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Menu
£150.00
PER PERSON
MAXIMUM GROUP SIZE IS 4 GUESTS
FOR MORE INFORMATION REFER TO THE GROUPS TAB BELOW
We are proud to work exclusively in partnership with Riedel, the world’s finest wine glass manufacturer and guests will enjoy wines at our events at The Forge Chester with Riedel Performance varietal specific glassware and with Riedel Wine Wings crystal glasses on board The Lady Diana. Find out more about Riedel here
To deliver the best combination of service and balanced wine education our intimate wine school events are designed for a maximum of 10 guests at our Saturday lunch events and for 12 guests at our shorter evening wine tastings. Join us for an entertaining experience which is free of political opinions and full of flavours!
Every tasting includes food pairings too! Learn more about regional climates that influence a grape’s flavour and explore the ‘jargon’ from the world of wine and more! There’s no such thing as a silly question at wine school: never be afraid to ask away and let us help you unlock the secrets of what makes a great bottle of wine that doesn’t break the bank! We don’t sell any wine at our events so there’s no ‘hard sell’ at the end.
Join us at two AA rosette The Forge Chester for an indulgent and intimate Saturday wine school with five course lunch in their gorgeous private dining room! This super Saturday event features amazing wines from around France. There’s a taste of England too with a glass of Everflyht English Sparkling ‘Late Release Edition 1’ Brut to welcome you and we’ll share fun and useful wine tips and facts throughout the day!
France is the world’s second largest wine producing nation with famous regions such as Champagne, Burgundy and Bordeaux and some lesser known regions such as Savoie and Gascony. Look forward to discovering a different side of French wines with some super value treats from lesser known regions and some well-known ones too! There’a a mix of red and white wines and something sweet paired with dessert. Reflecting the season, our wine selection features a different pairing with each course.
The Forge is within Chester’s Hotel Indigo and Executive Chef Dan Regan was awarded two AA rosettes in early 2024. Dan previously worked at the two Michelin-starred Ynyshir under Chef Patron Gareth Ward and we can’t wait to share Dan’s culinary skills and sensational dishes with our guests!
We begin all of our Saturday wine schools with a glass of Everflyht English Sparkling ‘Late Release Edition 1’ Brut. Everflyht is a single estate vineyard nestled at the foot of Ditchling Beacon in the heart of the South Downs National Park in East Sussex. Unique in its aspect, individual terroir and microclimate – defining the character of the wine it produces. Vineyard Manager Luke Spalding is from Nantwich here in Cheshire and a great friend of wine school. For Late Release Edition 1 the Pinot Noir and Meunière grapes were co pressed and fermented together with the Chardonnay pressed two days later. The pressings were split between steel tanks, old Burgundy barrels (5th fill) and two new French oak barrels. These barrels make up 14% of the total blend of the wine. The wine was fermented in barrel and then aged for a further 10 months before blending in August 2020: bottling was on 1st September 2020 and the wine was disgorged on the 14th May 2024.
There’s another 7 wines to look forward to throughout the afternoon – we’re generous with our tastings and there’s a glass of each wine with every course of lunch with a top up available if guests wish for a little more. As you taste each wine with every course, you’ll come to understand how grapes, climate and different growing conditions around the world can create a variety of flavours in different wines. Look forward to a fun-filled afternoon of wine-spiration, education, and more!
Take home your bespoke and invaluable wine tasting notes book and gift bag for future reference which features all the facts about our eight excellent value wines which are sourced from a range of local and online specialist stores such as Tanners Wines, Waitrose, DeFine Food and Wine, The Wine Society, Laithwaites and M&S. We don’t sell any wine at our events so there’s no hard sell at the end.
What to look forward to during your afternoon out at wine school:
12:00 Arrivals and introductions. We’ll welcome you to wine school with a glass of Everflyht English Sparkling ‘Late Release Edition 1’ Brut, a premium English sparkling wine served in Riedel Veloce English Sparkling wine glasses. Find out a little more about our home wine industry too!
12.20 Our first wine to taste – enjoy a white wine that can be enjoyed without food and find out more about how to taste wine and what all the swirling and sniffing is actually for.
12:45 Lunch: a different quality wine from paired with each principal course (select the menu bar below to see a sample menu)
15:45 Your food and wine pairing experience continues as you’ll enjoy a final cheese course to enjoy with the final two red wines.
Our afternoon is balanced with wine education throughout with sufficient gaps between each course to enjoy every moment to the full.
We expect to finish at around 4.30pm. (we occasionally finish later if we have lots of questions about wine from our guests – which we love!)
Timings are approximate and subject to change.
CLICK ON THE DIFFERENT TABS BELOW FOR MORE DETAILS
The full detail for our menu will be confirmed approximately 7 days before the event date and will be sent by email to guests booked to join us.
