Liverpool set to celebrate its first major wine festival

Liverpool’s set to celebrate the launch of its first ever major wine festival.

The Northern Wine Festival is being organised by Bacchus School of Wine and is being held at the Metropolitan Cathedral’s Crypt Hall in March.

Bacchus boss Johnathan Garry is hoping it will go on to become one of the most iconic celebrations of wine in the North of England and a highlight in the city’s calendar.

But for now, he says:

“I want to bring the uniqueness of a trade event tasting to the public.

“They can enjoy a huge variety of wines, meet producers, and even participate in a masterclass. Quite simply, they can have the most amazing time.”

Johnathan adds:

“We’ve been lucky to host the Bordeaux Wine Festival for many years and, like other cities, we’ve had events where merchants and online retailers have hosted their own wines.

“But Northern Wine Festival is different, because it doesn’t champion one region or seller and, after six years in the industry, I realised there was a need for something more.

“This is a wine festival that truly celebrates global wine, that everyone can enjoy.”

The festival will run for one day on Saturday, March 7, with a four-hour session in the afternoon and one in the evening.

There will be more than 100 different wines to try from producers around the world, built around four core themes:

* English Spotlight – focusing on English wine producers with representatives from Kent, Sussex, Hampshire and Devon

* Classic Regions – with producers from France, Italy, Argentina, Chile and California

* Discovery – looking at wines off the beaten track from places like Mexico, Uruguay, China and Japan

* Education – there’ll be blind tasting tables which, says Johnathan, might sound intimidating to the average wine lover. But typical of his approach in all things wine, he adds that they’ll be fun and relaxed: “You can take the hints and tips from the educator and have fun with it or, if you’re an aficionado, you can go it alone and geek it out to the max. Just remember to grab the results at the end.

“The idea is that you don’t need to know a lot about wine,” smiles Johnathan. “Just have fun and enjoy it.”

The event will cost £35 for a standard ticket per person, which will give them a wine card for their first 12 wines along with a branded tote bag, a branded tasting glass and a booklet giving them a full guide to what’s there.

“People can choose what they’d like to try. You don’t have to have so many reds or so many whites, you try what you want to.

“And the pour will be generous, with 60ml per tasting.”

Additional tasting cards can be purchased by those who want to try more wines, and there are two masterclasses which can be booked (with advanced booking discounts available online).

Led by Johnathan, people can choose This Is England, for which he’ll be joined by Silvia Cackova from Simpsons Wine Estate in Kent and Paddy Gaunt from Sandridge Barton, Devon, looking at eight premium English wines. “The masterclasses will include exclusive wines not exhibited generally during the day,” says Johnathan.

Northern Wine Festival - The Guide Liverpool

And 8,000 Years of Wine, looking at its origins in Georgia through to classic old world and new world countries, and concluding with the future of emerging wine countries. For that he’ll be joined by Henry Rymill from Domain Sainte Rose in the South of France; Rafael Lijtman Gorella from BBS looking at wines from Argentina and Chile, and Olga Salazar Torres representing MX Wines from Mexico.

“Apart from the Masterclasses, it’s a walk around tasting tour, but you get the chance to talk to the producers, the experts, as much as you want.

“This event is for everybody, from the beginner just getting into wine and wanting to know more, to the long-standing wine lover who gets a kick out of new discoveries.

“Another nice aspect is how many premium wines are available to try. For many, these won’t be their average go-to wine, so they may find a new favourite ‘treat wine’.”

To complement the wine, there’ll be food from local independents Crosby Cheese and Charcuterie; Bone & Block, based at Duke Street Market; Kelp Oyster Bar, and Spanish Caravan.

The ambition is that the festival will become an annual event that could be held over more days and become as significant for the city as the annual beer and gin festivals.

Johnathan says:

“Northern Wine Festival will be another event that celebrates culture for our city to proudly host.

“There’s a cultural aspect to wine. Coupled with the food and music, it’s a social event that’s perfectly on brand for Scousers across the city region, as well as being an attractive draw to those further afield.

“And we believe this could well be Liverpool’s event of the year!!”