This month Preet will be presenting wines under the theme “South Africa – A New Dimension”.   His pick will include wines from less known boutique style wineries.   And there will be some unexpected grape varietals included in the mix.

So it will be great to see Preet again and I know that we will all enjoy the wines he shows us this month.  I confidently predict we’re going to have a great evening and you will definitely like the wines!

Book early to avoid disappointment.

How to book your places

Booking for members opens on Thursday 29th October.   Guest bookings open on Thursday 5th November.   Please do not try to book or pay any money before these dates.

Firstly, please check with Clive that places are still available. You can book through Clive by e-mail to

wvws.bookings.clive@gmail.com

As soon as Clive has confirmed you have places reserved, please confirm your booking by making payment of £22 members / £27 guests to the Society account in the usual way.

Account Name:  Whitewater WineSoc

Sort Code: 30-91-31

Account Number: 01158564

Please enter a contact phone number to the reference field, just in case we’re not sure who the payment has come from!

Yes, by popular demand, Keith will be digging deep into his cellar to bring you some superb wines, which will hopefully get us in the mood for the upcoming Christmas celebrations.

Keith’s already clearing out his cellar to find some interesting wines for members to taste.  Those of you who know Keith’s tastes well might expect to see a decent Bordeaux, something from his favourite Californian winery, and a wine from his favourite destination South Africa.  And there will be plenty of other surprises in the mix.

Food wise, there will be the usual bread and cheese, supplemented with some mince pies and other festive nibbles.  (But please eat first, we’re not serving a meal!)

Above all, the focus will be on enjoying the evening and chatting with your friends.   Keith won’t be doing too much talking (really!)

If that doesn’t get you in the mood for Christmas, I’m not sure what will!

How to book your places

Booking for members opens on Thursday 26th November.   Guest bookings open on Thursday 3rd December.   Please do not try to book or pay any money before these dates.

Firstly, please check with Clive that places are still available. You can book through Clive by e-mail to

wvws.bookings.clive@gmail.com

As soon as Clive has confirmed you have places reserved, please confirm your booking by making payment of £22 members / £27 guests to the Society account in the usual way.

Account Name:  Whitewater WineSoc

Sort Code: 30-91-31

Account Number: 01158564

Please enter a contact phone number to the reference field, just in case we’re not sure who the payment has come from!

So I can think of no better way to start the year than with a presentation by Master of Wine Richard Bampfield. There are only a small number of Masters of Wine in the world, so it is always a privilege to be able to welcome one of their ranks to present to us at the Whitewater Valley Wine Society.  Undoubtedly the highest recognition in the wine world, their members have all passed a rigorous examination and collectively strive to promote wine education throughout the globe.

Richard Bampfield graduated in French from Cambridge in 1981 and immediately decided the wine trade was where he could put the language to best use.

He managed retail wine shops in the North West of England for JW Lees Brewers for 7 years, then spent a year getting his hands dirty in vineyards around the world, also working in wine cellars in California and Australia.

Having passed the Master of Wine Exam in 1990, he joined the Australian producer, Brown Brothers, and managed their European operations until 1999. He left them to set up his own company, specialising in public relations and offering wine talks, tours and courses.

Richard is a past Chairman of the Association of Wine Educators and was the European Champagne Ambassador 2009.

For many years, Richard has been a consultant to Lidl’s wine buying team and shares his vast experience with them.  He has a huge influence on the wines which appear on their shelves.

Richard will give us a behind-the-scenes insight into the wine buying philosophy at Lidl.  We’ll find out how they source their wines, what influence they have over the winemakers and how they know which wines their customers will like.

As we go through the evening, Richard will present 8 premium wines (both white and red) which he knows are great buys in store at the moment.

Richard has presented to us once before, 9 years ago. It was one of the best wine evenings we’ve had. So this is an evening you will not want to miss!

Book early to avoid disappointment.

How to book your places

Booking for members opens on Saturday 2nd January 2027.   Guest bookings open on Thursday 7th January.  Please do not try to book or pay any money before these dates.

Firstly, please check with Clive that places are still available. You can book through Clive by e-mail to

wvws.bookings.clive@gmail.com

As soon as Clive has confirmed you have places reserved, please confirm your booking by making payment of £22 members / £27 guests to the Society account in the usual way.

Account Name:  Whitewater WineSoc

Sort Code: 30-91-31

Account Number: 01158564

Please enter a contact phone number to the reference field, just in case we’re not sure who the payment has come from!

Our volunteers put lots effort into selecting their chosen wine.   These evenings are hugely popular with our members, so you won’t want to miss it.

This tasting will be preceded by a brief Annual General Meeting, lasting about 15 minutes.

How to book your places

Booking for members opens on Thursday 28th January 2027.   Guest bookings open on Thursday 3rd February.  Please do not try to book or pay any money before these dates.