Appetiser
Soy glazed ox cheek tart | cured egg yolk, pickled shallot, chive, roasted sesame seed
To start
BBQ XL scallop | mushroom Dashi sauce, pickled Shimeji, bacon jam
Main course
Maple cured smoked pork chop | turnip variations, miso pork butter sauce
Dessert
White chocolate & raspberry | lemon Verbena
Cheese course
Baron Bigod | truffle honey, damson
VEGETARIAN & SPECIALIST DIETARY OPTIONS ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE BY PRIOR ARRANGEMENT AND MUST BE CONFIRMED AT LEAST 7 DAYS PRIOR
The Forge Chester is within the Hotel Indigo at Grosvenor Park Road, Chester, CH1 1QQ
View exactly where on What3Words: https://w3w.co/focus.cloak.speak
All of our events are hosted by our founder and Cheshire resident, Richard J. Smith. With over three decades of experience and training from some of the most prestigious hotels in the world, including the Lanesborough Hotel, the Savoy Group and Four Seasons-Regent hotels, Richard’s knowledge about all things wine is unmatched in Cheshire.
Richard’s impressive list of past and present clients includes several members of the British Royal Family, international heads of state, and a host of top celebrities, which speaks volumes about his expertise and professionalism.
He has also made significant contributions to the hospitality industry by assisting various organisations with training and development including The Cheshire College South and West at their Ellesmere Port Campus. Richard’s recent appearance at Three Wine Men in Manchester alongside TV wine legends Oz Clarke, Olly Smith, and Tim Atkin MW, and his presentations on English and Welsh wines in partnership with Wines of Great Britain at RHS Tatton Park since 2016, are a testament to his passion and commitment to the wine industry.
In March 2019 Richard was proud to be intronised into the Confrérie des Compagnons de Grandgousier at a ceremony in The Loire Valley in recognition for his support of the region, particularly Touriane and Touraine-Mesland. Richard hosts tastings and talks for Loire Valley wine around the UK. Richard and the Wine School of Cheshire were thrilled to be selected as one of the top 100 small businesses in Britain for 2020 by Small Business Saturday and have been featured in Cheshire Life and Cheshire Living Magazines, The Daily Telegraph, The Daily Mail, Manchester Evening News, Metro, Elite Business Magazine and Delicious Magazine.
Richard was thrilled to be appointed to the professional judging panel for The Peoples Choice Wine Awards in March 2022, returning as a lead judge the following year, and he looks forward to the annual judging an subsequent awards ceremony where winners are announced for their consumer friendly wine and spirits awards. As a member of Wines of Great Britain, Richard also sits on panel of the WineGB Training and Education Working Group.
For all our guests’ enjoyment of our intimate tasting events which includes a perfect balance of wine education and food pairing we thank you for your kind understating that the maximum single group size permitted at our events at The Forge is 4 guests.
The maximum group size forms part of our terms and conditions of booking and any second booking received with an expectation to join another individual booking already at the maximum group size will be cancelled and our standard cancellations terms will apply which are detailed in our terms and conditions.
All of our wine tasting eTickets are sent to the purchaser's email address immediately upon the completion of your booking. For gifting, these can be sent on to the recipient or printed at home on an A4 page. If you'd prefer printed gift tickets, you can buy our wine school gift box for £4.80 + Royal Mail Tracked 48 fee and we'll send tickets with your box to your UK address.
Find out more here.
It is essential that you ensure the recipient is available on the selected event date as tickets may not be transferrable and cancellation fees may apply - please refer to our booking terms and conditions for more detail.
A wine tasting gift voucher which is valid for 12 months can be purchased as an alternative. If you would prefer to buy a gift voucher for the recipient to select their own wine tasting, click here to find out more.
The Hotel Indigo and The Forge Chester are fully accessible. Please contact us if any further assistance is required.
We ask all attending to drink responsibly and strongly advise you do not drive after the event. Visit www.drinkaware.co.uk for the facts.
In accordance with the law, all persons attending our events must be over 18 years of age. Admission will be refused if suitable age verification photo ID cannot be provided upon our request and under these circumstances we regret that a refund will be not be possible.
Food allergens: we understand that some guests may have specific food allergies and we are always able to provide alternative ingredients and, if required, alternative dishes to ensure your food and wine pairing experience is enjoyable. We do require a minimum of 7 days notice prior to the event start time to ensure our venues are able to access the appropriate ingredients and appreciate your understanding and kind assistance when this is necessary.
Please be aware as we are a wine school that wine is served at all our events and all wines produced do contain sulphites. We endeavour to feature wines where additional sulphites are not added by the winemaker or transporter, however UK legislation requires that all wines are correctly labeled as containing sulphites as these are produced in small quantities naturally during fermentation. If you suffer from a sulphite allergy we will be unable to offer any alternatives to wine and this must be considered before booking. We regret that a refund will not be available if we are informed of a sulphite allergy after your booking has been completed. Please refer to our full terms and conditions for further reference.
