluna, Moscatel Rosado 2021
Colomba Bianca, w/o Organic Nero d’Avola Rosato 2022
Sparkling
Artiga Fustel, Oriol Rossell Organic Brut 2020 (Cava)
Cantin Sociale Trento Lustrato NV (Prosecco)
I was particularly impressed with the Vinh de Fava Reserva which is made by the same producer as one of my picks the Vinha Do Fava Touriga Nacional.