Firstly, please check with Clive that places are still available. You can book through Clive by e-mail to

wvws.bookings.clive@gmail.com

As soon as Clive has confirmed you have places reserved, please confirm your booking by making payment of £22 members / £27 guests to the Society account in the usual way.

Account Name:  Whitewater WineSoc

Sort Code: 30-91-31

Account Number: 01158564

Please enter a contact phone number to the reference field, just in case we’re not sure who the payment has come from!

Our main celebration event of the year will be a gala dinner, to be held on Friday 5th March 2027.

And we’re delighted to tell you that we already have a Master of Wine lined up as our guest speaker!

The venue for our special evening will be Elvetham Hotel, located in Hartley Wintney, just a few miles from Hook. Elvetham Hotel is a stunning, privately owned estate, set in 35 acres of beautiful gardens and grounds.

Our spring evening will start at 7.30pm with a welcome bubbly. We will then enjoy a four course dinner (with several choices for each of starter, main and dessert) and a cheese course.  Our meal will be accompanied by wine, and followed by coffee/tea. We have negotiated to take our own wine into the hotel, so the wines will be chosen by us to suit the occasion and menu choices.

Bookings for the dinner are now open.  Please contact Keith for more details.

How to book your places

Booking for members opens on Thursday 25th February 2027.   Guest bookings open on Thursday 4th March.  Please do not try to book or pay any money before these dates.

Firstly, please check with Clive that places are still available. You can book through Clive by e-mail to

wvws.bookings.clive@gmail.com

As soon as Clive has confirmed you have places reserved, please confirm your booking by making payment of £22 members / £27 guests to the Society account in the usual way.

Account Name:  Whitewater WineSoc

Sort Code: 30-91-31

Account Number: 01158564

Please enter a contact phone number to the reference field, just in case we’re not sure who the payment has come from!

How to book your places

Booking for members opens on Thursday 1st April 2027.   Guest bookings open on Thursday 8th April.  Please do not try to book or pay any money before these dates.

Firstly, please check with Clive that places are still available. You can book through Clive by e-mail to

wvws.bookings.clive@gmail.com

As soon as Clive has confirmed you have places reserved, please confirm your booking by making payment of £22 members / £27 guests to the Society account in the usual way.

Account Name:  Whitewater WineSoc

Sort Code: 30-91-31

Account Number: 01158564

Please enter a contact phone number to the reference field, just in case we’re not sure who the payment has come from!

How to book your places

Booking for members opens on Thursday 29h April 2027.   Guest bookings open on Thursday 6th May.  Please do not try to book or pay any money before these dates.

Firstly, please check with Clive that places are still available. You can book through Clive by e-mail to

wvws.bookings.clive@gmail.com

As soon as Clive has confirmed you have places reserved, please confirm your booking by making payment of £22 members / £27 guests to the Society account in the usual way.

Account Name:  Whitewater WineSoc

Sort Code: 30-91-31

Account Number: 01158564

Please enter a contact phone number to the reference field, just in case we’re not sure who the payment has come from!

Waterside Wines started life as a division of the larger Niven Wholesale Company based in Barbados. Back then in 2013 the wine market in Barbados was still very much in its fledgling days. Wine Barbados as it was called then began importing  from all over the world giving the island more choice and an opportunity to try new and exciting wines that had not been available up until that time.

Andrew and his family subsequently returned to the UK.  In 2018, Waterside Wines began to take shape.  They opened a warehousing and a fulfillment centre based in Ringwood, from which they launched their first portfolio of wines.

Andrew is enthusiastic about the wines of Italy and tonight he’ll be showing us his pick from their portfolio.

How to book your places

Booking for members opens on Thursday 27th May 2027.   Guest bookings open on Thursday 3rd June.  Please do not try to book or pay any money before these dates.

Firstly, please check with Clive that places are still available. You can book through Clive by e-mail to

wvws.bookings.clive@gmail.com

As soon as Clive has confirmed you have places reserved, please confirm your booking by making payment of £22 members / £27 guests to the Society account in the usual way.

Account Name:  Whitewater WineSoc

Sort Code: 30-91-31

Account Number: 01158564

Please enter a contact phone number to the reference field, just in case we’re not sure who the payment has come from!

How to book your places

Booking for members opens on Thursday 1st July 2027.   Guest bookings open on Thursday 8th July.  Please do not try to book or pay any money before these dates.

Firstly, please check with Clive that places are still available. You can book through Clive by e-mail to

wvws.bookings.clive@gmail.com

As soon as Clive has confirmed you have places reserved, please confirm your booking by making payment of £22 members / £27 guests to the Society account in the usual way.

Account Name:  Whitewater WineSoc

Sort Code: 30-91-31

Account Number: 01158564

Please enter a contact phone number to the reference field, just in case we’re not sure who the payment has come from!