As a small, family run business we like to support other local businesses as much as possible. That's why we've worked with Hitchin's Hedley Wright Wines since the very beginning of The Loft. We couldn't be without their knowledge (and taste!) for the best wine selection & tapas pairings.
Ahead of Octobers Cheese & Wine Tasting night upstairs at The Loft Thursday 26th, we got to know to host Jamie a little better...
1. Why wine? Where did your passion for wine began and how it bought you to where you are today at Hedley Wright Wines.
I'm an English Language/Literature graduate. My intentions were to use that knowledge as a secondary school teacher but a coincidental run-in with Hedley Wright Wine's owner Paul changed all that.
I was on my way to a friend's house one day, and their Dad was cooking venison (the first time I'd ever had it), and as the wine shop was en route, I popped in to grab something as a thank you. Paul, the owner of the shop was playing Neil Young, and as it turned out, we're both huge fans. We got talking, I asked if there was anything part-time going, the following day I handed in my CV and the rest is, as they say, history.
11 years on and all but my Masters done, I'm completely soaked up by the wine industry.
2. What's your top wine tasting tip?
Trust your senses. Your senses are yours and yours alone. This makes wine tasting so subjective. Reading tasting notes, or listening to professionals will certainly aid in helping you to notice things, but in our lives we've each smelt and tasted hundreds of things, dig deep in your memory and try to link them. A lot of people are better at this than they give themselves credit for.
3. What are your favourite wines to be enjoyed tapas?
Ooooh, it's entirely based on the plates. Anything pickled or cured, olives, boquerones, iberico, or even something like guindillas fritas I love to pair with either a sparkling wine, or a dry sherry (nothing like the stuff in the back of your Nan's cupboard!).
I think it's a crime not to drink something from where the geographical inspiration for your food comes from. If it's traditional Iberian tapas, I drink Spanish. Albarino from Rias Baixas or Godello from Monterrei for fish, sometimes something like an oaky white rioja for anything punchier.
On the reds, I love Bobal, ever so slightly chilled too. Or, keep it simple with a good aged Rioja Reserva.
4. What can wine lovers expect from a wine tasting
An interactive & interesting experience but informal too. I like to ensure that the information I give people about the wines is in depth but without making people feel like they're out of it. What's the point in going into the details of Tempranillo clone 771 in alluvial soil? Unless you're growing grapes, or making the wine, most people don't need to know it.
I think a lot of people expect some amount of pretentiousness to be at a wine tasting. People talking about wet forest floors and the smell of rain on a pebble beach, but really it isn't any of that. It's fun and relaxed.
Meet Jamie & help him steer your taste on our next Wine & Cheese Tasting night - Thursday 27th October 2022. Upstairs from 7:30pm. Enjoy 8 wines paired with cheese too. Tickets £39pp. Tickets for all events at The Loft available here.
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