Ryan Carney and the team were, as ever, impeccable hosts. Alongside 34 bottles from across the Whitfield Wines range, guests worked their way through the now traditional Whitfield Wines cheese board and Straker's superb rosemary flatbreads, a combination that proved every bit as compelling as the wines themselves.
One question comes up at every tasting: 'Which wines should I focus on tonight?'
It's never an easy answer. The list is highly edited before it ever reaches my tastings, so choosing favourites feels faintly disloyal. That said, a handful of bottles revealed themselves particularly clearly when tasted alongside their peers.
There's remarkable value in the Timorasso from La Battistina; the precision and quiet confidence of Courtault Michelet's 1er Cru Chablis Beauroy; and Bruno Sorg's Pinot Noir, one of the very first wines I ever stocked for Whitfield Wines and a bottle that continues to justify its place in the range.
If you couldn't join us, or simply want to revisit the highlights, these are the wines I'd point you towards:
Weingut Dr Wehrheilm Weißburgunder Buntstück 2025
La Battistina Timorasso Secondo, Monferrato DOC 2024
Sesti Sauvignon Blanc, Toscana IGT 2025
Cantina Terlano, 'Cuvée Terlaner’, 2025
Roccapesta, Morellino di Scansano DOCG 2022
Happy drinking,
Ben