Our off-piste lunches are leaving the Union cellars looking a little bare, and so we’re calling on some dear wine friends to come to our aid.
In February we’ll be joined by Lisse Garnett.
Lisse Garnett & lauded urban winemaker Alex Dale of Roberson Wine in Fulham plan to take you on a tour of English (and Welsh) wine poncery and beyond, we will sample the fine and the funky, the lauded and the slated – Union Members possess discerning palates and we are not known for holding back… (but we promise to be nice to Alex who will bring his own vinous bounty) – Lisse will source the rest – expect everything from the finest Dermot Segrue Sussex sparkling (200 sovs) to flor aged Ortega (Vagabond) to English Burgundian clone Pinot Noir (Gusbourne etc) to Welsh late harvest Bacchus and even England’s answer to Prosecco..tank made from Germanic grapes.. they’ll even be a blind challenge, guess which bottle is Burgundy – not as easy as it sounds – we all cocked it up last time hehehehe
A little about Cliff Roberson of Roberson Wine…
What do David Bailey, Michael Caine and Cliff Roberson have in common?
They’re all working class London boys made good. 60s Britain had huge class divisions but better wages, sexual liberation, Lady Chatterley and regional accents were in. The Abortion Act, abolition of the death penalty and decriminalisation of homosexuality marked real social change. Rampant inflation had yet to hit and the Beatles had paved the path to class mobility.Bailey and Caine were called to the arts, Cliff Roberson to wine – and the incredible life it was to offer him. Selling wine to Warhol in Upper Manhattan, importing a million bottles of Chilean wine precisely as Pinochet left the building and living in the turret of a famed Bordeaux Chateau were all adventures on his sixty plus year career path. Today Cliff Roberson is the owner of Roberson Wine and London Cru in Fulham, the UK’s first urban winery as well as vineyards and a new winery in Sussex. This year he celebrates 53 years of being his own boss and a lifetime in the wine trade.
This is an extract from a piece I wrote about Cliff who is a total dude, his brother Sid was responsible for all those Hamlet ads – remember – Air on the G string, Venus de Milo..
Now in his 80s, Cliff has expanded into English vineyards and he also plants great swathes of woodland in honour of his dead son. The man is an unforgettable wine trade face. I hope to drag him in.
Tickets for this wine adventure are £100 per person, including a more-than-generous selection of wines to sample. Pure bliss!
Secure your spot at this not-to-be-missed occasion… it does have a tendency to sell out.
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Refunds subject to re-sale of tickets. Please give us at least 48 hours’ notice if your plans change.